บท 131: Brain Parasite
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Duke Fraule, having fainted due to suffocation, Bennet released his grip from around the Duke's neck.
He sighed in relief; Fraule had shown quite a burst of strength just now. Luckily, the enhancement spell he had previously cast on himself hadn't worn off yet.
After confirming that the guards outside hadn't noticed any movement in the bedroom, Bennet began his next action.
The wizard's lips moved quickly, silently chanting a spell.
After several repetitions, he gradually felt a strange sensation arising in his stomach.
The sensation grew stronger and slowly turned into a nauseating feeling.
He suddenly covered his mouth, trying not to make any noise.
"Urgh!" He couldn't hold it back any longer and vomited a large amount of filth onto the floor.
Bennet looked at the vomit, and something inside made him almost vomit again.
The scene before him challenged his vision; wriggling within the vomit was a creature, thin and white, its body indistinguishable between head and tail.
This eerie creature twisted and struggled as if in agony exposed to the air.
Recently, a master of mental manipulation in the Arcane Order successfully experimented with a spell capable of rapidly controlling the minds of people. Unlike previous mental spells that required long preparation times and had uncertain outcomes, this spell's effect was extremely rapid, completely subjugating the target's mind in a short time, turning them into obedient slaves.
However, it still had flaws; the spell required a specially cultivated parasitic organism as a medium. This artificially cultivated parasite, called a "brain parasite" by the inventor of the spell, just as its literal meaning suggests, burrows into the target's head to stimulate the brain.
The brain parasite must absorb nutrients from the host's head to survive and numb the host's pain perception. Consequently, the host becomes increasingly dull, sluggish, and numb, and generally does not live long.
Brain parasites cannot survive for long in external environments. Besides the host's brain, they can survive in specially made liquids or temporarily in a person's intestines.
To evade the guards' searches, Bennet smuggled the brain parasite into the Duke's castle and chose to temporarily house it in his own belly.
This was an extremely challenging task, but for the grand cause of the Arcane Order, Bennet, who was highly committed, ultimately suppressed his nausea and swallowed the creature whole.
Of course, wizards had their methods to prevent the brain parasite from moving around in their stomachs or burrowing into their heads.
Bennet knew that this spell had undoubtedly involved numerous "live" experiments to achieve such progress, but he didn't care how many "lives" had been expended; contributing to the advancement of magic was their honor.
In the bedroom, the wizard tore off a piece of cloth, bravely grabbed the squirming, eerie creature, and forcefully placed it on Duke Fraule's mouth.
Sensing the Duke's faint breaths, the brain parasite suddenly stopped wriggling and, with incredible speed, plunged one end of its body into the Duke's mouth. In less than a second, its entire body had disappeared inside.
Released from the wizard's suppression, the brain parasite quickly began burrowing towards Duke Fraule's brain. Unlike ordinary brain parasites, its speed was extremely fast.
After a while, the Duke suddenly opened his eyes, a profoundly eerie gaze emanating from them.
Bennet knew that the brain parasite had already "taken position."
He gestured with strange hand signs and muttered incantations.
"Ugh..." The Duke, as if suffering from a headache, clasped his head with both hands and slid off the chair to the ground.
Bennet pointed at him and whispered sharply, "Silence!"
The Duke immediately closed his mouth, but his face showed expressions of unwillingness and anger.
Duke Fraule sensed something unusual in his body. Besides the intense headache, just moments ago, he had instinctively obeyed that assassin's command. His heart trembled with fear; what had that guy done to him?
He struggled against the inexplicable consciousness in his mind, clutching his head and shaking it continuously.
But as the strange man continued to utter unspeakably evil words, his resistance grew weaker and weaker.
The Duke gradually quieted down, sitting slumped with his head lowered.
Bennet was relieved that his earlier struggle hadn't caused too much commotion; it would have been problematic if it had alerted the guards outside.
Turning to face the Duke directly, Bennet grabbed his hair and lifted his head so that Fraule's eyes met his. At this moment, those eyes were dull and lifeless.
He tried to call out softly, "Duke Fraule?"
A glimmer suddenly appeared in the Duke's lifeless eyes.
"You... you..."
Spittle hung from the Duke's mouth as he pointed a trembling finger at Bennet.
The wizard's expression turned cold, and he sternly said to the Duke, "I believe you should kneel before me and address me as 'Master'."
This time, Fraule complied. He obediently knelt before Bennet, respectfully saying, "Master."
The wizard nodded in satisfaction.
"Let me teach you a few things."
...
Duke Fraule and Bennet returned to the castle hall one after the other.
Earl Kent, who had been anxiously waiting, immediately stood up and looked to Bennet for answers.
The wizard nodded and gave him an affirming glance.
Earl Kent breathed a sigh of relief and then felt a surge of ecstasy within.
Before Bennet and the Duke returned, he had prepared himself to be hacked into a pile of flesh by guards rushing into the hall. If the wizard had failed, that undoubtedly would have been his fate.
Now those worries were gone; their plan had succeeded.
He glanced at Duke Fraule, who seemed no different from usual.
Bennet approached him and whispered softly, "To avoid suspicion, both you and he must behave as you normally would in front of others."
The three of them sat down again. Duke Fraule spoke up, "Mr. Bennet's medical skills are truly remarkable."
He turned to Earl Kent. "Maltz, you've done well this time. I will reward you handsomely."
Earl Kent feigned delight for his lord. "It is my duty to ease your burdens, Your Grace."
Several dozen minutes later, the wizard and Earl Maltz Kent walked out of the Duke's residence.
"Master Bennet, you are truly amazing."
During their recent conversation, he had clearly sensed a subtle awe from the Duke towards the wizard, which hadn't been there before they entered the bedroom.
The wizard looked up. "Hmph! Even the greatest secular powers cannot resist the power of magic. A thousand years ago, charlatans of the church could sway the powerful with just a tongue; our mages achieve the same effortlessly through magic."
Earl Kent secretly rejoiced in his newfound place in the higher echelons.
"Master, what do we do next?"
"I have found a significant ally at sea for us. It's time for them to make their entrance."
"What ally? Pirates?"
"Don't rush; once we're back at your castle, I'll explain the plan in detail to you."
(End of the Chapter)
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