Symphony for the Insect Princess

"..."

He tried to lift himself up from the haystack, but as soon as he moved, the blood vessels under his skin bulged out like severe varicose veins. He howled in pain and then lay still again.

"I've already told you not to move, or you'll really be eaten by bugs."

“…………poisonous woman.”

"I'm not very knowledgeable about poisons, so I hope to meet someone who is proficient in this field."

"But...wait, I still don't understand, how did you implant the bugs into my body?"

"You should first think about what happened at the dinner party the previous day?"

"...at the dinner? Nothing...ah!"

"Looks like you remembered."

"Mints...you hid bug eggs in the mints! Only Molly ate your candies, and I transplanted her heart into me...I see!"

"Yes, so you actually lost the moment you completed the transplant on yourself."

"..."

His expression was as bitter as if he had eaten a fly. Finally, as if giving up, he asked in a very low voice:

"How strong are you... Nyrrhis!"

--------------

last night,

In the basement, in front of the secret room door——

"This poison is weaker than I thought, Lux."

"……what?"

when! ?

Just when Lux's attention was diverted, she suddenly appeared! Without a sound!

"You...you're still alive? When did you get here?!"

"just."

The beautiful girl with silver-gray hair didn't even glance at Lux. She squatted beside York and checked the wound on his leg caused by Lux's poisoned blade.

Looking more closely, Luxton felt nauseous.

Little bugs, lots and lots of little bugs, were crawling in and out of the wound, so densely packed it was extremely disgusting.

"I'm helping York get rid of the poison. I'm really sorry if it offends you."

Very polite wording.

His expression was extremely calm.

There was no sign of panic.

Even here, her every move was graceful and appropriate.

Nellis Zelah.

Because of Lillian's actions, she has always been treated as air at home.

Based on Lux's observations over the past two days, she was at most a low-level magician.

but,

why,

Do you feel a chill on your back?

The girl just stood up slowly and performed an elegant skirt-lifting gesture.

Then--

"Don't be so nervous, Lukes. Want a mint?"

She took out a mint candy wrapped in candy paper like a magician. Lux frowned and of course didn't take it.

"…………I thought you were dead, Nelris."

"But I didn't die. How lucky I am."

tread.

Nelris took a step forward, and Lux ​​couldn't help but take a step back.

The chill behind me was growing stronger.

"You...are you here to rob others?"

"Maybe a little close? But the term 'black eating black' is not very polite. I have only been watching from the beginning."

At the beginning?

"Wait... you said from the beginning? You knew from the beginning that it was me and Nia who did it?"

"When you say 'start', do you mean 'when'? From the first day of the Harvest Festival, or from when Lillian got the booklet?"

"A pamphlet? Wait... Eh!?"

Wait, wait a minute.

She would say that, could it be that—

"No way... you... knew about the existence of that booklet from the very beginning!? You knew from the very beginning that Lillian had been drugging you? You knew from the very beginning that I stole the recipe from it!?"

"Let me ask you this instead: why do you think Lillian got that booklet?"

"Eh?"

"Why did she 'happen' to discover this thing that records the Demon King's research results?"

“………………!!!!!!”

It took a few seconds for Lux to realize what Nelris meant, and he took several steps back. The information was so overwhelming that he couldn't even comprehend it all! Calm down... Calm down... Yes, he had already thought of all the possible mistakes that might occur when implementing the plan, but...

However, the only thing he had never considered was the possibility that he—no, everyone—was just a plaything in someone's hands.

"damn it!!!"

Once you make up your mind, you must act immediately - this is Lux's motto, so he picked up the syringe that fell to the ground during the fight with York without hesitation and stabbed it into his shoulder!

“Gu!!!!”

The moment the drug he'd bought from the black market blended into his bloodstream, a sharp pain spread throughout his body! But at the same time, his mind became incredibly clear, and even his mental strength increased several times! In this state—it was possible! He'd injected himself with a banned drug that temporarily boosted his mental strength, though of course, it came with significant side effects. In this extreme state, he could forcibly break the drug's limitations just this once and for all, forcing himself to control both people simultaneously! This was a secret weapon he could only use in dire situations!

"Ellen! Chloe!"

The moment he yelled those two names, a rumbling sound echoed overhead, followed by the collapse of the basement ceiling! A combination of brutal magic and superb martial arts instantly pierced through the stone layer from the hall to the basement! Ellen and Chloe were now completely unconscious, both in a semi-conscious state. Having been manipulated twice in a row had left their brains horribly damaged, but their strength was unmatched!

"A high-level magician and a high-level magic warrior..."

There was no trace of tension on the girl's face.

She just shook her head apologetically.

"Please forgive my arrogance, but... if you wish to hinder me, please at least demonstrate the combat power of three regular divisions of a major military power."

