Chương 122: An Unnatural Hunger

Nikos had divided the continent into five directions, distributing them across the south, center, and north. Morvath and the other four mages had each been sent to a different region, tasked with sensing the auras of the five remaining legendary swords. Thanks to his sensory perception, which could cover a radius of one hundred and fifty kilometers, Morvath had been sent to the Frozen Lands, the area Nikos suspected the most. He was the ideal candidate.

Nikos, meanwhile, had stayed behind in his room, together with the only mage he had not sent away: the one who would open the portals the moment one of the swords was located. The two sat opposite one another, playing Rithmomachia. Nikos ended the game with a 6-4-3 sequence. He then calmly took a sip of his green tea and wiped his mustache with a handkerchief.

"You lost again", he said.

"You don't seem particularly motivated". The mage sighed.

"I'm not. I still don't fully understand the rules. Can't we play chess?" Nikos began rearranging the pieces without looking up.

"Always playing chess has its limitations. Every game forces you to use different abilities of the brain. And the more diversified those abilities become, the more adaptable the brain is to different situations". The mage huffed, resigned. At the same time, Felicity and the others were staying at an inn in a small village in the Frozen Lands, warming themselves with hot food and strong drinks. Leah raised her glass of mead. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Am I the only one drinking? Seriously?"

"Someone needs to stay sober in case we're attacked", Ethan replied.

"Exactly", Felicity added without looking away.

"And that someone is me. So go ahead and join Leah". Ethan stared at her.

"I don't understand why it always has to be you. The two of us could protect them better".

"Let me remind you that you're no longer a Golden Knight", Felicity retorted.

"You don't have to protect anyone".

"That's what I always tell him too", Agnes added, appearing to Ethan's left. He turned around sharply.

"But weren't you sleeping upstairs?"

"You try getting any sleep when the floor below is full of drunk people shouting and singing". Leah took another sip.

"She has a point".

"Careful. Soon you'll be one of them", Felicity said. Leah smiled.

"You know me well, huh?" Ethan looked around.

"Has Xia already gone to bed?"

"I think so", Felicity replied. Leah finished her glass of mead and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I feel sorry for Xia. It must be horrible to lose your memories".

"I'm sure the version of herself who still had her memories knew what she was getting herself into. And if she chose to take that risk, it means she trusted herself. She knew she would be able to endure it", Felicity replied.

"Yeah…you're right". Leah then raised a hand, ready to ask for another glass of mead. Meanwhile, Xia couldn't fall asleep. Despite having eaten, she felt a strange sensation of hunger. She left the room and leaned against the wooden balcony, looking down at the hall below, alive with laughter, singing, and the clinking of glasses. She touched her stomach.

"What's happening to me? It hasn't even been an hour since my last meal". A very young man with long hair approached her with a shy smile. He was well dressed, probably the innkeeper's son or the son of someone wealthy.

"Miss, aren't you enjoying yourself? Is the inn not to your liking?" Xia looked at him for a moment.

"No…it's not that. I'm just lost in thought".

"I see", he said.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Xia's gaze slowly drifted toward the young man's neck. She stiffened. Her eyes widened slightly.

"No…it's that feeling. That hunger". Her breathing grew shorter. Her stomach clenched violently.

"I thought it had passed. Last time, I thought it would be enough". The hunger grew until it became almost painful. A thin strand of saliva slipped from her lips. The boy watched her, confused.

"Are you all right, miss?" Xia's pupils were dilated, fixed on the boy. Hungry.

"Yes…forgive me". She clenched her jaw, turned abruptly, and hurried down the corridor. Her stomach continued to growl insistently. But she ignored it and kept walking. That hunger was anything but normal.