Chapter 12. Poison
"Grand Duke Erna!"
As Erna was looking around the room that the servants had finished cleaning, the entrance of the main house became noisy, and Orpheus's voice was heard. It was a voice that was almost a scream.
“Orpheus?”
Startled, Erna hurriedly stepped out into the hallway. This was the main building of the Grand Duke's castle. Orpheus knew better than anyone that making a loud noise inside was rude. To think that Orpheus, of all people, was screaming like a madman.
Suddenly, she felt an uncontrollable sense of foreboding.
“What’s wrong? Why are you acting like that...?”
“Something terrible has happened! Grand Duke Callion! Th-to poison...!”
The moment she heard those words, Erna suddenly felt dazed, as if she had been struck on the head. Callion. Poison.
Erna ran straight outside without even thinking that she should ask again for more details about what had happened.
“Lady Erna! No! You must stay here!”
Orpheus rushed out and grabbed Erna. Then she turned around and shouted to the servants of the Grand Duke's castle, who were startled and at a loss for what to do.
“Everyone, close all doors! Entry to the main building is prohibited from now until further notice!
Orpheus was right.
In the event of a major problem with the personal safety of the Grand Duke of Hessengard, the principle is to immediately block entry from the outside and prohibit private movement within the castle, and to remain in their positions until the problem is resolved.
But to think that Callion, one of the Grand Dukes, had been poisoned. In such a case, everyone in the Grand Duke's castle had to do their utmost to ensure the safety of the remaining Grand Dukes.
Erna knew that fact better than anyone. So, as Orpheus had said, she should remain in the main house, wait for news, and lead the people...
“Where is Callion!”
“I heard that he was carried away to the Knights... Lady Erna!”
Even though she knew in her head what she should do, her body moved on its own.
Callion. Poison.
Those two words swirled chaotically in Erna's mind.
Erna ran toward the Knights' headquarters like a madman. Orpheus shouted from behind for her to stop, but then, as if giving up, ran after Erna without a word. When they arrived in front of the headquarters, it was already in chaos.
Erna was puzzled by the sight before her eyes.
She has never seen such a commotion within the Grand Duke's castle before. And no wonder, who would dare behave like that in front of the Knights of Hessengard?
Even during the time when she did not get along with Callion, Erna would ignore the Knights rather than clash with them.
Sure enough. The ones causing a disturbance in front of the Knights were Havand's envoys.
“What kind of rudeness is this!”
“Release Princess Adelaide!”
They were knights who wouldn't even bat an eyelid at most matters. Even now, they weren't shouting or making threats. They were simply standing like a wall, blocking the delegation. However, unlike usual, their faces were pale.
Just then, people came out from inside the Knights' Order. They were doctors.
“...!”
The moment they came out, not only Erna but even the Havand delegation, who had been causing a commotion, froze in shock. Their clothes were covered in dark red blood.
The doctors ran off while speaking urgently, without even glancing at the people causing the disturbance.
"We need to make more neutralizing agent!"
“Bring everything remaining in the pharmacy. And all the herbs in the other buildings, too!”
“But at this rate, making more won't do any good...”
Erna stood in front of them.
“What’s going on! What happened!”
The doctors, who were about to ignore and walk past, quickly bowed their heads as soon as they realized it was Erna. Just then, the elderly female doctor who had been in charge of taking care of Erna last time came out from inside.
“I will explain. You guys bring it as quickly as possible, just as instructed.”
"Yes!"
After the doctors rushed out, the remaining doctor escorted Erna into the Knights' building. Havand's delegation, who had been watching for a moment, caused a commotion demanding to enter as well, but the knights let only Erna, Orpheus, and the doctor in and guarded the building like an iron wall once again.
“Uh... what happened? Where is Callion? Is he safe?”
She needed to calmly assess the situation, but her voice kept trembling. As she closed the door and stepped inside, the dark red blood on the doctor's clothes appeared even darker.
