The Bee Swarm
“Hansen, Philo! I’ll be counting on you, then.”
“What? You know them?”
“Of course. We’re traveling together, aren’t we?”
“They’re commoners, you know?”
“In that case, they must be exceptionally skilled knights. I’ve heard becoming a knight is several times harder for commoners than for nobles.”
The knight commander looked as though he doubted his own ears.
“Are you insulting the nobility now?”
“Insulting them? Praising commoners is an insult to us?”
“The way you talk, it’s as if nobles are…”
“Haah, I’d rather not continue this pointless, vulgar conversation. If you want to change the mood, fine, but spare me the lecturing.”
“D-did you just call me an old geezer?”
“That’s exactly what people like you are called.”
A stifled laugh came from nearby. Since only knights were present, it had to be one of them. The commander’s face turned an alarming shade of red, as if it might burst.
“Which one of you was that?!”
He shouted at his men in fury, but I had no desire to get further involved. Without looking back, I walked out of the dining hall. I could sense Hansen and Philo hurrying after me.
[Raiii!]
[Yes! Understood!]
[Understood what?]
[Weren’t you about to order me to shake down that arrogant knight commander?]
[Correct. So you do learn.]
I kicked open the inn door and stepped outside, only for urgent voices to follow right behind me.
“Miss, wait a moment!”
“We’re coming with you!”
***
The bright weather and lively market atmosphere were pleasant. As I entered the market, watching people bustle about just like anywhere else, I once again became an object of avoidance.
“……Is this Moses’ miracle?”
The moment people spotted me, the crowd parted cleanly to either side, clearing a path. It was no illusion. I saw it clearly—the countless wary glances that wanted nothing to do with me.
“Miss!”
“You mustn’t wander alone.”
“Tch.”
I shot a glare at Hansen and Philo, who had quickly caught up. A girl escorted by two knights in gleaming armor was, without question, the number-one person to avoid.
To commoners, nobles were inherently troublesome. One wrong word and limbs could be lost or tongues cut out—there was nothing appealing about them. They might as well have been walking bombs.
What had surprised me most upon being born a noble in this world was realizing that “I” could kill a commoner without facing any punishment. It was treated exactly like slaughtering a pig—completely unremarkable.
Shockingly, that was the precise level of regard. Killing an animal for no reason other than cruel amusement might earn you a reputation for a vicious temperament and some finger-pointing, but it wasn’t illegal. That was the extent of it.
This time, my eyes met a gaze filled with fear.
‘Like a rabbit staring at a wolf. And I’m just a small, young girl.’
I pretended not to care, but those wary looks were far from pleasant. Today was turning out to be full of things that rubbed me the wrong way, and I suddenly wondered whether I really needed guards at all.
“You know, can’t I just go alone?”
“How could you even suggest such a thing…… Absolutely not.”
“Don’t you understand? If a noble young lady walks around without attendants, it’s dangerous!”
“Why? According to you, I am a noble. Who would threaten me?”
Especially when I was such a harmless and adorable little girl. I had quite a bit of confidence in my own cuteness. Every time I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t help but admire my striking beauty, which clearly showed the makings of a great beauty.
“The academy is a safe place. But this isn’t.”
“The public order doesn’t seem that bad, though.”
The streets were clean, and the market people looked good-natured. I glanced around as I spoke, but the knights showed no sign of backing down.
“This city is far from the capital, so public order is poor.”
“Philo is right. There are plenty of pickpockets and homeless children, but you simply don’t see them. Especially in border cities like this, criminals tend to gather……”
Fine. If that’s how it is……
“Ah!”
“Miss!”
After checking my surroundings, I dashed straight into the crowd. Behind me came Hansen and Philo’s startled cries, but that was none of my concern. Sorry, but I wanted to walk alone. Those suits of armor stood out way too much! Farewell!
“Hah! Being treated like a child is the worst……”
My body was suddenly lifted into the air. Effortlessly.
“Miss, why are you doing this? I told you it’s dangerous!”
“If there’s somewhere you wish to go, we’ll accompany you.”
Ah, right. I’d forgotten. They were active knights with bodies hardened by training, while I was a frail ten-year-old girl who spent her days lazing around.
“Ugh, I hate this!”
