Into the Darkness (2)
Sir Dan halted his steps and gazed up at the sky. A snow-white beetle cut through the frigid air as it flew past. A Snowstorm Beetle… The blizzard had only just ended, so it was no surprise to see one. The other liberation army warriors cheered at the sight of the beetle, yet none of them believed it heralded good fortune.
“What happened to the village?”
“…”
The scout who had returned from reconnaissance answered in a low voice.
“It’s been destroyed.”
“Survivors?”
“…None. We couldn’t find a single person.”
Damn it. Sir Dan swallowed the curse that rose in his throat. Surprisingly few northerners died during monster waves—they had learned how to avoid disaster after experiencing the calamity countless times. But this wave was different. Sir Dan had already confirmed that more than ten villages lay in ruins. Werewolves and other snowfield monsters moved with eerie coordination, slaughtering everyone in their path.
“Captain. The Grand Duke’s knights are passing by. The princess might be with them…”
“…Ignore them.”
Of course, Sir Dan had come under Lakravan Elder’s orders to “escort” Princess Dina away. But with the monsters rampaging so unnaturally, none of that mattered now.
“From this moment on, all unnecessary combat is forbidden. Rescue anyone attacked by monsters. Help those in need, and repel any monsters you encounter.”
“Yes, sir!”
Sir Dan suspended the liberation army’s activities. There was no time for them. Instead, he and his comrades joined forces to prepare for the monster wave.
“Sir Dan!”
At that moment, a man in white robes rushed toward him, shouting in obvious fury.
“I heard Princess Dina passed right in front of you! What in the world are you doing here?”
“Is the princess really the priority right now? Can’t you see the monsters are going berserk?”
The man snarled.
“You ignorant country bumpkin!”
“…”
“The Elder ordered you to secure Princess Dina, and you’re supposed to focus on your duty! Can’t you even make that simple judgment?”
“The mission can wait.”
The man fumed, but Sir Dan paid him no heed. Still seething, the robed figure stormed back toward the cult.
“Elder!”
The man in the white robes addressed Lakravan Elder, who had been meditating before a massive censer. The Elder opened his eyes.
“He refused to listen?”
“Yes! He claims northern order comes first and rejects his sacred duty!”
Lakravan Elder closed his eyes again. White smoke curled around him.
“I see… I’ve used him for too long.”
“What do you mean?”
“The hunt is over. It’s time to boil the dog.”
“!”
Sir Dan had accomplished much alongside Lakravan Elder, all for the sake of northern independence. But the Elder had never cared about northern independence in the slightest.
“The monster wave will begin soon. Once we deal with the Grand Duke and the princess… our task will be complete.”
“All thanks to you, Elder!”
An ancient being long forgotten was stirring. With its power, the Hand of Power would obtain what it desired.
“A single rat has slipped into the Guardian’s chamber.”
“!”
“He’ll die on his own anyway. Send Sir Dan to finish him.”
The Guardian’s chamber referred to the ruins the Hand of Power was excavating. Inside lurked ancient entities no ordinary person could approach—A'k chi Kxhi's Worms from another world that the mad mage Dorkuns had studied. Because of them, excavation had stalled and countless cult brothers had lost their lives. Whether intruder or Sir Dan, no one could survive the worm-infested depths.
“Once Sir Dan dies, retrieve his body. We can claim the imperial army killed him and stoke the northerners’ rage.”
“A brilliant strategy, Elder!”
#
Dante moved deeper into the ruins.
This place feels foul.
Parasitic worms lurked everywhere. Even when Dante released mana pulses, the worms gave no response.
They don’t follow this world’s laws.
The mana frequencies they sensed were strangely misaligned. The worms refused to acknowledge Dante as a bug tamer and showed no reaction to his mana pulses. Dante recalled Master Cracto’s teachings.
[Sometimes, there are bugs that don’t respond to mana pulses.]
[What should I do then?]
[Return to the basics. Attempt communion.]
[Communion?]
[You don’t need to rely on mana. Feed them, help them breed, and make them truly sense each other’s presence.]
Communion…
If Dante could make the worms sense his presence, they might finally respond to his mana pulses. The question was how to initiate that communion…
In the meantime, one worm tried to burrow into Dante only to be torn apart by his symbiotic bugs.
“…”
He would have to think of a way to befriend them later. Since the worms saw Dante only as a potential host, the process would not be easy from the start.
No wonder there are no people here.
Parasitic worms hid throughout the ruins, waiting for new hosts. Anyone who carelessly entered would be infected immediately.
“Kk, kkeuaaaaargh…!”
“!”
Someone emerged from the darkness. It had once been human… but its form was grotesque. Bumps and protrusions covered its body—masses of intertwined worms and eggs. Dante observed it with calm eyes.
It decided to kill the host and latched on anyway.
Food was scarce underground. The worms would never overlook such a large slab of meat. Ignoring the host’s health, they burrowed indiscriminately and reproduced madly. The result was a person whose entire body was covered in worms and eggs.
Too late to save him…
When worms invaded with the intent to “parasitize,” the host’s life remained safe—their goal was to live long and comfortably inside the body. But when they reproduced with the deliberate aim of killing the host, even Dante had no way to help.
“Kkeuaaaaargh—!”
The infected human charged at Dante. Its movements were swift and sharp.
They’re forcing mana into it…!
