Sweet Fragrance of Death
A sweet fragrance brushed the tip of my nose. So unbearably sweet it nearly turned my stomach. It reminded me of the incense from a southern noble's funeral long ago. Back then, too, it had been this cloying sweetness—a pungent veil to mask the stench of death.
My grip tightened on my sword. My knuckles whitened. Every cell in my body screamed to turn back. But my feet wouldn't stop. The scent was calling us.
The darkness of the passage gave way to a vast cavern. My breath caught in my throat.
"This is..."
The entire floor was carpeted in tiny red flowers, like a rug soaked in blood. And atop them... something glimmered in the shadows. At first, I thought they were ice crystals. But they moved. A butterfly with transparent wings flickered faintly, like its reflection in a mirror. Then, one by one, more insects emerged. Spiders, moths, centipedes, beetles, ants... at least ten different kinds.
Like an army...
Hundreds of bug monsters. Yet they didn't attack. They simply stared down at us coldly, like trained archers with arrows nocked, awaiting orders.
And in the center of the cavern—I saw it. My heart felt like it would explode. I couldn't breathe.
It resembled the small flowers on the floor, but this one reached up to my chest. Its red petals gleamed like rubies, the pitch-black stem emitted a subtle sheen. Long purple stamens writhed in the air like tangled threads, and its black roots twitched as if alive. The flower from the rumors. But this... it was far too powerful. The sheer presence emanating from it overwhelmed us all. Like mice before a dragon, we felt infinitesimally small.
Rowen's breathing grew ragged.
"Found it..."
Madness laced his voice. He'd cast aside noble pride and knightly honor. His eyes burned with pure greed.
The flower lifted a single root and shook it lightly. It seemed like a greeting, but a chill ran through me at the motion.
"Capture the flower! Kill the bugs!"
Rowen's shout echoed through the cavern. It sounded like the ravings of a madman. Capture this overwhelming existence? The same thought flashed across the other knights' faces.
But then—a red aura erupted from Rowen's body. In an instant, it enveloped us all.
This...!
My body burned hot. Like lava coursing through my veins. My vision tinted red. Fear vanished. Terror blurred away. In its place, only a mad killing urge filled me. Someone's scream reached my ears, faint and distant. Reason melted away, leaving nothing but slaughter-lust. Possessed by some evil spirit, my body ignited against my will.
The flower began carving something with a root.
Hello!
But my mind was already drowned in blood-red haze. Only killing intent remained. I have to kill that flower. No—capture the flower.Kill the bugs. Yes—kill all the bugs.
Rowen raised his sword. Red aura coiled around the blade, transforming it into a flaming sword-ki.
"Charge!"
My body moved on its own. I rushed forward. But Rowen's flaming sword-ki was entirely absorbed by a single red butterfly on the petals. Like a spark in a storm, his attack was utterly powerless.
Something's wrong. That thought flickered through my mind, but my body didn't stop. My head was too hot.
Then—an immense pressure surged from the flower. I couldn't breathe. My bones felt like they were crushing. In that instant, my mind cleared. Rowen's red aura scattered, and sanity returned.
This was... black magic. Rowen was a follower of the evil god.
"Gurk!"
In that moment, a black root pierced Rowen's nape. It happened in a flash. Blood sprayed like a fountain. No—rather than a fountain, the blood hung in the air. It turned into a red mist that enveloped us.
And the bugs' assault began.
The moths' wingbeats were the first signal. Hundreds of wings fluttered at once, whipping up a storm of ice powder. Knights touched by the powder froze solid in seconds. One man's arm shattered like ice shards.
"Arrrgh!"
"Help me!"
"Run!"
Comrades' screams echoed. Through the blood mist, I saw the bugs' shadows.
Spiders came next. Glowing ice silk shot out. It pierced armor and shredded flesh. Knights ensnared in the webs were drenched in blood, thrashing like beasts caught in traps.
The wasps' stings were even deadlier. Blue-glowing venom injected into knights froze them from the toes upward, turning their entire bodies into ice statues with faces frozen in terror.
That's why... that's why brother...
His words resurfaced. "Going straight in isn't always best."
I hadn't understood then. But now, before this overwhelming power gap...
Beetles burrowed into the floor, attacking ankles. Their crystalline mandibles tore through armor like paper. Fallen knights became instant prey for the others.
My legs trembled. With reason restored, terror flooded in. Noble pride, knightly honor—all forgotten. Only the primal urge to survive remained.
Then the flower spewed colorful powders. Yellow dust wrapped my limbs, stiffening them. Purple dust made armor creak and melt. The worst was the black—my flesh began to rot. It wasn't mere poison. It felt like time itself was compressing, devouring my body. Pus oozed from the decaying meat.
Must escape...
I raised my sword, summoning wind sword-ki. But it was futile against the bugs' flawless attack patterns. The ki slashed toward the swarm, but they evaded fluidly like rippling waves.
"Haat!"
I swung desperately, but their movements were too precise. Like palace guards in an impeccable formation, their offense and defense meshed perfectly.
