Chapter 21: Mutated Parasites
Nicolas, whose face was paler than the moon, breathed heavily. He turned his head to the side and answered, "No one asked me anything, I thought —I thought it was not of significance."
Gilderoy wanted to say something but was interrupted by Damien.
"It is a good thing that you are not feeling any pain," stated Damien. "Because now you certainly will."
As he spoke Damien summoned the scalpel from his inventory and without giving a chance to anyone he made a long slit on Nicolas\'s leg which was bleeding.
The wound which was bleeding turned even more mangled because of his actions.
"What do you think you are doing!?" Gilderoy demanded but his words came to a sudden halt when Wistoria shrieked and Xavier gasped behind his back.
As Damien cleanly made a slit, the numerous thorny-headed worms came into view.
The thick black worms with bodies similar to caterpillars but with the shell of a beetle, were embedded in Nicolas\'s flesh.
Sharp little thorns protruded out of their bodies with which they tore and cut Nicolas\'s flesh. It was a bloody feast for those disgusting things.
[Boreal Worms]
[Parasitic worms that feed on the flesh and blood of Beastmen.]
[Symptoms: Upset bladder. Exceptional slow rate of healing of wounds, weakening of the bodies of the Beastmen.]
[Caution: They reproduce really quickly causing the bodies of their host to turn into empty vessels.]
"Boreal worms?" Gilderoy\'s eyes widened as he stared at the parasitic worms and swooned. As a wolf beastman, he knew how dangerous that thing was, given that these worms could turn a perfect wolf beastman into a corpse bit by bit.
These things were simply slow poison for wolf beastmen!
"Indeed," Damien answered as he raised his hands and poured the ointment which he had prepared. "Though these things do not seem to be dangerous if they are not dealt with properly it could become tricky to deal with them in one hit."
The second the ointment that Damien had prepared fell on the flesh that had been cut open by him, there was a loud shrivel followed by Nicolas\' painful groans.
But no one had the time to worry about him at that moment.
"What is that?" The man who came with the servant yelped as he rushed to hide behind Xavier. He peered out of Xavier\'s shoulder and looked at the large black worm that was squirming on the floor.
Its many pincers clicked together and made screeching sounds which were rather unpleasant to hear.
"Are you really pushing me, Lord Luke?" Xavier asked the man with a cold stare as he turned his head to look at the man who was hiding behind him.
Luke smiled at Xavier and then flatteringly said to him, "I am just a small C-tier healer, Lord Xavier. How can I even deal with that?"
Wistoria unsheathed her claws as she stared at the Boreal Worms that had entwined together and become bigger and bigger.
"What\'s going on?" She asked. Even though her gaze was not on Damien, her question was directed at him.
Damien smiled at her and said, "It\'s nothing. These worms have been feeding on the flesh and blood of Lord Nicolas for more than three months. They have mutated and developed new skills."
"Mutated?"
"Three months?! Those things were inside my son\'s body for three months?" Gilderoy shrieked in disbelief. There were a lot of things that he wanted to ask but at that moment, no one had the time to answer his question.
For the Boreal Worm had gotten not only bigger but also much more agile than before. It swept its thorny tail at Damien who dodged to one side.
However, it seemed like the mutated Boreal Worm had also developed human-like senses. At least that was the only explanation Damien could think of when the Boreal Worm attacked him again.
It was taking revenge on him for ruining its feast.
\'Damn— who would have thought that saving a life would come at the expense of putting mine in danger!\' Damien cursed as he rolled on the floor while trying to avoid the attack of the Giant Boreal Worm again.
However, that beast was like a dog that had tasted blood. It did not let go—
"Fuck this fucking life," Damie yelled as he got up from the floor and almost lost his head when the thing swept his tail. If not for the fact that Damien flexibly arched his body backwards, he would have lost his head.
"Xavier! What are you doing!? Shouldn\'t you be protecting me?" Damien yelled at the man while fending for his life.
Xavier exasperatedly turned to look at him and pointed to his sleeves, "I am trying my best, Lord Damien."
Damien looked at him and he then looked at Luke whose pants had fallen on the floor revealing his shaggy hindquarters and a little tail. The man stomped his hoofs on the ground nervously.
His giant hindquarters seemed quite heavy as Xavier could not pull himself away from Luke.
When Damien saw what was happening, his eyes popped widely as he looked at Luke who was clutching onto Xavier\'s sleeves and stopping him from coming over. "You better let him go or else you will be very sorry indeed."
"You seem to be holding really well—"
Damien hurled his shoe at the face of the man, holding really well. His ass. He was on the verge of getting skewered by a gigantic worm.
"Ack!" Luke let out a startled scream. "It got me! It got me!"
However, no one cared about him. Xavier rushed forward to protect Damien while Wistoria and Gidleroy tried their best to protect the weakened Nicolas.
Roar!!!
The Boreal Worm let out a loud squeal before turning to look at the window of the room. It glanced at the people in front of him with its multiple black eyes and then rushed towards the window.
"It is trying to run!"