Ch.59Flowers and Bees

    A corner of the forest about 1.5 kilometers from the Willow Sanctuary had transformed into a barren, crumbling space of death, unlike the lush green landscape surrounding it.

    The twisted trees, dried like beef jerky, were so parched they could burst into flames at the slightest spark, and the once-green grass had turned yellow like hay.

    The beautiful flowers that had painted the forest in vibrant colors had deteriorated into a miserable state, with blackened stamens surrounded by faded petals stuck like tissue scraps.

    Yet amidst this withered, faded landscape, one beautiful and noble flower still flaunted its intense color and vitality.

    In the center of sharp thorny vines covering the area was a flower bud that, when fully bloomed, would be about one meter in diameter—the plant monster named after the devil, the “Demon Rose.”

    Dozens of giant bees had gathered around this beautiful, haughty dictator of the forest.

    They were Giant Bees, forest workers who had betrayed their queen, enchanted by the Demon Rose’s pollen.

    “What’s the situation at the Demon Rose habitat?”

    “It’s still dim, so I can’t see clearly, but most of the bees seem to be resting on the ground or trees.”

    “Giant Bees naturally only operate when the sun is fully up. Even if they’re being controlled by the Demon Rose, they probably won’t be very active in the early dawn without specific orders.”

    It was 6:30 AM, and the eastern sky hadn’t fully brightened yet.

    We were observing the site through binoculars from about 30 meters away from the Demon Rose’s habitat.

    A single rose bud visible among the withered vegetation, with dozens of giant bees sitting around it.

    Honestly, I wished we could just burn everything down with Jessica’s Flame Lance without getting any closer. There was plenty of dry kindling around, after all.

    ‘But I can’t say that with an elf beside me…’

    As I thought this and glanced at Phyllis standing next to me, she seemed to think I was urging her to start the operation. She nodded lightly and spoke in a low voice.

    “Once we enter the habitat, we need to first take down the controlled Giant Bees to reduce their numbers. When the Demon Rose senses danger and begins to bloom to launch magical attacks, that’s when the real extermination begins.”

    “You said attacks don’t work while the bud is closed, right?”

    “Yes. The Demon Rose’s bud and surrounding stems are protected by powerful defensive magic that blocks almost all attacks, both physical and magical.”

    “What kind of magic does it use after blooming?”

    “That varies by individual, so it’s unpredictable. Therefore, improvisation is required after the Demon Rose blooms.”

    “OK, then according to plan, Jessica, Seti, and I will enter the habitat. Phyllis, prepare for sniping from here. Mina, please handle any Giant Bees approaching Phyllis and maintain the rifle.”

    Our plan to exterminate the Demon Rose was as follows:

    I would enter the habitat with Seti and Jessica, who are advantageous against multiple enemies, to wipe out the Giant Bees. When the Demon Rose opens its petals, Phyllis, waiting outside the habitat, would take it down with a “Lightning Bolt.”

    If Phyllis couldn’t target it due to obstacles or directional issues, Jessica would take over. However, the three of us entering the habitat would likely be too busy dealing with the Demon Rose’s vine attacks and Giant Bees to respond immediately.

    Therefore, we positioned Phyllis behind us to fight the Demon Rose, with Mina supporting by quickly removing magical residue from the rifle barrel if Phyllis’s shot missed, allowing for another Lightning Bolt as soon as possible.

    “That’s the plan, but we can’t predict if we’ll get a second chance. Let’s aim to take it down with the first opportunity.”

    “Of course. I wish everyone good luck.”

    “Alright, let’s go!”

    With the signal to start the operation, we began running, maintaining our formation of me, Seti, and Jessica as we leaped into the Demon Rose’s habitat.

    As Phyllis had said, the diurnal Giant Bees weren’t accustomed to moving in the early dawn. Despite hearing our footsteps, they didn’t prepare for battle until we appeared before them.

    Thanks to this, I, arriving first, was able to start the fight by taking out six motionless giant bees.

    ‘Bang! Bang! Bang-bang-bang!’

    Two clinging to dead trees, one hanging on a thorny stem, three on the ground.

