章 10: The Devil Smiled Upon Dilwyn Nox (2)
"What... in the world…?"
"KIIIKKKKK!"
The shriek grew louder while the fire weakened bit by bit until its light disappeared along with its heat, returning the room into its silent state. The rain was still pouring outside, presenting a bleak view of nature but inside, it was an enchantingly haunting sight.
The skin on Dilwyn's hand slowly decayed until small pieces of his skin started to peel off, presenting a rotting flesh underneath, whereby an unsavory stench of pus began to form. The thick yellowish pus boiled into bubbles as something flushed out of Dilwyn's hand like a newborn baby out of a mother's womb.
A completely-soaked plant with several branches of rose-colored buds exited his body. As the flowers felt the air, the buds quivered and began to bloom, inhaling and exhaling its petals in a motion of breathing.
The Oleander flowers were glowing magnificently amidst the pool of black liquid, while its body was glittering with Dilwyn's mana flowing inside it.
At this point, Lambert felt his stomach churning very badly while his hand was covering his mouth in order to stop himself from vomiting.
"H-Help…" Lambert tried to shout but every time he opened his mouth, he retched from the strong pungent smell of dead meat.
He didn't know what else to do besides running away when even breathing became difficult. In the end, he hit the door and to his luck, there was a group of professors passing by the hallway not too far from Dilwyn's office.
"H-Help...!" Lambert's sluggish legs staggered forward with his hand reaching out. But he couldn't stand any longer and ended up falling down from his weak muscles. "Ugh…"
"Lambert?!" A flurry of footsteps came approaching. A senior mage quickly knelt down to check on Lambert when the stench struck him and the group off-guard. They immediately covered their nose and mouth.
That was when they noticed the situation inside the office. In a matter of a short time, the Oleander flowers had grown significantly. The stem stood erect, holding the flowers beautifully on top. One flower, however, was more dominant than the rest with larger size and more brilliant aura.
The picture of nature within the office sent shivers down their spine. They held their breath not only for the smell but also the eerie sensation that tip-toed on their skin.
"What is it, Sage?" The senior mage inquired the herbology teacher behind him.
"I-I'm…" she gulped, stuttering as she watched the respiring Oleander in horror, "I'm not s-sure. It looks...like Oleander, but… different, deadlier, and it seemed to be-" She frowned at the possibility.
"Alive," the senior mage spelled out the witch's assumption. Indeed, that would explain the disturbing gaze which he seemed to have felt from its direction.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Is it possible? I've never seen anything like this before."
While they guarded against the Oleander, the plant continued to spread its roots inside Dilwyn, absorbing nutrients from his body.
The more it sucked, the more torment Dilwyn felt. He moaned a painful groan when the root twisted, "ARGHHHH!!"
Even as Dilwyn shouted, the action did not relieve his agony and only added to his pain due to the Oleander's roots that had inhabited his lungs. Neither breathing nor silence could save him now.
Dilwyn's cry of despair shocked the group of mages out of their wits and they finally realized he was trapped under the plant. When they saw how the root entangled his body and how they grew out of him, the mages cried out in alarm.
"Vice principal!" The senior mage turned pale.
Then, he carelessly ventured inside out of panic and worry. He only took the first step when the pool of black liquid shot out aggressively towards him. Sage, the herbology teacher, immediately used a simple telekinesis spell to pull him back before the black liquid could touch him.
Gasping, the senior teacher glared at the mutated plant. "What in great spirits was that?"
Sage knitted her eyebrows. "It's a parasite. The black liquid is probably the flowers' juice. After the mutation, not only did the characteristics of the flower change, but also its color. From the start, Oleander is already a poisonous flower. The mutation only enhances it to another level."
"Save the explanation for later. What matters now is how should we save the Vice Principal?!"
Lambert who was sitting behind them in exhaustion suddenly perked up. He weakly informed them of its weakness. "Like normal plants, fire still works…"
He inhaled deeply. The wretched smell still lingered in his nostrils and mouth. "But, you need to conjure up...a powerful one. It...regenerates fast."
Sage nodded gratefully before asking the other professor who excelled in the art of healing to cure him. Meanwhile, the other three joined the senior mage and Sage to cast a powerful fire spell.
At that moment, the Oleander breathed. Its petals closed into buds and bloomed again. It seemed to have sensed a danger nearby as the Oleander's roots began to sprout rapidly towards the teachers.
The senior mage narrowed his eyes and scoffed in arrogance. He waved his left hand to erect a defensive barrier while his right one focused on finishing the fire magic crest. The giant roots smashed against the barrier repeatedly but no matter how many times it tried, the barrier remained standing.
After all, the Oleander was only born just now. It was still in its early stage and wasn't strong enough to contend against the senior mage.
"Too bad," he sneered. The fire crest was finished!
-- 贈り物
が届きました 
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット