Chapter 120

Chapter 120

I followed Dorien as he led me out of Wolfwater. Harlan and Arthur apprehensively trailed after us, and we came to a halt right before a thicket of trees. I heard the buzzing in the distance— it grew louder as I narrowed my eyes.

I could see the bulky figures of the bastion bees zipping between the leaves and hiding behind the tree branches. With each passing moment, they seemed to become more and more restless. Their movements more frantic. Their glowing eyes shining even in the sunlight.

“As you can tell, they are a tiny bit upset that you left,” Dorien said as he turned to face me. “They nearly stung me because of you.”

“Right...” I sighed, shaking my head. “I’ll deal with this.”

I strode forward as the buzzing of the bastion bees intensified. They spotted my approach, and they cast their angry gazes my way. I raised my hands in the air as I entered the thicket of trees.

“Sorry for leaving,” I said softly as I scratched my cheek. “I, uh, had to deal with some other issues. But I’m back now...?”

I hesitated— unsure if that would have pissed them off even more. Their bulbous red eyes flashed, and one of their figures darted up to me. Like it was trying to attack. But I didn’t flinch. I just stood there as the glinting stinger shot straight to my face.

I lowered my hands, and the charging bastion bee paused. It didn’t sting me. However, it got quite close. I watched as it drew back, before holding my gaze. I recognized it— I recognized her. She was the nursing bee who had been charged with carrying the eggs to Wolfwater.

Her wings fluttered as she glared at me. Her little appendages tightly clung onto the egg sac. I watched as her antennae twitched like she was gesturing down at the unhatched bastion bees— as if she was telling me that something could have happened to them.

“Hey.” I smiled reassuringly at her. “I’m not going to make any excuses— it’s my fault for abandoning you guys. I’ll make it up to you later, but for now let’s get your new hive situated first, alright?”

The nursing bee stared at me. She still looked upset, but she was calmer now. And the other bastion bees took notice of this. They emerged from the trees as their buzzing wings grew softer, and I nodded at them.

I stepped out of the thicket of trees as they followed after me. Dorien, Arthur, and Harlan watched as I coaxed the bastion bees out.

The [Druid] nodded approvingly at me. “I’m impressed— you managed to calm them down even without any [Animal Handling] Skills.”

“Those really are bastion bees...” Harlan whispered as he shifted back. “I can’t believe she’s bringing those monsters into Wolfwater.”

Meanwhile, Arthur didn’t visibly react. He just stared at me as I started past him.

“Come on,” I said as I gestured for everyone to follow. “My restaurant is this way.”

And with that, I strode through Wolfwater with a dozen bastion bees in tow... which ended up drawing a little bit more attention my way.

—--

“Who is that?”

“What is she doing?”

“Wait, isn’t she the owner of Bucky’s?”

“Bucky’s? Don’t you mean Xakor’s Out of this World Restaurant? And I’m pretty sure she isn’t the owner— she’s just an employee.”

“Really? I didn’t know that...”

“That’s beside the point! What in the Thrones is she doing with those monsters?”

“Monsters?” Xakor frowned as he heard the commotion sweeping over Wolfwater.

He came to a halt, adjusting the cloak that hid his face. As a non-native to Vacuos, he’d normally stand out by quite a bit if he were out and about in public. He was a ragnarian. That meant he was tall, lanky, and had purple skin. To top it all off, he also had four arms and three fingers.

“As expected from a fool such as you. You don’t even realize how much you’re endangering Wolfwater by bringing these monsters here, do you? Maybe they’re peaceful right now. But at any moment, they could attack any one of us without warning and without reason.”

The bees zipped past him ,and he flinched. But they completely ignored him. He steeled himself as the crowd whispered amongst themselves.

“That’s true...”

“What happens if those bees sting my daughter?”

“They’re massive! They can take off my head with a single bite!”

Xakor hesitated, watching as the crowd started to agree with Joseph Donovan. The injured young man grinned triumphantly to himself as Amelia just stared. It seemed pointless to argue at this point— there was nothing the [Chef] could say or do to change that public sentiment.

But a voice piped up. A gruff man stepped out of the crowd, clearing his throat. Xakor recognized him immediately. He was Lucas— Wolfwater’s top [Hunter].

“Actually—” he said as he gestured at one of the passing bees. “These are bastion bees. According to the Adventurer’s Guild, they are not classified as monsters. They’re called sacred monsters. And many sacred monsters are known to live within the confines of a city. Like pegasi, for example.”

Joseph Donovan blinked. The crowd paused. Amelia and Xakor stared at Lucas as he continued.

“Some bestiaries even classify bastion bees as animals. It is hotly debated, of course. But that doesn’t matter— bastion bees are incredibly intelligent, and they never attack unless they are provoked.” Lucas finished, before shrinking back as he realized that everyone was looking at him. He scratched his cheek sheepishly. “Sorry, as a [Hunter], I love learning about monsters, so I know a thing or two about them...”

It looked like this was the first time he ever had to make use of his trivia knowledge on monsters. Even his [Hunter] friends looked surprised by him. The crowd hesitated, glancing between each other.

And Joseph Donovan tried to work his jaw. “But... but what happens if a child accidentally attacks one of these bastion bees, huh?”

“As I said, they’re incredibly intelligent.” Lucas shook his head. “They know better than to harm a human child when they’re surrounded by a village of humans.”

Another susurration swept through the crowd, but this time, they looked approvingly at the half-constructed hive.

“If that’s what Lucas thinks, then it should be fine, right?”

“He’s our top [Hunter], he knows what he’s talking about!”

“I’ve heard that bastion bees are an endangered species. I never thought I would ever see one up-close before. They’re beautiful!”

“W-wait...” Joseph Donovan watched as the public sentiment rapidly shifted. The support he had garnered evaporated, and he clenched his teeth. He spun around and faced Lucas with an accusing glare. “You’re supposed to be on my side! What are you doing?”

But Woflwater’s top [Hunter] scoffed in response. “I’m not on anyone’s side, boy. I’m on the side of what’s right.”

“That’s...”

“There you have it,” Amelia said as she looked back at Xakor. She gave him a shrug. “It’s resolved.”

The [Chef] just sighed. “Xrr... you still haven’t told me why these bastion bees are here.”

“It’s a bit of a long story—” she started.

And he waved a hand dismissively, stepping back into the restaurant. “You can tell me what happened later. Come inside, I have a few new recipes I need to teach you before tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Amelia blinked. “Right.”

She followed after him, leaving Bucky alone outside to supervise the bastion bees as the crowd began to disperse. And Joseph Donovan stormed off as he cursed at Lucas for siding with Amelia. The injured young man vowed he would get his revenge for being humiliated once again.

...but he probably wasn’t going to succeed.