Chapter 77: Chapter 74: New Recruit

Regina stood at the edge of the village once more, looking out at the fields and watching as Kiara and the knights she’d taken along rode away. She smiled and almost waved before she caught herself. Then she glanced at Janis, who stood beside her and looked like she wasn’t sure how to act, either.

Even after Kiara had acquiesced, there’d still been a lot left to settle. There still was. Kiara had made it clear that she was going to ask her father for his agreement, but at least they had a provisional deal. Presumably, someone would be sent soon to finalize it. They still had to settle the status of the baron and the village, but Regina suspected the castle would be more important to the marquis. For now, Kiara had officially ordered Neralt to cooperate with Regina, and work with them to defend the village from ‘any threats that might come’.

Regina wasn’t about to hand this territory over to anyone else.

She shook her head to dispel those thoughts and focused on the mage girl. “Let’s do this now, if you’re ready, Janis.”

Janis looked a bit hesitant, but she nodded. “Of course, Lady Regina. What should I do?”

“Just Regina is fine. And you don’t really need to do anything. It might be best if you give me your hand or something, though.”

Janis nodded and held out her hand. Regina gripped it and focused on the second Class Skill she’d received from the System. She felt a slight shiver in her mana as Infect activated, and her own mana reached out to Janis.

The process seemed similar to when she’d used it on monsters. But the human didn’t resist or try to get away, she simply stood there and let it work. After a moment, Janis started shivering uncontrollably. She swayed, but managed to keep her feet. Her eyes rolled up before she closed them. Tia stepped forward to steady her. Regina focused on the mana she could sense, watching as her own interacted with Janis’ and seemed to settle into her.

Overall, it was more peaceful than with Dark, and went more quickly. After a few minutes, Janis’ shivering had subsided and she straightened her posture again. Regina felt a tenuous connection to her mind, but it seemed like it was only barely there, still being assembled, and she couldn’t get much information from it.

“Are you okay?” Regina asked.

The young woman breathed out deeply, then nodded. “That was strange,” she answered. “But I think I’m alright. This is - quite interesting. I didn’t realize joining your hive entailed magic like this.”

Regina nodded. Then, she tentatively focused on the mage and tried to bring up her status. It took a moment of intense focus, but then the System made it happen.

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