Crown Prince Sells Medicine
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 couldn’t understand.

Quieeek? Quieeeek!

She hadn’t sustained any significant injuries. She had been pricked by a human wielding a sword only four times. Just minor stings. Trivial impacts that didn’t 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 couldn’t 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 wasn’t 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 wouldn’t ensure victory. That’s why he commanded Demian to counterattack.

With minimal force.

In an efficient manner.

Reducing risk to a minimum. Targeting only the queen’s vital points. And not just any points.

‘The joints in the Queen’s legs, the upper and lower sections of her chest, and finally, right beneath her compound eyes…’

These were equivalent to the crucial acupoints in humans—the 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 wasn’t entirely sure it would work. It was his first time dealing with an insect, especially one this large. The effects couldn’t 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?”

Demian’s startled question came through. Snapping out of his thoughts, Raciel hopped off Demian’s 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 prick—those were all predetermined weak points, right?”

“Of course.”

“But how did you…?”

“Figure them out?”

“Yes.”

Demian nodded.

He couldn’t understand.

It was the first time even the crown prince had seen Vesparos. He couldn’t believe that he’d discerned her weaknesses. But the crown prince’s forthcoming answer was audacious.

“I could just see them, you know? Didn’t you?”

“…Yes?”

“I mean, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Ah, if I hit her there, it’ll hurt. If I prick there, she’ll die. Stuff like that. You didn’t see that?”

“…”

“Really strange. I can’t understand it.”

“…”

“Try harder. Seriously, try.”

“…”

Neither could understand the other. What he was seeing. What was so obvious to him.

But Demian wasn’t just lost in doubt. He stood in front of the prince with his body as a barrier.

“Anyway, step back. It’s still dangerous.”

Whether her weak point was exploited.

Or she took a heavy hit.

Either way, Queen Vesparos was still alive. She might be trembling all over her body, but there was no telling when she might suddenly charge.

Demian tightened his whole body again, aiming his sword and watching Queen Vesparos’ movements. However, the prince behind him seemed to have a slightly different idea.

“No, it looks like the dangerous one now is that guy.”

“Don’t let your guard down easily.”

“Seriously.”

“But we have no means to easily break through that creature’s tough shell. It’s too much for the other knights. Even if I do my best… I’d have to slash at the same spot several times to land a substantial blow.”

“Ah, so you want to know other weaknesses quickly?”

“Yes. I will finish this as quickly and safely as possible.”

“No need. Look up.”

“…Yes?”

What does that mean?

He wanted to ask.

But just as he was about to ask,

Vwooooom!

Suddenly, a loud noise came from above the forest. It was the sound of an immense number of wings flapping.

“…!”

Could it be the remaining Vesparos swarm? Coming to save their queen? Demian clenched his sword, feeling both awe and a sense of crisis. He looked up. And then he saw.

Vwooooom!

Dozens of Apfros were flying in, piercing through the forest flames and thick smoke. They were rapidly descending as if to land here.

Targeting them?

No.

‘Queen Vesparos.’

The moment Demian sensed it.

Dozens of Apfros swarmed Queen Vesparos, covering her completely.

Kreeeeeak!

The Queen let out a fierce roar.

But the Apfros swarm, much smaller than the Queen, didn’t care. They clung to her body even more persistently. They neither bit her nor stung her with their venomous stingers. Instead, they flapped their wings with tremendous force.

Vwooooom!

The air in the vicinity resonated and vibrated for a moment, as if there was a localized earthquake. A resonating sound that felt like it could destroy the eardrums, a wing flapping at a frequency beyond comprehension.

The muscles making the Apfros’ wings flap became instantly hot. Their body temperature skyrocketed. And they stuck to Queen Vesparos even more persistently.

One clung on, then two covered it, then five covered those. In a circle. Like a ball. So that no air could escape, trapping their rising body heat within several layers.

Vwooooom!

The heat from their body temperature turned into a horrific hellfire. The Apfros closest to the Queen began to melt from the heat. Yet they never stopped flapping their wings until the very end.

Exhausted, Queen Vesparos struggled. But she couldn’t shake off the Apfros swarm, weakened by the previous paralysis.

For a moment, all her strength drained away. All her senses became dull. Like she was still under the effects of anesthesia, she couldn’t muster the strength to act. She was helplessly floundering within the swarm of Apfros that she would usually have easily shaken off.

…!

No screams came out either. Even her dying moment was drowned out by the Apfros’ ultra-vibration.

The Queen’s wings and antennae melted. Her exoskeleton was burnt black. Her antennae were cut off. Her compound eyes were smashed. Eventually, her flesh and muscles, and internal tissues were all cooked. It was a futile end for the Queen, the heart and leader of the Vesparos hive that had roamed the deep forest.

However, the Apfros swarm that finished off the Queen wasn’t safe either.

Buzz… Buzz…

The heat was so immense that it cooked the Queen. The Apfros inside also met their end with the Queen. Those on the outside were also exhausted and began to die one by one.

And so, all the swarms vanished.

The rampaging Vesparos, too.

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 it’s a disaster.”

He couldn’t help but sigh in regret.

‘What’s 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 Raciel’s sigh.

‘Darn. It’s 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 didn’t even have the courage to look for another Apfros nest.

‘To do that, I’d have to move to another forest, replace 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.”

“Let’s at least salvage what’s left in the nest.”

“What do you mean by ‘what’s 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, they’re 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, where’s 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 queen’s body twitched. A faint sound came from within, and something pushed its way out of the queen’s 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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