This must surely be Callion's blood. As Erna trembled, the doctor took her hand and spoke calmly.
“First of all, to explain the current situation, Grand Duke Callion is alive.”
Erna couldn't feel relieved at the news that he was alive. Because the doctor hadn't said that Callion was fine.
“What happened? By whom? And how did he take the poison?”
"I will explain as we go. This way."
The doctor walked into the inner hallway.
Because thick curtains were drawn to block visibility from the outside, the hallway inside the Knights' Order was so dark that all the lamps had to be turned on. A servant coming out from the back of the hallway, carrying a bundle of white cloth, bowed his head upon seeing Erna. Erna stared blankly at the bedsheet held in his arms. It was a sheet soaked in dark red blood, just like the clothes of doctors.
“According to the knights, Grand Duke Callion was at the training grounds today, far from the Order, unlike usual. Princess Adelaide passed by while she was out for a walk and offered him some water. They say that immediately after drinking it, he collapsed, spitting up blood.”
At those words, Erna held her breath. Her whole body grew cold at the thought that all this blood smeared here and there was what Callion had vomited up.
“Fortunately, knights were patrolling the area who escorted him here in a hurry. Thanks to the knights rushing to the nearby Order of Wizards and informing them, we managed to keep Grand Duke Callion alive with healing magic before we arrived.”
The doctor spoke and guided Erna to the large room.
The moment they stepped inside, a foul and bitter smell, along with the stench of blood, rushed in. Orpheus, who had followed them in, could not bear it and covered her nose and mouth with her hands.
Erna stared blankly at the scene inside the room. Callion was lying in the middle of a large, unadorned bed used by knights.
Whenever Callion's body twitched violently, the knights standing beside him grabbed his limbs. The wizards continued to cast spells while sweating profusely, and in the meantime, the doctors were desperately pouring something into Callion's mouth.
"Cough!"
Callion, struggling, spat out what had been poured into his mouth. The brown liquid sprayed onto the bed sheet, leaving a stain.
Unlike Erna, who was stunned by the sight, the doctor spoke calmly.
"Fortunately, Lord Callion spat out most of the poison immediately after drinking it. Even after he arrived here, we administered medicine to induce him to vomit it all up. And the type of poison has been confirmed."
“...Which one is it?”
“This is a poison meant for pain rather than death. Fortunately, there are no neurological issues, but... Grand Duke Callion has sustained damage to his mouth and esophagus. He will recover, but the pain during the recovery period is expected to be quite long.”
Erna watched the healing magic being cast by the wizards beside Callion, then immediately drew a magic formula in the air. Each letter she drew emitted a stronger light than the others.
The moment Erna let go of it, the magic was cast. A golden light enveloped Callion's raging body. At the same time, his thrashing movements ceased. Then, the doctors swarmed Callion again.
Erna wiped the sweat pouring down her forehead with the back of her hand. She felt all the strength drain from her body due to the massive amount of magic she had used. However, rather than worrying about her own physical condition, she felt somewhat relieved by the fact that she had at least relieved Callion's pain.
"Where is Adelaide?"
"Princess Adelaide is currently being held in the Knights' Chamber."
"Drag her over."
At the command to drag her over rather than bring her, the knights left the room, sensing the extent of Erna's anger.
Erna approached Callion. The sheets were completely covered in blood, as if he had continued to cough up blood even after being wiped away. Meanwhile, the servants struggled to change the sheets again.
As Erna looked at her as if asking why, the doctor explained instead.
"This is because the poison he swallowed causes pain if it touches his skin. It is not good for it to come into contact with his skin, so we must remove it as quickly as possible."
At those words, Erna understood why the servants had frantically changed the sheets and wiped Callion's body.
The calm was short-lived; as the doctors tried to open Callion's mouth, the limp man roughly shook off their hands. At this sight, the doctor who had guided Erna looked grim.
