“I know what that guy wants.”
“Hmm…”
At those words, Dexter looked at Jun with a subtle gaze, then soon let out a small laugh.
“And what might that be?”
“It’s a certain poison found in the Voltain Ore Fields.”
“Poison, huh. But aren’t the Voltain Ore Fields barren, not even a single blade of grass grows there?”
Just as Dexter said, the place was like a rocky desert. It was a desolate land.
And he was saying he’d find poison there?
“That poison doesn’t come from plants.”
“Then is it from a monster?”
“No. It’s a mineral.”
“A mineral?”
Normally, poisons are extracted from animals or plants.
But poison from a mineral? That was out of the blue.
“Well, the world is vast, and this is Blackout. Even if such a poison exists, I suppose it’s not impossible. But why would he want a poison like that?”
“Precisely because it’s something even Your Highness finds unfamiliar. That poison has never been exposed to the world.”
“Never been exposed to the world? Then…”
Even Dexter’s own poison-detecting artifact likely wouldn’t work on it.
“The poison isn’t extremely lethal. But if consumed steadily over time, it accumulates inside the body. And when that happens…”
One would slowly waste away and die without ever knowing the cause. And if that happened while Javier was out on his tour?
There was no doubt Beneth might go completely mad.
“What about an antidote?”
“There is none.”
That’s what made it even more vicious.
At that point, even Dexter’s expression grew serious, and a trace of fear appeared on Javier’s face.
“Mage. Earlier, you said you had a way to catch that guy.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then tell us what that method is.”
Feeling the unwavering determination in Javier’s gaze, Jun nodded and began to explain.
Thus, the long meeting continued, and by the time the sun was setting—
Javier was the first to excuse himself, saying he was tired, and just as Jun was about to conclude the meeting as well—
Dexter spoke.
“You haven’t answered the question I asked earlier, have you?”
“……”
– Do you know the man called Poison Master?
That had clearly been the First Prince’s question.
And Jun’s answer had been—
– I know what that guy wants.
A deflection.
So he noticed after all.
It was indeed difficult to deceive someone like him, who had stood amid countless political battles within the Imperial Court.
“However, I don’t sense any malice from you, so I’ll let it go. Just as you trusted that man Ginovan and took a risk.”
“I am deeply honored.”
“But there’s one thing I simply must ask.”
Dexter’s eyes, reminiscent of the deep blue sea, stared intently at Jun.
“Are you an enemy of the Heavenly Church?”
“Yes.”
A response without a shred of hesitation.
It was as if he had been waiting to say it, but Jun’s eyes showed no wavering.
“I have many reasons to kill them.”
“…I see. Understood. Thank you again for your help. Go and get some rest.”
With those final words, Jun stepped out, and Dexter who was frowning slightly rolled up his sleeve.
Part of the marking on his forearm began to slowly fade.
Seeing that, Dexter let out a sigh of relief.
“I didn’t expect to use this like that.”
[Sigil of Falsehood].
A relic bestowed by his father, the Emperor. One that could only be used three times in a lifetime and the very artifact Jun had been most wary of.
In Jun’s words, it was an absolute lie detector.
As long as the artifact remained within a certain space, it would designate a target, and the moment that person spoke a lie, it would immediately notify the caster.
And Dexter had used it… on that mage, who was merely level 5.
Didn’t Father say he used this on Sword Soul Aden and Dragon Knight Commander Ben?
The last one had never been used…until now.
That showed how sparingly it was meant to be used, only on those deemed truly trustworthy.
Well, I had no choice. That mage clearly knew far too much about the Heavenly Church.
If he could have that mage as one of his own vassals, there would be nothing more he could wish for.
Tch. Maybe I let my pride get in the way back then?
Had he not already declared before the Emperor himself that he would yield to his half-brother?
As someone destined to become the next Emperor, words once spoken should never be taken lightly.
Not that I see that mage as someone trivial…
A person worthy of trust.
Letting go of a mage with such limitless potential for growth…. that was something even Dexter found regretful.
“What a shame, really.”
It was one of those nights where he felt the urge to drink.
