“But let's get one thing straight first, okay?”
Qimeng's tone turned slightly solemn.
“If you try to run away after learning the techniques I teach you, I will flatten you and bury you under the tree to use as fertilizer. Got it?”
“I-I would never run away!”
Xiaomi panicked, her antennae stiffening straight as she desperately tried to prove her innocence.
“The pollen here is super delicious! It's way better than what I had before! The nectar back at my old hive was bitter and watery. Who would ever want to go back there?!”
Seeing the bee girl's clumsy yet eager display of loyalty, Qimeng lowered her guard a bit, her gaze softening.
“Then get to work.”
In the evening, the golden-orange sunset cast a warm glow over the Tree Court.
While patrolling her territory, Qimeng noticed a conspicuous object on a thick branch near the edge of the Tree Court.
It was a brand-new, round nest constructed from leaves, vines, and lightly scented beeswax.
The entrance faced south, and the craftsmanship was exquisite.
“Oh? Did you make this?”
Xiaomi poked her head out of the nest's entrance, her golden hair a messy nest of its own, and answered awkwardly.
“Um... the temporary hive from before was too small. I'd bump my head every time I stretched.”
Qimeng reached out and tapped the outer wall.
It let out a solid, muffled thud. The structure was incredibly sturdy.
Such superb nest-building craftsmanship.
It completely blew her own weaving skills—which consisted of nothing more than haphazardly stuffing leaves together—out of the water.
“Nice craftsmanship.”
Though she praised her aloud, a wave of defeat washed over Qimeng.
As a grand Demon Tree harboring a soul from another world, she had actually been utterly outclassed by a bee when it came to building a house.
The Tree Court was currently just an open-air clearing. She relied on her canopy to block the rain and her mana to withstand the strong winds.
It wasn't that she had thought about building a cozy little log cabin.
But the thought of cutting down trees, shaving planks, and calculating structural support just seemed like too much of a hassle.
“Ah, whatever.”
“With my crafting skills, it would probably just end up looking like a matchbox anyway.”
Qimeng justified it to herself in her mind with complete confidence.
Nearby, Xiaomi tilted her head, watching her with a wary expression.
She felt as if the black-haired girl in front of her was radiating a hair-raising aura.
Resentment? Or was it bloodlust?
At that thought, Xiaomi shrank her neck back into her nest, deciding to maintain a safe distance.
Qimeng, completely unaware that she had been imagined as some sort of corpse-burying monster, snapped out of her thoughts and asked curiously, “In your previous swarm, were there many monster girls like you?”
“How could that be?! I was the only one.”
Xiaomi suddenly became exceptionally honest.
Seeing this docile contrast, Qimeng raised an eyebrow and pressed further.
“Then how did you undergo a humanoid mutation?”
“Because there was an abandoned area near our hive that constantly seeped glowing mana.”
Xiaomi tilted her head as she recalled.
“I used to hang around there a lot when I was little. By the time I realized what was happening, I had already turned into this.”
An area with highly concentrated mana leaks?
Qimeng's eyes flickered. After asking for more details, she noted down the coordinates.
“Did none of your other companions change?”
“Not at all. Everyone thought I was abnormal and kicked me out as an outcast...”
“A classic case of ostracization.”
Xiaomi looked at the flowers blooming in the canopy, her cheeks turning rosy.
“After being kicked out, I starved for days. Just when I thought I couldn't hold on any longer, I suddenly smelled a really sweet fragrance... I followed the scent, flew over, and bumped into you.”
Qimeng crossed her arms, summarizing precisely, “In other words, you are currently homeless, and my pollen is your only source of food.”
“Even though I hate to admit it, that is indeed the case.”
A capitalist-like smile tugged at the corners of Qimeng's lips.
“Very well. Then make sure you remember our agreement to hand over honey on time. If you dare to secretly hoard any...”
Xiaomi's body visibly shuddered, her eyes darting around guiltily.
“...Wait, you haven't already hoarded some, have you?”
“N-No! Absolutely not!”
“Your face practically has the word 'guilty' written all over it.”
“Ah! I'm ignoring you!”
Xiaomi covered her cheeks, buzzing her wings as she tried to flee.
But before she could even fly two meters, a force wrapped around her ankle.
“Where do you think you're going? Get over here.”
Qimeng grabbed her, dragging her toward the eastern training grounds like a little chick.
Qimeng stood ten meters away.
A blunt Wood Spike without a sharp tip condensed in her pale palm.
“Your punishment is simple. We're going to play dodgeball—you fly, and I shoot. We keep going until I hit you.”
“This is just one-sided bullying!”
Xiaomi protested, fluttering her wings in midair.
