Chapter 271: Chapter 15: Vera Who Doesn’t Want to Die Alone

“Bzz bzz bzz~ bzz bzz bzz~”

“This will be your home from now on. Whether you need planks or any other materials, you can tell us. We can even carve stones into the shapes you need, ensuring you have shelter from the wind and rain.”

“Bzz bzz bzz~ bzz bzz bzz~”

“We will plant more flowers later and choose more varieties. See which ones suit your taste. As for the honey… how about you give us thirty percent?”

“Bzz bzz bzz~ bzz bzz bzz~”

“Fifty percent? Hmm, thank you very much. Your colony can bring the queen bee over at any time if you don’t mind living with other colonies…. Ah, do you mind? Has the queen already arrived? Thank you for your trust.”

“…”

Vera Elkaras watched as Yila communicated with the finger-sized bees. She observed the ten bees lined up in two rows of five, and she was genuinely surprised that both sides could communicate in such a way.

However, that wasn’t the main point. The main point was…

“Yila, are you a princess from a fairy tale?”

As Vera said this, she watched Yila communicate cross-species with a larger bee, and joked, “Why do all the Magic Beasts seem to like you so much after you enter the forest… They even salute you, which is just ridiculous.”

Regarding this, Yila didn’t find anything ridiculous.

“I offered my sincerity in exchange for respect. I think it’s quite reasonable. Or are you saying… you think these Magic Beasts can’t understand human kindness?”

Yila smiled as he said this, patting Vera’s shoulder while she stared wide-eyed at the bees. He said, “Magic Beasts are not ordinary insects or wild animals. Their intelligence and logic are not inferior.”

“…”

“Hm! Hoo…”

Vera gently blew a breath, making the bees in front of her sway for a moment. Then she mischievously laughed, “Gu-ne-hey~ hehe~”

“Hey… Yila!”

Laughing, Vera saw the bees stabilize themselves and expose their stingers to her. Her smile instantly turned into fear, and she very cowardly hid behind Yila.

Yila wasn’t bothered by Vera’s antics and continued to discuss the specifics of the apiary with the queen bee resting on his hand… First of all, they definitely didn’t need to build the hive themselves.

However, the bees hoped that the Demon King Territory would provide initial resources for the move, such as some honey. They also hoped for help in relocating their old hive to this clearing.

Moreover, they wished to plant more flowers in the clearing, which already had many, and hoped the Demon King Territory could slightly fence this area to prevent smoke from drifting over from the nearby road where the forest and Demon King Territory meet.

These were all simple conditions… Although the communication process required Yila to guess and infer their meaning, the negotiation still went perfectly, showing how low the demands of these Magic Beasts were.

“So shall we”

“get started”

“on the job”

“now?”

Yila nodded at the little fairies and said, “Yes, if you encounter any difficulties in communication, come find me, or try to figure it out on your own.”

The little fairies weren’t particularly bright, but they were about as smart as average civilians. They weren’t as foolish as the ice fairies, so they could still manage communication by guessing and inferring.

As Yila said this, the little fairies exchanged glances and then looked at the bees…

“Bzz bzz bzz~ bzz bzz bzz~ bzz bzz bzz~”

The bees buzzed, seeming quite cheerful.

“Yeah”

“The bees”

“are right”

“We”

“actually”

“understand”

“what they”

“are saying”

“…”

*Oh my… can the little fairies actually communicate with the Magic Beasts?*

Yila was stunned. He watched the little fairies chatting sporadically with the bees and suddenly felt like an idiot for all his gesturing earlier.

“Hahahaha!!! That’s killing me!”

Renamed temporarily in his mind, Vera Elkaras laughed, then stopped at Yila’s helpless look and said, “Life, isn’t it peculiar?”

After she said this, Yila nodded.

“Indeed, I have always thought so. But honestly…”

Yila said this, looking at Vera, shrugging, “Coming from you, it feels a bit odd… You don’t seem like someone who would marvel at the peculiarity of life.”

Vera: As if you’re saying I’m some kind of idiot who never thinks.

“Then what do I seem like?”

Vera rolled her eyes as she said this.

“You…”

Yila said this, thinking for a moment, then led Vera away from the clearing, now left to the little fairies and the bees. He added, “You seem more like someone who would sigh and say, ‘Life is so fragile…'”

“…”

Vera was momentarily taken aback. She didn’t expect Yila to be so serious and not just spout nonsense… She bitterly smiled and said, “I think those thoughts aren’t mutually exclusive.”

Yila: “True enough.”

…

“…”

It was still early. In the silence of their walk, besides the song of birds and the chirping of insects, only the sound of their footsteps could be heard.

Although neither of them said a word, watching Yila’s back as he walked ahead, Vera felt extremely at ease… Was it the strength of her companion that brought her peace, or something else?

Vera didn’t ponder this question.

“Yila, do you want to know why I seek Eternal Life?”

Yila turned his head in confusion when he suddenly heard Vera say this. He recalled that Vera had mentioned it before. He thought for a moment and said, “Because you don’t want to die, right?”

*Yila actually remembered…*

“Yes, but there’s probably a more specific reason. Do you want to know?”

Vera said, stepping quickly to walk side by side with Yila. She pressed down on her wizard hat, playfully wrapping her arm around Yila’s shoulders, and said without waiting for an answer, “Do you know how my mother died?”

This, Yila naturally didn’t know. He didn’t even know that Vera’s mother had passed away.

“My father found out much later…. This is why I must stay alive~”

Vera said this, noticing Yila shrugging his shoulders uncomfortably. She withdrew her hand and said emotionally, “Because I know that I’m unlikely to have a dramatic death. So I might as well live~”

Though her words seemed disjointed and nonsensical, Yila still ruffled Vera’s hair.

“Then just keep living… Survival itself is the best defiance against loneliness.”

Yila said this, and Vera’s smile momentarily froze, then quickly grew brighter.

“Mm!”

“…”

*Yes, Vera feared loneliness, feared living alone, and more so feared dying alone. That’s why she absolutely… absolutely didn’t want to die.*

*Though it might seem childish like a little girl, there’s nothing worthy of ridicule about it.*