By Zephyria To summarize Alex Siles’s words, the problem originated from the fact that the Queen had awakened but had been asleep for too long, causing her energy to weaken.
Since her power had weakened, her control over the demon beasts using pheromones and Ultrasound was not as strong as before, and because of that, the spawning functions of other females, which should have been suppressed when the Queen awakened, were still intact.
Afterward, Alec said that the egg the two had seen was not laid by the Queen but by individuals close to the first generation, who possessed the most similar genes to the Queen.
“Since ancient times, in human society, when a King dies or disappears, or cannot perform his functions, there are always those who pretend to be King instead. The same is true in the society of demon beasts living on this peninsula. If the Queen cannot perform her functions, those who are not King pretend to be King and lay eggs instead.”
He tapped the floor with the drawing on it with a twig and continued his explanation.
“But this guy pretending to be King is not a real King, so he can’t control other individuals or gather them in one place. Then the group will scatter and gradually weaken.”
“……”
“Therefore, this group took an egg from an individual with the most similar genes to the Queen, wrapped the existing egg with a weakly acidic mucus with highly concentrated nutrients, and surrounded it with a hard shell to create a new egg. Then, the eggshell inside dissolves slowly in the weak acid, and the hatchling inside eats the condensed nutrients and grows into a new Queen individual that is on a different level from ordinary individuals.”
“…So, the one created like that can perform the functions of the Queen, even though it’s not an individual directly born from the Queen?”
“Until recently, I couldn’t be sure of that. So, I was experimenting to find out, and it was eventually proven through the outsider you mentioned that the Dermokas chased after the egg, right? At least it has the function of attracting members of the group.”
Leonardo nodded slowly, agreeing with his words.
So, they created an individual to become the new Queen to replace the Queen who could not perform the function of spawning. That was that big, white egg, and because the next Queen individual was inside, the Dermokas chased after it so desperately to retrieve the egg.
And that action soon proved that there was an interaction happening where the individual inside the egg was attracting them, and they were trying to protect the Queen.
Kenneth, who was listening to the story, frowned slightly, remembering again that Alec had experimented with the outsider. But he quickly composed himself, recalled the end of the egg he had seen at that time, and said.
“Then, we succeeded in eliminating the next Queen individual for now, right? Because when the egg broke, the individual inside died as well.”
However, Alec shook his head once again at Kenneth’s words.
“It would be nice if it were that easily resolved, but there’s not just one egg. There are probably several eggs distributed throughout the peninsula.”
“…Huh?”
“The reason I was able to find the egg without going into the nest was also because of that.”
Alec explained that there were two main reasons why the demon beasts of the peninsula moved and dispersed the eggs.
The first was when a Deformed species was growing in the egg. Since Deformed species have a low survival rate by nature, if they die near the nest, the location of the nest could be exposed, so they are thrown far away to prevent this, he said.
Then, the Deformed species, recognizing that they are the same species, would pick up the abandoned egg and move it to their own nest.
And the second case was when the egg was deemed unsafe.
They didn’t just create one egg that would become the next Queen. The reason for this was because they were worried that the egg would be attacked and the next Queen individual would disappear. Alec argued that the reason they scattered the eggs all over the peninsula was in the same context.
And the entities that attack the egg include humans, but also other demon beasts inhabiting the peninsula and the existing Queen, he said.
The Queen, who had reigned as the one and only creator, even while preventing other females from spawning, would not be happy to accept the existence of a new next Queen that did not come from her own womb.
Although weakened, the individual still reigning in the position of Queen would try to find and eliminate the next Queen individuals who threatened her position by manipulating the demon beasts with pheromones and Ultrasound, and in this process, the group that tried to protect the next Queen, breaking free from control, would likely have high intelligence that overwhelms their instincts enough to resist the Queen’s pheromones, he said.
And Dermokas make up a significant portion of that group, and Illaptor are an extremely small minority of them, Alec speculated.
Leonardo, who heard him, asked as if it was strange.
“Illaptor are also highly intelligent, but why can’t they break free from the existing Queen’s control?”
“From what I’ve seen so far, not everyone with high intelligence can break free from the Queen’s control. It seemed like there were quite a few individuals in the Dermokas group who followed the existing Queen as well. But the reason why Illaptor in particular have an even harder time breaking free from control is because they perform the role of inner court servants.”
Alec pointed with his eyes to the drawing he had drawn while explaining earlier.
“I said that inner court servants are in charge of housework like serving the Queen, right? Now that the Queen has awakened, their home would be the nest where the Queen is, and the closer they are to the Queen, the stronger the pheromones will be felt, so it wouldn’t be easy to go against her will.”
Kenneth, who heard those words, looked around with a tense expression for a moment. All around were lush grass, huge trees with drooping branches, and rocks covered with moss and vines, but beyond the faint light coming in between them, the smell of them was clearly overflowing.
Kenneth swallowed hard and stammered.
“Th, then, could it be that the reason why the smell of Illaptor is so strong around here is….”