“You can dodge however you like, but you can't fly out of this circle.”
Qimeng drew a circle about five meters in diameter on the ground with the tip of her toe.
“Begin.”
The Wood Spike tore through the air.
Xiaomi deftly dodged to the side, easily evading it.
“Too slow! You can't hit me!”
A emerald light glowed in Qimeng's palm, and the speed at which she condensed Wood Spikes multiplied.
A continuous barrage of Wood Spikes poured down like a rainstorm.
However, Xiaomi's aerial mobility was exceptional. She dodged left and right, causing both rounds of rapid fire to completely miss.
She even did a flip, her eyes curling into crescent moons of laughter.
Looking at this smug little bee, a prominent vein throbbed on Qimeng's forehead.
A mere vassal actually dared to show off her intellectual superiority in front of the ruler of the forest.
With a blank expression, she walked directly underneath Xiaomi.
Full of confidence, Xiaomi looked down from above and patted her chest.
“It's useless! No matter how close you get, you still won't be able to hit—”
“Water Bind.”
A blue Water Thread, several times faster than a Wood Spike, shot through the air.
The flexible stream of water wrapped around Xiaomi's waist, pinning her in midair.
“W-Wait! That's cheating! You said we'd only use Wood Spikes!”
Xiaomi struggled desperately.
Qimeng flashed a sly smile of success.
“I make the rules. Besides, I never said I couldn't use a Water Thread to assist me.”
Taking her time, she adjusted her angle, aiming the blunt Wood Spike directly at the bee girl's abdomen.
“Wait, wait, wait! We can talk about this! Don't aim there!”
“Too... late...”
The Wood Spike left her hand and struck the bee girl's abdomen.
Though it lacked a sharp tip, the solid impact still made Xiaomi experience a sharp, pinching pain.
“Score. Game over.”
Qimeng snapped her fingers, releasing the Water Thread.
Losing her support, Xiaomi let out a wail and plummeted toward the ground.
“Ouch! That hurts! You're a bully!”
Qimeng reflexively extended her arms and caught her.
Thud.
The bee girl landed in her arms, her soft abdomen pressing against Qimeng's forearm.
Xiaomi's mind went completely blank.
Qimeng blinked, feeling a light, soft sensation in her arms, as if she were holding a weightless ball of cotton.
And she was quite warm.
“Alright! Punishment over. Go practice on the targets over there!”
Qimeng tossed the bee girl aside as if she were a hot potato.
After flipping several times in the air to stabilize herself, Xiaomi's face flushed crimson, her antennae practically knotting themselves together.
“I-I'm going to practice now! Dummy!”
Without looking back, the bee girl rushed toward the distant wooden stakes.
Qimeng tried her best to maintain her cold, stoic expression.
“Tsk. To think my perfect humanoid form would be caught off guard and violated by that girl.”
“If she dares to do that again, her punishment will be doubled.”
The farce ended, and peace returned to the training grounds.
Qimeng picked up a wooden sword and began practicing traditional physical techniques in the clearing.
Countless reincarnations ago, she had undergone rigorous training in the Knight Order.
Basic swordsmanship, horsemanship, spear parries—those memories were etched into her very bones.
Thrusts, downward slashes, lateral parries, dodges.
Sweat soaked her collar as the familiar sense of control gradually returned to this brand-new body.
She didn't stop until her palms grew sore.
On the other side of the clearing, Xiaomi was just as focused.
Holding her wooden short spear, she repeatedly thrust it into the thick wooden stake.
Using the acceleration from her buzzing wings, the depth of her thrusts clearly grew deeper with each strike.
“Her movements are fluid, and her strength is up to par. It seems I won't have to worry too much about her.”
Qimeng walked over. “Target practice is a permanent part of your routine now. You can decide the number of reps yourself, but if you slack off...”
“I know! You're so naggy!”
Xiaomi wiped away her sweat and stubbornly raised her short spear once more.
Leaning against a tree trunk, Qimeng assessed their combat strength in her mind.
Xiaomi was currently a Low-tier Novice, on par with the Bone Wolf she had encountered earlier. This was roughly equivalent to Qimeng's humanoid form in a mana-less, basic state.
However, if her tree form provided backup mana support, her humanoid form's combat strength could soar to High-tier Novice.
Combined with the elemental mana from the Water Core, she was confident she could remain undefeated even when facing a Low-tier Intermediate magical beast.
“At this rate, dominating the surrounding area should be more than easy.”
She walked toward the bath with light steps.
And now, the most highly anticipated daily event of her new life in another world.
The sacred bath time officially began.
But she was absolutely not going to tolerate cold water today!
Rate on N.U.
