Wilton Roberts pushed open the seemingly heavy door.
It was a place filled with weighty bookshelves, much like the academy library. However, instead of books, the shelves were filled with reagent bottles. I had seen them a few times during Alchemy class—round, long-necked glass bottles filled with colorful liquids.
Each bottle had a name written on it, but I could only recognize a few. The glass bottles were all as large as a child’s head, with one or two bottles as thin as a finger placed next to them.
Wilton hooked a basket placed at the entrance over one arm, like a housewife going shopping. The basket, lined with several layers of soft cloth, had stitches sewn in between to prevent the glass bottles from shaking when placed inside.
He held the reagent bottles up to the ceiling lights, meticulously checking for sediment and examining the color of the potions. Only after a long while did he place three small glass bottles into the basket. I silently followed behind Wilton Roberts. After passing several tall shelves and turning the right corner, I saw an unfamiliar figure.
It was a woman with an ordinary impression. She was sitting at a desk in the corner, flipping through a book, and looked up. Her curt voice was cold, as if dealing with something very annoying.
“Name?”
“Kyle.”
I watched the needle pierce Wilton Roberts’ fingertip, just as I had seen before. The woman smiled faintly. It was obvious that only her mouth was smiling, while her eyes remained still.
“Confirmed. Do you need antidotes as well?”
“Yes.”
The woman tied a round ribbon to each vial, then took out small vials from a drawer and attached them to the ribbons. All the vials she prepared had green caps.
Wilton gave a brief nod of thanks and strode off again.
Following behind him always left me dumbfounded. It was a process of omitting everything that needed to be said and communicating with each other through glances, gestures, and a few simple words. It was frustrating for me, who often missed things even with detailed explanations.
However, one must know what to ask in order to ask a question. I quietly kept my mouth shut and stepped through the door that Wilton Roberts opened.
It was a small room with a narrow cot covered in white sheets and a table and chair. Wilton gestured for me to sit on the cot.
“The difference between medicine and poison is just a hair’s breadth. Starting today, I will administer three poisons to you every Wednesday. The order will be to take the poison, then the antidote. Each poison will take thirty minutes, with a thirty-minute break in between, so it will take about three hours.”
“…”
“You’ll adapt to these easily. Those with as much aura as you usually can handle that much.”
I knew what this was called.
I had heard secondhand that the Sichuan Tang Clan of the Central Plains used this method. Invulnerability to all poisons. It was a way to forge a body that could withstand ten thousand poisons by becoming accustomed to poison.
Of course, with only about a year left, I wouldn’t be able to take all these poisons. But even if it was only a small portion, I should be grateful if I could get used to them.
“…Did Wesley Kiadris do this too?”
“That guy… He already learned it all at the Kiadris estate. Those people are quite ruthless.”
“…Everyone in the family? Then, Edwin too…”
“Yes. All four, including the two bastards.”
Wilton Roberts checked the labels on the small vials and handed one to me. I took it without hesitation and drank it. It had no taste at all.
“Taking the poison, enduring it for a while, and then taking the antidote… It doesn’t mean you’ll become completely immune to that poison. It just means you’ll be able to withstand the same poison better next time.”
“…”
“I’ll start with colorless, odorless poisons, and then move on to those for which antidotes are hard to find, so you can adapt. It might hurt a little, but I’ll give you the antidote at the right time, so bear with it.”
“Yes.”
My stomach was already churning. I sat quietly on the cot, carefully pondering his words. The Valentia family members were so gentle, while the Kiadris family members were the opposite… I felt like I could understand why.
Wilton Roberts sat down and took out a dagger from his pocket, as if intending to do some chores, and began to polish it. Watching him, I suddenly became curious.
“Excuse me.”
“Do you have another question?”
“…Did the Second Prince do this too?”
Wilton chuckled under his breath. I felt embarrassed for no reason and lowered my gaze.
“Matters concerning the health of the Imperial Family are confidential, so I can’t tell you. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, so ask him yourself later.”
“Yes.”
It felt like someone was reaching into my body and twisting and tearing at me. In an instant, cold sweat soaked my back.
…If I get used to enduring poison, I might be able to taste-test for Luber later, so he doesn’t have to take poison. With that thought, I silently closed my mouth and endured.
It was painful, but bearable.
I had already died once. Pain that couldn’t kill me was not frightening.
Those who could use aura could easily overcome poison, he said. Then the First Prince, Richard Flo Searon, might not have gone through this process. Or, he might have tormented his body enough to endure it even without aura…
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t know for sure right now. I decided not to think about it anymore.
Just when I felt like I wanted to tear off the spot where I was sitting, Wilton handed me the antidote. I took it and drank it without hesitation. As I did, I thought it was funny how much I trusted Wilton.
But what I trusted wasn’t Wilton Roberts, but Luber, who trusted Wilton Roberts…
I took a deep breath.
