By evening that day, the military camps that stretched for many kilometers had finally been cleared by their forces.
The swarm showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever. Concepts like fighting spirit were essentially nonexistent for them; they could continue fighting at peak performance at any time.
The humans, however, were exhausted to the bone.
Many lay directly on the ground, wishing they could close their eyes and rest right then and there.
To boost morale, the various lords had their supply units bring out meat and fruit to distribute among the soldiers.
“The kingdom’s conditions are actually quite good.”
As a princess, Xia Jin was naturally well acquainted with her country’s economic status.
Overall, there was no shortage of food. Even the relatively poor lords had no trouble providing full nutrition to sustain their troops.
She walked over to a zergling.
While the insects were theoretically emotionless creatures, she could feel a sense of joy emanating from a hydralisk standing before her.
She reached out her hand. In response, the massive creature—three or four meters tall with a tail like a caterpillar—lowered its high head, allowing the Queen to stroke it twice.
After she finished, a wave of delight washed over her through their connection. The large hydralisk then began to wag its tail happily, looking as if it wanted to nuzzle against her.
“Uh, don’t do that. My small frame can’t handle it,” Xia Jin teased.
The hydralisk could only obey, retreating to the side to draw circles in the dirt with a sulky air.
It proved that while the insects obeyed the Queen absolutely, they still possessed their own thoughts.
If one felt deep into their souls, one could experience a sense of loyalty to the Queen that was absolute in every sense.
In other words, the Zerg would do anything Xia Jin asked of them.
However, given their absolute obedience and their drive to protect the Queen, what would happen if she ordered them to kill her?
As this thought crossed Xia Jin’s mind, she immediately shook her head.
Most likely, they wouldn't do it.
The priority of the Queen’s safety was higher than anything else.
At this moment, the desolate land was covered with lounging Zerg.
Even the lords now found these creatures to be quite adorable.
They were just too well behaved.
Furthermore, anyone could see that Xia Jin held absolute authority over these beings.
After the battle concluded, some of the swarm began to head further east in small squads to scout.
There were likely still large scale gnoll tribes ahead.
This meant the war had only just begun.
At this time, the Eastern Lords, led by Count Hai and others, gathered in a tent formerly belonging to the gnolls for a temporary meeting.
They didn’t even realize that every word of their conversation was being transmitted to Xia Jin through the ears of a nearby zergling.
“Though the reason is unknown, these creatures called the Zerg—which possess terrifying power—truly do obey the Princess. And I can’t help but feel that, in some ways, she is no longer like a human,” a viscount whispered.
“What? Are you questioning Her Highness’s identity?” Count Hai glared at him.
“No, no, that’s not what I mean. Her Highness is still Her Highness, it’s just… we can no longer view her through an ordinary lens,” the viscount coughed. “You must realize, she was once the daughter of the kingdom, a high and mighty princess. The court was her home, and many of the ministers were like family in a sense. Yet those very people, including her own parents, personally exiled her to the forest. For a girl barely in her teens, how much disappointment must such an experience have caused her?”
The other lords seemed confused about where he was going with this and watched him intently.
“In such a moment, when Her Highness was at her wits’ end, she gained the loyalty of a group of magic beasts. Those beasts are completely different from the people she knew in the past. They obey her every word and are even warmer than family. At least her family didn’t protect her, whereas those magic beasts are willing to defend her dignity with their lives.” The viscount smiled confidently. “Therefore, I have ample reason to believe that in Her Highness’s heart, magic beasts are already more trustworthy than humans.”
“Then I’d like to know, why do these magic beasts swear loyalty to Her Highness?” a nearby baron asked with a smile.
“I suspect there are two reasons. First, this group of magic beasts isn’t recognized by other magic beast groups. Didn’t Her Highness say so? These are Zerg, not magic beasts. Isn't this experience exactly like the Princess not being recognized by the kingdom? They are kindred spirits.”
Damn!
The several lords were dumbfounded.
“That is a unique perspective. I really never thought of that.”
“I think there’s another possibility,” the viscount continued. “Think about it. Why would a magic beast group obey a human girl’s orders for no reason? There is only one possibility: their leader is willing to do so. A magic beast king can take human form. Since they’ve become human, there’s nothing wrong with their aesthetic sense being the same as ours, right? Such a beautiful princess naturally attracted the king of that tribe. To win Her Highness’s heart, he was even willing to hand over command of the tribe just to exchange it for the young girl’s love.”
Count Hai: “...”
After an eerie silence, he retorted, “What a load of nonsense. You don’t understand magic beasts, but do you think I don’t? A so called king is just a beast in human skin. It’s like if I turned you into a dog, could you really fall in love with a female dog?”
“It’s possible!” the viscount insisted.
Everyone’s eyes widened as they looked at him in disbelief.
“Cough, I mean, you shouldn't underestimate love. Anything is possible; the body dictates the mind.”
Count Hai: “...”
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