“The problem starts now. Magic cannot completely cure it. We will eventually need medicine for what has spread throughout the body, but... Grand Duke Callion is vehemently refusing to let anything enter his mouth...”
“...”
Erna could guess the reason.
While spending time with Callion, they would occasionally talk about the past. Of course, since neither of them had many pleasant memories from their childhoods, the conversations were not long. Then, in passing, Callion mentioned the time he had eaten poison as a child.
He said that he hadn't been able to swallow anything since then. That's why he was in that state when he came to Hessengard.
Callion said that at that time, he felt like he would die just from the act of swallowing itself.
Crunch.
The sound of teeth grinding escaped through Erna's teeth.
She remembered what the doctor had said. That it wasn't poison meant to kill, but poison meant to inflict pain.
The one targeting Callion must be someone who knows his childhood well. It is someone with malicious intent who wants him to recall the exact same pain he felt as a child.
Erna looked at the ceiling for a moment and called out to Orpheus.
"Orpheus."
"Yes!"
Erna drew a magic formula in the air. It did not disappear but floated gently up beside Orpheus and flew away.
"Open my desk drawer in the main building and bring all the pieces of the ocean inside. If you take them, it will open."
"... Yes, yes!"
Orpheus grabbed the magical writing floating in the air with both hands as if catching a butterfly and ran outside.
After Orpheus left, Erna stood in the center of the room. Then, she began to draw a magic formula like a madwoman.
The wizards standing beside the bed where Callion was lying suddenly wondered what Erna was drawing in this situation.
So they watched intently as Erna drew the magic formula. And soon, the faces of those watching gradually hardened.
It was strange. What Erna was drawing was not the magic she usually used. The number of characters she was writing like crazy had already exceeded one hundred.
The wizards recalled the magic Erna had drawn in the lake region long ago. What Erna was drawing now was clearly... a much grander magic than before. One of the wizards widened her eyes and shouted.
“Ah, no! Lady Erna!”
"Grand Duke Erna!"
As Erna was looking around the room that the servants had finished cleaning, the entrance of the main house became noisy, and Orpheus's voice was heard. It was a voice that was almost a scream.
“Orpheus?”
Startled, Erna hurriedly stepped out into the hallway. This was the main building of the Grand Duke's castle. Orpheus knew better than anyone that making a loud noise inside was rude. To think that Orpheus, of all people, was screaming like a madman.
Suddenly, she felt an uncontrollable sense of foreboding.
“What’s wrong? Why are you acting like that...?”
“Something terrible has happened! Grand Duke Callion! Th-to poison...!”
The moment she heard those words, Erna suddenly felt dazed, as if she had been struck on the head. Callion. Poison.
Erna ran straight outside without even thinking that she should ask again for more details about what had happened.
“Lady Erna! No! You must stay here!”
Orpheus rushed out and grabbed Erna. Then she turned around and shouted to the servants of the Grand Duke's castle, who were startled and at a loss for what to do.
“Everyone, close all doors! Entry to the main building is prohibited from now until further notice!
Orpheus was right.
In the event of a major problem with the personal safety of the Grand Duke of Hessengard, the principle is to immediately block entry from the outside and prohibit private movement within the castle, and to remain in their positions until the problem is resolved.
But to think that Callion, one of the Grand Dukes, had been poisoned. In such a case, everyone in the Grand Duke's castle had to do their utmost to ensure the safety of the remaining Grand Dukes.
Erna knew that fact better than anyone. So, as Orpheus had said, she should remain in the main house, wait for news, and lead the people...
“Where is Callion!”
“I heard that he was carried away to the Knights... Lady Erna!”
Even though she knew in her head what she should do, her body moved on its own.
Callion. Poison.
Those two words swirled chaotically in Erna's mind.
***
Erna ran toward the Knights' headquarters like a madman. Orpheus shouted from behind for her to stop, but then, as if giving up, ran after Erna without a word. When they arrived in front of the headquarters, it was already in chaos.
