“I’m glad I came right away!!! You little rascal, how could you scheme such a heinous act…?”
A one-armed man shouted while holding Aida as if she were something precious, her expression still dazed, not understanding what was going on.
“How did you know…?”
And Venom couldn’t believe the situation unfolding before him.
How could someone from the Imperial Family, who had attacked the cult, follow him all the way here?
Not only had they tracked him down to his hometown, Goldfull Valley, but it seemed they were aware of the very plan he had just concocted, his opponent’s expression ablaze with anger.
“Were those dark wizards really planning to turn a child and a dog into a chimera?”
“I was foolish. I thought Lord Yustaf and Crown Prince were being too extreme after reading comic books, but I never expected they were really preparing for something like this.”
“I want to hack that bastard to pieces right now!!! How could a person even entertain such a thought!”
Not just those who appeared to be of the royal family, but even the knights standing behind him radiated fierce anger.
Bark!
Having seemingly fulfilled his role, Rach quietly ceased confronting Venom and returned to lie beside Aida.
Despite the difficulty in reading his expression, Rach, who had climbed onto the cart, looked at Venom with Aida, his face telling a clear story.
“You’re done for.”
At that moment, the knights rushed in, pouncing on Venom.
The Crown Prince gently brushed Aida’s hair with his left hand, checking for injuries.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No! Aida was protected by Rach.”
Aida smiled brightly, as if nothing were wrong, petting the puppy.
The Crown Prince gazed at the puppy that had done such a commendable job.
“It looks just like the puppy from ‘Iron-Blooded Alchemist’. Rupert… you can rest easy now; the tragic fate you drew has been averted.”
Thinking about how anxious Rupert must have been, wishing for someone to help him as he sketched that disaster, he felt incredibly grateful for having noticed it in time and stopped the tragedy.
“But uncle, why are you hurt? Does it hurt? Let’s go to the church! If you let the uncle there touch you, it won’t hurt at all!”
“It’s fine. I’ve gained something more important than my hand, so I’m not in pain.”
“What is it?”
“The future… I sacrificed my right arm for the future of the Empire.”
The soldiers he had saved from the burrow snake attack.
The little girl and the dog he had rescued from the dark wizard’s wicked scheme.
And the countless innocent lives that could have been lost had that gruesome magic circle been activated.
Protecting them was worth giving up an arm, wasn’t it?
“Leon, take that author to the Imperial Intelligence Department for a thorough investigation of the incident.”
“As you command! Your Highness.”
Venom, already half-beaten to a pulp by the knights’ escort, was tightly bound with ropes, and after a search, one of the knights, Leon, escorted him back to the Mage Tower.
“Come on, little one. I’ll see you home.”
“I’m not a little one! Aida is a pretty young lady, like you said!”
“Yes, our pretty young lady. I will escort you.”
The Crown Prince hoisted Aida up with his left hand and slowly began to walk.
Rach quietly followed behind.
Meanwhile, the remaining knights debated what to do with the abandoned cart before pulling it as they made their way to the House of Count Somerset.
*
“I can sense an unusually large amount of cannabinol accumulating in Somerset’s body.”
“Cannabinol?”
“Yes, with this amount, it seems like it’s built up over quite some time.”
What on earth could this cannabinol accumulating in my body be?
I don’t particularly smoke or drink excessively.
Occasionally, I might have a glass of wine before bed.
As for diet, the mansion’s staff prepares each meal with utmost care, and even from a modern perspective, it’s a nutritionally balanced diet.
Surely this wasn’t like Earth, where fish would be polluted with microplastics.
“I really can’t make sense of it. I haven’t eaten any specific foods excessively…”
“Cannabinol is a substance that is difficult to ingest naturally.”
“Is it… poison?”
“No, it’s a drug.”
The saintess looked at him with a somewhat suspicious gaze. It was understandable, seeing as cannabinol is often found in the components used to treat drug addicts in the slums of the Empire.
There was no way to avoid doubting whether Rupert was a drug addict.
“I have never done drugs!”
“Cannabinol is such a unique component that it is hard to detect. The only common use is in vitality potions.”
“Does that mean drugs are in vitality potions?!”
“Unless you drink it like it’s water, it’s an extremely small quantity, so there’s no problem.”
– No one drinks vitality potions like water anyway.
Rupert bowed his head in embarrassment at the saintess’s obvious remark.
He confessed he had been drinking vitality potions like water, and while the saintess was shocked, she removed the cannabinol from Rupert’s body.
The saintess said she believed his collapse might have been due to this, and aside from that, my his health conditions were perfectly fine.
Ignoring what couldn’t be dealt with right now, Rupert felt it was nothing short of a miracle that the saintess had checked his health personally.
‘Some nobles donate hundreds of gold just to receive the saintess’s blessing.’
