Chapter 112

Chapter 112

Quieeek?

Queen Vesparos compound eyes twitched. Her antennae started to shake uncontrollably. Despite not intending to, her legs flinched. Even the venomous stinger hidden in her abdomen wavered.

Why on Earth is this happening?

She couldnt understand.

Quieeek? Quieeeek!

She hadnt sustained any significant injuries. She had been pricked by a human wielding a sword only four times. Just minor stings. Trivial impacts that didnt warrant any concern.

But her world seemed to shake. All her senses went haywire. Up mixed with down, front with back. In a word, she was dizzy. At the same time, her entire body felt drained of strength.

Quieeeeak!

She violently shook her head.

She couldnt afford to collapse here.

She had led the entire swarm for this hunt. Succeeding in this hunt would provide the nutrients needed to lay healthy eggs. She could amply feed and successfully raise the next generation of larvae. So giving up was not an option.

Queen Vesparos glared at the humans through her blurred vision, trembling all over. There, Raciel was smiling triumphantly.

Bingo!

Raciel shouted in delight. It was a success. And more than he had hoped for.

Until moments ago, Queen Vesparos had been ferocious. Now, she shook all over, as if she had been hit squarely by a bug spray!

I wasnt sure if this would really work

Through meridian scanning, Raciel could clearly see the flow of Queen Vesparos vital energy. Thanks to that, he could predict all her intentions and movements. He could shout orders to Demian for the appropriate action.

However, simply dodging wouldnt ensure victory. Thats why he commanded Demian to counterattack.

With minimal force.

In an efficient manner.

Reducing risk to a minimum. Targeting only the queens vital points. And not just any points.

The joints in the Queens legs, the upper and lower sections of her chest, and finally, right beneath her compound eyes

These were equivalent to the crucial acupoints in humansthe Baihui point on the top of the head and the Huiyin point between the anus and genitals. Points where energy flows in and out. Where it spreads and converges. The beginning and end, and the places where the processes intersect. Raciel had them specifically targeted.

As if he had destroyed those critical acupoints in a human.

He wasnt entirely sure it would work. It was his first time dealing with an insect, especially one this large. The effects couldnt be guaranteed 100% just by a brief understanding from meridian scanning. The results could differ completely from human subjects.

But he went for it.

Because it was the best option. The most likely method. It seemed worth the try, and he went for it, reaping much more success than expected.

Just like now.

What just happened?

Demians startled question came through. Snapping out of his thoughts, Raciel hopped off Demians back with a smile.

Well, seems like we successfully targeted her weak points.

Weak points?

Yeah.

Really?

Did you notice?

Yes.

Demian slowly nodded.

The points you told me to prickthose were all predetermined weak points, right?

Of course.

But how did you?

Figure them out?

Yes.

Demian nodded.

He couldnt understand.

It was the first time even the crown prince had seen Vesparos. He couldnt believe that hed discerned her weaknesses. But the crown princes forthcoming answer was audacious.

I could just see them, you know? Didnt you?

Yes?

I mean, its obvious, isnt it? Ah, if I hit her there, itll hurt. If I prick there, shell die. Stuff like that. You didnt see that?

Really strange. I cant understand it.

The resisting Apfros, too.

The forest was ablaze, and the corpses of the swarm filled every corner. Above them, the sky shed its tears.

Whoosh!

The downpour quenched the flames. The spreading wildfire faltered and soon receded. The forest was left enveloped in silence, filled only with burnt debris and white smoke. Amidst this, the knights of Anbouaz and the guide soldiers cheered.

We survived. Thank goodness. They hugged each other and broke into relieved smiles.

Meanwhile, Raciel thought,

Phew. I may have survived, but its a disaster.

He couldnt help but sigh in regret.

Whats the point in capturing Queen Vesparos? The Queen Apfros larva we intended to secure is now beyond saving.

He lifted his gloomy gaze.

Where his eyes fell, there lay the half-destroyed nest of Apfros. The nest was crumpled due to Vesparos assault, the massacre, and the forest fire.

Inside the nest, there were no signs of life or sound. Clearly, they had been wiped out. The sad certainty deepened Raciels sigh.

Darn. Its ruined. All ruined.

The original plan was to kidnap the Apfros queen larva. They wanted to obtain the antibiotic substance secreted by the queen larva to treat the wounded soldiers.

That way, I could earn a hefty bonus in lifespan.

His plans had been thwarted by Vesparos untimely attack. And now, he didnt even have the courage to look for another Apfros nest.

To do that, Id have to move to another forest, find a new nest, and that would take several days at least. In the meantime, all the wounded will die.

So this plan was utterly ruined. The more he thought about it, the sadder he got.

Phew. Demian?

Yes.

Lets at least salvage whats left in the nest.

What do you mean by whats left?

There should be some honey.

Apfros are gigantic honeybees, after all. At least some honey would be left in the nest. If fed to the wounded soldiers, it could help in their recovery. With that thought, Raciel and Demian entered the nest.

The inside was dark, but thanks to the large tunnels, movement was relatively easy.

As I thought, theyre all dead.

In various places, there were dismembered Apfros corpses. Occasionally, he even saw Vesparos who had been steamed to death. Of course, dozens of Apfros who had died creating heat were also there.

So, wheres the honey?

Raciel went deeper into the nest. Following the winding tunnels, like wandering through aisles in a local supermarket looking for a specific item. He expanded his search further in.

How long had he wandered the dark tunnels?

Creak Creak

A strange sound came from within. It sounded like something scraping the walls.

A survivor?

Apfros? Or Vesparos?

Your Highness, let me go first.

Demian moved ahead, and they approached the source of the sound. They rounded the last corner and then they saw it.

There it was

Apfros queen?

The queen Apfros was crouched, but she was already dead. Yet at that moment

Creak! Creak!

The dead queens body twitched. A faint sound came from within, and something pushed its way out of the queens body.

Raciel was shocked.

Huh?

It was an unfamiliar creature.

A round face, plump body, bright eyes, and cheerful mouth. Covered in soft, white fur, it looked like a baby seal

An Apfros queen larva?

Raciel mumbled in disbelief. The larva cheerfully nodded its head.

Kyuuu kyuuu!

(To be Continued)

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