Erna was puzzled by the sight before her eyes.
She has never seen such a commotion within the Grand Duke's castle before. And no wonder, who would dare behave like that in front of the Knights of Hessengard?
Even during the time when she did not get along with Callion, Erna would ignore the Knights rather than clash with them.
Sure enough. The ones causing a disturbance in front of the Knights were Havand's envoys.
“What kind of rudeness is this!”
“Release Princess Adelaide!”
They were knights who wouldn't even bat an eyelid at most matters. Even now, they weren't shouting or making threats. They were simply standing like a wall, blocking the delegation. However, unlike usual, their faces were pale.
Just then, people came out from inside the Knights' Order. They were doctors.
“...!”
The moment they came out, not only Erna but even the Havand delegation, who had been causing a commotion, froze in shock. Their clothes were covered in dark red blood.
The doctors ran off while speaking urgently, without even glancing at the people causing the disturbance.
"We need to make more neutralizing agent!"
“Bring everything remaining in the pharmacy. And all the herbs in the other buildings, too!”
“But at this rate, making more won't do any good...”
Erna stood in front of them.
“What’s going on! What happened!”
The doctors, who were about to ignore and walk past, quickly bowed their heads as soon as they realized it was Erna. Just then, the elderly female doctor who had been in charge of taking care of Erna last time came out from inside.
“I will explain. You guys bring it as quickly as possible, just as instructed.”
"Yes!"
After the doctors rushed out, the remaining doctor escorted Erna into the Knights' building. Havand's delegation, who had been watching for a moment, caused a commotion demanding to enter as well, but the knights let only Erna, Orpheus, and the doctor in and guarded the building like an iron wall once again.
“Uh... what happened? Where is Callion? Is he safe?”
She needed to calmly assess the situation, but her voice kept trembling. As she closed the door and stepped inside, the dark red blood on the doctor's clothes appeared even darker.
This must surely be Callion's blood. As Erna trembled, the doctor took her hand and spoke calmly.
“First of all, to explain the current situation, Grand Duke Callion is alive.”
Erna couldn't feel relieved at the news that he was alive. Because the doctor hadn't said that Callion was fine.
“What happened? By whom? And how did he take the poison?”
"I will explain as we go. This way."
The doctor walked into the inner hallway.
Because thick curtains were drawn to block visibility from the outside, the hallway inside the Knights' Order was so dark that all the lamps had to be turned on. A servant coming out from the back of the hallway, carrying a bundle of white cloth, bowed his head upon seeing Erna. Erna stared blankly at the bedsheet held in his arms. It was a sheet soaked in dark red blood, just like the clothes of doctors.
“According to the knights, Grand Duke Callion was at the training grounds today, far from the Order, unlike usual. Princess Adelaide passed by while she was out for a walk and offered him some water. They say that immediately after drinking it, he collapsed, spitting up blood.”
At those words, Erna held her breath. Her whole body grew cold at the thought that all this blood smeared here and there was what Callion had vomited up.
“Fortunately, knights were patrolling the area who escorted him here in a hurry. Thanks to the knights rushing to the nearby Order of Wizards and informing them, we managed to keep Grand Duke Callion alive with healing magic before we arrived.”
The doctor spoke and guided Erna to the large room.
The moment they stepped inside, a foul and bitter smell, along with the stench of blood, rushed in. Orpheus, who had followed them in, could not bear it and covered her nose and mouth with her hands.
Erna stared blankly at the scene inside the room. Callion was lying in the middle of a large, unadorned bed used by knights.
Whenever Callion's body twitched violently, the knights standing beside him grabbed his limbs. The wizards continued to cast spells while sweating profusely, and in the meantime, the doctors were desperately pouring something into Callion's mouth.
"Cough!"
Callion, struggling, spat out what had been poured into his mouth. The brown liquid sprayed onto the bed sheet, leaving a stain.
