Free Web NovelIn the early morning, a faint light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting a warm glow directly onto Louis's open eyes.
He instinctively turned his head, and a familiar warmth emanated from his embrace—it was Sif.
Her silver-white short hair lay somewhat disheveled on his chest, her small face pressed against him, a satisfied smile on her lips, sleeping soundly.
Originally, Emily was supposed to accompany him last night to produce an heir.
However, she was on her period these past few days and utterly exhausted, so Sif thoughtfully “filled in” for her, and she naturally snuggled into his bed.
Although nominally a “harem,” the relationship between Sif and Emily was unexpectedly harmonious.
There was no direct confrontation, no hidden undercurrents; instead, they were more like pillars, one on each side, each guarding her own position and principles.
He had been busy tracking the Mother Nest's whereabouts recently, and inevitably, some government affairs were neglected, yet surprisingly:
Sif and Emily were both able to handle them methodically.
The former was calm and reserved, with precise documentation; the latter came from a prestigious family and possessed strong diplomatic skills.
The two seemed to spontaneously share the void left by Louis, each using her own method to maintain the order of the territory.
“They are truly reliable,” he chuckled, reaching out to pull up the fallen corner of the blanket for Sif.
Next was the most anticipated moment of every day.
Louis gently swiped his right hand in the air.
With a slight resonance, a translucent light screen slowly unfolded before his eyes.
“Daily Intelligence System Update Complete”
“1: Weil has successfully broken through, advancing to the rank of Intermediate Elite Knight.”
“2: The Witch of Despair, due to the destruction of the second Mother Nest, has decided to advance the ‘Swallowing the North’ plan to October 10th.”
“3: Snowsworn leader Shiro’s mental state has rapidly deteriorated and has been classified as ‘deeply deranged.’ Under the Witch of Despair’s incitement, he has decided to mobilize fully and launch a large-scale attack on the Iron-Blood Empire’s northern border.”
As soon as the first piece of news came out, Louis paused.
Then, he couldn't help but smile.
Weil—he had broken through again and again and again.
This kid was only twelve or thirteen, right?
Even if he were placed in the Imperial Knight Academy, that would be a ceiling-level progression.
Moreover, he had only cultivated for one or two years, making him one of the most talented knights /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ in the current empire.
This was what was called a “genius.”
Exceptional talent, astonishing comprehension, and cultivation that required almost no detours.
While others advanced layer by layer, he directly activated a full-map teleport.
Louis had done his best, relying on the Daily Intelligence System to acquire some top-tier resources, which helped him regain his aptitude, barely reaching the “somewhat talented” baseline.
But he still couldn't see the dust kicked up by a genius like Weil.
However, with the enhancement of magic now, his own strength had reached the level of an Extraordinary Knight.
Relying on the Original Meditation Technique, his rapid progress in magic power was enough to make all the Magicians in the Magician Forest drop their jaws.
“So there’s no need to be anxious. Besides—it’s always a happy thing when your own people grow stronger.”
Compared to the sense of crisis from being overtaken, the satisfaction of “seeing someone you’ve nurtured grow” was actually much stronger.
Louis’s lips slowly curved upwards a little.
But as his gaze fell on the second piece of intelligence, he suddenly stiffened, unable to smile:
The Witch of Despair has decided to advance the “Swallowing the North” plan, with an estimated launch date of October 10th. freewёbnoνel.com
“Damn it,” he cursed softly, his pupils slightly dilated, his expression chilling a few degrees.
His destruction of the Mother Nest had ironically brought the disaster closer.
“’Swallowing the North’—so that’s its name.”
This was the first time he had seen the full scope and codename of this plan accurately from the intelligence system.
Through the Daily Intelligence System, he had always known that the Witch of Despair was setting up a very large scheme, and he had roughly guessed it was related to the Mother Nest and the spread of the Worm-Eaten Household, but only now did he fully confirm:
The opponent’s goal was the complete swallowing and destruction of the entire North.
“...Truly a madwoman.”
He slowly sat upright, his fingertips lightly tapping his knee, his mind rapidly turning.
Such a large-scale Worm-Eaten Household outbreak, once out of control, could even threaten the entire North.
Once humans were infected and turned into Worm-Eaten Household, the spread was extremely fast and difficult to eradicate, making it impossible to deal with through traditional warfare methods.
But as his thoughts shifted, he suddenly realized something: “Advancing it might actually be a good thing for me.”
If this war were to break out in winter, the effectiveness of his developed thermal weapon systems and the combat power of the knights would be suppressed by heavy snow and extreme cold.
An early outbreak, though a surprise attack, would not leave him too disadvantaged in terms of the environment.
He then scanned the third piece of intelligence: Snowsworn leader Shiro has fallen into madness, and under the Witch of Despair’s inducement, has decided to rally all warriors to launch a full-scale attack on the Iron-Blood Empire’s northern border.
A light flashed in Louis’s mind, and all the intelligence and clues pieced together.
The puzzle was complete.
This was not the isolated delusion of a single madman, but a meticulously planned, step-by-step advancing abyss plan.
