Amelia the Level Zero Hero - Chapter 199

The battle was over. It had been a long and hard-fought duel. The baby queen bastion bee had witnessed it. Her entire hive had been forced to watch from the side. And they had all been waiting intently, none of them even moved. Their wings held still, not a single one of them making a buzzing sound until a conclusion had been reached.

When the battle finally concluded, they were all able to breathe a collective sigh in relief. Because—

The Protector had won.

The pointy-eared giant had been defeated. And now, the brown-haired human was walking up to the trapped bastion bees. They buzzed excitedly, awaiting their freedom.

But the baby queen bastion bee couldn’t help but worry for a moment— worry about what the brown-haired human was going to do. After all, not more than a day ago, this Protector of theirs had been the Invader. The very first human to have intruded on their colony and threatened their lives.

So the baby queen bastion bee was afraid. Because she knew the Protector might not have had the best of intentions. While she wasn’t exactly sure what the logic or reasoning could’ve been behind saving them, it was possible the brown-haired human might have executed them now.

The baby queen bastion bee waited in trepidation as the Protector drew closer. It drew its sword, and her eyes went wide. She buzzed her wings in a panic, fearing what came next.

It really was a trap—

But before the thought could even finish forming in her mind, the Protector swung out with the blade. And all at once, the net trapping the colony of baby bastion bees was shredded open. The baby queen bastion bee blinked a few times. She stared up for a long moment.

And the Protector smiled, taking a step back. “Go on. You’re free now. You’re safe.”

The baby bastion bees held still. Their queen lay atop the pile of her workers hearing those words. Once again, she didn’t understand what these humans or elves were saying. However, she felt like she could at least comprehend the intentions behind what was said.

And hearing that soft and gentle tone— it drew the baby queen bastion bee up. Her wings instinctively buzzed behind her, carrying her into the air. She floated up slowly, and her colony followed.

The Protector nodded and sheathed its blade. The baby queen bastion bee apprehensively flew towards the brown-haired human. They stared at each other in silence. Before a louder buzzing sound attracted both their attention.

A familiar bastion bee emerged from the hive. The baby queen bastion bee looked up, recognizing the old nursing bee that had raised her. The nursing bee flew forward and landed on the Protector’s shoulder.

“I know you can’t understand me,” the Protector said, not breaking away from the baby queen bastion bee’s gaze. “But surely you must understand this, right?”

The baby queen bastion bee stared quizzically. She didn’t quite understand why the nursing bee was so calm around the Protector. She didn’t understand why the other two were acting with such familiarity with each other.

The Protector placed a hand on the nursing bee’s back, speaking softly. “Your mother entrusted you with me. All of you. Your entire colony. Your hive. I was asked to protect you— guard you all with my life. And that’s what I am going to do.”

The baby queen bastion bee tilted her head, barely paying attention to what was being said. Instead, she focused on the way the Protector gently caressed the nursing bee’s back. She watched how the nursing bee’s wings fluttered calmly when on the Protector’s shoulders.

And finally, the baby queen bastion bee remembered what had happened when the Protector first entered their hive as the Invader. The nursing bees had tried to placate the baby queen bastion bee. But she brushed off their advice, under the impression that they were all senile.

But the thought never crossed her mind to ask— why were the nursing bees so calm? Why did they not fear the Invader back then?

The answer revealed itself to the baby queen bastion bee now. It was because they must have known— since the very beginning, they must have known that the Invader was never an invader at all. They must have known that the Invader was always a… Protector.

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“So you can trust me,” the Protector finished, proffering a hand. “You don’t need to be afraid of me.”

The baby queen bastion bee stared at this gesture— at the open palm. She closed her eyes, realizing the error of her ways. She understood that she had been mistaken. That she had been wrong. That she could trust the Protector.

So she descended as her colony watched. She bowed her head, gently perching herself atop the Protector’s open hand. The nursing bee looked up, and the Protector simply smiled.

“See? I’m harmless…”

And the baby queen bastion bee lay there, knowing that she was safe. She did not move, for she knew that no harm would ever befall her. How long would she lie there? She did not know. But even if an eternity came and went, she understood that there was no safer place to be than here.

