Reincarnated To Evolve My Bee Empire - Chapter 199

Chapter 199: It must be some terrible, malevolent ploy
Dragons couldn’t start bringing Beemarines home until morning, so Malevolence had the entire night to watch mayhem among humans, and despite her sleepiness, she wanted to.

Beehound Quickstep took an observation position nearby. She yawned, then made a sip of nectar from a field brass flask, then looked outside.

“Gathering materials for your report?” Malevolence asked.

Quietstep nodded silently.

She was as untalkative as all Beehounds, but now Malevolence was naturally drawn to socialization and gossip; she couldn’t help herself if she wanted to.

Below them, a pair of humans were dragging a blinded warrior human out of the building. He was shouting and trying to fight them off, but it was all pointless. Other humans gathered around with torches, shouting more things, but not hurrying to help.

Malevolence grinned.

“Do you think they will all kill each other? Burn this place by accident?”

Quietstep shook her head.

“No. It happens just like Father predicted,” she said with awe. “I recognize the humans that plan to attack this warrior human. Earlier, the warrior humans attacked a female human that lived in the same house—a sister, or a daughter of their family.”

Malevolence sneered.

“You want to say that humans want to avenge their family, Quietstep? What kind of family do they even have? It’s just a pathetic imitation.”

“But Father predicted their actions, and he was right. Then, the humans will bow before us, as should.”

“I’d rather they just die,” Malevolence muttered.

She watched how one by one, the warrior humans were dragged together, to the massive plain—”a square”—in front of the house they hid in.

From the state of these humans, Malevolence knew that most other Beemarine squads worked as well as her own! Out of 10 warrior humans, 8 were clutching their eyes and swollen, brownish faces.

Two others were less wounded: one had a dozen of stings scattered over his face, and the other was, apparently, stuck in the leg instead of face. A squad sent after him must’ve been late to attack, and the human woke up before he could be stung.

These warrior humans still weren’t in their armor or with their weapons and looked pathetic when surrounded by a dozen other humans.

There was more shouting, and finger-pointing, and punching and even kicking! Malevolence watched with glee as blood flew around, and someone even lifted a boulder to bring it down on someone’s head!

But then, instead of a complete slaughter, the peace was brought back. The warrior humans were kicked some more, tied up with absolutely massive ropes, and dragged away.

Without noticing, Malevolence went asleep and dreamed about being so huge that she could squash a human between her fingers—or put him into a clay jar and shake it.

***

“It’s all as Father predicted. The humans come to show their fear,” Quietstep said again on the next day.

Malevolence and her squad were flying to the research work camp, where they would wait for extraction. On the way there, they saw a group of several humans go to the outside of the village, carrying something in their hands.

“Really?” Malevolence asked. “Are you sure they aren’t leaving the village to attack the Empire?”

“Half of these humans are ones that were left with Father’s mark. And they all carry gifts. These items are similar to ones they left for the Empire before.”

Malevolence frowned. She heard that earlier, most of the “gifts” were stolen by small beasts living in the area. Only metal bits were eventually carried away by the Empire’s trained dragons.

“And what, if we show ourselves to them, they will act as they should, Quietstep?”

“We aren’t here to test this out. Keep moving, Malevolence!” the squad leader interfered. “You aren’t here to put the mission at risk.”

Malevolence grit her teeth in offense.

“Of course not, Lieutenant! I’m just suspicious about humans’ motives.”

“It’d be stupid to not be,” the squad leader said, and other Beemarines within earshot agreed with nods. Then she added, “Anyway, Malevolence, you will be on the first flight out of here. It didn’t slow you down, but you are still wounded.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

***

Just a few hours later, Scourge landed near Hive Supremo, carrying 19 Beemarines and Beehound Quietstep on its wide back. A feast of meat and pollen bread was already gathered for the dragon.

It growled in appreciation and didn’t even wait for the bees to get off its back before sinking its teeth into a whole carcass of a caterpillar.

Around waited several dozen bees, which all cheered and waved toward Malevolence’s squad. In the center of them stood the person who always put awe in Malevolence’s heart.

Father! Father was there and waving at them! And Mother-Queen was standing right next to him, smiling as well. Even though they were outside the hive!

The Beemarines saw it too and waved back, then hurried off Scourge’s back to give their reports.

‘Please, be proud of us!’ Malevolence thought.

“You’ve returned, my girls!” he welcomed them, as always, so nicely. And his smile was so radiant. Father looked at the Quietstep first. “The mission was a success, I’m sure. And you will tell me all about—wait, *Malevolence*?! What are you doing here?!”

Malevolence froze. Father flew right up to her, scowling, and she wanted to just die on the spot.

Father wasn’t supposed to be unhappy with her!

“You are supposed to be on bed rest! Look at you—still walking with bruises… Even if you are *mostly* healed, this doesn’t mean you can just sneak off on missions! And who allowed this? Huh?”

“We should ask Bloodhero,” Mother-Queen said, coming closer and taking Father’s hands in hers—Malevolence looked away from the sight. “But later. First must come the reports. We must know whether we should prepare for war.”

Father huffed, but nodded.

“Quietstep said it went just like you predicted,” Malevolence dared to speak, since Quietstep herself was too busy hiding behind other Beemarines to report. “The warrior humans are imprisoned by their own kind, and the humans marked by you are bringing more gifts. It was a success!”

To Malevolence’s relief, Father smiled again.

“If that’s so, then we can continue communication! The next step will be taking the gifts and leaving more marks. With Explanatory’s help, we might even be able to shout a coherent message at them! Then—”

The words cut off.

Mother-Queen was holding empty air. Father’s bodyguards didn’t have time to raise their weapons.

Father just… disappeared!