Dangling from Philo’s arm like a sack of potatoes was mortifying. I seethed at the fact that I hadn’t even managed ten steps before being caught.
“Let me go!”
“I cannot!”
“Argh! I don’t need protection!”
I struggled with all my might, but Philo’s arm remained unyielding. Damn it, how is he this immovable?
[Master, you’ve been caught.]
[Kah! As if I didn’t know that!]
My attempts to wriggle free weren’t working, and Rai’s teasing only made me huff in frustration. Then a somewhat guilty voice came from above. Philo was still holding me aloft.
“Do we…… really bother you that much?”
“Huh?”
“I’m sorry. You dislike us because we’re commoners, don’t you? If we were other knights, you wouldn’t have done this.”
Well, well. Look at these pitiful commoners. Or rather, two of them?
The red-haired knight who had introduced himself as Hansen also wore a gloomy expression, just like Philo. I stopped struggling and glanced at his sword. Sorry, that’s actually an alloy. Rai already ate the mithril. I didn’t know it only contained one percent.
The two large, dejected knights had clearly misunderstood something.
“If you prefer, we can find other knights……”
“Haah, enough already. Listen, Sir Knights? If I actually cared about that sort of thing, this situation would already be incredibly disrespectful. Don’t you think? A commoner daring to handle a noble young lady like this could easily lose their head.”
Shocked by my words, Philo immediately set me down on the ground. It had only been a joke, but seeing his face turn pale made it clear how much they had been mistreated.
“Please forgive us, Miss.”
“If we have offended you, we will accept any punishment.”
Even in the same situation, knights of noble birth wouldn’t have trembled like this. I could only sigh at the two commoner knights whose mouths seemed glued to the words “I’m sorry.” The eccentric knight commander had probably shaped them this way.
“Let’s make one thing clear. I don’t dislike you because you’re commoner knights……”
“You don’t?”
“I just hate having guards at all! Who asked to be protected?!”
Why was that? I had always hated being protected. The feeling of becoming a helpless creature against my will was unpleasant. Of course, I really was weak and powerless as a girl, but dislike was dislike.
When I shouted, Hansen and Philo looked momentarily bewildered.
“……But with the Bee Swarm being so active lately……”
“Hey.”
“Ah.”
Bee Swarm? Philo elbowed Hansen to cut him off.
“Bee Swarm? What’s that?”
“You don’t need to know, Miss. We’re here, after all.”
“Yes, we’ll protect you.”
I had never been good at enduring curiosity for long—especially with my lazy nature paired with a quick temper. Arms crossed, I looked up at Hansen with a defiant stare.
“I’m curious!”
“It’s really nothing important.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll lie down right here.”
I would never actually do it, but the two knights seemed unwilling to test just how foul my temper could get. After hesitating for a moment, they finally gave in.
“Recently, a group called the Bee Swarm—anti-noble extremists—has been gaining power. They’re commoners with a strong hatred for nobles…… and they assassinate nobles without reason.”
“Huh? Without reason?”
“Yes. Quite a few nobles have already been harmed.”
“Bee Swarm…… Why that name? It seems way too cute compared to what they do.”
“They didn’t name themselves. Because they risk their lives to kill nobles, people started calling them that. It’s meant as mockery…… but don’t underestimate them. They’re indiscriminate and violent.”
I see. I could vaguely understand the meaning behind the name. Honeybees die after using their stinger once because their insides are pulled out with it—an all-or-nothing attack. Meanwhile, the victim isn’t guaranteed to die, so the damage feels insufficient compared to the sacrifice. That seemed to be the implication.
But what on earth drove them to kill nobles at such a cost?
Because I’m a noble, I suppose…… but I still can’t understand it.
“They’re strange. What do they even gain by killing nobles?”
“Their belief is that since there are more of them than nobles, if they keep killing one by one at the cost of their lives, eventually all nobles will disappear. They want to create a world without nobles.”
“Aren’t they idiots? If nobles disappear, they’ll just end up taking on the noble roles themselves.”
“In any case, they’re troublesome. You must be especially careful.”
I snorted loudly. I wasn’t scared of them in the slightest, and I never imagined I would actually encounter the Bee Swarm. There was no way my luck could be that bad, right? It had been two whole years since I last left the academy.