Free Web NovelThe creaking wooden wheels gently vibrated with the sound of horse hooves, and the lingering scent of floral mist, mixed with a subtle hint of medicinal herbs, remained in the air.
Inside the carriage, Leixier leaned against the wall, wrapped in a thick, gray-blue cloak.
His face was still alarmingly pale, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but his eyes were much clearer than when he first woke up.
Louis watched him for a moment before speaking in a low voice: "Can you tell me what exactly happened?"
Leixier's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly propped himself up, struggling to sit upright.
He didn't answer immediately, instead looking at the fabric ceiling of the carriage, as if deliberating his words.
Should he tell?
Should he conceal this identity?
"You don't have to force yourself," Louis looked at him, his eyes devoid of coercion, instead carrying a strange sincerity.
"After all, this happened near my territory. I have a responsibility to know what you encountered, so I can prepare in advance."
Leixier looked into those eyes; the black-haired young man sat upright on the other side of the carriage, his brows ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) and eyes filled with unconcealable worry, yet he maintained a dignified and restrained politeness.
That demeanor finally made him speak in a low voice after a long silence.
"I—I am a mage," he said softly. "I was ordered to investigate some... unusual signs in this vicinity, but I didn't expect—in the nearby dense forest, our team was attacked."
Louis's expression shifted, as if a certain word had struck a nerve. He opened his eyes wide in "surprise": "Wait a minute... you said you're a mage?"
When Louis heard Leixier utter those two words, he made the most natural expression possible.
Shock, confusion, followed by unconcealable awe and yearning.
He acted so well that he almost fooled himself with this reaction.
Leixier looked at his shocked expression, and a tired but genuine smile even touched his lips, with a faint sense of pride surfacing in his eyes.
"Yes, I am."
Louis still seemed somewhat incredulous: "But I heard that mages have long been extinct? They were confirmed to have disappeared from history generations ago."
Leixier smiled slightly, as if the other party's reaction pleased him greatly.
He straightened his back and replied somewhat proudly, "They haven't disappeared. They just never appear before the 'public.'
Moreover, the conditions to become a mage are extremely strict. There are still very few in this world."
Louis didn't respond, seemingly lost in some reverent contemplation. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
After a long while, he slowly spoke: "I've never seen true magic—if possible, I truly hope I could learn a little."
He paused, then added with a half-smile: "Of course, I'm not forcing you to teach me while you're sick. You're still very weak right now; at least wait until you can walk normally."
Leixier was startled, then laughed, but he didn't intend to delve deeper into this topic.
After all, the more emotionally invested "curious" people are, the more likely they are to cause unnecessary trouble. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
So he paused naturally and gently steered the conversation back:
"I was resting with my companions then, but I didn't expect that place actually harbored a will that controlled a swarm of insects. We—were careless."
"Controlling a swarm of insects?" Louis frowned, instinctively catching the keyword. "What is it?"
This was what he truly wanted to hear.
Leixier whispered, "At first, I also thought it was a normal attack. But when they rushed out from between the bushes, we knew we were terribly wrong."
He raised his gaze, and the look of recollection deepened: "They looked like humans, with white hair, wearing worn leather armor, with some twisted totems tattooed on their chests, but they weren't living people; they seemed to be controlled by something."
Louis was stunned, the image of the Snowsworn appearing in his mind.
It was normal to encounter attacks from the Snowsworn in the Northern Territory, but what did he mean by 'not living people'?
"You mean—they were like puppets?"
"Hmm—? To be precise, they were reanimated corpses controlled by insects." Leixier nodded, his voice deepening a few shades.
"Their joints were bent back like broken marionettes, their movements strange, as if being pulled by strings, completely devoid of pain. Under their muscles, a swarm of insects was churning, like maggots, constantly wriggling.
One had a severed arm, yet it still lunged at me with its elbow bone, biting like a wild dog."
The carriage fell silent for a moment.
After all, his words were truly too terrifying, and Louis needed some time to process them.
Seeing that Louis didn't speak, Leixier continued on his own, as if venting the nightmare hidden in his heart: "Their bodies—were full of insect eggs. When they burst, their body cavities would explode, spewing out translucent swarms of insects."
Louis's face changed, and he felt a wave of nausea in his stomach.
"And the most terrifying thing is," Leixier paused, his voice lowered to an almost whisper: "They can invade the human brain—"
"Controlling consciousness. The parasites still retain some memories, skills, and even language. One of my companions was possessed like that."
The air in the carriage became stagnant.
A heavy silence fell like a slowly descending curtain, wrapping the small space tightly.
Louis didn't speak immediately; his face no longer held its former gentle composure.
"These things are already active on the border of my territory?"
Louis murmured, as if confirming with himself, or perhaps suppressing the surging tide in his heart.
No wonder Leixier was so badly injured.
Swarm of insects, controlling corpses, consciousness parasitism, even potentially retaining pre-mortem combat instincts—every word seemed to be unveiling the prelude to disaster.
It was simply terrifying word by word, deadly phrase by phrase.
And it might also be related to the "great crisis" prophesied by the intelligence system.
He looked up, wanting to ask more, but saw Leixier's face as pale as paper, already showing signs of drowsiness as soon as his words fell.
"Don't talk anymore," Louis said softly, with a hint of suppression. "You rest first."
He took a deep breath, his tone solemn: "I will send people to the place where you were attacked—to see if any traces were left behind."
Leixier barely nodded, his voice almost inaudible: "Be careful—they aren't—afraid of death—"
With that, he slowly closed his eyes and fell unconscious again.
The carriage swayed gently, and the wind howled outside, like the echo of distant insect wings rubbing together.
Louis pulled open the curtain, jumped out of the carriage, and the first thing he saw was Lambert riding ahead.
"Lambert."
"Yes, Lord."
"Immediately send two Elite Knights to investigate the cave where that mage was found. Be extremely cautious. If you find anything unusual, do not engage; return immediately."
Lambert's expression also became solemn: "I understand."
After giving the instructions, Louis returned to the carriage.
The carriage set off again, the Azure Pattern Bee swarm humming softly, maintaining a steady pace as always, heading towards the Red Tide Territory.
