12. Human (3)
12. Human (3)
I feel the Queen's power awakening every time the smoke of human flesh enters my body—or to be precise, ever since the nutrient known as 'human' entered my system.
It's like memories I couldn't recall are slowly returning every time the smoke of human flesh enters my body.
I knew that because I still possessed human memories, spirit, and personality, I wasn't properly wielding the power of the Queen.
But as the Queen's memories slowly awaken, I'm feeling it even more.
I lifted my hand and stared at my palm.
Jjeojeok.
My palm opened up as if it were being ripped apart.
'Ooh...'
Inside my split palm, countless teeth were ttak, ttak-ing, hoping to eat something.
I squeezed my eyes shut without realizing it. Even to me, it looks too grotesque.
Is this really the Queen's body? I even doubt whether this should be called a body.
I made a fist so I wouldn't have to look at my palm and stared at the adventurers in front of me.
Mage, Healer.
Which one is more beneficial to me?
Should I eat the Mage's mana and learn Heal? Or eat the Healer's mana and learn magic?
"Erina knows more about magic."
"Yui!?"
"Erina. Erina has a younger sibling."
"But... but!"
"Here is the key to my Adventurer Guild safe. I hope Erina can use this key someday."
"I don't want to. Living... living alone is meaningless...!"
"You can do it, right? Queen-nim. Learn magic from Erina, and as for me—"
Puuk.
"Erina!!!"
"Huh?"
Erina slowly lowered her head and stared at the arm embedded in her chest.
"Keul-leok."
Blood flowed down from her pretty, small mouth.
The thing I hate most when watching dramas or movies is melodrama.
Of course, it was a situation where it wouldn't be strange for the adventurers in front of me to say such things.
It's touching that adventurers speak for their comrades. But that's only for situations that aren't urgent.
I asked a question, and they're ignoring me to talk to each other? This is obviously annoying.
I grabbed Erina's heart with my hand.
A powerfully beating heart. The energy felt from such a heart.
A refreshing yet heavy energy is flowing along with the heart. Is this mana?
I grabbed the heart tightly, intending to suck it all up.
Mana is flowing in.
And something else started to come in.
Unlike mana, it's a warm and cozy-feeling power.
==
Chwaak.
As soon as Lea's hand pulled out of Erina's chest, blood and flesh began to pour out from the gaping hole in her chest.
"No, no!!!"
I originally thought about just killing her in that state, but since Lea wanted to ask about the power other than mana, she called Moss.
Moss.
A creature that looks similar to a mosquito.
It's a creature that sucks human blood like a mosquito or sucks the blood of other living things to spread diseases, but after joining the Queen's legion, it has been active in a completely different direction.
It's a recovery potion role.
With the ability to store liquid, it possesses a Cell Activator that restores the bodies of creatures.
Lea called the creature, which she calls Moss for short because 'Mosquito' felt a bit weak.
Just like when she saved Amber, she sprayed the Cell Activator onto Erina's chest, which had a hole in it.
The hole in her chest started to bubble, and everything from the heart to all the components began to grow, filling Erina's hole.
==
Beonjjeok.
Erina woke up urgently and immediately groped her chest with her hand.
As if nothing had happened, just like when she first came here, she knew that the existence who treated her was Lea.
'Why on earth?'
This time, there's no reason to save her.
'I absolutely cannot tell what that existence called Lea is thinking...'
"Erina! Are you okay!?"
"Yui...!"
Erina and Yui hugged each other, rejoicing that they had survived.
At that moment, Lea was closing her eyes, exhaling smoke, and meditating.
Lea, who had devoured Erina's mana and some kind of energy, was adapting them to her body.
Her body was adapting on its own, learning how to operate mana and how to utilize the energy.
The Queen's body, which adapts and evolves in any environment, evolved her body to suit mana and the other energy.
The women who were watching that right in front of their eyes couldn't do anything but hold each other's hands and tremble.
