Parasite (5)
Lacravan, the elder of the Hand of Power, had been operating in secret in the North for a long time, all for the sake of their grand plan.
“When the old era ends, a new era shall dawn…”
The hands of the world’s clock pointed straight at midnight. The old age would fall, and a new age would rise. The Hand of Power would become the great hand that flung open the gates to that new era.
Everything was ready. The monster wave was shaping up to be the largest in history, and Lacravan had countless mages under his command. Among them was the Beast Tamer Nameraz. A truly remarkable mage who commanded a dragon as his servant. Lacravan had promised him an enormous reward in exchange for his cooperation.
All that remained was to ride the current of the monster wave and remake the world…
“T-Trouble, Elder!”
“What’s all the fuss about?”
“Nameraz…!”
Lacravan flinched. Had Nameraz betrayed him? But the words that followed were even more shocking.
“Nameraz has been defeated!”
“…!”
Lacravan couldn’t process the devastating report.
“What do you mean, Nameraz has been defeated?”
“I-It’s true! The dragon he controlled has emerged from the ruins and is roaming freely!”
Cold sweat broke out across Lacravan’s body. Something… something had gone terribly wrong.
‘He lost the dragon? At this critical moment…?’
It wasn’t hard for Lacravan to guess who was responsible.
Sirdan.
He had clearly ordered Sirdan to enter the ruins and eliminate the travelers from the Empire…!
‘How? How is this even possible?’
Lacravan ran through the possibilities again and again. Dorkuns’s ruins had been filled with countless parasites and infected monsters. And on top of that, there had been the dragon under Nameraz’s control.
…Sirdan. Had that bastard really cut through the parasites and monsters and killed Nameraz? It made no sense!
‘The imperial traveler.’
Another face came to mind. The suspicious traveler who had come from the Empire. The one who had trespassed into the ruins without permission. He must have done something underhanded!
“Elder, what should we do?”
“Don’t panic. No matter how monstrous Sirdan may be, there’s no way he can break through our defenses and reach us here!”
At Lacravan’s shout, the priest nodded. He was right. Even if Sirdan’s martial prowess was exceptional, he couldn’t possibly break through all the barriers alone and storm Lacravan’s sanctuary.
“Focus on the monster wave for now. Once the Duke’s army collapses, we can deal with Sirdan easily enough!”
“Yes!”
Lacravan gave his orders.
“Tell the Beast Tamers! This is the perfect opportunity while the monsters are pouring out! Mobilize every last ounce of power we’ve gathered and attack the Duke’s army! Do not spare the Duke! Do not spare his daughter either!”
The plan to ride the monster wave and strike the Duke remained unchanged. Lacravan intended to move his mages and soldiers exactly as scheduled.
They would drive out the Duke under the name of the Liberation Army. Once the Duke fell, Lacravan would install a suitable puppet as the new King of the North and create a puppet state. If that succeeded, the North would become a vassal nation ruled by the Hand of Power…!
If everything went according to plan, there would be nothing to fear.
Except for one thing that still bothered him.
‘That bastard Sirdan!’
The fact that Sirdan, once hailed as the hero of the North, was still alive. Until now, Lacravan had used him as a tool to gather support from the northern people. But once the Duke fell, Sirdan would lose his value, so he had planned to eliminate him in advance.
Yet—Sirdan had survived the parasite-infested ruins and was somewhere in the North right now, sharpening the blade of his revenge…!
Lacravan found Sirdan as irritating as a thorn in his eye. Still, he judged it was nothing more than an annoyance, not a real threat. If Sirdan showed up, they could intercept him then. After all, Lacravan was conducting his business from the safest room at the very peak of White Night Mountain.
…And that was exactly when it happened.
“E-Elder…!”
One of the priests approached, trembling violently.
“Enemies…! Enemies have appeared!”
“Enemies?”
Lacravan narrowed his eyes, as if he didn’t understand what that meant. With the monster wave already underway, what “enemy” could possibly have the leisure to attack him?
Unless…
“Is it Sirdan?!”
“Yes…! Sirdan! He’s attacking the temple with some strange mage!”
“!”
Lacravan’s heart sank. The worst-case scenario… was unfolding.
‘It really is Sirdan? He broke through all those barriers?!’
No reports of approaching enemies had come in. Yet Sirdan had already reached right outside Lacravan’s temple. It was nothing short of demonic!
“Lock the doors first!”
“Yes…!”
Lacravan frantically ordered the temple sealed. Of course, he had no idea how effective that would actually be.