I tried to dodge, but it was too late. A mantis scythe grazed my shoulder. Ice began sprouting from the wound. I hurriedly shed my armor. The discarded plate was soon wrapped in spider silk and shattered to pieces.
Impossible...
Everything was overwhelming. Not the power of individual bugs, but their perfect harmony—that was the true strength. We'd come to the wrong place. We'd challenged an unwinnable foe. Our greater mistake: knowing it was wrong and not stopping.
Knights fell one by one. Some torn to shreds, others frozen by venom, others rotting in agony.
Live. Escape. That was all I could think.
I summoned wind sword-ki with my last strength. It parted the blood mist, and I ran without looking back. Pain crashed over me all at once. But I couldn't stop. Buzzing sounds pursued from behind. Blue eyes flashed in the darkness. Real or hallucination, I ran toward the exit.
Footsteps followed. One knight was keeping pace. We ran with every ounce of strength. Breath burned in our throats, but we couldn't stop. Flashes in the dark—ice centipede eyes? Locust wings? My heart nearly stopped each time, but I lacked the courage to look back. The passage seemed endless. My scraping palms numbed against the ice walls. Knees buckled, lungs blazed. But no stopping.
...
Finally, we reached the mid-layers. Propping each other up, we slumped against the wall. Hands on knees, we gasped for air. Our bodies shook. Being alive felt like a miracle.
"Haa... haa..."
Ragged breaths came from beside me. The surviving knight, Klaus, knelt panting just like me. His face pale, he scanned our surroundings.
After long moments of heaving breaths, he spoke in a trembling voice.
"Just now... that was... the Bug King."
I nodded. Yes, the Bug King. The term fit perfectly. A being that commanded hundreds of bugs at will, wielding such overwhelming might.
My body still trembled. It all felt like a dream. The blood mist, the rotting agony, the endless screams... Surviving was a miracle.
"But the bigger problem is..."
Klaus's voice dropped even lower.
"The captain... the captain being an evil god follower..."
He glanced around before continuing.
"That red aura... the feeling of mind control... it was definitely the evil god's power."
I clenched my fist. Given Rowen's rank and position, he couldn't have acted alone.
"There are more nobles tied to him. We must share this carefully—only with the trustworthy."
Klaus nodded, then grimaced. His armor was corroding.
"We should remove that..."
We helped each other strip off the damaged plate. My paralyzed limbs barely moved. A deep gash marred Klaus's shoulder.
"You'll bleed out like this..."
"It's fine. Luckily missed the vitals."
He gave a bitter smile.
"Sir Edgar. Is it right for us to flee like this? The other knights..."
He trailed off, but I understood. The guilt of abandoning comrades choked my chest. The same thought gnawed at me.
Suddenly, brother's face surfaced. That day—did he wear this expression? Leaving the family behind, what had his heart felt like? Now, I could somewhat understand. Avoiding an unwinnable fight. Sometimes, it demanded greater courage. And true knighthood... perhaps not blind loyalty, but resolve for what was right.
"Our duty is to survive and reveal the truth."
Then—a distant crash of something breaking. We leaped to our feet. Hearts pounding.
"We... we have to get out of here."
Supporting each other, we pressed forward. Each step agony. Pride and honor forgotten, we groped along the walls. Only the desire to escape this hell remained.
Thankfully, no pursuit. The Bug King had decided to let us go.
...
At last, the labyrinth entrance appeared. Cold wind brushed our faces.
"We... we survived."
Klaus murmured, voice shaking. But relief was fleeting.
Whoosh!
A frigid gale roared, a massive shadow blotting the sky. It descended slowly from the mountains outside the labyrinth.
I instinctively drew my sword. But soon, a bone-chilling pressure froze my body.
'Wasp...?'
Bugs from the depths flashed in my mind. From tiny ones to hand-sized, the buzzing hordes everywhere. But this... was utterly different. Torso-sized, overwhelmingly gigantic for an insect. If the deep wasps were grains of sand, this was a mountain. Larger and more intimidating than any I'd seen. It felt less like a living creature and more like a calamity.
Cold emanated from its massive body, freezing the air. Each flap of its transparent wings whipped up a white blizzard. Rocks near the entrance began to ice over.
'This... we can't handle it.'
Instinct told me so. Cold aura surged from its enormous stinger. Predator hunger gleamed in its red eyes as they locked on us.
I whirled toward Klaus.
"Klaus, listen."
My voice was low and firm. We'd both die otherwise.
"Go to Duke Crossby. He's still trustworthy."
"But..."
"Hurry. About this expedition..."
I poured my last mana into my sword. Haind swordsmanship—the blade that commands the wind. I prayed it would buy even a little time.
Brother's image filled my mind. The day he left as an adventurer, his final words finally made sense. His last look flashed by. Like then, was I wrong again? But this time... I hoped my choice was right.
"Run. I'll buy you time."
Wind swirled around my sword. Like burning the last embers, I poured every drop of remaining mana.