Receiving such a precious thing for free made Rupert feel he had no choice but to bow deeply.
Knock knock!
Just then, as he was about to hear one of the reasons the saintess had come, someone urgently knocked on the parlor door.
“Who is it! We have an important guest at the moment.”
Rupert anxiously checked the expressions of the saintess and her entourage. Fortunately, they didn’t appear particularly angry, but this was still a significant breach of etiquette.
Everyone, including Alain, was well aware that the saintess was speaking with Rupert right now.
To knock rudely on the parlor door like this?
It could be interpreted as there was something more important than the saintess’s audience, and Rupert felt a sweat bead on his palm.
In the medieval era, the laws varied according to one’s status.
If someone at the level of the saintess were to blame rudeness and become angry, it wouldn’t be surprising for the House of Count to face utter ruin.
– There’s a smell of heresy from this author!
– Wooooah! Let’s behead the heretic and seize their fortune to bestow the goddess’s grace.
Rupert had no confidence in dealing with the fanatical followers of the Goddess Church if they were to swarm.
“It might be something important, so let them in, Sir Rupert.”
“No! What could possibly be more important than attending to the saintess?!”
“It’s truly fine. If it’s not a big deal, it’s good to know there’s nothing happening, and if it’s something urgent, finding out quickly is even better.”
At the saintess’s insistence to not worry and just check, Rupert finally opened the parlor door with a heavy heart.
Surely everyone in the family knew the saintess had come to visit and that I was hosting her; how could someone commit such rudeness?
He couldn’t shake the thought that something truly might have happened.
Outside the door stood a maid from the household, looking grave and anxious.
“What is the matter?”
“Y…Young Master, it’s a disaster at the workshop…and at the main gate of the mansion…”
The maid babbling in a panic, struggling to express herself, looked as if she had seen a ghost.
Seeing her expression made Rupert tense up, wondering if something truly might have happened.
“Take your time. Can you tell me step by step?”
“So…”
Thanks to Rupert calming her down, the maid finally regained her composure and began to explain the horrific incident she had witnessed and the shocking figure who had arrived moments ago.
The incident initiated like this.
As usual, the maid Yuri was meticulously cleaning every corner of the house that day, being especially diligent.
It was because they had received word that the saintess of the Goddess Church would be visiting the mansion.
Yuri, a devout follower of the Goddess Church, didn’t realize how exhausting her work was as she could finally glimpse the revered saintess’s face from afar.
Then, Alain came to her.
‘This is Lady Amelia, the eldest daughter of House Bluewell. She wishes to cook for the staff at the workshop, so please assist her accordingly.’
How could such a beautiful person exist in this world?
Just like the saintess she had seen a moment ago, she was stunningly beautiful.
‘Your name is Yuri? I look forward to working with you.’
Amelia smiled at Yuri, who felt a surge of admiration for her.
As the noble young lady from House Bluewell, no one would complain even if she treated someone like Yuri poorly, yet here she was, being so kind.
‘I’ll handle the preparations, Miss. You shouldn’t get your lovely hands wet…’
‘It’s okay. I’ve done this often at home, so I’m used to it by now.’
Certainly, the noble young lady from House Bluewell was different, Yuri thought.
Upon hearing Amelia often cooked at home, Yuri merely stepped back and handed her the ingredients she mentioned.
However,
‘Oh? Why is this inflating? Should I sprinkle a bit more salt…?’
Yuri could hardly believe her eyes witnessing the dazzling magic occurring from Amelia’s hands.
Why on earth was she pouring salt like that with a spoon?
No, it was one thing to heat the oil for frying, but when she tossed whole fruits into the oil claiming they were necessary for flavor, Yuri thought she might faint.
The knife she used for preparing the ingredients looked decent, but the finished product resembled a pile of veggies cut into all different sizes.
The ingredients that Amelia had brought were all first-class, expensive, and fresh, yet under her hands, they transformed into what could barely be recognized as waste.
Yuri recalled a comic book she had read recently, ‘Iron-Blooded Alchemist’.
In her eyes, Amelia was undoubtedly an alchemist who turned ingredients into trash.
Finally, Amelia’s concoction was completed.
Terrified of witnessing the outcome, Yuri instinctively took a step back.
“Thank you for helping me, Yuri. Now, shall we bring the food to the staff?”
Inside, Yuri wanted to scream ‘No!’ and stop her, but she couldn’t muster that courage.
She had no choice but to carry the food to the workshop in Amelia’s stead.
– A dish prepared by the young lady herself! I have to eat this even if it kills me!!!
– With such a beautiful lady making it, it must be heavenly.
– Wait for me! I’ll taste it first.
The artisans cheered as the food arrived.
And then they collapsed.
1. In subject area: Chemistry. Cannabinol (CBN) is a compound that is formed from the oxidation of THCA in aged cannabis, typically through exposure to sunlight
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.