Young Ilona didn't think much about it at the time. She had lived in the Hunyadi family for many years, and joining the hunting crows had always been her dream.
Now that Master Cesare has gone to Caliu to study, and Mr. János also extended an invitation to her at this time, Ilona has mixed feelings, worried that she is not qualified, but she is even more unwilling to miss this opportunity.
After changing out of the servant's clothes and putting on a set of clothes that were convenient for going out, Ilona made up her mind to follow Mr. János out of the castle, got on the horse and walked towards the forest.
It was also a night, and the forest was foggy, as if something big was about to happen.
Mr. János is the backbone of the crows. He is extremely proficient in riding horses and his speed is astonishing. He doesn't care whether Ilona behind him can keep up with him. He just holds the reins and runs forward.
And Ilona, who had little riding experience, could only rely on her courage to let the horse run faster, for fear that if she was not careful, she would be left far behind and lost in the forest.
They bypassed dangerous fields and took little-known paths through the woods and into the fog.
As she walked, Ilona felt that this road was somewhat familiar, like the way home...
She wanted to ask but couldn't keep up with Mr. Janos's speed. Moreover, Janos always looked very fierce, which also gave up her idea of asking.
Just as Ilona suspected, they went all the way to Fog Village, the place where Ilona was born.
There was not much emotion when I returned to my hometown again. Heavy fog shrouded the night, and the familiar streets were deserted. Every house locked its doors and windows, and everyone in the town was afraid that the legendary creature would come again.
Ilona didn't want to recall too much... All the good things that happened here would eventually end up in that terrible tragedy. She thought of her brother who fell in front of her... her father who was chopped into pieces...
For Ilona, it took great courage to return to this sad homeland.
"What are you thinking about? Let's go this way." Janos urged angrily, and then he dived into the thick fog.
But Ilona remembered it very clearly... that was the direction back to her home. At first, Ilona thought she was just thinking too much, but she passed through several alleys and passed by familiar street corners...
When Ilona saw the fence in her memory, she could no longer escape reality. They were going to her childhood home.
"Why...?" Ilona whispered to herself extremely quietly. Regardless of whether Janos heard the girl's doubts or not, he did not provide any explanation.
Seeing the familiar earthen house getting closer and closer, several crows wearing black clothes and leather armor rode up and guarded the door of the house, as if waiting for their arrival.
Those black leather armors are made of strong animal skin, which is delicate and soft with room for free movement.
The surface of the leather armor shone slightly, and the shoulders and chest were decorated with exquisite metal decorations engraved with crow patterns, which not only added defensiveness but also made the clothes look more majestic.
Their clothes fit tightly against their owners' strong bodies, showing off their body lines and powerful muscles.
With veils covering their faces, cloaks hanging behind them, and oil lamps tied to wide belts around their waists, the entire earthen house was illuminated brightly. Several Crow Knights watched the arrival of Janos and Ilona in silence. Like sculptures that only move their eyes.
Mr. János dismounted and walked toward the door of the house.
"Come in." He said coldly, not as if he wanted to explain anything.
Ilona couldn't understand why she was brought back here... After a moment's hesitation, she got off the horse and walked back to the door of her former home... watching Mr. Janos push away the almost former home... A wooden door cut in half.
Then there was the sound of chains being dragged, and the light slowly penetrated into the dilapidated house. The hut that had not been inhabited for a long time was covered with cobwebs and was filled with dirty crawlers.
When Janos slowly reached into the house holding the oil lamp in his hand...
The light source first illuminated the familiar broken wooden furniture, dining table, cabinets, and beds. Apart from being stained with a thick layer of gray due to disrepair, there was no other change.
And soon... the light illuminated a pair of pale and skinny feet from the corner of the house. The owner of those feet was afraid of the light and burrowed into the dark place. The chains on his body made crazy noises. It makes people feel panicked.
And when the light source completely illuminated the entire room, the creatures hiding in the dark corners were completely exposed.
It screamed and covered its eyes with both hands, as if it had been unable to adapt to the sudden bright light after being in the dark for a long time. There were countless gaping wounds on its body, and teeth similar to humans grew out of each wound.
The wound was like a mouth that was repeatedly closing and spitting out mycelium.
Several thick chains tied up a small mycelium monster. The monster's claws had sterling silver rings, but they were also covered by mycelium.
There were rat corpses piled up around it, its hands were stained with rat hair and blood, and there was an unfinished rat tail hanging from the mouth on its face.
When the monster slowly adapted to the light and slowly lowered its arms, revealing its eyeballs covered with hyphae... Ilona covered her mouth with her hands in shock, and tears flowed out uncontrollably. That was not because of The fear of seeing a monster...
But Ilona knew the face of the monster. No matter what it looked like, there was absolutely no way Ilona could not recognize it.
That was his brother...the brother who died in front of him many years ago.
"Brother...is it you?" The painful emotion was hard to describe. She couldn't tell whether she was happy or sad for a moment. She just wanted to get closer to her relatives in a numb body, but was caught by Mr. Janos and gave him a hand. Pulled back.
"Do you want to die!?" Janos glared at Ilona fiercely.
"But... that's my brother... how could he, how could he become like this!"
Ilona cried incoherently, and the monster in front of her let out threatening roars. The silence of the crows behind her made the girl even more frightened. She looked helplessly at Mr. Janos's face, as if praying. Yearning for an answer.
Janos was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.
"Your brother was infected with mycelium, and this is what people look like when they are infected."
He said, motioning for Ilona to stay where she was while he slowly moved closer, just slightly raising his arm towards the monster. The monster suddenly let out a harsh growl like a beast that had been hungry for several days suddenly saw its prey. .
The cracks all over his body opened up one after another, revealing the chaotically grown teeth inside. His limbs pressed uncoordinatedly to the ground and then he rushed over. However, under the reaction force, he was caught back by several chains and fell to the ground like a puppy. Like barking.
