Chapter 154
“Now then…”
After naming Kira, Suho’s gaze shifted to the side.
Even though he had resolved the Jisan Prison incident, there was still a reason Suho remained in the area.
Buzzzzzzz—
That reason was none other than her.
Queen Bee Arsha, who had inadvertently discovered Suho’s true identity.
[Suho-nim, my true body left this place long ago. So… searching for me like this is just a waste of effort… Kkueek.]
Beru tightened his grip on Arsha, who had shrunk down to the size of a doll, squishing her little body.
But it was all just an act.
The clone body was nothing more than a husk—multiple bees grouped together, connected to the true body only by consciousness.
A mere squeeze wouldn’t cause her any real pain.
[Young Lord, no matter what, you must find and eliminate her. If this Queen Bee ever allies with the Itarim’s apostles, it would be catastrophic.]
Beru’s expression was grave.
When Suho had fought Harmakan with all his strength, he had inadvertently revealed the power of his shadow.
And unfortunately, Arsha, who had been nearby, had also realized Suho’s true nature.
Thus, the moment Suho eliminated Harmakan and the instance dungeon was lifted, he immediately unleashed his shadow soldiers in all directions to hunt down Arsha’s true body.
However, even with the keen senses of Esil and Gray aiding the search, locating her true body was no easy feat.
The reason?
The entire region was covered in dense forests and mountains.
With so many insects inhabiting the wilderness, Pocheon City was an ideal hiding place for a bee to disappear.
Tch.
Suho eventually clicked his tongue and abandoned the search for Arsha’s true body.
But that didn’t mean he had given up entirely.
Killing her would have been the simplest solution, but there was another way.
‘This might actually be even better.’
“Arsha.”
Suho stared directly into Arsha’s tiny eyes and asked bluntly,
“You’re still here because you’re curious about why you can sense Querehsha’s energy from me, aren’t you?”
Flinch.
“If you really wanted to, you could have escaped long ago.”
Arsha’s small body trembled slightly as his words hit the mark.
She hesitated before awkwardly looking up at him.
[So… you knew.]
Just as Suho had said, Arsha’s clone could easily break apart into a swarm of bees and flee at any moment.
And yet, why was she still here, chattering away in Beru’s grasp?
“Even if it’s just a clone, losing subordinates for no reason isn’t something you’d normally do.”
Suho had already figured out the reason.
“You want to know exactly what my relationship with Querehsha is, don’t you?”
[Haa… As expected of Suho-nim.]
Arsha let out a small sigh and confessed.
[Yes, that’s correct.]
Her voice trembled with tension.
For as long as she could remember, Arsha had lived with the goal of becoming an heir to the Insect Queen, the Monarch of Plague, Querehsha.
But now, for some inexplicable reason, she could sense Querehsha’s aura coming from Suho—faint, but unmistakable.
It was such a subtle presence that only another insect would have noticed it, like a pheromone lingering in the air.
‘…This wasn’t the case when we first met.’
Arsha recalled her first encounter with Suho.
Back then, his scent had been purely that of a beast.
‘I assumed he was merely the Fang Monarch’s successor…’
But then, during his battle with Lee Minseong, she had detected something else.
A toxic aura had surged from his entire body.
At the time, she had dismissed it as poison transferred from Lee Minseong.
But now—
Seeing Suho up close again, she was certain.
[Suho-nim, could it be that you…]
“Hold on.”
Suho cut her off, speaking firmly.
“It’s not difficult for me to satisfy your curiosity. It’s not even that big of a secret.”
For a moment, Arsha’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
But then, Suho smirked mischievously and continued,
“But even if I tell you, would you actually believe me?”
[…]
Arsha fell silent, her face growing serious.
She knew better than anyone that humans could lie with ease.
And their lies were so intricate that they made insect camouflage look primitive in comparison.
“So.”
Suho’s smile deepened with meaning as he made a proposition.
“How about we swear an Oath of Sincerity?”
[……?!]
Arsha’s eyes widened in shock.