***
After finishing dinner with his companions.
And after returning from a walk outside the city with Aiden.
Jun locked his room, sat alone at his desk, and stared at an old book.
It was the one he’d taken from Ginovan’s office.
“What was the intention behind giving this to me?”
Jun opened the worn book and flipped through its pages, reading every bit of its contents.
“So damn annoying.”
After staying up all night to finish the book, Jun found himself craving a cigarette for the first time in a while.
“Phew…”
For a moment, he gazed out at the pale violet night sky, just before dawn.
“Giving someone your diary takes more courage than people think.”
“Is that so?”
Without a sound, someone entered through the window.
Ginovan.
Now the commander of the third lzvzl, he stood there with eyes glowing red, facing Jun.
“I’ve grasped the general situation.”
“Have you.”
“You probably can’t say much in detail, can you?”
“Naturally, no.”
“Would you give me just a few days?”
“I don’t see why not. There isn’t much time left anyway.”
“……”
With those final words, Ginovan retrieved his diary and departed.
“Fucking Heavenly Church bastards.”
Right now, Ginovan was under near-constant surveillance by the Evil Spirit Orb.
At present, he could still move freely only because he hadn’t shown any signs of turning against the Church.
But if he even hinted at rebellion, the corrupted spirit dwelling within him would immediately begin to rot his body from the inside out.
Which meant that, in his current state, Ginovan couldn’t be asked any questions related to the Heavenly Church.
Instead—
“The diary is an exception. He started writing it before the Evil Spirit Orb was implanted.”
Ginovan had cleverly exploited that one loophole.
***
A few more days passed.
It was just about time to start preparing for the next part of their journey.
If they delayed any further, even the Heavenly Church’s informants would start getting suspicious.
Rumble—!
If only the incident at the mine hadn’t happened at dawn.
“What in the world… What kind of natural disaster is this?”
Dexter looked at the debris blocking the mine entrance, his face clouded with despair.
It was at least fortunate that the collapse had occurred early in the morning, so no one had been killed or injured.
“Truly… who could’ve done such a thing…?”
Javier, standing beside Dexter, muttered in a slightly stiff voice.
Jun who was also observing the scene shook his head.
“The ground is unstable. Trying to clear it hastily might block off the path inside completely.”
“How are we supposed to deal with this now?”
And not far from the scene, Maya who was watching quietly murmured to herself.
“Here we go again.”
Maya had seen a scene like this once before.
This was the beginning of one of Jun’s schemes. Something even that person who was now Charles had once fallen victim to.
“It can’t be helped. I can’t just leave while the people of the Empire are suffering.”
“Indeed, brother. We must stay a bit longer and see this matter through.”
And so, they managed to buy themselves a few extra days.
Separately, the miners living in the area cheered, moved by what they believed to be the imperial family’s compassion.
Even I feel a little guilty seeing that.
Jun turned away from the miners with an awkward look on his face.
After all, the one who’d collapsed the mine entrance was none other than Jun himself.
Hopefully Dexter could comfort them well enough.
And if not, my wallet will have to do it.
***
As soon as the mine entrance collapsed, Botan sought out Ginovan once again.
“Why did the mine suddenly collapse?”
“I’m not sure myself.”
“Hmm. I have a feeling this will make the imperial family stay even longer.”
“Does it really matter where they go? For someone like the Poison Master, entering the mine shouldn’t be all that difficult.”
“That’s true. Yeah, Ginovan… maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s better if no one else comes near.”
To that, Ginovan nodded and replied.
“I’ll have the area around the mine cleared out for safety reasons. You can go ahead and finish your work, Uncle.”
“Understood. I’ll get in touch with the Poison Master right away.”
He had wanted to deliver the poisonous ore with his own hands, if possible…but what could he do?
The mine entrance had collapsed.
If there was any silver lining, it was that no one would be coming into the mine now.
It might even be a good opportunity.
“Then I’d better make contact right away.”
***
“The mine entrance collapsed, you say.”
– Yes, that’s correct.
A communication artifact made of black crystal.
