Chapter 119: Arcadia (7)
The Killer Queen sits obediently on King Makai’s hand.
The instinct of the monster that usually attacks anyone it sees had vanished, and there it was, sitting like a well-behaved pet on King Makai’s hand.
It looked like something out of a nature documentary. Never thought I’d be seeing this in real life, but here we are…
And without its wings buzzing away, it didn’t feel threatening at all.
Sure, there were other killer hornets around… but for some reason, they weren’t sticking their heads out of the house right now.
Well, that’s good for me. Better than having to deal with their buzzing and burning them all down.
“By the way, it seems even calmer than usual today.”
Can’t really tell if it’s genuinely calmer or not.
“So it really doesn’t attack people.”
“Of course. Plus, it’s smart enough to think anyone with me is a friend, so as long as it’s not provoked, it won’t attack.”
“If I hadn’t come along…”
King Makai pointed toward the killer hornets loitering at the house’s entrance with an awkward laugh.
Well, that makes sense. Seems like the bond between King Makai and the Killer Queen is what’s making them so chill.
If a different human showed up… they’d probably end up as a stinger buffet.
“Well, I haven’t heard any news about other intruders, though…”
Well, of course not.
Whether the hornets are going crazy or there are dead bodies lying around, it must be pretty noticeable.
“Anyway, since it’s so calm right now, maybe we could let someone else hold it… Wanna give it a go?”
King Makai said with a slightly mischievous grin. Uh, well, so…
“Are you seriously asking me to put this bee on my hand right now?”
This dangerous creature with a hard shell? With a stinger and sharp forelegs?
“Nope! Not happening! Even if it’s friendly, it’s still a monster!”
“But today feels different. It’s really cute in its own way, don’t you think?”
“Cute? No way! Look at that tough exoskeleton! Those emotionless killer’s compound eyes! A needle that can pierce flesh and inject poison! And those sharp claws like blades!”
“Doesn’t it look kind of cool though?”
“Your taste in aesthetics is downright bizarre!”
How can he think that thing is cool? How?!
“Come on, just try holding it for a moment.”
King Makai offered the Killer Queen on his hand toward me.
“No way! Even if you promised me everything in this world, I still don’t want a bee! A bee!!”
I loathe mosquitoes because they suck my blood and it’s just annoying, but bees? I just plain dislike them!
Sorry, bees! But I really can’t bring myself to like you!
Especially not when it’s the size of a fist!!
“But it’s soooo cute, though…”
The Killer Queen on King Makai’s hand looked at me with its lifeless compound eyes.
“Kkiii…”
For some reason, it seemed terrified of me and started slowly climbing up King Makai’s wrist, making a weak noise.
Uh, well… I didn’t like it, but that obvious fear is a little unsettling…
“Hmm? Why is it acting like this all of a sudden?”
The Killer Queen’s gaze was clearly fixed on me.
When I shifted a little to the side, it followed my movement with its eyes. And when I moved a bit farther away, it let out a strange noise as if it felt relieved.
Hmm… Did this creature somehow sense what I am?
Is it some beast instinct kicking in?
Or maybe it has some special monster sense?
I’m not sure, but it feels like a strange occurrence.
Maybe it has something to do with being tamed by humans.
“Hmm. I’ve heard the Dragon’s Priestess has a fearsome reputation, but I never expected she could scare a monster like this… I’m genuinely impressed.”
“This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this!!”
I have no idea why this is happening! Is the killer hornet truly that smart? Or does it just have enough animal instinct left to vaguely pick up on my identity?
I don’t know what the answer is, but this definitely isn’t your everyday situation.
“I heard you and the Hero have slain countless monsters—maybe it’s picking up on the scent of all that blood?”
“If that were the case, then all the other monsters would’ve noticed too. Only this Killer Queen reacting like this seems odd.”
“Well, this one is a genius! It can recognize people and even befriend them!”
“Calling a monster a genius is pushing it…”
The smarter the monster, the more dangerous it might be. But on the upside, being able to interact with humans is positive.
Hmm… I wonder if we’ll start seeing more human-like monsters? Something like orcs or ogres distinct from demon kinds?
I have no clue. It certainly seems like vampires will make an appearance. Although they’re a bit sketchy to be called just monsters…
Eh, I don’t know. The humans will figure it all out anyway. For now, I’m just meddling with a bunch of things, but eventually, humans and various other races will work together to build this world.
By that point, I’ll just quietly hibernate in the corner, napping while observing everything through my avatar!
By then, who needs the direct intervention of entities like the Creator Dragon God or the Goddess of Life, right?! Maybe!
Ah, surely they won’t need my help then?
Because by that time, I’ll have tucked myself away in some unknown corner!
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The couple cared for the bees with all their love.
The bees, having lost their wings and been kicked out of their hive, couldn’t even trust the couple taking care of them.
Yet the couple continued to care for the bees.
They believed that once you took responsibility, you had to see it through to the end.
But caring for crazy bees wasn’t a walk in the park.
Sometimes they’d scratch with their claws, other times they’d bite with their teeth.
To the bees, humans must have seemed like villains, periodically showing up to destroy their home and steal their honey.
But the couple didn’t give up.
Even when injured, even when threatened by the bees’ venomous stingers, they kept caring for them.
In the end, the bees opened their hearts to the couple.
Once the bees accepted them, the couple learned something surprising.
Amazingly, the bees were actually queen bees!
The most fearsome of the forest bees. Bees whose stings could put human lives in danger – the so-called “killer bees.”
Turns out, they were the queen bees.
After opening their hearts, the bees recovered with the medicine given by the couple and, with their help, built a new hive and expanded their family.
One, two, laying eggs and hatching larvae; as the number of bees grew, the couple began to worry a bit.
These were killer bees, after all—is it really going to be okay?
Wouldn’t they end up hurting anyone else?
But those worries turned out to be unnecessary.
Surprisingly, the newly hatched bees were much gentler than other bees.
Of course, they had the fierceness to strike back if provoked, but they didn’t attack first, which made them infinitely gentler than your average killer bee.
As the bees built their hive, they seemed to want to repay the couple by producing super sweet honey just for them.
Honey that was incredibly sweeter than regular honey.
So, the couple whipped up delicious dishes using the potatoes and this honey.
Butter made from milk borrowed from the neighbor, sweet honey, and delicious potato dishes.
The couple decided to call this culinary masterpiece “Honey Butter Potatoes.”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Thanks to this dish, the couple raked in a ton of money.
Only having a dog to their name, they had become rich!
Some people celebrated the couple’s success, but there were also those who were green with envy.
That would be a jealous “friend” from across the hill.
Honestly, you could barely call him a friend, but since the husband had used the family heirloom as collateral for the house, he was the only one who helped the struggling husband.
He was the only one to lend a hand during tough times, so can we not call him a friend?
Of course, this “friend” had his eyes on the family heirloom, but the husband thought of him as a good friend for helping out.
Anyway, now that the husband had hit it big, he invited this friend over for a nice meal.
And the friend showed up with a sour face and asked…
“How the heck did you earn so much money? You only had your body before!”
“I was lucky. The dog I happened to raise brought in all this fortune.”
Hearing that, the little dog chewing on a small bone fragment nearby tilted its head.
What is this human even talking about?
Yes, the dog was definitely the reason for the kickstart, but it was the couple who put in the sweat: caring for the bees, growing potatoes, cooking up and selling their food.
Unfortunately, none of that mattered to the mean-spirited friend.
What was important for him was just that it was the dog who made the couple rich.
– Classic fairy tale: The Grateful Dog.
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