Amelia the Level Zero Hero

Chapter 230

Bucky watched as Amelia left.

Again.

That was annoying to see. This was precisely the problem that Bucky had seen happen time and time again. Even though most people thought that she was just a chicken who didn’t know any better, sometimes she felt like she was the only person in the entirety of Wolfwater who had any common sense.

Just because she couldn’t speak didn’t mean she was an idiot.

Bucky actually had empathy— she actually understood others, even if they didn’t communicate their feelings. This was a trait that Amelia distinctly lacked. Even if the human woman tried to be a good person… sometimes.

So that was why Bucky understood the issue of the frustration of the baby bastion bees. They thought Amelia was their protector… only to be immediately abandoned by her.

Time and time again, Amelia did the same thing. She made a commitment to others, but she failed to live up to it. As far as Bucky knew, this was what happened with Noele— in regards to her apprenticeship, or lack thereof. This was what happened with Jax— even if it was understandable that Amelia didn’t want to keep up with her promise of dueling him every single day. This was what happened with Edlyn— even though it was more recently resolved. And this was what happened with Arthur— how he was seemingly so lost working as a bartender, doing nothing else.

The last part was something even Arthur himself hadn’t realized was an issue yet, although he was starting to wake up to it now. Bucky noticed it herself long ago. Now, as Arthur spent more and more time training with Jax, his eyes were opening up to it.

There was also the more recent problem of Justyn. He was recovering from his long journey and exhaustion after seeking out Amelia for so long. But she bore no responsibility for what happened to him. His frustrations— his feelings of this situation. That everything he had done was wasted.

Bucky didn’t try to cheer him up because she couldn’t speak to him. But it was also Amelia’s duty to fix it. And before that, it was Amelia’s duty to take care of the baby bastion bees.

That was why Bucky had approached them, befriended them, and helped them through the woes they were facing right now.

Because once again, Amelia had abandoned them, just like everyone else. She refused to take responsibility, except this time, they were literal children. And they needed someone to care for them.

Looking up, Bucky saw the worried look on the baby queen bastion bee’s face. The latter was staring in the direction Amelia had vanished to, wings fluttering slowly and anxiously. She was a child. A recent newborn. And she was starting to gain even more sapience than before.

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So she was starting to ask questions. Especially since she considered Amelia to be her protector— to be the guardian of the hive.

And it was hard to feel safe when Amelia was never around.

But the baby bastion bees were too afraid to speak to— to bring things up to Amelia. That was why Bucky had to convince the baby queen bastion bee to approach Amelia. That was how they got into this situation.

And yet…

Bucky sighed as she lowered her head.

Once again, Amelia was gone—

And right as the thought crossed Bucky’s mind, she saw a figure crashing down from the sky. She blinked, before backing away in a panic, clucking and flapping her wings. The baby bastion bees recoiled too at what they saw.

Amelia landed right before her, carrying a familiar [Druid] over her shoulder.

“Alright,” Amelia said as she dropped the human man she was carrying to the ground, “let’s talk now.”

And even Bucky had to admit… that was fast.

—--

I returned with Dorien as quickly as I could. Which, unfortunately, resulted in him passing out during the trip back. However, at the very least, I was back with the baby bastion bees, so they couldn’t cause trouble while I was gone.

I looked up as they swarmed around me, before turning to face Bucky. She was still irate, wearing an annoyed face. But she also looked a little bit impressed by how quickly I could find Dorien on my own.

Which she shouldn’t be. If I was left unimpeded, I could almost always get anything done by myself in the snap of a finger. But there was always someone else to consider, which got quite tiresome.

The reason why I even took so long was because I had to ensure Dorien didn’t die on the trip back. So I took my time to get here, traveling at a speed I knew Noele could survive, so I inferred that Dorien would survive.

Even if he passed out.

I gestured for the baby bastion bees to follow me away from the restaurant. “Alright, guys. Now let’s resolve this somewhere private… whenever Dorien wakes up.”

I added the last part as I looked down at the unconscious [Druid]. With a huff, Bucky nodded and trailed after the baby bastion bees, heading to their hive. I followed them as I picked up Dorien.

I really couldn’t wait to figure out what was going on now.

—--

Justyn watched as Amelia disappeared to the side of the restaurant. Ever since arriving here, he had done nothing but spend all his days lying down and recovering from his weary travels. However, he thought that it was finally time to confront Amelia.

About what? He didn’t know.

But he felt like he needed to speak with her. After all, the two of them hadn’t even exchanged a single word ever since he passed out. He had been taken care of by Harlan, sure. However, Amelia had done nothing at all.

And Justyn felt the need to speak up. So he stepped out of his room to confront Amelia. Only to be intercepted by Harlan. He seemed to have returned from the market, carrying a bag of groceries with him. He waved at the [Receptionist] with a smile.

“Glad to see you’re up and doing well,” Harlan said casually.

Justyn just grunted and lowered his head. “That is an overstatement.”

“At the very least, you’re able to walk now. Although… you might want to sit down if you haven’t already heard the news.” Harlan shook his head.

“What news?” Justyn tilted his head.

“Did you seriously not hear about it?” Harlan said as he drew his lips into a thin line.

Justyn frowned. “What about?”

“Well…”

And as Harlan explained, Justyn’s eyes grew wide.