The voice coming from the other end belonged to Botan, a member of the Heavenly Church.
“What about the investigation into those who left the fortress that day or went near the mine?”
– I looked into it. There was no record of anyone leaving the fortress that day. The soldiers’ testimonies confirmed the same.
“I see. Fine. I’ll give you further instructions about the item later.”
With that, the communication ended.
The owner of the black orb, the Poison Master, fell into quiet thought.
“So the imperial members have come down personally. I suppose we should take this as a declaration of war.”
Just a short while ago, everything had been going smoothly.
“Old Crone… I thought it was actually a good thing when that wretched woman botched the job and ended up dead.”
Just like anywhere else, the Heavenly Church was rife with factional struggles.
And the Old Crone had long been someone the Poison Master had kept in check.
She had suddenly died last year.
I meant to use this chance to rise even further by earning more merit.
The problem was that misfortune hadn’t struck the Old Crone alone.
The operation to corrupt the Third Prince was exposed.
How the imperial family interpreted that carriage accident still wasn’t clear.
But judging by the fact that two imperial members had come down to Blackout and were putting on a show of brotherly affection, they had likely seen through the ploy.
On top of that, all the channels connected to the Third Prince’s mother Beneth had recently been cut off.
I tried using poison several times, but none of it worked. I had expected resistance, but not that every attempt would be blocked. So they came this well-prepared, did they?
In the end, what the Poison Master wanted was to follow the upper order’s will—
To sow chaos within the imperial family.
If the Third Prince were to be poisoned, it was certain that attention would naturally shift to the First Prince.
All that’s needed is justification. Just a small seed of suspicion that the Third Prince was attacked and that the First Prince seems suspicious would be enough.
The problem was that the Imperial Family, more precisely the Emperor, had seen through their scheme and prepared thoroughly.
With my abilities, the only way to poison the Third Prince is with that substance… and there’s no other solution.
But just as luck would have it, the entrance to the mine where that mineral could be found had collapsed.
A trap set by the Imperial Family… It’s safe to assume so, isn’t it?
There was only one thing the Imperial Family lacked right now.
Decisive evidence.
Clear proof that the Heavenly Church had intervened in imperial affairs. It was obvious the trap had been laid for that very purpose.
“I suppose giving up is the right choice after all.”
There was no reason to walk willingly into the dragon’s maw.
Just as he let out a regretful sigh, the black orb signaled him again.
“I thought I said I’d be the one to initiate contact.”
– Oh my…? I don’t recall you ever saying that?
“…….!”
At that moment, the Poison Master’s eyes widened to the point of tearing at the voice coming from the orb.
It was the voice of a man whose tone constantly shifted, as if he were drunk.
And it belonged to someone with an unmatched position even within the Heavenly Church.
“M-My apologies. I had just been in contact with one of our members.”
– Well… that can happen. I understand… Anyway, how are things going on your end?
“There’s been a sudden turn of events. It seems the Imperial Family has laid a trap targeting us.”
– Haa… I figured as much. So, you were planning to give up and run away…?
“Yes. I thought it was still too early for our presence to be revealed.”
– Hmm. That’s a bit of a problem…
“…Huh?”
– I just received some rather interesting information… It looks like you will need to go there yourself and check it out.
At the abrupt order, the Poison Master’s eyes wavered.
Why would this man, who was always prepared for unexpected developments, suddenly issue such an order now?
Could he be trying to use me as a scapegoat?
– Ah… I feel like I can already hear your brain working overtime… My head already hurts from the alcohol, you know…
“Th-That’s not…”
– Don’t worry, Poison Master… You’re quite a valuable asset to me.
“…I’m honored.”
– In any case… I won’t be sending you empty-handed. I’ll send you an item, so make good use of it…
“An item?”
– It’s something very, very good… I sincerely hope you’ll put it to use…
With that, the signal from the black orb was cut off once more.
The Poison Master’s expression grew even more complicated.
Whatever the case, if an order had come from above, it had to be followed. Judging by the man’s words, it seemed preparations had already been made.
In the end, he gave a resigned sigh and rose from his seat.
Leave a Reply