The Killer Queen sits obediently on the King Makai's hand.

The instinctive tendency of the monster that attacks anyone it sees has disappeared, and it sits docilely on the King Makai's hand like a tame pet.

It's as if the scene is from a nature documentary. I didn't expect to see it with my own eyes beyond the screen.

And without wings, the annoying buzzing sound is not heard, so it doesn't feel as threatening.

Of course, there are other killer hornets as well... but for some reason, they are not coming out of the house at all right now.

Well, that's fine with me. It's better than having to burn them all down because of the annoying buzzing sound.

"By the way, it seems even more docile than usual today."

I'm not sure if it's really docile or not.

"So it really doesn't attack people."

"Of course. Moreover, it is so intelligent that it seems to think of the person who came with me as its friend, and it doesn't attack if it's not provoked."

"If I hadn't come along..."

King Makai pointed to the killer hornets loitering at the entrance of the house with an awkward laugh.

Well, of course. Apparently the closeness between King Makai and the Killer Queen is the only thing that makes them so docile.

If another human came, it would probably turn into a nest of stingers.

"Well, I haven't heard any news of other intruders, but..."

Well, that's to be expected.

Whether the bees are causing a ruckus or there are dead bodies, it would definitely be noticeable.

"By the way, since it's so docile, I think I could try putting it on someone else's hand today... Would you like to try?"

King Makai said with a slightly mischievous face. Uh, well, so...

"Are you telling me to put this bee on my hand right now?"

This dangerous creature with an exoskeleton? With a stinger and sharp forelegs?

"I don't want to. Even if it's docile, it's still a monster, isn't it?"

"But there's something different about it today. It's quite cute in its own way, you know."

"No matter how cute it is, I still dislike it! That tough-looking exoskeleton! The emotionless killer's compound eyes! A needle that pierces flesh and injects venom! And the sharp claws of a blade!"

"Doesn't it look kind of cool?"

"Your sense of aesthetics is bizarre!"

How can he say that thing is cool? How?!

"Come on, just try putting it on your hand for a little while."

King Makai held out the Killer Queen on his hand towards me.

"No way! Even if you offered me everything in this world, I still don't want bees! Yes, Bees!"

I hate mosquitoes because they suck blood and it's annoying, but I just purely dislike bees!

I'm sorry to the bees, but I just purely dislike them!

Especially a giant bee the size of a fist!!

"But it's so cute, isn't it?"

The Killer Queen sitting on King Makai's hand looked at me with its emotionless compound eyes.

"Kkiii..."

For some reason, it seemed to be afraid of me and started slowly climbing up the King Makai's wrist, making a weak sound.

Uh, well... I disliked it, but such an obvious fearful reaction is a bit...

"Hmm? Why is it suddenly acting like this?"

The Killer Queen's gaze was clearly directed at me.

When I slightly moved to the side, the Killer Queen's gaze also moved accordingly, and when I moved a little further away, it made a strange sound as if relieved.

Hmm... Could this creature have vaguely sensed what I am?

Through the instinct of a beast?

Or some special sense it has as a monster?

I'm not sure, but it was a strange occurrence.

Perhaps it has something to do with being tamed by human hands.

"Hmm. I've heard rumors that the Dragon's Priestess is terrifying, but I never imagined she could even scare a monster like this... I'm impressed."

"This is the first time I've encountered a case like this!!"

I really don't know why this is happening! Is it because the killer hornet is intelligent? Or is it because, despite its intelligence, it still has a remnant of animal instinct that can vaguely sense my identity?

I don't know the answer, but this is certainly not a common occurrence.

"I heard that you and the Hero have slaughtered countless monsters, so maybe it's picking up on the scent of all that blood?"

"If that were the case, the other monsters would have noticed too. The fact that only this Killer Queen is reacting this way is strange."

"Well, this one is a genius, you know! It can recognize people and become friends with them!"

"Calling a monster a genius is kind of..."

It seems that the more intelligent the monster, the more dangerous it could be. But on the positive side, the fact that it can interact with humans is not bad.

Hmm... I wonder if human-like monsters might start appearing too? Monsters with an orc or ogre-like feel, separate from the demon race?

I'm not sure. It seems like vampires will likely show up. Though they're a bit ambiguous to be called monsters...

Hmm. I don't know. The humans will figure out the details. For now, I'm interfering with various things, but later on, humans and various other races will come together to build the world.

By that time, I'll just quietly hole up in a corner and sleep, using my avatar to observe the world!

By then, the direct intervention of beings like the Creator Dragon God or the Goddess of Life won't be necessary! Probably!

Ah, surely they won't need my help even by then?

Because by then, I'll have hidden myself away in an unknown corner!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The couple cared for the bees with the utmost devotion.

The bees, having lost their wings and driven from their hive, had come to distrust even the couple who were caring for them.

Yet the couple continued to care for the bees.

They believed that once you take responsibility, you must see it through to the end.

But caring for the ferocious bees was no easy task.

The bees would sometimes scratch with their claws, and sometimes bite with their fangs.

From the bees' perspective, humans were the villains who occasionally appeared to destroy their hive and steal their honey, so their reactions were understandable.

But the couple did not give up.

Even when injured, even when threatened by the bees' venomous stingers, the couple continued to care for the bees.

And eventually, the bees opened their hearts to the couple.

Once the bees had opened their hearts, the couple learned a surprising fact.

Amazingly, the bees were the queen bees!

The most fearsome of the forest-dwelling bees. Bees whose stings could endanger human life - the bees people called the "killer bees".

Turns out to be the queen bees.

The bees who had opened their hearts to the couple recovered with the medicine provided by the couple, and with the couple's help, built a new hive and grew their family.

One, two, laying eggs and hatching larvae, as the number of bees grew, the couple began to feel a bit worried.

These were bees called "killer bees", so would it really be alright?

Wouldn't they end up hurting other people?

But those worries turned out to be unnecessary.

Surprisingly, the newly hatched bees were much gentler than other bees.

Of course, they had the fierceness to retaliate without hesitation if provoked. But just by not attacking others first, they were infinitely gentler than the killer bees.

As the bees grew their hive, they seemed to want to repay the couple, and produced amazingly sweet honey for them.

Honey that was incomparably sweeter than regular honey.

And so the couple made delicious food with the potatoes and this honey.

Butter made from milk borrowed from the neighbor, sweet honey, and delicious potato dishes.

The couple decided to call this dish "Honey Butter Potatoes".

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The couple earned a lot of money from this dish.

The couple, who had nothing but a dog, had become wealthy.

Some people celebrated the couple's success, but there were also those who were jealous.

It was a friend from across the hill, a rather malicious one.

Honestly, you could hardly call him a friend, but since the husband had used the family heirloom as collateral to build the house, he was the only one who had helped the struggling husband.

Since he was the only one who had helped the husband when he was in need, wouldn't that make him a friend?

Of course, the friend had coveted the family heirloom, but the husband saw him as a good friend who had helped in a time of need.

Anyway, the now wealthy husband invited the friend over for a delicious meal.

And the friend said with a sour expression...

"How were you able to earn so much money? You didn't have anything."

"I was lucky. The dog I happened to raise gave me everything."

Hearing this, the dog nearby, chewing on a small bone fragment, tilted its head.

It was wondering, "What is this human saying?"

It was true that the dog had provided the impetus, but it was the couple who had painstakingly cared for the bees, grown the potatoes from the ground, and made and sold the food.

However, these facts were of no concern to the malicious friend.

What mattered to the friend was simply that the dog had made the couple wealthy.

- Classic fairy tale, The Grateful Dog.