ebonymovies Chapter 211: Honey Acquired
Chapter 211: Honey Acquired
Finally, we continued towards the tree, with no monsters resisting us, taking the territory that had once belonged to Queen Bee as our temporary residence.
Even so, we weren’t going to spend the night at the top, but rather at the base of that giant tree. Right in the middle, its roots opened up, as if inviting us to enter a protected space large enough to fit my entire party.
"Ooh! It’s quite spacious in here. I’m really surprised," Sarah said, looking inside the passage.
"We’ll need to be careful when making a fire to keep ourselves warm during the night, but aside from that, this place is great," Diane said with a smile.
"Then let’s prepare lunch," Alicia said cheerfully. "After all, you must all be starving after fighting so much."
Justine refused a little nervously. "I-I don’t think this is necessary—Grrrrrr...!"
Despite her words, her stomach spoke louder. I had forgotten that, out of all of us, Justine had the most voracious appetite.
"It sounds like a Magic Beast roaring."
"Don’t start, Erina—Grrrrrr...!" Justine’s stomach continued to roar.
Erina leaned forward and stared closely at Justine’s stomach, holding her chin as if analyzing it. "Maybe it has a life of its own."
It really did sound like a monster roaring, but I had no intention of agreeing with Erina and adding more fuel to the fire. That wasn’t only because Justine was very embarrassed, but also because I was hungry after walking so much since Greenville and fighting with my life on the line.
"I think we all deserve to eat something after today," I said, drawing the girls’ attention away from the rumbling of Justine’s stomach and bringing their gazes towards me. "Leila’s family gave us enough for one meal, but I’d like you all to wait a little. I’m just going to get something, and I’ll be right back."
I wanted to wait until night to show them the surprise, but maybe adding a little honey to the food would make a good combination. I had managed to climb a tree before with my physical abilities, but a tree of this magnitude seemed more dangerous than normal.
"Shadow Blade."
As I activated my skill, twin blades appeared in my hands.
They had a less solid appearance than my sword, but they had the same weight as short metal weapons. They seemed like good weapons for an Assassin, who valued agility and quick, effective attacks. But for me, right now, they would be my helpers in the mission of climbing the trunk.
"I didn’t have the opportunity to test it before, but with this skill, I can create another sword... Maybe I can test that another time. First, honey, honey. Focus on the honey."
I ran towards the tree and managed to climb it at first, but when I felt my body losing momentum, I stuck my daggers into the trunk and continued climbing until I reached the opening in the tree where the bees had lived.
There were no bees there anymore. If there had been any left, maybe they had died along with the Queen and turned to dust like her. But what I had come to get was still there, covering the inside of the tree with its golden syrup.
I touched the sweet substance with my finger and tasted it. The honey had a deliciously sweet flavor, just as good as I remembered from my old world.
I stored it in three suitable bags and climbed down from the tree with my dark daggers. I decided to put it in three different bags to separate it according to its purpose. One of them would be used partly so the girls and I could try it, and partly for our fun later.
The other two would be for selling. Backwater City was a place where I could find a buyer for this product at a good price. Honey, especially honey produced by a monster of this quality, could be sold for a good price. I knew that because this had happened in SCRL.
If this part of the story continued the same way, money would flow into our pockets, and we would be able to finance our journey and buy new equipment and items. An opportunity like this didn’t happen every day, and that was why I couldn’t let it slip through my fingers.
My Valkyries had set up a picnic near the tree. The red-and-white cloth and the food Alicia was arranging on it with a delicacy worthy of nobility were courtesy of Leila’s family.
The girls were waiting for me with their sandwiches beside them. Sarah looked at me curiously when I approached with the bags.
"What’s inside them?"
"Try it." I offered her the bag meant for consumption.
Sarah stuck her finger into the bag, making a face when she felt something cling to her fingers.
"You’re not making me touch something weird, are you?" the red-haired girl said, furrowing her brows at me.
"It’s honey. Please get your mind out of the gutter."
"Hmm? Honey?" She checked the fingers she had taken out of the bag, covered in the thick, golden sweetness.
Sarah placed her honey-covered fingers on her lips, tasting the sweet substance made from nectar. She reacted instantly when she tasted its flavor.
"Delicious!"
"So that was what you went to get," Erina said, giving me a nod of approval. "Good work, Master."
All of them gathered around me, interested in what I had brought and amazed by the sweet taste of the honey.
"Have a little. I plan to use it later," I told them, and they agreed with smiles on their faces.
We had our picnic at the foot of the tree, talking and having fun while enjoying the food we had.
I was sitting beside Alicia, and I found myself lost as I looked at her beautiful blond hair, then began stroking it. I could tell her cheeks flushed a little, but she didn’t refuse my affection.
"Master," Camula, who was nearby, said. "You can stroke my hair too, should you wish. But should you prefer, there is another part you may touch—"
"Hey, get away from Rick, you jelly with tits!" Sarah intervened furiously.
"Eh? How can you speak to me with such crude language? Do you happen to have something against me, Sarah?"
"Of course I do. Camula, why did you have to steal my prey back then? Don’t you know it’s common sense not to take someone else’s hunt?"
"You’re still thinking about that? It was only a few bees."
"The number doesn’t matter!"
I ignored the argument between Sarah and Camula. Surely they would settle things eventually, but I wasn’t going to ruin my moment of rest over that.
"They certainly are energetic," Diane said, her eyes closed and her tone distant.
"Too energetic for my taste," Justine said. "I wish they were only like that on the battlefield, though."
"I was thinking exactly the same thing."
"Hey, hey. Don’t be boring," Erina said, enjoying the argument unfolding in front of her. "It’s by fighting that people tend to grow closer, isn’t it?"
Justine looked at her with a severe gaze. "Funny. I’ve argued with you since we were children, but I’ve never felt any closer to you, Erina."
"Don’t say that, Justine. We’ve bathed together plenty of times, even when your breasts started growing during adolescence."
"Pervert!"
"Hey, I’m not a pervert. Everyone noticed it back then. They grew so fast it went down in Blackwood family history."
"Are you trying to pick a fight?" The girl’s gaze was intense, even from behind her glasses. Her dark irises seemed as if they wanted to drag Erina into the darkness.
"N-No. I wouldn’t be crazy enough to fight you when you’re that angry."
"Good," Justine said, relaxing. "As long as you understand your place."
"It’s important to respect other people’s personal space, Erina," Diane said, supporting the girl with glasses.
The two of them didn’t talk to each other much, but it seemed Diane and Justine got along well. It might have been because their personalities were similar. Or maybe...
"What’s this?" Erina asked. "Do girls with similar bust sizes think alike or something?"
It was so good to spend time like that that, before I knew it, the sun was already setting.
We built a bonfire near the tree’s entrance to keep ourselves warm during the night, and then came the moment two of my Valkyries had been waiting for so eagerly.
"Rick, let’s hurry already," Sarah said, her cheeks red from having to ask, but she continued anyway. "We want our reward."
"That’s right. It’s already dark, so we can spend the whole night playing," Erina added, echoing Sarah’s words while looking at me with her bold gaze.
"Of course I’ll give you your reward. I don’t plan to back out at this point."
I went to where our honey was being kept. There was still plenty left after we had used it for food. There was enough to reward Sarah and Erina properly.
"Don’t tell me..." Sarah seemed to understand what was coming next.
"That’s right," I said, wanting to make it clear to her anyway. "Let’s make our sex a little sweeter with this."