Chapter 23: Cocoon Breaks

Luke's orders were simple.

"Kill her!"

Ellen was the first to come. She roared and rushed towards Nelris, brandishing her giant sword. The violent wind of the sword turned the basement into a mess, but -

"Insect Mimicry - Compound Eyes."

At the right moment, Nelris slightly turned her body and dodged. Her left eyeball split into two, two into four, four into eight... Almost instantly, a complete eyeball turned into countless tiny eyeballs densely packed together, just like the compound eyes of an insect!

Not all insect magic is beast taming. If other mainstream classification methods are used, it also includes other types of magic.

Insect mimicry belongs to the category of physical changes.

"Some insects' dynamic vision is better than you can imagine..."

She bent down again, just in time to dodge the giant sword that passed over her head, and at this time Chloe had completed the weaving of the spell.

Boom! Boom boom boom boom!!!

Dozens of fire missiles shot towards her, but Nellis just murmured "cocoon space", and a shield like the wall of a cocoon blocked all the fire missiles without leaving even a trace of burn marks!

"ROARRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Ellen turned sharply, and immense magical power condensed on her sword, forming a silver blade several meters long! She roared and rushed forward again, and the silver blade was about to swing down -

"Goldworm."

——Zheng!!!!

A dark golden light streaked across space, extremely fast! Ellen paused for a moment, then the giant sword slammed heavily to the ground. At the same time, her arms and legs were cut off, and bright red blood spurted everywhere!

(In just a moment, he destroyed the high-level magic warrior's magic armor and body!? Not good——)

A dark golden light stopped in the air. It was a strange flying insect covered with a dark golden shell and its wings flashed coldly like razors. It was the one that knocked Allen down with one blow!

"Chloe!!!!"

Chloe wordlessly raised her hand, and frost and flames rose simultaneously, instantly reducing the basement ceiling to ash. Above her was the hall, and from here, through the collapsed ceiling, she could see the night sky outside! Two halos of light, one blue and one red, danced in the night sky. They were flying dragons composed of fire and frost respectively!

Chloe lowered her finger, pointing directly at Nelris! The Ice and Fire Dragons immediately roared and flew down, heading straight for Nelris—

——Zheng! ! !

The rhenium gold bug disappeared from its original position in an instant. A dark golden light flashed in the air, and the two dragons simultaneously disintegrated into countless magical particles and completely dissipated!

"Too slow... the kid has dug right under your feet."

With a crash, the ground beneath Chloe's feet suddenly collapsed. A giant earthworm, as thick and shiny as a water pipe, emerged from it. Its complex mouthparts opened to their full extent like a sunflower, swallowing Chloe whole! From the ground's collapse to the earthworm's burrowing back into the ground, less than a second passed. Only a bottomless cave remained, and Chloe had vanished along with the earthworm!

The extremely short battle was over.

All of Ellen's limbs were cut off, and Chloe disappeared into the insect's mouth.

It can't even be called a battle, it's just a one-sided massacre.

Lux stood there dumbfounded.

In his eyes, Ellen and Chloe were the strongest fighting forces here, and no one could compete with them.

But the outrageous and excessive difference in strength displayed by this girl completely shattered his three views.

Can you kill a high-level magician and a high-level magic warrior at the same time like playing a game! ?

What level is she?

A great magician who is only one step away from becoming a wizard?

Or... a real wizard?

But—how is this possible? Mages are so powerful that they are worshipped as treasures by countless nobles and even royal families. How could they be living in this tiny manor? The two court mages of the Kingdom of Aaron are already the strongest fighting force in this small country, and they are both over sixty years old! Aside from a few exceptional geniuses, even in the great powers, there are no mages under the age of twenty! And Nellis doesn't even have a decent teacher. How could she—

"Don't just stand there, let's go."

"Let's go?"

"Yes, and the hearts you collected with great effort will be used."

Nellis gently pulled Lux ​​up and smiled faintly.

At that moment, Lux felt that the person looking at him was not a seventeen-year-old girl, but another creature that was very different from humans.

It's almost like a bug.

----------------

"How strong are you... Nyrrhis!"

Lux roared in a venting tone, and I just shrugged. Strength is something that cannot be accurately measured, so I couldn't answer his question.

"I don't understand... I don't understand! Killing a high-level magician and a high-level magic warrior is like squeezing a stink bug... You are very strong, too strong. How could you hide your strength to this extent all this time!"

"Don't insult the tiny but tenacious creature 'bug'...you really overdo it."

"Come on! I don't understand... why you have to beat around the bush! You're strong, right? You can slaughter high-level magicians and magic warriors like a piece of cake, right? If that's the case, you could just wipe out the Zelah, Zane, and Forion families! Kill everyone who knows about it, take their hearts, and unseal them! Wouldn't that be the most efficient way?"