I had a bad feeling about it and tried to instruct the dumb lizard to snap out of it, but it didn't even react. Its eyes were out of focus, its tongue sticking out of its open mouth.

That stupid idiot! I wanted to yell.

I looked up at the queen and her inky black cavernous eyes stared back. Hovering indifferently above the numerous gored corpses of her children, the light shining through her wings bathed the sinister scene in an ominous red glow.

Her intentions were obvious.

"Coercion? Is that some sort of skill?" I asked Sensei.

«It's a mental attack that projects its wielders will to suppress the consciousness of weaker beings. It's similar to [Mind Chain] but without the need for contact. At its least effective, It reduces the victim's momentum and at its best, it overrides their awareness.»

«That you can resist it is purely your goodluck for obtaining [Obsidian Horn].»

I was surprised that [Obsidian Horn] which I had thought was useless would come in handy at such a critical time. A purely offensive weapon that also possessed qualities that negated mental attacks? How rare.

But then again, the system alert said it was low level - how much could it withstand before the queen's [Coercion] truly started to affect me? If she decided to crank it up a notch, I doubted I would fare better than my drooling follower.

"How do I make him snap out of it?" I asked.

«You can't. You need to defeat the Queen first.» Sensei replied, as if it was a simple thing.

It was obvious his mania for power was returning to the forefront.

"We didn't come here for that." I snapped at him angrily. He was back to his devious ways of trying to set me up to get stronger. "This was supposed to be a rescue in the first place."

«It's up to you.» Sensei said without sympathy.

Just at that moment, my [Mana Sense] picked up more presences flying around outside the hidden chamber's door. I counted about twenty more wasps that had gathered in the scary wasps lair and my anxiety rose through the roof.

Things were going from bad to worse.

Yet, my most pressing concern was, when the queen in front of me would attack us. And where the heck was the scary wasp? Why had he not returned yet?

Looking at all the surgically removed cores of the dead wasps around me, and then at the hidden queen's pale bleached one. I could only wonder if she had done this to replenish her own.

How else could she retain her perfect outward appearance even with all the damage done to her mana core?

All the wasps here should've had liquid cores or higher if they had evolved before they died.

But then, the thought hit me that the scary wasp could also be party to her actions and suddenly my head was in turmoil.

There was no good or bad in this situation. However, I felt the need to justify the scary wasp because of my admiration for him and somehow, I did not want him to be aware of her actions

It was one thing to kill a wasp that got in your way and another to sacrifice countless others purely for the selfish need of one.

The desperate actions of the queen - if she was alone in this, would taint the loyalty and respect he had for her... and perhaps that would benefit me.

My only saving grace was that the queen was attacking us with her voice and not whatever ominous method she had used to poke holes in the chests of the wasps around me.

Was she testing the waters first by trying something small… or?

The thought gave me an idea and I peered closely at the mesmerised lizard, wondering if I could get some information from her by pretending to be under her spell.

[Ekharkai…] I slowed down my speech. [Does he know...you are... doing this?]

The queen slowly landed on the shoulder of a dead wasp, light as a feather. I had to admire her deftness as she did not disturb the corpse in the slightest.

She stared at me for a moment and I began to panic inside.

Did I give myself away?

[He does not.] She finally answered, with a derisive tone as she looked away.

[He believed me when I blamed their low numbers on that 'imposter'. As strong as he is, he would never doubt me. Everyday, he strains himself to beat her because he promised me her head.]

[Such a good child.] She concluded, the mockery clearly evident in her voice.

Ugh... she was completely rotten.

[If I asked him to offer his body to me, he would do so immediately.] she continued as if she was talking about someone disposable. [But, he is far too useful for that. And the loss of a few failures like them would not matter to him anyway.]

I was disgusted.

The scary wasp was working so hard for a queen that took him for granted. No, not just him but every wasp was just a means to an end for her. The favourable impression I had built up for her from the scary wasp's words was practically nonexistent.

Was she even worth saving after all this?

I was so tempted to expose her hideout to all the wasps gathered in the cavern. As we talked, I could sense more converging behind the chamber's doors.

[But I am curious. Did he permit you to enter in here?]

Before I could say a word, I detected some movement inside the chamber, coming from the 'window' behind the queen. She heard it too and we both looked towards it with suspense.

A wasp flew into the chamber and looked towards us. I immediately activated my [Heat Sense] and set up a heat sphere, anticipating the incoming attack, but to my surprise it launched itself at the queen, with its stinger at the forefront like a lance going for the kill.

The queen moved aside in a smooth movement and evaded it with calm and grace, her wings flickering behind her.

After a quick exchange and a splash of ichor, her elbows were deep inside the wasp's thorax and then the wasp let out a loud screech and fell limp.

She had killed it so effortlessly, I wondered whether all the damage done to her mana core slowed her down at all.

Was she still considered weak?

The chamber once again fell into silence, aside from the wet slurping that came from the queen as she chomped down on the wasp in her hand.

I knew the wasps outside were getting closer to finding this hidden chamber. If one had already discovered the location, it wouldn't be long until more followed.

[I came here...to warn you.] I continued to pretend. [Wasps are...heading this way...and the queen comes with them - ]

My speech was interrupted when the queen let out an enraged screech.

I was shocked out of my snakeskin by the sudden screech out of nowhere and I sensed something pass through the heat sphere I'd created around myself.

I leapt backwards on instinct and just narrowly missed a windblade that tore open the ground where I just was.

[I AM THE QUEEN! You will not address that imposter with my title in front of me!]

I immediately corrected my mistake, bowing low to apologise and hoped she didn't realize anything from the way I moved away from that windblade.

[Forgive my error...Eherakai would not...want you harmed...we need to leave.]

There was a heavy pause as the queen pondered my words before she spoke again.

[Why isn't he here himself?]

Damn, she was not buying it.

I knew I shouldn't have reacted earlier! But if I didn't, I would probably be dead or in a terrible state.

[He is away...and did not say...when he would be back.]

[How am I to know this isn't an elaborate ruse to expose me.] She asked as she observed me carefully. [You addressed the imposter as queen before me. You clearly revere her more than me.]

It was suffocating - like she could see through to my basest desires. I had tried to keep my voice as neutral as possible. Had my dislike for her somehow seeped through.

[Why should I believe you? After all, Treachery is the way of your kind.] She seethed in disgust.

That's it. I ran out of my luck.

I snuck a glance at her and saw a perfectly formed sphere of wind in her hand that still dripped with purple ichor.

The alarm bells in my head were blaring at their loudest and I ducked low, moving sideways without any hesitation, just as a lick of wind sliced past my head.

〚Skill Mastery Achieved: 『Heat Sense LV9』has become『Heat Sense LV10』〛

Although I managed to avoid it, I wasn't fast enough and a thin cut opened up on the side of my neck.

The queen looked at me, amusement clear in her eyes.

[Finally stopped pretending?]