On the southern slope of the Red Tide Fief, the newly built apiary had begun to take shape.
The entire site lay in a sheltered, sunlit valley, covered by a translucent hide dome to keep out the cold.
Beehives made of red-veined fir stood in neat rows, occasionally releasing pale blue calming mist scented with frostleaf vine and night-snow moss.
The Azure-Pattern Bee Swarm flew quietly through the air in perfect order.
"The swarm is doing very well," the accompanying Beekeeper Knight reported to Louis. "The queen has adapted to her new hive, and battle aura honey production is steady. We expect to expand the colonies next month."
Louis nodded in satisfaction.
The honey this swarm produced offered only a modest boost to battle aura, but its effects were steady and long-lasting.
It would pair perfectly with frostblood redberries to create a supplement suitable for knights to take regularly.
He turned to his elderly steward, Bradley. "Oversee this yourself. Don't neglect any stage, from harvesting and storing the honey to processing it afterward. Once the frostblood redberries bear fruit, work with Silco to combine the two and develop an effective supplement for knights."
A rare flicker of excitement crossed Bradley's eyes.
He understood exactly what this meant. This was not merely a source of honey. It heralded the rise of generation after generation of knights-the foundation of the Red Tide Fief's military strength!
"Understood, my lord." He drew a deep breath and nodded solemnly. "I'll oversee it personally and make sure not a single drop goes to waste."
Just then, someone rode into the apiary, interrupting their conversation.
"My lord!" An armored knight dismounted and bowed, a light sheen of sweat on his face.
He was one of the knights Lambert had sent to search for traces of the mages'