[How does a human like you know about the Oath of Sincerity?]
The Oath of Sincerity.
An unbreakable covenant that even Rulers and Monarchs could not defy.
Once sworn, neither party could tell a lie until the contract was nullified.
[Why, because this one taught him, of course.]
Beru grinned smugly.
Recently, Beru had developed a habit of telling Suho bedtime stories whenever he lay down to rest.
It was an instinct—something akin to the way ants nurtured their larvae, tirelessly feeding them until they grew into adults.
Even now, Beru still saw Suho as an immature hatchling in need of guidance.
Whenever he had the chance, he was eager to teach him something new.
[Haa… Alright. If it’s for the sake of mutual trust…]
Arsha eventually gave in to Suho’s proposal.
However, there was a problem.
[But how exactly do you plan to form an Oath of Sincerity? That kind of pact requires power on par with a Ruler or a Monarch to invoke…]
“That won’t be a problem.”
Suho smirked and raised his gaze.
“Right, Querehsha?”
As if waiting for the cue, a response echoed from a distant place.
Ding!
[The Insect Queen, Monarch of Plague, casts ‘Oath of Sincerity (Contract)’.]
[Once the ‘Oath of Sincerity (Contract)’ is accepted, neither party will be able to speak falsehoods to each other.]
[Do you accept the ‘Oath of Sincerity (Contract)’? (Y/N)]
[……!]
At that moment, Arsha trembled in shock.
Through Suho, the lingering presence of the deceased Querehsha had extended toward her, enforcing the contract’s binding nature!
[H-How is this possible…?! This is Querehsha-sama’s power…? Then you really are—!]
As Arsha panicked, Suho gave her a knowing look, forcing her to answer.
“Swear it.”
[I-I swear.]
Following her hesitant agreement, Suho also selected “Accept.”
And in that instant—
Ding!
[‘Oath of Sincerity (Contract)’ has been established.]
[The participants cannot lie to each other until the contract is nullified by mutual consent.]
[The Insect Queen, Monarch of Plague, watches this event with great satisfaction.]
Even Querehsha, who normally disapproved of Suho, welcomed this situation.
Because this meant that Suho had decided not to kill Arsha—who had the potential to become Querehsha’s successor.
‘Let’s see if this really works.’
Suho decided to test the contract’s power.
“I am—mmmph…!”
It worked perfectly.
The moment he attempted to speak a lie, his mouth forcibly clamped shut.
Satisfied, Suho turned to Arsha.
“Alright, let’s begin. What is it you want to ask me, Arsha?”
[Suho-nim, have you become Querehsha-sama’s priest?]
Arsha wasted no time with her question.
Suho nodded without hesitation.
“That’s right. I am the priest of the Insect Queen, Monarch of Plague, and I have received Querehsha’s blessing.”
[As I expected…!]
At that moment, Arsha’s eyes gleamed with desperation as she made a plea.
[Then please, allow me to become—!]
“It’s my turn now.”
Suho firmly cut her off, his expression making her tense up.
“I have a lot of questions for you.”
[……Ask anything. I will answer truthfully.]
Arsha obediently bowed her head.
A priest’s duty was to select the next Queen.
If she wanted to inherit Querehsha’s power, she had to win Suho’s favor.
“Then let me ask. Arsha, are you allied with the Apostles of Itarim or have any ties to them?”
[No. Absolutely not.]
“Do you plan to side with them in the future?”
[No. That will never happen.]
Her voice was firm and resolute.
[All I desire is to succeed Querehsha-sama and become the Insect Queen. I can assure you, no one among us who aspires to be a Monarch’s successor would ever side with the Outer Gods.]
“And why is that? Is there no chance of an exception?”
[Of course… I cannot speak for every race. But the Outer Gods’ goal is to consume all remaining magic in this world. The moment they succeed, we will all be reduced to mere mana and become their food.]
That was an outcome no one desired.
Suho stroked his chin and nodded.
“Hmm. So, what you’re saying is that we have no reason to be enemies.”
