"There's more than one locust queen?!"
Seeing the reconnaissance drones repeatedly detect multiple queens on the screen, Jarvan's eyes widened. This was against all common sense. Normally, a swarm had only one queen , it was absolutely impossible for a second to exist.
Yet Duke's drones had discovered a total of nine locust queens. All nine were following the same behavioral pattern: eating without end, then laying eggs.
Once the black locust larvae hatched, they were immediately taken away by nurse locusts and placed in rooms filled with food. There, the larvae began to feed and grow rapidly. When they reached a certain stage, they would quickly leave the nursery to make room for the next generation.
"How is this possible? This isn't natural!"
Xin Zhao stared at the nine queens on the screen. They were both deeply familiar with Argos locusts, but this scene defied everything they knew.
Seated cross-legged on the ground, Duke pulled out a wine flask and took a long drink. His eyes glimmered strangely as he watched the screen, lost in thought.
"Nine locust queens, all within Pingze Town. Wiping them all out will take serious effort."
Jarvan gripped his Atma's Halberd, his face grave. No wonder the swarm had grown so massive. Nine queens, producing without pause , no wonder the numbers had swelled so terrifyingly fast.
"Seems someone's had their eyes on Demacia for a long time."
Duke drank again and arched a brow at Jarvan. The prince wasn't stupid. He caught Duke's meaning instantly.
"You mean," Jarvan asked, "someone orchestrated this swarm deliberately, creating the plague on purpose?"
"That's exactly what I mean."
Duke's eyes narrowed. "A locust plague of this scale on the border… of course it would draw the capital's attention. And once it does, the capital will have no choice but to send reinforcements."
"And once the army sets out," Duke continued, "it'll take at least five days to reach Pingze. In that time, the swarm's numbers will keep multiplying."
"Then the reinforcements will be bogged down here, while the capital itself becomes dangerously exposed."
Duke's lips curled into a cold smile. "And then , what do you think happens?"
Everyone who saw that smile shivered.
"The capital could be invaded," Jarvan muttered, "trapped in a dire dilemma. If trouble breaks out on the eastern or northern border at the same time, Demacia would be in grave peril."
"Exactly." Duke shrugged. The moment he saw nine queens, the whole scheme became clear to him.
This was an open conspiracy , a trap laid bare.
If you intervene, the capital will be left defenseless. If you don't, the south will be consumed by plague, leaving barren land and driving countless refugees northward.
And when the refugees move north, new chaos will follow.
A chain reaction, a scheme within a scheme, a single move shaking the whole kingdom.
Whoever plotted this was no simple foe.
But who could it be?
Duke's mind drifted back over everything since his arrival in Demacia , until his thoughts returned to the Freljord squad he had once encountered in the northern mountains.
"To have even the Freljord involved… could it be her…?"
The image of that budding black rose flashed through his mind, and his eyelid twitched heavily. If it really was her, it was more than possible.
LeBlanc, the ancient witch. She had lived for over a thousand years, a master of schemes and manipulations. Her cunning was unmatched, her methods unfathomable.
"Xin, do you remember that Black Rose spy who was captured?" Duke suddenly asked.
Xin Zhao blinked, unsure why Duke would bring that up now. After a pause, he answered truthfully. "The spy was transferred to the secret dungeons. But according to the interrogators, her life force withered that very night for unknown reasons, and she died."
"They suspected the Black Rose had implanted some special suicide method."
"Mm…"
Hearing this, Duke pieced the puzzle together at last.
That spy had undoubtedly been tortured. But during that time, the Black Rose brand on her body must have triggered some hidden mechanism, allowing LeBlanc , far away in Noxus , to manifest here.
Why was he so sure?
Because LeBlanc's background stories were clear.
For centuries, she had secretly advised nobles in many lands, sowing disorder with her illusions, plunging nations into chaos. Her schemes had pushed Runeterra to the brink of war time and again.
Her shadow had appeared everywhere: in the Freljord's tundra, atop Targon's peaks, across Shurima's sands.
A thousand-year-old sorceress possessed knowledge beyond imagination. The long-lived had centuries to encounter things mortals never could.
Even now, Duke was surrounded by such beings. Janna, the Storm's Fury, knew every secret of Zaun and Piltover , from sweeping tides of history to the pettiest of disputes. Jax had wandered for millennia, witnessing countless lost truths.
LeBlanc was also one of the long-lived , but sly beyond measure. The sorceries she commanded surpassed all comprehension.
"That brand must have been her seed," Duke muttered. "When the spy faced death, the seed awakened. The spy's body became its nourishment, allowing LeBlanc to appear here and spread chaos once more."
Piece by piece, Duke unraveled the entire chain of cause and effect.
In the game, a champion's skills were balanced. Reality had no such restraints.
Once everything was clear, Duke turned back to the nine queens on the screen. Time was short , Lux and Vayne were still in the capital.
Even if they could protect themselves, his duty as a man, as a teacher, demanded he return quickly.
"Duke, do you have any weapon or method that can end this quickly?" Jarvan asked before he could speak. "Now that we know this was orchestrated, we must hurry back to the capital. Otherwise, I fear disaster may strike there."
Duke glanced at him and felt his estimation of the prince rise. This youth truly had the makings of a leader.
"In that case, let's wipe them all out at once."
He tapped Edith's lens. "Edith, activate the drones' self-destruct program. Target: all locust queens."
"Yes, boss!"
Instantly, every monitor went red and began flashing. Each drone carried an explosive payload strong enough to flatten a house.
Duke had designed them that way, to punish anyone foolish enough to tamper with his machines.
The drones disengaged from their optical camouflage, darted toward the queens, and triggered self-destruction.
Boom… boom… boom…
One of the light screens in front of Duke went dark. In the distance, faint bursts lit the night sky.
"That's that, then." Duke dusted off his hands and looked to Jarvan. "I have a way to return to the capital quickly. The question is, can you accept it?"
"As long as it gets us there fast, I'll bear whatever cost."
"Good. Bold words."
Duke was just about to summon Pride and Gluttony, then call on Tahm Kench to ferry them away, when suddenly,
All the insect cries fell silent. The swarms froze.
Then, as one, the Argos locusts' eyes turned crimson. Their movements grew violent, frenzied. No longer mindlessly shrieking, they hurled themselves against the energy prison in suicidal waves.
"What's going on?"
"Why aren't they in chaos with the queens dead?"
"What is this?!"
Duke narrowed his eyes at the Argos locusts, frying themselves against the barrier until they were charred husks.
Nine queens had been destroyed, yet the swarm was only growing more vicious.
Then, realization struck. Duke's lips twisted in bitter self-reproach. He had been so focused on unraveling the plot that he missed the most obvious clue.
The nine queens had shown no resistance or rivalry, only diligence in laying eggs.
In a swarm, there could be only one true queen. Yet here were nine, coexisting peacefully, serving only as brood machines.
There was only one answer.
"Those nine queens were nothing but breeders. Above them… there must be a single queen ruling the swarm."
Demacian Capital , Vayne's Estate.
"Rrgh!"
Anger leapt from the wolf-carriage, eyes flashing with danger as he growled at the door. In her bedroom, Vayne awoke at once at the sound. She seized her crossbow and threw back the curtain.
Figures loomed outside.
Her eyes narrowed. "Those are… Freljord boar riders?"
End of chapter....
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