Alec, who smiled slyly, stretched out his back and stood up, then looked at the sky, which was roughly covered with branches, and answered.
“The Queen is also near here.”
Leonardo also tensed up at those words. From what he heard, it wouldn’t be strange if they popped out right now. Leonardo, who was looking around and checking the signs of life in all directions, suddenly saw Alec’s relaxed face as if he had come on a picnic and glared at him coldly. Then, he gnashed his teeth and thought.
‘This bastard, he was planning to come to a place like this from the beginning. What did he say when he told me? That there are a few demon beasts on the way?’
A few years ago, before the Queen awakened, the Queen didn’t lay eggs, and there was no need to serve her, so they were seen even at the entrance of the peninsula, but after the Queen awakened, they were all gathered near here to perform the role of inner court servants, so they hadn’t been seen in the meantime.
‘A few my ass. It means all the Illaptor on the peninsula are gathered here.’
Alec, who felt Leonardo’s fierce gaze, turned his head and looked at his face and just smiled at him. Leonardo’s fist made a cracking sound as if he regretted not being able to slap that face.
Soon, Alec threw the twig he was holding in his hand into the bushes and dusted off his palms. Then, he took out the map and Coordinate System from his backpack, compared them to estimate his current location, and opened his mouth.
“It’s better to be a little more nervous from now on. The guys around here are unusually more ferocious and savage because they are affected by the pheromones of the Queen nearby. They’re almost addicted to it. The Queen has been asleep for a very long time and has awakened, so she’s constantly hungry and very sensitive because of the next Queen. So, even the guys who are affected by those pheromones become sensitive.”
Alec, who had confirmed that he had already entered the marked area, smiled slyly. He said to the two people, fixing his gaze on the map.
“Besides, you’ve seen a lot of demon beasts on the peninsula eating each other, right? To avoid being eaten by the hungry Queen who can control them, they have to constantly supply food. So, they’re always moving without a break and are very nervous. Maybe they’ve already noticed our presence.”
Kenneth, who was focusing on the subtle sounds, turned his head at Alec’s words and asked.
“Then, is the reason why the appearance of demon beasts has become more frequent and the frequency of attacks has increased recently because the sleeping Queen has awakened? Because they need to find more food to constantly supply food.”
“That’s also true, but there’s another reason.”
Alec left a small mark on the map he was holding, then rolled up the map and put it back in his backpack. Then, he held out his index finger as if telling the two gazes directed at him the key point.
“It’s to lure humans into the interior of the peninsula.”
One of Leonardo’s eyebrows furrowed and went up at Alec’s answer. Kenneth also made a puzzled expression and asked back.
“Lure humans into the peninsula? Why?”
He added, with an expression that he couldn’t understand at all.
“From the demon beast’s point of view, humans are intruders who have broken into their home… If they want to protect their home, wouldn’t they try to prevent humans from entering the interior? In fact, we’ve been fighting demon beasts all the way here…?”
“To be precise, the Queen’s will is to block humans. And the demon beasts of this peninsula are controlled by the Queen’s pheromones and Ultrasound, which possess that will, so it’s natural that they attack humans. But it’s been proven that there are definitely guys who resist that control because of the existence of the next Queen, right?”
Alec said as he slowly walked forward. His steps, walking through the grass without hesitation, looked very confident and refreshing, as if he was giving a speech at a huge hall. At the same time, Kenneth and Leonardo also moved their feet, following behind him at a pace that was by no means leisurely.
“But what I want to say is that, apart from all those things, the instinct of ‘prosperity of the group’ is deeply rooted in them, whether they are controlled or not. Their instincts are designed to be controlled by the Queen’s pheromones like bees for that purpose.”
Alec, who was walking quickly, suddenly stopped and turned around.
“But now, think about it. Would the guys who feel the Queen’s pheromones and are affected by it not know that the Queen’s body is weak and can no longer lay eggs?”
Leonardo and Kenneth, who were following behind, also stopped walking. Alec’s face looked very excited and happy, as if he had discovered a secret in an unknown world.
“The demon beasts of the peninsula have succeeded in constantly attacking and stimulating humans to drag them into the interior of the peninsula. And even at this moment, the Council’s great army is advancing south every day, gradually approaching the Queen’s nest.”
“……”
“Unlike human society, the concept of emotion is completely excluded in the society of this peninsula. It’s a kind of dystopian society where all members are interlocked like gears, silently performing their roles and living organically.”
Alec grabbed Kenneth’s hand in front of him.
“In such a place, what do you think will happen if the King, who monopolized the role of creator while suppressing the spawning functions of other females, fails to perform his function of prosperity of the group?”
His eyes and hands were trembling slightly as if they were filled with madness, so Kenneth instinctively took a step back in fear.
“They are saying this to humans, even while enduring the bleeding.”
His breath and expression were full of joy. Soon, Alec spread his arms wide and shouted to the two people like a scholar who had awakened to the truth.
“For the prosperity of our group, instead of us who are controlled by pheromones. Please, kill our King!”