Hairore watched more than ten insects clumped together, each with seven or eight segments, fly out of the wall. Her mind nearly boiled over completely, yet some strange power, like a spiderweb wrapped around her brain, blocked out the contamination that seemed ready to burn through her nerves, allowing her to experience the horror before her as though she were in a first-person horror film.
Teacher Listener's sharp, venomous voice poured from the swarm. For the first time, Hairore doubted this teacher who had supposedly been "sealed within the wall." After all, people were visual creatures. The moment she saw her teacher's "true form," she finally gained a faint understanding of the "food" that unfamiliar voice had mentioned before.
"Plum Replaces Peach."
A Spirit of Words recited in Ancient Hermes exploded beside her ears. Hairore suddenly felt everything before her begin to twist. She abruptly shifted more than three meters to the side out of thin air, while a man whose face was covered in shadow stood where she had originally been.
"No!"
The dozen or so insects let out shrill wails, yet they uncontrollably pounced on the man. Then, amid his smile, they vanished into the formal suit that seemed to be made of ink.
"Parasitizing someone face-to-face? This is the first time I've seen such a disgraceful Marauder." The shadows filling the tunnel gradually drew together. The ferocious eyes and gaping mouths lined with white teeth slowly closed. The body covered in shadows gradually regained its color, and Hairore finally lost her balance and collapsed to the ground.
Sno played with an amber stone that seemed to contain half a shattered clock face, then turned to look at Hairore and said kindly:
"This circle isn't as wonderful as you imagine. The Marauder path is even more a road