The yellow locust swarm, still far off, was slowly growing in size.

That meant it was moving toward us.

A yellow cloud was gradually advancing in the direction of our group—me, Cho, Sister Jeokwol, Moji, and Soji.

I froze, just for a moment.

It wasn’t fear. It was because the locusts were definitely heading our way—and that complicated things.

We had to search for the Locust King to save the translator, but if we wasted time on that and lost track of the swarm, the locusts could break through into the Central Plains and cause the deaths of thousands—or even tens of thousands.

And tracking the swarm had been our original mission.

“I need to regroup everyone at camp. This isn’t a decision I should make alone.”

After a brief moment of thought, I halted the search and called everyone back to camp.

This wasn’t about giving up on finding the Locust King or abandoning the translator’s life.

Even if countless lives were at stake, how could I abandon even a single life standing right in front of me?

Years ago, back in the early 2000s, the question of “What is justice?” had gone viral worldwide.

It all started with a Harvard professor’s lecture, which asked if it was just to let one person die in order to save many. Did saving more lives justify sacrificing one?

But that wasn’t why I couldn’t give up the search for the Locust King.

It wasn’t about philosophical ideals—it was because I needed to find the Locust King too.

I wanted to recruit him. He was a venomous spirit beast—a locust, no less.

How could Spicy Fabre pass up the chance to add that to his collection?

“Letting this go? That’s not an option. Sure, lives are more important... but still.”

And the timing to regroup was just right.

We’d been searching since dawn—about six hours—and clearly, no one had found the Locust King.

We’d agreed that whichever group spotted him would notify the rest through the mental group chat. The silence meant no one had seen anything.

So it felt like the perfect moment to regroup, discuss the locust swarm, and plan the next phase of the search.

I sent a message into the mental link:

『“No one’s found the Locust King yet, right?”』

The chat had been silent all morning, so it wasn’t looking good—but just in case, I asked everyone.

And replies came immediately from Hwa-eun and the spirit beasts.

『“Not yet, So-ryong.”』

— Tsrrr. (Nothing here, Dad.)

— Tssrt. (Still nothing. Where could he be?)

— Guu. (Father, nothing here either. The one with the bow keeps whining about her legs.)

— Gyuit. (Didn’t find him, Grandpa.)

— Guuu. (No sightings here either, Father.)

Their responses came swiftly, almost as if they’d been waiting for the question.

As I’d suspected, none of the search teams had located the Locust King.

Time to move on to the main point.

『“Hwa-eun, I think we should regroup for now. So—”』

“Shall we? By the way, So-ryong, aren’t you hungry? You didn’t eat much this morning.”

Hwa-eun kindly tried to make sure I ate. Maybe she felt bad that I’d only nibbled on some food earlier.

“Ah, so this is what true Confucian-era wifely support feels like.”

A rare firsthand taste of an authentic, traditional Central Plains wife-in-waiting.

Grateful, I continued my explanation.

『“No, I’m fine. There’s something more urgent. Could you send Yeondu over here?”』

“Something urgent?”

“Yes. The locusts have appeared.”

“Wait, the Locust King? But just a moment ago—”

She must’ve assumed I was referring to the Locust King. Since we’d been searching for him all day, she probably didn’t immediately connect this to the broader swarm.

『“No, not the King. A whole swarm of locusts has appeared.”』

“Whaaat!?”

Once I clarified, her shock echoed clearly through the mental link.

But she recovered quickly.

『“Understood! I’ll send Yeondu right away!”』

I’d have to wait a bit for Yeondu to arrive, and there still seemed to be time before the swarm reached us.

So in the meantime, I briefed Cho and Sister Jeokwol on what to do once Yeondu got here.

We couldn’t just leave the swarm unattended while the rest of us regrouped.

I decided to leave Cho and Sister Jeokwol to shadow the swarm from above.

“Cho, follow ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the swarm with Sister Jeokwol. When I speak to you mentally, send her straight to me. Sister Jeokwol, I’ll leave the tracking to you.”

— Tsrrr. Understood, Dad.

— Chii!

Soon, I spotted a green snake flying swiftly from camp.

— Shaaa! 『So-ryong-nim!』

Yeondu arrived, and with impressive precision, caught me midair. Sister Jeokwol then leapt from Cho’s back to Cho’s, completing a seamless midair switch.