Unlike Erna, who was stunned by the sight, the doctor spoke calmly.
"Fortunately, Lord Callion spat out most of the poison immediately after drinking it. Even after he arrived here, we administered medicine to induce him to vomit it all up. And the type of poison has been confirmed."
“...Which one is it?”
“This is a poison meant for pain rather than death. Fortunately, there are no neurological issues, but... Grand Duke Callion has sustained damage to his mouth and esophagus. He will recover, but the pain during the recovery period is expected to be quite long.”
Erna watched the healing magic being cast by the wizards beside Callion, then immediately drew a magic formula in the air. Each letter she drew emitted a stronger light than the others.
The moment Erna let go of it, the magic was cast. A golden light enveloped Callion's raging body. At the same time, his thrashing movements ceased. Then, the doctors swarmed Callion again.
Erna wiped the sweat pouring down her forehead with the back of her hand. She felt all the strength drain from her body due to the massive amount of magic she had used. However, rather than worrying about her own physical condition, she felt somewhat relieved by the fact that she had at least relieved Callion's pain.
"Where is Adelaide?"
"Princess Adelaide is currently being held in the Knights' Chamber."
"Drag her over."
At the command to drag her over rather than bring her, the knights left the room, sensing the extent of Erna's anger.
Erna approached Callion. The sheets were completely covered in blood, as if he had continued to cough up blood even after being wiped away. Meanwhile, the servants struggled to change the sheets again.
As Erna looked at her as if asking why, the doctor explained instead.
"This is because the poison he swallowed causes pain if it touches his skin. It is not good for it to come into contact with his skin, so we must remove it as quickly as possible."
At those words, Erna understood why the servants had frantically changed the sheets and wiped Callion's body.
The calm was short-lived; as the doctors tried to open Callion's mouth, the limp man roughly shook off their hands. At this sight, the doctor who had guided Erna looked grim.
“The problem starts now. Magic cannot completely cure it. We will eventually need medicine for what has spread throughout the body, but... Grand Duke Callion is vehemently refusing to let anything enter his mouth...”
“...”
Erna could guess the reason.
While spending time with Callion, they would occasionally talk about the past. Of course, since neither of them had many pleasant memories from their childhoods, the conversations were not long. Then, in passing, Callion mentioned the time he had eaten poison as a child.
He said that he hadn't been able to swallow anything since then. That's why he was in that state when he came to Hessengard.
Callion said that at that time, he felt like he would die just from the act of swallowing itself.
Crunch.
The sound of teeth grinding escaped through Erna's teeth.
She remembered what the doctor had said. That it wasn't poison meant to kill, but poison meant to inflict pain.
The one targeting Callion must be someone who knows his childhood well. It is someone with malicious intent who wants him to recall the exact same pain he felt as a child.
Erna looked at the ceiling for a moment and called out to Orpheus.
"Orpheus."
"Yes!"
Erna drew a magic formula in the air. It did not disappear but floated gently up beside Orpheus and flew away.
"Open my desk drawer in the main building and bring all the pieces of the ocean inside. If you take them, it will open."
"... Yes, yes!"
Orpheus grabbed the magical writing floating in the air with both hands as if catching a butterfly and ran outside.
After Orpheus left, Erna stood in the center of the room. Then, she began to draw a magic formula like a madwoman.
The wizards standing beside the bed where Callion was lying suddenly wondered what Erna was drawing in this situation.
So they watched intently as Erna drew the magic formula. And soon, the faces of those watching gradually hardened.
It was strange. What Erna was drawing was not the magic she usually used. The number of characters she was writing like crazy had already exceeded one hundred.
The wizards recalled the magic Erna had drawn in the lake region long ago. What Erna was drawing now was clearly... a much grander magic than before. One of the wizards widened her eyes and shouted.
“Ah, no! Lady Erna!”
Comments
Post a Comment