“Lie down and rest for a while before taking the next poison. You need to wait for the antidote to circulate through your body.”
“Yes.”
I obediently listened.
I went through the tedious process of swallowing a small amount of poison that the human body could withstand, detoxifying, and then being exposed to poison again and detoxifying.
After emptying all three poisons and antidotes that he had prepared today, Wilton took out new clothes from a drawer on one side. I gratefully accepted them because my sweat-soaked clothes were uncomfortable.
“You’re enduring better than I expected. Good work.”
“Thank you.”
“Eat better and take good care of your body.”
“Yes.”
After drinking the water he gave me, I returned to the academy.
Just in case, I meditated and observed my body before going to bed, but there was no trace of the poison that had tormented me so much. However, my muscles, which were tense from enduring the pain, were stiff, making it a little uncomfortable to sleep.
❖ ❖ ❖
Friday, the third week of February, at dawn.
Marianne proudly held out her hand. The silver ring shining on her left ring finger looked quite precious even to my eyes, which couldn’t appreciate jewelry, making me wonder what was going on.
“Pretty, right? Wendy made it for me.”
“…That child?”
“Yes. She said she learned how to make them from her aunt.”
Wendy’s aunt… was Matt Nico’s mother. So, he was a Grimsbane too. She seemed to have good manual skills.
However, even if the one who made it was like that, the fact that Marianne was wearing the ring, and that the finger she was wearing the ring on was her left ring finger, made me curious.
“Doesn’t wearing a ring on your ring finger mean you’re engaged?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s showing my will.”
“Will?”
“A very grand and great will that I’ve already succeeded in a marriage by abduction in my heart.”
“Huh.”
Marriage by abduction. I wondered if it could be called that, but I held back my words because I was at a loss as to what this girl was thinking. In any case, if it was to be used as a goal for self-improvement, it might not be a bad thing. Zhuge also practiced his swordsmanship to look good to Mo Yong Lianhua…
Recalling the gloomy expression of Glotin Tenner, whom I had seen fleetingly at the last New Year’s festival, I asked again.
“Do you like that person that much?”
“Hmm, well, I don’t really know right now.”
“Pardon?”
“Maybe it’s because it’s been a long time since I saw his face, but I feel a bit indifferent. At first, I was so angry that I would wake up in the middle of the night… But as I ran like I was going to die every day, studied hard, and my circle grew, I’m not even angry anymore.”
“…Then, why?”
“Because I think I’ll still think he’s handsome when I see him again.”
“Pardon?”
Marianne smiled brightly. And she looked at her ring proudly, turning her hand this way and that. The bluish sunlight of dawn shone on the well-polished ring, making it sparkle. The child’s breath, exhaling the cold air, became cloudy.
“It’s kind of like that, isn’t it? It’s not like we broke up because we hated each other… We grew apart because of surrounding problems. Should I see this as a trial and tribulation…? I’m not really angry, I just think, ah, I see.”
“…Surrounding problems?”
“Yes. Gli oppa can’t receive support from the Combine County anymore, so he won’t be able to return to the academy. Of course, there will be even less chance of me meeting him?”
“Seeing each other separately outside…”
“Well… Is he even in the capital? I don’t know. I can’t contact him.”
I couldn’t find the words to answer, so I quietly held my breath. I couldn’t easily bring up the story of that guy I had passed by at the last New Year’s festival. I didn’t have the courage to break Marianne’s bright and cheerful smile.
If the child had run into that guy back then, what would have changed?
“Well, if I still like him so much that I can’t stand it when I see him again, it’s love, right? If not, I’ll just take it off.”
“…I see.”
Marianne smiled brightly and slapped me on the back. I didn’t get angry even though I was suddenly hit. I wasn’t someone who would feel pain from this much. I was just worried that a shadow might be cast over the child’s smile, so I carefully examined her.
“So, Michael, cheer up too. I’m this cheerful, what’s wrong?”
“…”
“Love saves people, right? Who loves someone because they want to have a hard time?”
“Huh.”
Love saves people. Watching the child speak so confidently made me feel awkward and embarrassed, and I swallowed a dry breath.
I had been having trouble sleeping lately, but I didn’t think I would cause even Marianne to worry. I thought I was doing my job by attending classes on time.
I was shocked to realize how lax I had become.
“…Marianne, do I look like I’m not feeling well?”
“Yes. A lot. It’s less obvious during class, but when we’re sitting like this, you keep looking at the sky.”
“…Hmm.”
Was I doing that? I had no idea. The child with the keen eyes often surprised me like this. As I blinked, Marianne quickly said something funny.
“That’s why I told you to just accept the confession back then.”
“No, they didn’t even say those words, what am I supposed to accept?”
“Ehh. Maybe you just didn’t notice?”
“…I don’t think so.”
Marianne said it in such a surprised tone that I lost confidence. I closed my mouth.