“Thank you, Sister Jeokwol, Cho! I’m counting on you!”

— Chii!

— Tsrrt!

Yeondu curled around me and headed toward camp, while behind us, Cho and Sister Jeokwol rose higher, soaring above the approaching swarm.

They looked like a dragon with butterfly wings.

***

Since I had flown from the farthest area, everyone else had already arrived at camp.

After running around with Lightfoot Technique for three hours, everyone was exhausted and sprawled out on the ground.

Complaints murmured from where they lay.

“Seriously, where the hell are these damn locusts?”

“Yeah, it’s like they vanished.”

“Can’t we just yank out all the Cordyceps and be done with it?”

“Gungbong, try that a second time and we’ll see how fast you lose your shot at saving the infected man.”

“Agh, fine...”

Judging by their expressions and chatter, Hwa-eun hadn’t told them yet that the swarm had appeared.

I exchanged a look with her and stepped up to explain why I’d called everyone back.

“Everyone, please gather around. I have something to tell you.”

“Alright, So-ryong. Everyone, let’s get together.”

“Gather up, all of you.”

“Understood.”

One by one, people gathered near the still-groggy the infected man.

He was still out cold, likely because I’d sealed his blood points.

After a quick glance at his condition, I addressed the group.

“I’ve gathered everyone because a locust swarm has appeared. I spotted it during the search.”

Everyone gasped.

“A l-locust swarm has appeared?”

“You mean the locusts are really here!?”

“Yes. I just confirmed it on the western side.”

All eyes shifted toward the unconscious translator, the infected man.

Just like me earlier, they were probably wondering what we should do now.

Hu-gae wore a deeply serious expression as he asked,

“Then... what do we do? We can’t just ignore the locusts...”

“For now, I’ll track them with Cho. I’ll assign the other flying beasts to each team. The rest of you should continue searching for the Locust King.”

That’s when Ji-ryong suddenly spoke.

“Looks like the infected man might be luckier than we thought. We might be closer to finding the Locust King than expected.”

I turned to him, surprised to see a confident smile on his face.

“What do you mean, Ji-ryong?”

“Yeah, explain,” others chimed in.

Even I was puzzled, so I waited for his answer.

Ji-ryong explained with a bright expression.

“I mean the grave of the locusts. The Locust King was guarding it—and since Cordyceps was growing from the bodies, don’t you think he had something to do with their deaths?”

“If the swarm is appearing now, it means the Locust King might show himself soon.”

His words hit me like a hammer to the skull.

Of course.

It was strange. All the locusts had died in one place, and they were all infected with Cordyceps?

Maybe the Locust King had buried their corpses, and the fungus spread afterward... but more likely, he had infected living locusts, just like the translator, and sent them underground.

That second scenario made far more sense.

“Ohhh...”

“So, if all those locusts had Cordyceps growing from them...”

As expected of Ji-ryong.

If we just followed the swarm, the Locust King was bound to appear.

***

Ji-ryong’s point was valid, but I decided to stick to my original plan: I would track the locust swarm with Cho alone, while assigning the other flying spirit beasts to each team.

This was due to Ji-ryong’s cautious reasoning—what if we all chased the swarm, but the Locust King never showed up?

“I might be wrong, so let’s proceed with young warrior So-ryong’s plan for the search.”

“That seems wise. We should always consider the chance you're mistaken.”

“Then I’ll head back, leave Cho behind, and bring back Sister Jeokwol. Having flying scouts with each team will raise our chances significantly.”

“Understood, young warrior.”

In the first round of searches, I had brought all the flying beasts with me to cover a wider range. But since we were now tailing the locusts, there was no need to keep them all with me.

I left the group to wait and flew toward Cho’s location, speaking to her mentally.

‘Cho, are the locusts still there?’

—Tsrrt. 『Yes, Dad. They’re drifting slowly, riding the wind.』

‘I’m on my way.’

—Tsrrrr. 『Okay, Dad.』

As I flew swiftly toward Cho, her voice called out again.

—Tsrrt! 『Dad, the locusts are starting to descend!』

They were moving downward—into the valley. At this elevation, well over 2,000 meters, it made sense. These things flew until exhausted, then landed to graze. They were probably tired and looking to feed.

