Pansy had prepared something for him—stuffed deep in the very bottom of his backpack—as a last, absolute last resort. Flint, a dry wooden plank, soft leaves, and bundles of straw. Only use this if there’s truly no other way, she had warned repeatedly, her voice gloomy.
Had she… prepared the same pack for General too? Pansy really should’ve considered the beetle’s intelligence level.
The rhinoceros beetle, whose mind was as spotless as a spider’s, had clearly interpreted “last resort for escaping” as “final step of escaping.”
Time was already tight; why make it worse?! Blaine emptied an entire year’s worth of curses in a single sprint. At this point, there was no reason—nor ability—to keep his voice down.
“HANIII! HANI! WHERE ARE YOU?! ANSWER ME!! HANIII!!”
His throat was raw, his injured foot throbbing as he ran. Flames had already leapt up to the third floor, painting everything in blistering red. Wasps were fleeing in droves, wings rattling like mini-explosions as they burst upward and escaped into the sky.
“Ah…!”
Below, the second floor was engulfed in flames. Blaine could see General spreading his massive wings, leading the honeybees to safety. With one hand he signaled directions in wide sweeps, and with the other he grabbed bees whose wings had snapped, carrying them along.
This was it. There was truly no time left.
Gritting his teeth, Blaine sprinted toward the room where he’d found the Queen earlier. At the very least, he intended to rescue her first.
“Ugh—dammit…!”
His skin felt like it was starting to cook. The door to the Queen’s room had already burned away and collapsed. Flames towered up to his shoulders.
“Your Majesty! Are you all right?!”
“Bee-Bee…”
A faint but unmistakable voice drifted through the roaring blaze—one he could never mistake. Blaine’s heart turned ice cold.
“Hani…?”
In the very center of what was now a literal hell, the one he had desperately searched for was sitting collapsed on the floor. His once beautifully snow-white hair was a tangled mess; his smooth, milk-like complexion was smeared with soot.
“Hani, why are you here…? The Queen—”
Blaine didn’t finish. Because at Hurel’s feet lay a small blond figure. A small blond figure, motionless.
“Your Majesty!”
“Don’t come any closer, Bee-bee!”
Whether it was Hurel shouting or the flames surging up, Blaine stumbled. The white spider, panting amid the inferno, looked at the fallen body and said quietly:
“That creature is already dead.”
“……!”
Dead? The Queen… is dead?
Blaine stared blankly at her collapsed form, unable to blink.
Hurel met his gaze. Despite his battered and burnt state, he gave a faint, mournful smile.
“Bee-Bee… don’t worry about us. Just run.”
“W-What are you talking about?! That doesn’t even make—”
“It’s already too late.”
Don’t say that. Don’t—say things like that. Blaine pushed forward, ignoring the scorch on his skin, but then froze completely.
He… finally noticed Hurel’s leg.
He should have wondered sooner why Hurel wasn’t moving despite the fire raging around him. His once sleek, powerful leg—long and beautifully shaped—was now blackened like a burnt piece of wood.
“Hani…!”
“Don’t risk yourself because of me, Bee-Bee. Go. Please.”
At that moment, a horrifying crack split the air—KRRR-CHNN! A massive stone chunk the size of Hurel’s head plummeted from the ceiling. Sparks exploded everywhere. Blaine shielded his face with his arm.
“Bee-Bee… hurry.”
“I’m not leaving you!”
“If you stay, we both die.”
And he was right. Stones were dropping relentlessly. Blaine’s mouth went dry; he could almost feel his own hair burning.
“Bee-Bee, go. What I’m about to say isn’t fitting for a moment like this, but… no, because it’s a moment like this, I’ll say it. Bee-Bee, the truth is—I…”
“S-shut up.”
“I lo—Bee-Bee, I—”
“I SAID SHUT UP!!”
Blaine—the kind honeybee who had never interrupted someone in his life—yelled so fiercely that even Hurel’s eyes widened.
Then Blaine threw himself into the fire.
Flames clung to him instantly; his clothes sizzled and charred, but he didn’t stop. He grabbed Hurel—whose body was already burning—and pulled him into a tight embrace. Hurel’s entire body was scorching hot against him.
“I’m not leaving without you. If you want to help me get out of here alive—then get up.”
“…Bee-Bee…?”
“And save whatever you were about to say for later. Say it after we’re both alive. I’ll listen then.”
Tears fell onto Blaine’s burning cheek, cooling it slightly. Hurel didn’t even think to wipe them away. He simply stared, stunned, at the honeybee wrapped protectively around him.
“Come on, Hani—stand!”
“Ugh… Bee-Bee… my leg…”
“Lean on my shoulder. Good—yeah, like that…!”
Blaine was far from uninjured himself, but he used every ounce of strength he had to hold Hurel up, supporting his waist so he wouldn’t collapse. With his free hand, he tried lifting the Queen’s arm, only for his legs to buckle. He lost his balance and dropped her.
“Hani—are you okay?!”
“Y-Yes… I’m okay…”
His voice was thin, trembling with pain. At this rate, they would burn alive. Blaine had to make a brutal choice.
“…We need to get out. Now.”
To leave the body of the Queen—the monarch of all the hive—here in the flames… It was unforgivable.
But staying meant certain death. He couldn’t save everyone. And he refused—absolutely refused—to let Hurel die here.
If I were stronger… if I weren’t such a weak honeybee… I could’ve carried them both. More tears welled up. Blaine choked on a sob and stepped forward into the smoke.
“Bee-Bee—your ankle! You’re hurt!”
“I’m fine. This doesn’t even tickle.”
In truth, the pain was maddening. But it didn’t matter. Wounds left by stingers healed quickly. They would vanish without scars.
But Hurel’s leg…
…there was no saving it. Even with luck, they might only avoid amputation. He would never walk normally again. For a predator, a damaged leg was even more dangerous than for prey.
“Bee-Bee… this is why I said to leave me…”
Walking while supporting Hurel slowed them drastically, and the fire raged ahead, turning the corridor into an inferno. If they stepped into that blaze, they’d become roasted honeybee in seconds.
Resentment rose in Blaine’s throat like bile. His charred lips trembled as he swallowed hard.
“Hani…”
His throat was dry. His voice came out cracked, hoarse.
“Trust me.”
“…Bee-Bee?”
“Wrap your arms tight around my neck.”
Confused but obedient, Hurel looped his long, slender—but surprisingly strong—arms around Blaine’s neck. Blaine braced himself, veins bulging, and slipped one arm under Hurel’s back and the other beneath his knees.
“Bee-Bee?!”
Then Blaine leapt straight into the hole General had smashed in the wall.
