Her Majesty's Swarm

In the name of revenge

“Does this symbol look familiar?” I asked the elder when I returned to Baumfetter, gesturing to something I’d nicked off one of the corpses.
At some point, I’d become a regular guest in the elven village. The villagers were grateful that I—or rather, the Swarms—had kept the forest safe, so they always greeted me with a bowl of warm stew.
“That’s the symbol of a human crime syndicate, I believe,” the elf answered, looking a little disturbed. “I do not know where they’re from,
though.” “I see. So you don’t know after all... I guess this is something only humans would be familiar with.” I didn’t expect much to begin with. Those armed ruffians were humans,
and so the possibility the elves would know much about them was slim. I only asked because I had nothing to lose, and it came as no surprise that they didn’t have the answer I was looking for.
“Still, thanks for the meal. It was great today too.” “Oh, don’t mention it. We owe you a great deal.” He was speaking, of course, of the fact that I’d had their children’s wannabe-kidnappers torn to bits. Their parents had been thrilled to see their children return safely, though I did have to ask myself if the kids weren’t traumatized by the experience.
“It’s the Arachnea’s queen!” Just as I finished my bowl of stew, the two elven children in question,
Linnet and Lysa, ran over to me. The two of them showed up together to the elder’s house, seemingly cheerful and happy.
From what the elder had told me, Linnet was several years older than Lysa, who had looked up to him since she was little. The two were childhood friends and as close as siblings... except their relationship wasn’t that simple.
Everyone around them could tell Linnet was in love with Lysa, and they all believed the two of them would end up getting married in the future.
Linnet was a healthy boy with handsome features and a sturdy frame, while Lysa had fair, slender limbs. The two of them were kind, considering they were willing to go out and gather herbs for a sick elf. It seemed like fate had brought the two of them together. The pair also occasionally went off pranking the villagers together, which earned them plenty of verbal lashings.
These were just some of their many rash adventures. The adults didn’t entirely frown upon their actions, but they were worried that the two youths might have been a little too reckless.
Lysa and Linnet. The two of them seemed perfect together, and they were blessed by those around them as everyone expected to see their wedding in the future. I was quite envious of them, to be honest. I had never had anyone like that in my life.
“Have these, Your Majesty!” “Mushrooms?” Linnet was handing me a leather sack full of mushrooms.
“The other villagers told me you like mushrooms, so you can have these!” “Oh, thank you. Was finding this many a hassle?” To be fair, it wasn’t me who liked mushrooms, but rather the Worker Swarms. I liked mushrooms just fine, but I couldn’t eat this many. I should have the Worker Swarms thank Linnet and Lysa at some point.
“Your servants are keeping the forest safe, so picking herbs is a lot easier now,” Lysa explained. “We had to be careful of the poachers and slavers before, so we could only pick mushrooms around the village.” The poachers and slavers had apparently loitered around the village often before I came along, which hindered the children from picking herbs unless they were accompanied by adult elves who could fight off attackers.
But now, the children were free to go about the forest. The Swarms watched over them, thoroughly eliminating anyone who so much as smelled like a threat, and so the forest was becoming quite peaceful. Linnet and Lysa probably take advantage of that to have little nightly rendezvous, don’t they,
the lovebirds?
“Is that right? I’m glad to see my servants are of help to you.” “Yes! We’re happy too!” The elves were all naturally beautiful, which was why slavers targeted them. I didn’t want to imagine where any gorgeous elves they captured might have ended up. But right now, the forest was protected by myself and the Swarm, and so the innocent elves didn’t need to fear capture.
It was a bit strange to think that an evil-aligned faction like the Arachnea was doing something good. Not that there was any need to fixate on one’s alignment, but the Swarm still had a craving for victory and a desire for domination. And if I were to fulfill it, I’d have to go to war, stain my hands red with blood, and receive the scorn and contempt of the rest of the world.
“You can have this too, Your Majesty!” “What’s this?” I inspected what Lysa had given me. “Is this... a doll?” It was indeed a doll made from straw and grass. It was coated with animal fur, and thus fluffy to the touch. And unlike a voodoo doll, it didn’t feel malevolent or menacing in the slightest.
“It’s a charm. I made it with Linnet so it keeps you safe, Your Majesty.
Linnet and I have charms like this too.” “Oh, I see. Thank you. I’m glad you feel that way,” I said, patting Lysa on the head.
True enough, similar dolls dangled from their belts.
Lysa and Linnet treated us with the most kindness out of everyone in the village, and despite us being an unfamiliar group of monsters, they graciously repaid their debt. It was a far cry from the slavers and the town of Leen, who treated the elves cruelly for no reason other than their natural-born race.
“Anyway, I’ve received mushrooms and a hot meal, so I suppose I shouldn’t impose on you any longer. You two be careful, all right? The poachers aren’t completely gone yet.” After thanking the elves for their offerings, I made my way back to the Arachnea’s base. I had a lot left to do.