Isar nodded once at Carcel's question.
"I figured out how to decipher it."
"What is the name of the poison?"
“You don’t know that?”
Then why did you call us?
Carcel also frowned for a moment, as if he had the same thought.
"What?"
"I don't know. Do you think I'm the Master of the Magic Tower, or some poison researcher?"
"No, then why did you call?"
"Uh, I have something to show you."
With those words, Isar snapped his fingers once.
In an instant, with a surge of blue light, I found myself at the apricot's nest.
Fortunately, Carcel was holding my shoulder, so I was able to arrive without any trouble.
"There is something you need to see before that."
Isar finally introduced Apricot to Carcel with a determined look on his face.
Just then, Apricot, who was puffed up on the round grass bed with his face buried in his back, lifted his head at the sound of footsteps.
"Kaaaak!"
As if in a good mood, it suddenly flapped its wings like a newborn baby.
Carcel's brow furrowed in an instant at the baby-bird-like behavior.
"What is this...?"
Linea and I also blinked for a moment.
'So this was the reason you told me to bring Linea along. Because you were worried Carcel might do something to Salgu.'
After a brief silence, Carcel guessed the species of this creature.
“Improved chicken?”
And no wonder... For some reason, today Apricot had a crude piece of red cloth resembling a hen's comb covering her head!
Carcel asked Isar curtly.
"So what is this? What does this chubby chicken have to do with poison?
"Actually, this child is not a chicken."
Isar peeled off the piece of cloth covering Apricot's head and revealed his identity with a "Ta-da!"
"It is a phoenix. And it is also my monster companion."
“Monster?”
Carcel also seemed to realize the true identity of Apricot only then.
"Why are you raising a monster?"
"Your wife must already know. The efficacy of the feathers of this phoenix I am raising—no, Apricot."
Carcel seemed to have noticed something at the mention of feathers.
"Ah... no way."
What I said on the day I treated his burns in the past.
- If you get hurt in the future, come to me. I'll fix everything for you.
Carcel muttered belatedly.
"Why didn't I think of that? From the feather Asha brought to the magic stone with unique properties. They were all pointing to one thing."
"Yeah. It's a phoenix."
Carcel frowned deeply, realizing that this was the secret Isar had been hiding.
Then he asked.
"So, can you at least cure that poison with something like this obese chicken?"
"Hey, my kid can hear you."
It was true.
Apricot started to get angry for the first time at those words.
"Kaaak!"
He suddenly sprang to his feet, stomped his feet, and puffed up his chest fur.
However, Linea, who felt an inner closeness to Apricot, shouted brightly.
“Apricot!”
Upon seeing Linea, with whom he had become somewhat close last time, Apricot's feathers settled down a little.
Then Isar picked up Apricot, placed it on the floor, and said.
"Let's talk for a moment while the kids are playing."
At those words, Carcel asked with a displeased expression.
"Does it bite or anything?"
The answer to this came back from Linea.
"It's okay! I played with Apricot last time too, so we've become close now."
"Please be careful, just in case."
It seems difficult for Carcel, who hunts monsters, to easily let his guard down.
With a look full of worry, Carcel slowly lowered Linea.
Linea scurried over to Apricot and opened her arms.
“Apricot!”
“Kaaak!”
Apricot also recognized Linea and ran over excitedly.
Apricot, shaped like a round rice cake, soon came running and flipped over.
"Kaaak!"
"Apricot, are you okay?"
Because its figure was so luscious, she couldn't turn her body back over, and Apricot made popping sounds with her butt exposed.
Linea quickly helped Apricot up and asked.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
"Kaaak!"
It seemed that Apricot and Linea had become quite close before anyone realized it. The child giggled excitedly when Apricot rubbed its head against the tip of her nose.
Leaving that heartwarming scene behind, I continued talking with Isar, who had approached me.
"I don't know what that poison is, but it can be cured with Apricot feathers, right?"
"Fortunately, it seems we can make the antidote in advance. Just."
Carcel and I listened to Isar's words.
"I don't know who produces this poison, but the fact that it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless is dangerous. If a large amount is ingested, it is fatal enough to kill an adult male instantly after about a minute."
Isar took a small glass bottle out of his bosom, showed it to us, and continued his explanation.
"Experiments have shown that continuous consumption of small amounts can lead to death by unexplained, suspicious circumstances."
“Doubtful death?”
"If someone were assassinated with poison, traces would inevitably remain in the body, but this decomposes quickly inside the body after death, so even an autopsy won't reveal whether this poison was used."
It was a poison with a terrifying effect.