The Witch of Despair had clearly already laid out the framework of hell for the North.
What did she want? She wanted to drag the entire North into an out-of-control Worm-Eaten Household war, completely triggering the collapse of order and paralysis of human society, turning the entire region into a hotbed of chaos.
All for some deeper purpose.
And her tool was the “Mother Nest.”
That was a sinister construct capable of infecting all things and transforming life, possessing extremely efficient infection and reproduction capabilities, able to create tens of thousands of Worm-Eaten Household in a short period and incorporate them into an army.
But this was not the most terrifying part.
What was truly chilling was her method of manipulation.
She used the pretext of “ancient gods about to awaken” to incite those fanatically religious Snowsworn, stirring them to capture and sacrifice nobles and knights, offering “flesh and blood rituals” to the gods.
But in reality, those “sacrifices” who were captured were not for the advent of some ethereal deity, but to nourish the Mother Nest.
The “primal battle aura” in their bloodlines was precisely the most needed nutritional source for the young Mother Nest, the purest “nourishment.”
Their blood and souls would be devoured by the Mother Nest, transformed into catalysts for the growth of larvae, enabling them to explosively complete their evolution at a certain point, from “incubated forms” to “complete forms.”
And once the Mother Nest completed its evolution, the first ones to be abandoned by it would be these loyal believers.
The Snowsworn would ultimately become sacrifices to their own faith.
They would be literally drained dry, their forms twisted, their consciousnesses reassembled, ultimately transforming into unconscious Worm-Eaten Household legions, driven by the Mother Nest, becoming the first wave of blood to attack the North.
Tragically, they believed they were ushering in a divine miracle.
Their bodies, their combat skills, their battle aura, would all be instantly recycled and remade by the Mother Nest, eventually transforming into unconscious Worm-Eaten Household killing machines.
As Louis thought of this, a cold sweat broke out on his back.
If all this was merely madness, then what followed was the nightmare itself.
The Witch of Despair ordering Snowsworn leader Shiro to gather all warriors likely meant one last big push.
To convert all the Snowsworn into Worm-Eaten Household legions in one go.
And their battle aura would become the sharp blade of disaster.
Even more terrifying, those Elite Snowsworn also possessed an ancient and terrifying combat technique:
“Bloodline Boiling,” which activated “Bloodline Rage” by burning blood, granting terrifying combat explosive power for a short period.
Louis's heart tightened.
If the Worm-Eaten Household could inherit this ability, it meant:
These Worm-Eaten Household would not only possess battle aura and martial arts but could also activate “Bloodline Rage” in combat, completely disregarding themselves and maintaining this enhanced state by devouring living beings.
That would no longer be mere infection, but an evolutionary war with learning and predatory capabilities.
If the North truly fell into such a catastrophe, it would not merely become a war-torn land, but completely lose control, becoming a defiled land ruled by the Mother Nest.
Moreover, the Witch of Despair might have an even deeper purpose.
After piecing together all the intelligence, Louis couldn't help but shiver.
It was a tremor that arose from the depths of his heart, like witnessing an irreversible destruction quietly forming in the darkness.
And just as he was immersed in this terrifying deduction, there was a slight movement beside him.
“Louis?”
Sif had woken up.
She was still curled in his arms, her silver-white hair scattered across his chest, her eyes still hazy with sleep. But she immediately noticed his abnormality.
“You don’t look so good—did something happen?”
She gently took his fingertips in her hand, the action as if trying to grasp the unease in his heart.
Louis blinked, his expression momentarily stiff. Then he shook his head, forcing a faint smile: “It’s nothing, just a bit tired lately.”
Sif looked at him for two seconds, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately just nodded: “Then you should rest more too; don’t carry everything by yourself.”
She buried her head back into his chest, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, “You’re not a god—”
“Mhm—”
He softly hummed in response, but did not explain further.
This matter was too complex, and too serious.
He didn't even know where to begin to explain.
More importantly, even if he did speak, it wouldn’t solve the problem.
Right now, these terrifying realities were the “objective conditions” laid out before him.
He must solve it! He must stop it!
It's just that the time left for him was not much—
Even so, his daily cultivation could not be skipped.
His battle aura cultivation had almost hit a bottleneck, with no progress for several days.
And magic power cultivation, which should have been his most focused time each day, for some reason, always brought distracting thoughts during meditation.
“Sigh, my mind is still unsettled,” Louis murmured, frowning slightly.
He shook his head, paused his cultivation, pushed the lingering fatigue into his chest, and got up to wash and change.
The moment the cold water splashed on his face, it was bone-chillingly refreshing, and it somewhat revived his spirits.
The breakfast hall was quiet as usual.
Emily was not yet up, perhaps still resting due to discomfort.
Sif, however, was already seated at the table, quietly sipping her porridge.
She didn't ask much, simply looked up at him, then silently pushed a bowl of warmed porridge towards him.
“You’re eating too little,” Sif said softly.
“Mhm,” he responded as cheerfully as possible, reassuring her not to worry. After breakfast, Louis stood up, putting on his cloak: “I’m going to find Mac to confirm the defensive deployment.”