‘That bastard Sirdan! What kind of trick did he use…!’
He had no clue how Sirdan had “passed through” all the barriers to reach the temple, but there was no time to ponder it. The enemy’s attack had already begun.
“Hold them back—! Protect the Elder with your lives—!”
At the high priest’s shout, the enemies revealed themselves.
Sirdan, radiating murderous bloodlust…!
And an imperial noble dressed in a black uniform!
“Damn it all—!”
Lacravan roared, but all he could do was hide deep inside the temple.
“Hold the line! Hold until reinforcements arrive!”
Sirdan’s warriors charged forward. Lacravan slammed the door shut and cowered.
Sirdan raised his sword, radiating ferocious killing intent. He was the greatest swordsman in the North with no equal. When he lifted his mana-infused blade, the temple guardians didn’t dare rush him.
“Lacravan…! I’ve come back…! I won’t leave this place until I take your head—!”
“S-Sirdan…!”
“Subdue him!”
The temple guardians fired their arrows in unison. Each one was reinforced with mana. Powerful enough to tear through steel like paper. But Sirdan casually swatted them aside.
“!”
The guardians were stunned by how easily he deflected the arrows. Was this the true power of the Sirdan they had only heard about in rumors?
But the guardians quickly regained their composure.
“Keep firing!”
“Sirdan is still human! Pour it on until he makes a mistake!”
It was impressive to deflect arrows with a sword, but the slightest slip would result in a wound equivalent to instant death. Since Sirdan was only human, if they kept up the barrage, he would eventually make a mistake!
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—!
The arrows screamed like cannon shells as they shattered the ground. A storm of arrows meant solely to kill one man—Sirdan!
The temple guardians were elites who had undergone harsh training. They knew exactly how to suppress a powerful individual. The suppressive fire of the arrow rain seemed to be working. Sirdan could only glare with murderous eyes and couldn’t advance.
“We got him! It’s working!”
“Without Sirdan, the rest are just rabble! Keep attacking!”
The guardians drew their bowstrings with renewed vigor.
But—right then.
“…Huh?”
One guardian’s arrowhead turned—not toward Sirdan, but toward a fellow guardian.
An awkward silence fell for a moment.
“Hey. What the hell are you—”
Before he could finish, the mana-infused arrow struck his comrade!
Kwa-deuk!
“…!”
The guardian died before he could even deploy his mana shield. One guardian had shot another!
Shock and horror spread like wildfire.
“Hey! You crazy—!”
“You bastard! Were you a traitor all along?!”
As screams erupted from every direction, the guardian shouted desperately.
“I-I didn’t do it!”
“What?! Are you insane?!”
“My body…! My body moved on its own!”
“…?”
While the guardians glared at each other and shouted, a human shadow fell across the defensive wall.
“…”
A strikingly handsome imperial man. He sat casually atop the barrier, looking down at the guardians with a cold, mocking smile.
Dante Aision. The Bug Tamer from the Empire.
“From now on…”
Dante issued his command to the guardians.
“Kill each other.”
“!”
“!”
“!”
More precisely, it was a command given to the Akchichi’s bugs inside them.
Before the battle even began, Dante had infected the enemy’s most critical forces with parasites. After all, in a defensive position, the long-range attackers were the highest priority, weren’t they? So he had planted the parasites in the temple guardians wielding greatbows.
The Akchichi’s bugs carried out Dante’s order immediately. Making them attack each other? That was their specialty!
“U-Uwaaaagh!”
“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot me!”
“No! My body won’t listen—!!!”
The guardians soon began attacking one another. Dante watched the scene with a faint smile, then returned to the front line.
The front line had already been turned into a wasteland. Once the suppressive fire disappeared, Sirdan had gone completely berserk.
“If you value your lives, get out of my way—!”
“Y-You madman!”
Chwaaaaak—!
Every time Sirdan swung his sword, severed limbs flew through the air. Dante watched Sirdan’s sword dance with admiration.
If there was such a thing as a “bloodstorm,” this was exactly when the term would be used. Blood sprayed like ocean spray. The steam rising from the pools of blood on the floor created a thick crimson mist.
Sirdan charged forward like a murderous war engine, shredding every enemy in his path. Dante strolled leisurely along the path Sirdan had carved open. Occasionally an enemy would try to attack, but the Red Honeybees silenced them instantly.
The defensive line crumbled like a sandcastle.
“Lacravan.”
The temple doors were locked, but they couldn’t stop Dante and Sirdan. The doors shattered as the warriors burst inside. The low-ranking priests huddled trembling in a corner. None of them dared meet Dante’s or Sirdan’s eyes.
