I gasped.
"What? What happened? Was there an attack? Are you alright?"
My eyes already checked the bee over. The red cross on her head ant she was a Sergeant, and as for her status…
〔Forager Bee〕 〔Ally〕 〔Progeny〕
〔Na〕: B1054
〔Active title〕: Warrior Bee
〔Health〕: 11 / 11
〔Stamina〕: 8 / 11
〔Species〕: Common Honey Bee
〔Age〕: 42 d
〔Remaining lifespan〕: 110 d
〔Attributes〕
> Strength: 9
> Agility: 44
> Endurance: 10
> Defense: 9
> Intelligence: 100
> Perception: 43
〔Special abilities〕
Flight, Barbed Stinger, Wax Production
〔Genes〕
Enhanced Intelligence X, Increased Lifespan I
〔〕〔〕〔〕
Seeing that she wasn't wounded, I relaxed a little.
B1054 stood straighter.
"Father, we've just finished counting each other this evening—and there's an entire squad that's missing! We, Sergeant Warriors, counted each other, and B1032 wasn't here. She and her squad never returned from their patrol. And their hamrs are gone, too!"
"What?" I frowned. "And other patrols didn't see what could've happened with them?"
B1054 shook her head.
"No. But so ants could've gone past our borders. And the hamrs of these Warrior Bees are still missing!"
Ants?
The training for my Foren Bees was almost complete!
I checked my colony's status.
〔Your colony〕
〔Wellness〕: 83 %
〔Population〕: 24 thousand
〔Developnt level〕: 2
〔Developnt points〕: 19 / 100
〔Species〕: Common Honey Bee
〔Attributes〕
> Workpower: 15
> Military: 12
> Brainpower: 97
> Logistics: 16
> Resilience: 8
〔Resources〕:
> Food: 27 units
> Building materials: 7 units
〔Technologies〕
Dance Communication
Hive Building
Food Preservation
Stone Hamrs
Forager Posts
Rank-Based Hierarchy
Primitive Containers
Border Patrols
Primitive Knives
〔〕〔〕〔〕
27 units of food—the number stayed still for the last couple of days. Surely, these stores will hold until the Foren Bee training was fully complete. There were only a few days left!
anwhile, the Craftsn Bees in the workshop exchanged worried glances, then began whispering among each other.
"That's ten hamrs, isn't it?"
"Should we make new ones, then? I'd like to experint with string."
"But what Father was about to say earlier? What if that's more important?"
"I like making hamrs, but wouldn't it be more interesting to make a hamr… with rocks on both ends?"
B1054 looked at the Craftsn Bees.
"Hey, don't you have special Material Foragers to look for things? Maybe these foragers can search for the lost hamrs, Father? Eleven hamrs—that's a lot of them to lose!"
"Hey, wait a second!" I pointed four accusing fingers at the four nearest bees. "You should be more worried that ten Warrior Bees disappeared without a trace! I know *I* am very worried."
"They must've died." B1054 shrugged, then hurriedly waved her arms. "Father, I an… We still have enough Warrior Bees to patrol regularly. But hamrs, they are hamrs. They are precious. A bee can only sting once, but a hamr can hit many tis."
She hugged her own hamr to her chest.
All my Craftsn Bees nodded to B1054's words, as if they were the wisest thing they've ever heard.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Wait, aren't *you* that one bee who lost her previous hamr in the storm, B1054? Is that why you care so much?"
I knew that number was familiar.
"F-father! But—I just don't want to lose any more hamrs!" B1054 cried out.
She abandoned all pretense of being a stoic soldier and looked at with eyes ready to tear up.
Never had I ever seen a bee—even in this world—cry. And I didn't want to start.
"Calm down!" I declared, both to B1054 and myself. "Nobody is blaming anybody! Just don't cry, and we will solve all this."
B1054 stood straighter and opened her eyes very wide.
The Craftsn Bees went very still.
The silence lasted for a few seconds. My thoughts gradually returned to the *actual* matter at hand.
"Whatever killed an entire patrol, it had to be *big*."
Ten of my daughters were just… gone.
"Eleven hamrs aren't important. B1054, tomorrow, you will go on the first patrol and take two extra squads with you. Spread around a little, but close enough to see each other. Look for traces of your lost sisters. Try to find what and who happened with them, and whether this thing will threaten any more bees."
B1054 nodded.
"I understand, Father. And what if we et the thing that killed the patrol?"
"Fly away! At least, *soone* must tell the rest of the hive what happened and who's at fault. If it cos into our territory unseen and starts killing even more… This can't happen."
'30 of them can deal with whatever it was, or at least scare it off,' I convinced myself. 'Nothing big enough to kill a bee without giving her a chance to retaliate will bother to actually attack!'
B1054 raised her hamr.
"I understand, Father. We will protect the colony and the Queen! And you. And we will find the hamrs, too!"
My face suddenly was *so* tired. I rubbed it with my palms.
"Don't let the hamr beco a lifelong trauma, B1054…" Although with her lifespan, that trauma won't last even four months. "Now go."
She flew off as quickly as she appeared.
I turned back to my Craftsn Bees.
"So, where was I?"
"The queue! What do we have to do first?"
Oh, that.
"Just make more string. Make string until… Until I tell you to stop. We will need a lot. Work hard… but you always work hard. And don't worry about the thing B1054 said. We will solve everything."
No other option was allowed!
"Yes, Father!" my bees exclaid.
I nodded and prepared to wait anxiously for the return of my scouting Warrior Bees.
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