—–

My plan worked. I finally calmed down the baby queen bastion bee. Even if I had to trick them, I had now earned their trust. I was glad that they were able to relax now— that they weren’t going to be so on edge.

But I was even more glad knowing that I could resume my restaurant’s operations as per normal. I smiled, looking down at the baby queen bastion bee as she lay in my open hand. It had been a minute since she landed there, and I was waiting for her to fly back to her colony any moment now.

And I continued waiting as another minute passed. Then five minutes.

Ten minutes passed, and the baby queen bastion bee hadn’t moved. And I pursed my lips as I stared down at her.

“Uh, are you going to rest on my hand for long?” I asked hesitantly, trying to to intimidate the baby queen bastion bee. “Because I kinda need to go back to cooking soon…”

Unfortunately for me, the baby queen bastion bee didn’t respond. Her wings buzzed for a split-second, but she remained perched on the palm of my hand. I closed my eyes and sighed.

“I feel like I have a new problem now…”

—–

“Noele, I need a bit of help here!” Amelia called out in a hushed voice. She was clearly trying not to yell— trying not to startle the baby bastion bees. “What do I do?”

The blonde girl just stood from the side, rolling her eyes at her master. Certainly, Amelia’s plan to placate the baby bastion bees had worked. But now, it had also backfired. Just as Noele had anticipated.

Instead of answering her master’s plight, Noele simply started away, heading for the entrance of Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant. She passed by Jax’s unconscious body on the way there, and she picked him up.

“Come on, you can sleep inside,” she muttered quietly.

Noele entered the restaurant, before slumping Jax’s unconscious body onto a table. He groaned, but he was still not fully awake yet. She shook her head and swept her gaze over the mostly-empty room.

There were only a handful of customers gathered today. They looked up briefly to stare, but they mostly ignored the unconscious elf. Which made sense, considering that only veteran customers would come to the restaurant with all the hubbub about the bastion bees.

They were, to put it simply, used to Amelia’s antics.

Noele was too. Which was why she just went ahead to the restaurant alone, ignoring the new commotion that started outside after she left. She wasn’t here to support her master’s business. She wasn’t even here to enjoy herself and eat a nice meal from Earth.

She was here for one reason only— to learn more about the World System and the Void. So she approached the only person who was able to give her answers. She walked up to the bar and took a seat.

The bartender approached her with a smile, polishing a glass. “Noele, it’s good to see you. I take it Amelia has resolved the bastion bee problem?”

Noele paused for a moment as she stared at the blond man standing inconspicuously before her. He looked like he was barely a decade older than her, and he seemed harmless. But in truth, he was one of the oldest beings and one of the most dangerous people in all of Vacuos.

After all, he had once been Ar’elith the First Lich King. And he had also been a [Priest] before that, before becoming a vessel of the Voidgod after his death.

Knowing all this made the blonde girl hesitate around his presence. Even if he was no longer who he used to be. He might have worn a kind face now, but Noele still couldn’t forget the immense power he once held.

He tilted his head curiously at her and lowered the glass. “Noele? Are you alright?”

“I’m— I’m fine,” Noele finally said and shook her head. “Amelia’s also fine… mostly fine.”

“That’s good to hear.” Arthur nodded as he reached for a clean glass. “It sounded like it was quite the headache. Do you need a drink to—”

“Arthur,” the blonde girl cut him off.

He blinked a few times as she took in a deep breath. She steeled herself, trying to calm her nerves. Right now, she was here seeking out his wisdom as an ally. He was not her enemy. And he was the only one who could give her answers.

So Noele raised her head and met Arthur’s gaze.

“I need your help,” she said in a low voice.

And the former Lich King paused, his eyes growing wide. After a moment passed, he scratched the back of his head.

“Uh, sure. I can help you out. But do you think it can wait until after I’m done with my shift?”

Noele just stared at Arthur as he gestured vaguely at the room. And she massaged her temples.

“Sure. Why not?”