Bail trembled as he stared at Caron. It felt as if insects were crawling all over his body—no, they truly were. He experienced a searing pain that felt as if it was ripping through his veins, blinding and overwhelming him.0

"G-Guk…"0

Agony engulfed him. The pain was so unbearable that he considered biting his tongue to end it. He could barely think anymore, unable to even pinpoint where things had gone so wrong.0

Bail wondered how Caron Leston knew about the maw worm, and how he had uncovered the infected. But there were no answers forthcoming.0

The stabbing pain from his foot, where the sword had pierced through, was nothing compared to the torment surging through him. The suffering hovered just short of making him pass out—but ironically, it kept him conscious.0

Amid that unrelenting torment, Caron's voice slid into his ears like cold steel. "Go ahead and faint if you want. I'll just wake you up again."0

There was a lethal calm in his words, and the weight of his murderous intent was so thick it seemed to seep into the air. It was a bloodlust strong enough to make even knights recoil. For a mage—one who was already subdued—it was impossible to endure.0

"If you're thinking of spouting some nonsense about...0