Everyone left in the temple was non-combat personnel.
“Come out, Lacravan.”
Sirdan growled the name. After a bit of murmuring, a pot-bellied bald man stepped forward.
“…It’s been a while, Sirdan.”
“A while?”
“Right now… I am extremely confused.”
Lacravan spoke with a servile smile.
“Weren’t we the ones who promised to create a kingdom for the people of the North? We’re only one step away from achieving our great cause. Why would you attack me—”
Sirdan kicked Lacravan. The man rolled across the floor and slammed into the wall.
“Guh!”
Sirdan glared down at him.
“There are too many things I want to ask, but I don’t even feel like hearing your answers anymore.”
“Cough! Cough! Sirdan…! Why are you doing this?!”
“You promised me. You said that once we created a kingdom for the northern people, their lives would improve. That fewer people would die meaningless deaths at the wall, and that industry and living conditions would get better…!”
“That’s right…! It will improve! The reason the North suffers is all because of the Empire!”
Sirdan grabbed Lacravan by the collar and lifted him up.
“Then explain this! Why did you perform a ritual to amplify the monster wave!”
“…”
“The Carmilton Ducal House traces its roots back to the ancient kingdom! And you’re trying to wipe out the royal bloodline!”
“…”
“I saw the horrific experiments you were preparing in the underground ruins. You planned to release parasite-infected monsters into the North. What exactly were you trying to do? Turn the North into a monster paradise?!”
Lacravan coughed harshly before answering.
“Sirdan… my true friend. This is all a misunderstanding. You’re mistaken about something.”
“…”
“I will clear up your misunderstanding.”
Alright, that’s enough.
Dante pulled out one of the Akchichi’s bugs and approached Lacravan. Lacravan frowned at the sight of him.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Seeing how smoothly your tongue keeps moving, you must be quite confident in your silver tongue. Or do you actually believe you can still deceive Sirdan even in this situation?”
“…”
“I have no interest in your nonsense. I need the truth. The truth you’ve been hiding.”
Dante injected the Akchichi’s bug into Lacravan.
“W-What are you doing?! What is this?!”
“From now on, answer every question I ask.”
When Dante snapped his fingers, the Akchichi’s bug began manipulating Lacravan’s mind.
“What exactly is the Hand of Power plotting in the North?”
Lacravan answered reflexively.
“We are serving the new masters of this era… Ah, no! That’s not it!”
“New masters?”
“I-I don’t know! I don’t know anything!”
Lacravan closed his eyes and began meditating. As his mana circulated, the Akchichi’s bug could no longer control his mind. He had simply grown too exhausted and his strength had given out.
Dante considered sending in more bugs. With sheer numbers, he could wring out the information. But if he did that, Lacravan would go insane. Since the man could still be a useful prisoner for Esillia, Dante wanted to bring him back in relatively sound condition if possible.
“Sirdan. I’ll leave the interrogation to you. Just make sure he can still walk afterward.”
“Got it.”
If bugs weren’t enough to get answers? There was always the more physical method of interrogation.
“W-Wait a moment!”
Lacravan tried to shout something, but a warrior shoved a gag into his mouth.
Dante left Lacravan to Sirdan and began searching the temple. He soon discovered an ominous order.
‘This is…’
[When the monster wave begins, eliminate the Carmilton Ducal House together with the Beast Tamers.]
‘Lady Daina.’
The monster wave was already underway. The Ice Wall would be in the middle of fierce combat right now.
Dante shouted to Sirdan.
“We need to return to the Ice Wall immediately.”
“To the wall?”
“The Carmilton Ducal House is in danger.”
“!”
Sirdan nodded.
“Our objective here is complete. Let’s get out quickly.”
With Lacravan in tow, Sirdan and Dante escaped White Night Mountain.
‘There’s not enough time.’
If the battle had already begun, running there now would be too late. From the middle of the mountain, Dante unleashed a massive wave of mana. He summoned every bug he could possibly call.
Most of the bugs that answered Dante’s call were Snowstorm Bugs. It was only natural. In the North, there were no insects that could fly as freely as Snowstorm Bugs.
Dante injected every last one of his remaining Akchichi’s bugs into the Snowstorm Bugs. Then he gave his command.
“If you find any monsters being controlled by mages, parasitize them immediately. Then, following your instincts, attack the other monsters.”
Hundreds of Snowstorm Bugs took flight. They pierced through the harsh northern sky and vanished into the distance.