Reincarnated To Evolve My Bee Empire

"They are dragons… and black. Is that what you like about them, Nectus?"

I shook my head.

"No… look, they are just cool, yeah?"

"Cold? I thought you liked warmth…"

"No-no, I mean—wait, are you making fun of me? Amby, you *know* what 'cool' means! I… I already had to explain to you 'hot' and 'cool' like…" I gasped. "At least twice! Or thrice!"

Ambrosia turned to me, and the sight was like a Cupid's arrow striking my heart.

She was smiling, almost teasingly so.

"And you finally caught on, Nectus. Took you longer than I thought, considering you say that you have a 'giga-brain'."

I opened and closed my mouth like a dumb, lovestruck fish.

"You—Since when?—I thought—Amby, but this is just *cruel*!"

Now she outright giggled.

"It will be good to have you in Hive Supremo all the time again, Nectus. Although you always mated with me on time, I missed listening to your silly words and watching your silly smiles."

She turned back to the dragons and shook her head.

"I still don't like any of these creatures, though. Don't *ever* let them into the hive."

***

Next day, the dragons came for food to Hive Supremo again, bringing with them a couple more giant scales that Things-Things immediately and gleefully stole.

Later that evening, Explanatory's team got to Hive Supremo, too.

"I read your report, Father. Personally, I don't think the dragons recognized *you*. There's actually another thing…"

"Another thing?"

Explanatory looked away shyly.

"Well… There has been no need to guard Camp Rich as much as before. Two days ago, Bloodimina sent a messenger saying that the Beemarines that guarded you from the dragons during feedings could be used to clear the conquered territory from *actual* threats."

My eyes widened.

After the siege, I wasn't keeping a close eye on my Warriors. I gave Bloodhero orders to do pest purges and establish control over territories we were about to expand to, and I knew Bloodhero gave Bloodimina a lot of authority over it.

The Beemarines were outside of her normal chain of command, though. Either Bloodimina was overexerting her authority, or Bloodhero gave it to her without reporting to me.

Either way, it created a dangerous situation! I was going to have a few words with Bloodhero later.

"What? But you were safe from the dragons, right? They never hurt a bee. At least, as far as I can tell!"

Explanatory shook her head.

"Oh, no, Father! The risks were negligible, and Bloodimina was right. Even if the research team was hurt, we are replaceable! But the dragons didn't come to the feeding place the next morning. I think they came to associate Beemarines with food, and didn't react to a smaller amount of bees, especially ones who looked differently. And by the time we brought out food, they weren't around to see."

I blinked.

"No, this is a bullshit theory. They *definitely* recognized me! Yes, I know that there were way more bees than just me, but they *had* to have!"

Explanatory tilted her head to the side, then shrugged.

"Both are just unconfirmed theories. I suggest running tests."

"Tests… It will be training! The training of dragons. Yes, run the tests!"

***

Over the next few days, the training tests showed that the dragon trio *indeed* learned to associate large, organized gatherings of bees with food. When they didn't find those at expected spots, they would search for armies of bees in the surroundings.

They didn't care for me at all, which was sad.

But their range of search easily covered the entirety of our territory, which was incredible, and I already had ideas about how their behavior can be used.

Today, the dragons were brought food to Hive Supremo, and as I watched them eating from nearby, my mind was whirring with exciting possibilities.

"We can train them to bring things from one colony to another, even at this stage of domestication. Which is way sooner than I expected, honestly," I said to Explanatory, who was making notes nearby. "Perhaps even bees! If they can just accept someone getting close. The dragons are so skittish for such colossal beasts!"

"They are rightfully afraid of being stung," Destroyer commented.

"The latest tests gave me and my assistants more opportunities to study the black dragons' language," Explanatory said. "By now I can discern their warning growls with 75% accuracy. My suggestion, Father: we send a Beemarine closer to gradually make the dragons used to bees."

"Yeah, that's the logical next stage. Why a Beemarine specifically, though?"

"If a dragon bites them, their tough skin will save them from being torn in half on the spot. Probably."

"Ah, I see. Riiiight…"

'I guess offering myself as the candidate will be a bad idea. My dear daughters care for me so much that they will riot…'

I wasn't going to become the first legendary dragon rider. But I could still be the *second* legendary dragon rider!

I looked around. There were a whole thousand of Beemarines training within earshot.

"Hey, girls! My Beemarines! Who wants to be the first legendary dragon rider?! I want someone to show that we are their friends!" I shouted.

They paused their hammer swings and turned to me. Their faces were an incredible mixture of dutiful fervor and utter disgust. Nobody spoke, but I could read their thoughts even without telepathy.

'We want to prove ourselves to Father, but *riding the vile hunter*?'

'Being *friends* with a disgusting beast?'

Shit, I really underestimated their xenophobia! This wasn't good. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire

I frowned sternly and put my hands on my hips.

"Girls, don't hate dragons just because they *are* dragons. *These* dragons are our *pets*. Not enemies! Get it?"

A few Beemarines shook their heads.

I suppressed a groan.

"Alright, then the dragons will learn to get used to you, and you will train to get used to them!" I squinted and read a few random names. "Beemarines Invincible-13, Skullcrusher and Deathwings, come here! The rest can return to their duties."

The Beemarines saluted. While most resumed their drills, the trio I picked came to me. Their expressions were dismayed, but incredibly dutiful.

I looked at the dragon trio. Scourge was just hanging around, while Disaster and Woe competed for the last scraps of their meal.

"Alright, girls. See Scourge? Invincible-13, try to get closer and sit on its back!"