    Even in the dim dawn light, targeting the heads of motionless 40-centimeter bees was as easy as eating cold porridge.

    “Diamond Dust!”

    ‘Crack!’

    Jessica’s Diamond Dust, which she had been charging while running, turned four clustered Giant Bees into frozen specimens, while Seti cut down a bee just taking flight and positioned herself between Jessica and me.

    ‘Buzzz~’

    Only after more than ten of their kind were killed did the Giant Bees begin to take flight and fly toward us.

    The large stingers on their rears could be lethal regardless of toxicity due to their size, but to use them, they needed to cling to their target and then thrust their abdomen—a two-step process.

    And our team had a skilled warrior responsible for defense who wouldn’t allow such leisure.

    “Haah!”

    ‘Slash!’

    A Giant Bee aiming for my back was split in half, and the yellow fluid pouring toward my body was blocked by Jessica’s Air Curtain, scattering it around.

    Unlike our usual formation with Seti at the front, we changed our three-person formation for this Demon Rose extermination operation for this reason.

    My revolver allows for immediate attacks but requires reloading every six shots, and Jessica needs minimal time to cast spells.

    Seti’s spear, requiring neither reloading nor concentration, covers these two people’s vulnerabilities.

    The optimal formation for this is me-Seti-Jessica, maintaining close enough proximity for Seti’s spear to cover while focusing on attacks.

    ‘Whoosh’

    “Wuh!?”

    With the activation of my danger detection skill, I sensed a sharp, pointed whip approaching from the ground at 4 o’clock.

    Another threat lurking in this barren battlefield—the Demon Rose’s thorny stem.

    This green whip, covered with razor-sharp thorns, would leave no part of the body unharmed if hit.

    Though I wanted to leap away immediately, I suppressed the urge with trust in Seti and calmly finished reloading my revolver. A blue-silver blade passing by my right side rewarded my faith.

    ‘Slash!’

    “Nice, Seti.”

    “Yeah. Leave it to me.”

    The blade of the Runka, the traditional weapon of the Cat Folk, is shaped more like a long sword than a spear.

    This means it excels not only at splitting Giant Bees in half but also at cutting through attacking rose vines.

    Of course, unlike a machete or axe, it’s not a tool designed for cutting plant stems, so it requires its own technique, but Seti’s mastery of this technique was proven by her recent strike.

    ‘Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!’

    ‘Slash!’

    “Diamond Dust!”

    Giant Bees fell helplessly and Demon Rose stems were cut off under our unified offensive and defensive formation.

    After a few rounds of such one-sided exchanges, the movements of the Demon Rose and Giant Bees began to change.

    The Giant Bees circling around suddenly showed disorderly movement before fleeing one by one, and a faint light began to leak from inside the Demon Rose’s bud.

    “Here it comes…!”

    The sudden change in the battle situation was clear.

    The Demon Rose, cornered, had decided to abandon its guard force and annihilate us with powerful magic, even at the risk of exposing its weakness.

    We couldn’t predict what magic would emerge, but if Phyllis’s shot hit the moment the petals opened, the Demon Rose would fall.

    Even in the worst case, if we could safely endure just one attack, we could claim victory in the Demon Rose extermination.

    ‘Huh?’

    But that prediction was thrown off by the Demon Rose’s unexpected movement.

    The Demon Rose’s bud tilted slightly away from where we were standing.

    I realized what this action meant the moment the downward-tilted bud began to open.

    “Phyllis! Dodge!!”

    ‘Swoooosh-!!’

    Almost simultaneously with my urgent shout as I turned around, a thin stream of water spurted from the center of the fully opened Demon Rose.

    It was ordinary water, the kind you could drink without worry.

    But a thin stream of water ejected under high pressure can become a sharp blade that can cut even metal.

    The high-pressure water jet, like a laser beam from a sci-fi movie, extended upward toward Phyllis, and

    ‘Crack!’

    The next moment, after Mina stepped in front of Phyllis and blocked the water stream with her left arm shield, the shield, cleanly cut in two, flew through the air.

    “Aaaaargh!”

    “Mina!”

    Mina’s pain-filled scream and Phyllis’s urgent voice echoed throughout the Demon Rose’s habitat.


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