Crest Worm

Hearing the sound, Illya abruptly stood up from the sofa in the living room.

Sasuke remained indifferent, as no danger was approaching the main house.

The screaming quickly subsided; it likely wasn't anything serious.

However, the cry still drew Sakura Masayoshi and Toru Hirata out of the study. The moment they opened the door, a pungent smell of smoke instantly permeated the room.

As for Kaoru Sakura and Saori Hirata, they were likely sleeping too soundly to be awakened.

Sakura Masayoshi couldn't help but frown. At a time like this, surely nothing else could go wrong, right?

With this in mind, Sakura Masayoshi looked worriedly at his friend, Toru Hirata, standing beside him.

Toru Hirata appeared exceptionally exhausted and could not withstand any further turmoil.

Therefore, Sakura Masayoshi offered words of comfort first:

"Nothing should have happened..."

"Sasuke, could I trouble you to go out and see what's going on?"

Sasuke nodded with a calm expression, then opened the door and headed toward the place where the scream had originated, with Illya following closely behind.

Panic had broken out in the hall.

Just moments ago, while the friends and family were keeping vigil, the coffin containing Ichiro Hirata had suddenly moved!

The coffin, which had been sealed shut, had a hole bitten into it from the inside by a bizarre insect.

However, the moment the creature crawled out of the coffin, it fell heavily to the floor.

The insect, resembling an arthropod, possessed a pair of wings, sharp fangs, and jagged limbs, measuring roughly the size of an adult's fist.

A foul stench emanated from the creature, and its body was stained with sickening bits of flesh and blood.

The source of this flesh was clearly Ichiro Hirata, who lay within the coffin.

The insect on the hall floor was not yet dead; its wings fluttered slowly, and its body continued to writhe in a disgusting manner.

For a moment, the surrounding friends and family were terrified and retreated, which was the cause of the earlier scream.

It would be strange if ordinary people weren't frightened by such a bizarre occurrence at a funeral.

Just as everyone was covering their noses and mouths, lost in wild speculation, Sasuke and Illya walked into the hall.

Illya frowned the moment she saw the insect on the ground.

She finally understood where the residual magic power in the hall had come from.

Furthermore, the insect wasn't dead; it was simply overstuffed.

Illya tugged at the corner of Sasuke's sleeve to alert him.

However, while everyone else was focused on the disgusting insect, Sasuke silently gathered a needle of lightning in his hand.

[Chidori Senbon]

With lightning speed, Sasuke struck the insect's head directly.

Consequently, the writhing creature on the floor died instantly as its brain was destroyed.

Because the needle formed by lightning was not very conspicuous, those present did not notice it.

Once the insect was confirmed dead, the person in charge ordered the servants to clean it up.

But for those present, this was truly a traumatic experience.

While fearful, they were also curious about Ichiro Hirata inside the coffin.

After all, the insect had crawled out from within; what had become of the corpse?

However, no one dared to bring it up.

Seeing that the disturbance had been temporarily resolved, Sasuke left the hall.

Although the open courtyard was lit, the dim lights were not enough to illuminate all the darkness within.

Sasuke had intended to return directly, but Illya pulled him aside to the base of a lamp post.

With Sasuke standing with his back to the light, Illya found it impossible to read his expression.

Illya thought about what had just happened, pondered for a moment, and then spoke to Sasuke:

"If I'm not mistaken, that insect from just now was a Crest Worm."

"It is a familiar similar to an artificial Three-Corpse Worm, which absorbs magic power from its host to maintain its activity."

"If the host lacks magic power, the Crest Worm will consume life force as sustenance and launch continuous attacks."

"And once the life force has been drained, the Crest Worm will consume the host's flesh to obtain nutrients."

Illya frowned slightly.

The Hirata family were clearly all ordinary people; why would they be targeted by a magus?

To seize magic power?

If that were the case, then it truly was the work of an evil heretic.

Crest Worms can also be used as surveillance devices, though they are quite primitive.

However, Crest Worms have other uses; for instance, once implanted into a human body and cultivated, they become nerves similar to Magic Circuits, integrating with the original nerves and spreading throughout the entire body.

Magic Crests transformed from Crest Worms remain dormant during normal times, but once activated, they function much like the aforementioned state.

They can also be used to exert various abilities by parasitizing and devouring the host from within.

In short, it is a truly disgusting form of magecraft.

After hearing this, Sasuke remained indifferent:

"Mind your own business."

"Let's go."

With those words, Sasuke turned and left.

Having grown accustomed to Sasuke's personality, Illya didn't say anything; after all, she was merely providing him with some background information.

If Sasuke didn't want to get involved, she naturally wouldn't bother with it either.

Upon returning to the living room of the main house, Sasuke told Sakura Masayoshi and Toru Hirata, who were sitting on the sofa, about what had just happened.

However, Sasuke didn't say much, only mentioning that someone had been frightened by some bugs.

As for the details and the process, if the Hirata family was willing to let the old man know, then it had nothing to do with Sasuke.

Toru Hirata sighed upon hearing this:

"Sorry to trouble you, Sasuke."

After speaking, Toru Hirata looked toward Illya.

Toru Hirata knew Sasuke, but he did not know Illya, so he turned to look at Sakura Masayoshi:

"Masayoshi, who is this young lady?"

Sakura Masayoshi introduced her to Toru Hirata:

"Her name is Illya, she is a friend of Kaoru."

In truth, Sakura Masayoshi knew Illya's age, and after two months of living together, he had come to treat Illya like a granddaughter.

Under normal circumstances, Sakura Masayoshi would certainly have boasted about it.

After all, at his advanced age, having so many young people living with him was a rare blessing.

But given Toru Hirata's current situation, how could Sakura Masayoshi say anything more?

To this, Toru Hirata sighed:

"With Ichiro gone, I don't know who can step up to take charge of the company."

Sakura Masayoshi looked regretful, but still encouraged his old friend:

"You are in such good health, and that child Saori is so intelligent; you will definitely be able to pull through!"

"If you need my help with anything in the future, just say the word."

Toru Hirata closed his eyes and waved his hand slowly:

"Having your word is enough."

"Come, join me for a few drinks."

Sakura Masayoshi sighed softly, stood up to help Toru Hirata off the sofa, and slowly walked toward the study.

For a moment, only Sasuke and Illya were left in the living room.

Whenever the two of them were together, most of the time was spent in silence.

Knowing this well, Illya leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes.

Staying here was too boring.

It would be better to go back and sell fish.

That was Illya's thought.

Meanwhile, Sasuke picked up his phone and began typing a text message.

The recipient was.

Shirou Emiya.