‘Almost there.’

As Yeondu carried me to the area, Cho spotted me first and flew over.

She pointed with her tail.

—Tsrrr. 『That way, Dad.』

‘Got it.’

“Yeondu, thank you. Sister Jeokwol, I appreciate your help. Cho and I will take it from here. Could you please join the others and support them? Follow Yeondu—Hwa-eun will explain everything in detail.”

Chii.

Shaa. 『Alright then, we’ll head back. Let’s go, Lady Jeokwol.』

As Yeondu and Sister Jeokwol flew back toward camp, Cho and I headed to where the locusts had landed.

It was a basin-like valley—not far off—with a small stream flowing through it and lush grass spread across the ground.

“Cho, let’s get low over there. If we stay in the sky, the Locust King might spot us.”

We quietly moved to the ridgeline that overlooked the basin. From there, we could observe undetected, especially with the rocks providing cover.

—Rustle. Rustle.

When we arrived, half the grass was already gone.

And the rest was vanishing quickly.

When we’d flown overhead earlier, the swarm had looked as big as a stadium dome. Now, on the ground, they were devouring an area the size of a football field. All I could hear was the gnashing of jaws.

“No need for lawnmowers with these guys around.”

Cho and I pressed flat to the ridgeline, watching the swarm feast.

That’s when I heard it—the distinct flutter of wings.

A wingbeat I’d heard only once before, echoing through the valley.

—Chwarrr.

No doubt about it. That was the Locust King’s wingbeat.

“Already!?”

I crouched even lower, eyes scanning from behind a rock—and then I saw him.

He descended from the opposite ridge.

This time, I got a clear look—not just at his landing, but at his full wingspan.

And damn.

Wings that shimmered with brilliant rainbow hues.

Gleaming, iridescent membranes radiated light in every direction.

“Of course. That’s what a king should look like.”

He truly exuded the majesty of royalty.

Even though he landed at the rear of the swarm, none of the locusts flinched or paused in their feeding.

Ordinary swarms are notoriously jumpy—just approaching them makes them scatter in a frenzy.

“Maybe it’s because he’s one of them... or their king. Like Cheongwol, who can control lesser members of her species. Or maybe, like me, he emits a pheromone or aura that pacifies his kin.”

—Chwaar!

While I pondered the nature of his bond with the swarm, another powerful wingbeat echoed.

Cho relayed his words mentally.

—Tsrr. 『He’s angry, Dad.』

“He’s angry?”

—Tsrrrt. 『Yes. He shouted, ‘Are you the same as well!?’ It sounded furious.』

“What does that mean...?”

I tilted my head, confused.

Then another agitated wingbeat followed.

—Chwarrrrrrr.

And Cho began to translate again.

—Tsrrrrr. 『Every kin I’ve waited a lifetime to meet... all of you, like this. Mindless beasts that gnaw at your own kind’s flesh and shells. You who have lost even reason—end your lives here!’』

Suddenly, his meaning became clear.

Locusts undergo a transformation when they become plague locusts—their bodies change, and they eat voraciously.

But there’s another, darker trait.

They develop a craving for protein.

These originally herbivorous insects begin to exhibit carnivorous mania.

They don’t attack live animals—but they devour their own, especially weak or juvenile kin.

It’s a way to rapidly gain energy and regulate population, increasing the chances of swarm survival.

Focusing my sight down into the basin, I saw what he meant.

Some locusts had collapsed—perhaps from exhaustion during their long migration—and as soon as the grass was gone, others swarmed them and began to feed.

One by one, weakened locusts were torn apart.

Some were bitten on the back while devouring others.

It looked like a scene from a zombie apocalypse.

And watching the Locust King’s face as he took it all in... I felt like I could understand him, just a little.

To me, this was ecology—nature, evolution.

But from his words, I could tell he’d likely lived here alone for a long time.

This wasn’t a place hospitable to locusts. These were probably the first kin he’d seen in ages.

And they turned out like this?

The first people to arrive in your kingdom, and they’re all zombies.

Everyone but you is a mindless beast.

A lonely king, burdened by reason.

That must be what he was feeling.

—Fwoosh.

From his back, a yellow mist began to rise, like incense.

The mist of peace—an offering to guide his fallen kin to rest.