Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Belissar slowly closed his mouth. The shade may have seemed a bit smaller than the first, and never used the all-direction mist attack, but it also hadn’t been particularly weak as far as Belissar knew. It wasn’t like he could have taken it by himself without the Pit Traps, after all. And yet...the soldier bees had handled it. They took it down with only a handful of losses. The shade had barely made it beyond the gate, even.

It took Belissar a moment to accept the situation.

Minor Purification completed! Please select a reward:

- Monster Bee Soldier Strength Boost (Minimal)

But he was not dreaming. A shade of the Hunger was defeated without needing the traps or fire at all. Belissar hadn’t even lifted a finger. It was a tremendous victory.

"Bees win! King’s hive best hive! King best king!”

Belissar couldn’t help but smile as Niobee flew around him as fast as she could. The Apiary bees all around began to buzz and zip through the air, performing quick and elaborate aerial dances as they celebrated the victory. He took a deep breath, relaxing his body as he exhaled it.

“Do they have names? Or a way to call each other?”

Niobee flew unsteadily.

“No name. We call by birth. This is First Queen of Second Dynasty of First Spawner, Third Queen of First Dynasty of Third Spawner, and First Queen of First Dynasty of Fourth Spawner.” РÅ𝐍ỌꞖÊS̩

Belissar rubbed his chin and then nodded. He took several planks of wood and placed them by the sculpture. He carved a set of numbers separated by dashes on each, corresponding to the numbers Niobee had stated. He then asked how many of the fallen belonged to each of the queens and carved a line for each into their respective planks.

He then took a deep breath and rose to his feet. He frowned for a moment, and his heart began to pound. His heart constricted in his chest.

Belissar did not often think of the dead. What point was there in that? No matter what tears were shed or what words were spoken, the dead were gone and that was that. It was unfortunate, but there was no sense dwelling on what could not be changed. The bees didn’t bother with such things. They simply removed the corpses and kept at their work. Belissar had tried to do the same.

But when he thought of his bees, who gave their lives without hesitation or regret...he felt they did not deserve to simply be cast away and forgotten. He felt he had to do something for them.

So, he changed his mind. In the aftermath of the first purification, he had realized that he hadn’t moved on at all. That the thoughts of those he had lost still lingered inside him, as much as he tried to deny it. Even the very thought of them brought tears to his eyes, which was why he had done all he could not to think of them. Those thoughts now stabbed through his chest like a cold knife. Every muscle in his body tensed and told him to flee.

But Belissar fixed his eyes on the bees hovering before him and put aside his own discomfort. He would do this for them, at the very least. He took the wounded bee soldier on his shoulder and gently placed her before the grave, then took a step back and faced her. He bowed his head.

“Thank you, for your sacrifice. We won because of you. I won’t forget that.”

He didn’t know what else to say or do. His parents hadn’t even had a funeral, and he buried the old beekeeper himself. So, he simply stood in silence for a moment.

The wounded bee soldier squirmed a bit under Belissar’s gaze, while the rest of the bees hovered in the air, unsure of what to do.

Then, one of them began to move. Niobee began to fly in a slow pattern, starting a new dance that she had never done before. This was not something instinctive to her or taught to her by her colony. So, she slowly, unsteadily mapped out the movements herself. She tried to match the dance to the feelings she could perceive from the King. She made slow and graceful movements, beating her wings as softly as possible, yet keeping her course straight and steady as she could. Once Niobee completed her dance she repeated it, now absent the hesitation or doubt of her first attempt.

A slow and steady buzz arose in the air. The other bees began to follow her, first the queens of the Flower Meadow, then the soldiers, and then all the rest. The wounded soldier couldn’t follow without her wing, but she beat her remaining wing along the rhythm of the others. The King turned and watched as the bees conducted their dance. He nodded at them as they concluded.

The bees buzzed in response.

The Firstborn of the Second Dynasty of the First Spawner trembled as the King’s words vibrated through her chitin. Her mana stirred, filling her body with heat.

A grand and mighty victory was won this day. She had achieved all she had set out to do. The enemy was defeated by the strength of their armies, felled by the sacrifice of one of her own soldiers. The destruction of the First Dynasty was repaid in full, and the bees had proven themselves worthy defenders to the King.

If it had ended there, the Firstborn would have flown high for quite some time. But the King was not content with that.

No, he had taken the fallen and carried them by his own hand. He began a new construction, one that did not seem suited as either shelter or defense. The Firstborn had watched in confusion, uncertain as to the King’s purposes here.

Until he called her. She stood before him as the Conduit reported her titles.