I muttered.
"With this, I could assassinate anyone without knowing the reason if I wanted to. As long as I could get close."
Isar nodded once.
He had an uncharacteristically serious expression.
"His Majesty the Emperor has always suspected that His Majesty the Empress was poisoned."
Carcel replied to Isar's words.
"Then this poison might really have been used to assassinate Her Majesty the Empress?"
"Yes."
"That's strange."
Carcel muttered, slightly distorting his eyes.
"Why depose the Empress?"
I also nodded at Carcel's words.
The assassins' purpose.
'Because Grand Duke Dischlie wants to make his son, Walter, Emperor.'
However, if there was a poison capable of causing Her Majesty the Empress's suspicious death, Lucian could have been dealt with using such poison long ago.
No direct evidence remains.
All that remains is the Emperor, driven mad by the successive deaths of his family.
No matter how much you suspect, without evidence, it is merely circumstantial.
If they were to push Walter forward at that point to claim legitimacy, the Emperor would also be helpless and forced to make a choice.
"Perhaps it is because His Majesty the Emperor is old enough to produce another successor if he were to remarry."
"What are you talking about?"
Ah, Isar doesn't know.
Carcel said to Isar.
"Asha said that Grand Duke Dischlie is behind all of this. I also think Asha is right."
Fortunately, Isar also nodded.
"That person is more than capable of doing that."
"His Imperial Majesty does not trust or like his younger brother..."
"His Imperial Majesty would rather remarry or choose a collateral relative than accept a Young Duke as his successor."
Isar accepted my words and continued.
"So that means they didn't use this poison any further."
"Still, you can use it as a last resort at any time, right?"
Carcel also nodded. And he spoke to Isar.
"Did you make an antidote?"
"I actually already made it. I just haven't tested it on humans."
Then Isar narrowed his eyes and asked Carcel.
"...Hey. Do you want to try the experiment?
I screamed before Carcel could even answer.
"Mr. Isar! How could you use someone else's husband as a test subject like that!"
Upon hearing those words, Isar's face contorted as if he had chewed on something bitter.
"Do you think I would just let that guy die? He won't die even if I wanted to!"
"Still, we absolutely cannot let Carcel be in even the slightest danger. He is actually quite a fragile person."
"You've caught this guy too? It's sickening."
Then Carcel provoked Isar in a low voice laced with laughter.
"If you're jealous, just say so."
"It's not that I'm jealous; it's disgusting."
Isar hardened his expression and shuddered.
"I knew your wife was a bad kid from the start. Birds of a feather flock together, you know."
Carcel swung his fist at Isar for saying that.
Puck!
I thought he had hit him lightly, but the moment Carcel hit him, Isar clutched his shoulder tightly.
Isar shouted angrily with a pained look on his face.
"You lunatic, I almost died!"
I also reprimanded Carcel.
"Carcel, you promised last time. That you wouldn't hit him."
"So I lightly tapped him with my hand. Just a tiny bit. He's just exaggerating."
For some reason, those words reminded me of his resolve again.
- ...Understood. I will absolutely not kick Isar.
So you really didn't just kick it with your foot...
I wonder if I should call this keeping promises well.
"Carcel, don't hit your friends anymore. With anything."
In the end, when I reasoned with Carcel, he nodded with the face of a gentle lamb.
"I never hit anyone in the past, but from now on, I will not hit anyone by any means."
At those words, Isar let out a grumble as if he were dumbfounded.
“When did you!”
Whether that happened or not, Carcel held my hand tightly.
"Do not listen to Isar."
“I will believe it.”
Isar, watching me nod, let out a deep sigh and finally opened his mouth to ask.
"Hey, anyway, what are you going to do about the antidote?"
***
One hour later, we decided to keep the antidote ready in advance at the Emperor's, the Crown Prince's, and the Marquis's residences, and we returned to the Marquis's residence.
And it was just as I was about to look at the documents Carcel had given me again, letting out a sigh.
Carcel entered the room with a knock.
"Asha, do you happen to remember Princess Amira, whom you met yesterday?"
"Oh, did the invitation come?"
I was actually thinking you'd be here soon!
"Yes. And this was sent by the Grand Duchess... I think she is inviting you to the salon."
"Thank you!"
First, I opened the invitation Amira sent.
<Marchioness, heal my cat today or tomorrow.>
It was crooked and looked like something a child had written, and even the grammar was wrong, but I smiled slightly.
Carcel cautiously asked me as I was about to write a reply.
"By the way, does Asha intend to accept the Grand Duchess's invitation?"
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