Dante felt a flicker of disbelief. Countless worms were pumping mana into the victim’s body, making it move faster and stronger. The principle was identical to his Noon Fairies, except Dante simply used the mana his bees gathered while these worms forcibly injected it.
Here it comes!
Dante calmly extended his leg and kicked the infected person. Though enhanced by mana, the creature was only as fast as a trained civilian—pitifully weak against Dante.
Thud!
When Dante’s kick landed on its stomach, the infected person vomited.
“Uweeeeh!”
A nauseating mixture of worms and eggs spilled out. The worms swam vigorously through the gastric fluid before crawling toward Dante’s body in unison, desperate to infect him.
Dante released a mana pulse to persuade them.
“I call upon you!”
But not a single worm responded. Instead, their thoughts reached him.
[Host. Infect. Reproduce.]
[Host. Infect. Reproduce.]
[Host. Infect. Reproduce.]
“…”
The worms saw Dante only as another host to infect. They approached, yet Dante did not dodge.
Communion…!
Following Master Cracto’s advice, he attempted communion. If they were worms, perhaps inserting something into his body would make conversation easier?
The worms burrowed into Dante, but communication remained impossible. Instead—
[Get out.]
[Get out. This is our home.]
His symbiotic bugs attacked the parasitic worms ferociously. The Noon Fairy larvae joined in.
[Whoa! Meat!]
[Meat dumplings!]
The worms that invaded Dante’s body were quickly caught by the larvae and turned into meat dumplings.
Dante discovered an unexpected truth.
These things… have terrible combat ability?
It made sense. Worms were not fighters; they were parasites specialized in living secretly inside hosts. Against Noon Fairy larvae or symbiotic bugs, they stood no chance and were torn apart instantly. Countless worms tried to infect Dante, but none could overcome the creatures already inside him and all perished.
“What were those cult bastards doing in a place like this?”
The underground was crawling with worms that horribly infected people. The infected man even wore a strange robe—likely a priest of the Hand of Power. Dante couldn’t begin to guess what they hoped to achieve by digging here.
The tunnels continue deeper.
If he reached the lowest level, he might find some clue. Dante turned to descend when—
“I finally found you…!”
“?”
Footsteps echoed down the corridor, and someone appeared. To Dante’s surprise, it was Sir Dan.
No… I suppose it’s only natural.
Dante had already suspected Sir Dan was working with the cult. Since Dante had infiltrated the ruins, it was only logical that Lakravan Elder would send someone. The real problem was—
“You! Do you even know where you are?”
“Sir Dan, you…”
“This place is where an ancient mage conducted evil experiments! Traces of old demons might remain, so we need to leave immediately!”
“…”
Dante stared at Sir Dan. He could sense it clearly—the unmistakable trace of a worm that had burrowed into Sir Dan’s brain. Sir Dan, who had followed Dante into the ruins, had been infected the moment he entered.
“Traces of an old demon?”
“You stupid imperial fool! This is the workshop where an ancient mage performed demon-summoning rituals. It’s been sealed ever since the guardian dragon Pekaraksis slew the mage! The guardian dragon even lost his life fighting that demon!”
“…”
“Damn it. Since both of us have set foot in this profane place, we can’t leave right away. I’ve already sent word to Lakravan. Let’s receive the purification ritual and get out.”
Sir Dan growled as though ready to draw his sword at any moment.
“Or are you here to free the ancient demon?”
“…”
The air around Sir Dan suggested he would cut Dante down the instant he answered yes, even as a joke. Dante answered honestly.
“I didn’t know what kind of ruins this was. I only came in because the Hand of Power was controlling access.”
“Hah! You really are an idiot! At a time like this, you should be helping the princess slay even one more monster instead of—”
“But I have heard of the mage Dorkuns.”
“…?”
Sir Dan looked puzzled. Dante continued calmly.
“The mage Dorkuns. A sorcerer from the era of the Seven Kingdoms who studied worms that fell from the scales of the great demon A'k chi Kxhi. He was eventually killed by the northern guardian dragon Pekaraksis.”
“…”
Sir Dan felt a flicker of surprise. This was no ordinary noble. Where had he studied magic so thoroughly?
“This is definitely Dorkuns’ magical laboratory. Proof of that is the otherworldly worms crawling around.”
“…There are worms? I didn’t see any.”
At Dante’s next words, Sir Dan felt a chill of dread run down his spine.
“There’s one right now. Inside your head.”
“My head…?”
“A worm has taken root in your brain, Sir Dan. You’ve been infected.”
Sir Dan’s mind went blank. Worm…? Infected…? What was he talking about…?
“Strange. Didn’t Lakravan Elder tell you anything? There’s no way he didn’t know.”
“A worm? What are you saying…”
At that moment, a warrior came running in panic.
“C-Captain! It’s terrible!”
“What happened?”
“The exit has been sealed! We tried contacting the Elder, but none of the magical tools are working!”
“!!!”
Shock spread across Sir Dan’s face. But the warrior’s report wasn’t finished.
“A-And…! Mogon’s acting strange!”
“Strange how?”
“He’s just standing there blankly… He doesn’t respond when we talk to him…”
“Let’s go right now.”
As Sir Dan moved to leave, Dante spoke.
“May I come with you?”
“…Follow me for now. It’s not safe to be alone here.”
Dante headed toward where the warriors had gathered. Screams echoed from afar.
—Kkyaaaaagh!
Sir Dan’s expression hardened as he sprinted forward. Something horrific was unfolding.