As soon as Lea fully adapted everything she had eaten from Erina to her body and opened her eyes, Erina doubted her own eyes.
Holy Power was flowing from Lea's body.
Erina, who urgently checked her own body—that is, her interior—was shocked.
All mana and Holy Power had disappeared from her entire body.
To be precise, the vessel that held the mana and Holy Power itself had disappeared.
And it had passed to Lea.
In this other world, there are various powers, but the powers that the most people know are mana, Holy Power, and Unique Ability.
Mana and Unique Ability are powers one is born with. But Holy Power is different.
Holy Power is something that the Goddess who protects this world chooses directly and bestows power upon.
One must have firm faith and trust to use the Holy Power bestowed by the Goddess. But.
Why.
Why does Holy Power exist in that existence, the King and Queen of monsters who kill humans without hesitation?
Why.
Why does the Goddess allow that existence to possess Holy Power?
Why?
Holy Power is moving.
Solely according to Lea's will.
The Goddess's power is flowing from the monster.
Isn't that not supposed to happen?
Holy Power can disappear in an instant.
It is the Goddess who gives Holy Power, and it is the Goddess who takes it back. Therefore, those who have fallen and broken the prayers promised to the Goddess have no Holy Power.
Because the Goddess prevents the fallen from using Holy Power.
But... why isn't she taking it away from that monster...?
==
"It feels gross."
Every time this warm power flows through my body, I get goosebumps.
It's hard to explain in words, but it feels like someone I hate is stickily stroking my body.
In a word, it's just annoying.
"What is this that's flowing in my body right now?"
"Holy... Power..."
"Holy Power?"
That Saint or church people, so, that Holy Power that holy people receive from God?
Why is that in my body?
Even though I chewed it up, is it okay for it to be in my body?
I'm flustered too, but I can see that the human Erina, whom I'm asking this, is even more flustered—no, shocked and traumatized than I am.
Well, if I were in Erina's shoes, I would have been shocked too.
Usually, Holy Power would be a power only holy people use, but even I think that far from being holy, I'm a creature—a monster—that kills and farms humans, yet I have Holy Power?
It's enough to be shocked.
[ Queen-nim. ]
Suddenly, Dagos called me out from the Hive Mind.
[ What's the matter? ]
[ Humans are preparing to move to the Colony. ]
Medherun City moved faster than I expected.
Even though only about 25 humans have passed through my hands so far.
In terms of the number of humans in the city, it's very small and doesn't even show, but seeing them notice and move this quickly, it seems there is a capable person in Medherun City.
The interior of our legion hasn't even been organized yet.
Perhaps this time, it won't end easily.
Of course, our kids will win, but the possibility of being able to control information about our legion will be very low.
If I wipe them all out, that's a problem too.
Wiping out all the adventurers I see right now? Just looking at them, the adventurers moving right now have a completely different presence than the B-rank adventurers I caught this time.
They are probably A-rank adventurers right now.
According to the information I heard from Amber, A-rank adventurers are managed at the national level. In other words, it means they are very important humans.
If all those A-rank adventurers go missing? The nation itself will probably move, and then war will be unavoidable.
'Ha... I wanted to live quietly while farming humans, but I guess that's impossible?'
With that many people, it will be hard to control information.
In a world where magic exists, it's close to a miracle that our information hasn't leaked out until now.
Now is the time to slowly let them know of our existence.
The fact that adventurers of that level are coming means they already recognize our danger to some extent.
On top of that, there isn't just one party of adventurers, there are at least 20 adventurers.
Or should I negotiate instead?
On the condition that we don't destroy humans, we get humans distributed to us.
That's good?
This is it.
We don't need to feel the hassle of farming with a steady supply of food, and humans don't go extinct.
How great is that.
Then this fight shouldn't just be about winning.
I have to show overwhelming power.
Smooth negotiation requires one side to have overwhelming power.
Then negotiation becomes very easy.
People around might say how that can be called a negotiation, but that's what a negotiation is originally.