[That is correct. So please, grant me—]
“But you’re not including humans in that ‘we’, are you?”
[…….]
At Suho’s question, Arsha’s mouth clamped shut.
Then, after a moment’s hesitation, she sighed and admitted,
[That’s correct. If necessary, I will continue to kill and use humans.]
“Then I suppose I should just kill you.”
A chilling sensation spread.
Arsha could feel the absolute sincerity in Suho’s words.
Suho was the heir of the Shadow Monarch, now also bearing Querehsha’s blessing.
If he seriously decided to hunt her down, she knew that, eventually, he would find her and end her.
[P-Please, wait! I swear, from now on, I will only kill those who are designated as villains!]
“So, you could just label someone as a villain and kill them? Human law isn’t perfect, you know.”
[……Then what must I do? Tell me, and I will obey your command.]
In the end, Arsha completely surrendered to Suho.
With a desperate expression, she pleaded,
[If you command it, I will become your slave. Even if I inherit Querehsha-sama’s power, I will serve you until the day I die.]
“…Now that’s an interesting statement.”
At those words—
Whoosh.
A terrifying aura burst forth from Suho.
[‘Skill: Killing Intent’ is activated.]
Fwoooosh!
[Kyaaaah…!]
The overwhelming bloodlust, amplified by Querehsha’s blessing, made Arsha scream in terror.
Suho’s abyssal black eyes bore down on her with scorn.
“Until you die? But you’re fundamentally a colony of countless bees, aren’t you? The moment a single one of them dies, your oath would break.”
[P-Please! I swear, that was not my intention!]
“Oh? Then show yourself before me in your true form.”
[T-That’s…]
“What’s wrong? Are you afraid?”
Suho smirked.
“Afraid that I’ll kill you the moment you appear before me?”
[Will… will you promise not to kill me?]
“No. I am always ready to kill you.”
[…….]
“But as long as you don’t displease me, I won’t kill you.”
[That’s an unfair agreement…]
“If you don’t like it, then you’ll remain nothing more than a stray insect, forever unworthy of Querehsha’s inheritance.”
[…….]
Deep despair filled Arsha’s expression.
The truth was—she had known this from the start.
Arsha knew from the beginning that this conversation was entirely disadvantageous to her.
Right now, Suho held absolute authority.
Arsha desperately wanted something from Suho, but Suho had no need for her at all.
If there was anything he desired, it was probably her death.
That was why she had no choice but to submit to this one-sided coercion.
Of course, if she obeyed, she could at least be certain of one thing—
She would finally achieve her long-cherished dream of becoming the Insect Queen.
So, in truth, Arsha’s answer had been decided from the start.
With a face filled with humiliation and despair, she eventually nodded.
[A-Alright, I understan—]
“Hmm?”
[K-Kiiiek?!]
At that moment—
“……!”
[……!]
Snap!
Suho, Arsha, Beru, and even Harmakan, who had been receiving his punishment, all widened their eyes and turned toward the same direction.
[Young Lord!]
[Someone is approaching!]
Shweeeeeeek!
A powerful presence was dashing toward them at an incredible speed along the ridgeline!
And that power was—
[S-rank!]
“Could it be Hwang Dongsoo?!”
This was the second reason Suho had lingered in the area.
He had anticipated the possibility that Hwang Dongsoo, the younger brother of Hwang Dongseok, might arrive upon hearing the news.
“Everyone, retreat inside!”
The moment Suho issued his command, all of his shadow soldiers vanished.
Boom!
At last, he arrived before Suho.
But it wasn’t Hwang Dongsoo.
“What is this wretched stench of blood?!”
The moment he spotted Suho, the newcomer unleashed a fierce, savage aura and immediately swung his massive, fur-covered fist at him.
Booooom!
“……!”
Suho barely dodged the strike in time, and the assailant bared his fangs with a deep growl.
Grrrrrrr!
“You dodged that? You must be a villain!”
“Uh, no, I’m not?”
I’m Sung Suho, though.
