Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: No Way It's Poison...?
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Humans must discard their mistaken belief that they are always right.
Maybe it's because I've ingrained the habits of the Dark Venerable.
Thinking it over carefully, it's ridiculous.
This is the Pador household, a place that recoils at the mere thought of poison. And yet, poison was openly used here?
In the steak of the count's family's youngest son, no less, who's notorious for his frailty?
Nah, no way.
I must have been mistaken. Mistaken... no, but no matter how I look at it, it's not a mistake?
Just like back then, my nose picked up a faint, odd scent mixed in—not the usual gaminess of meat.
No harm in checking it out.
In that case... shall I test it with the five checkpoints for detecting poison that I haven't used in ages?
I pressed down firmly on the meat.
It squished, but no juices came out...
Does that mean this steak is well-cooked?
No. This is the telltale sign of poison having sucked all the blood dry.
The dark, clotted blood inside is proof.
I've handled meat thousands of times. The Sichuan Tang Clan made me do it.
They had me touch all sorts of meats, even poisoned corpses. That's how you learn to distinguish normal flesh from flesh infused with poison.
Ah, the Tang Clan really were a bunch of lunatics... Ah, scratch that.
I was their top dog, wasn't I?
Anyway, the meat's verdict is in.
Shall I test the other dishes?
I scooped up some soup with the silver ladle. No change in the ladle.
Of course. If it were that easy to detect, I would've noticed back in the day.
Then... what about the rest?
I deliberately spilled some soup on my sleeve cuff and even mixed some into plain water.
Sure enough, in the water, the soup subtly... separated unnaturally.
Poison here too.
Due to my odd behavior, Nellin cautiously asked,
"Young Master, what are you doing?"
I ignored her and continued.
Next, sight.
I cut a piece of the duck roast and placed it in a flower vase.
And then... a faint purple sheen formed like dew on the leaves.
"Young Master?"
This one's out too.
Every dish on this table fails.
They don't pass the five senses test.
It's certain. These are poisoned.
Alright, let's say a hundred concessions and assume it's all a mistake.
Why not taste it?
Taste is the surest way to detect poison, risky as it is.
Slice...
As I chewed the meat.
Why can't I stop laughing?
"Ha..."
Marian had been watching my expression and hesitantly asked,
"W-Why? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
I speared the meat with my fork and ate it. High-quality stuff, for sure.
So tender and delicious. And amid it, I could feel the poison.
Definitely tainted.
Someone boldly tampered with my steak.
On my very first proper meal, no less...?
In the Tang Clan, poison that killed instantly was called "tiger poison," while the kind that slowly tormented and broke you down was "vicious poison."
And the dishes on this table perfectly meet the criteria for vicious poison?
I ought to smash the culprit's head in and give them a round of applause.
An extremely minute dose that even the blood kin of the Sichuan Tang Clan wouldn't detect without deep poison expertise.
This type of poison slowly wrecks the body without the victim knowing, turning them into an idiot.
Fast-acting poisons are scary, but this is even worse.
And it was in the steak...
I casually brought another piece to my mouth.
Marian and Nellin, who had been waiting anxiously, looked at me expectantly.
"How is it? Delicious?"
I subtly observed their faces. Pure, innocent eyes without a hint of deceit.
Do they really not know?
Yeah, they probably don't.
I flashed a bright smile at the clueless maids.
"Mm... yeah. It's really good. Delicious."
As soon as the meat slid down my throat, a trace amount of poison spread through my body.
This is it.
The residual poison accumulated in my body. It matches exactly.
But for me, cultivating the Ten Thousand Poisons Heavenly King Divine Art, what tonic could be better?
Thanks. For the nutritious meat.
"More?"
"We'll prepare more right away!"
The butler, thrilled to see me eating heartily, hurriedly urged the cooks.
My lips curled higher with each bite.
The reason my body was such a wreck, piled high with all sorts of toxins—it all made sense now.
The answer was right here, wasn't it?
"It was real... it really happened. This is why I turned into such a wreck."
Laughter bubbled up endlessly.
Marian, Nellin, and the servants' faces grew stiff, but I couldn't stop laughing.
These bastards.
They ruined me.
Before I knew it, I gripped my knife like a dagger in reverse grip, then let go.
The mysterious group that brought down my clan.
The Evil Society. It was their doing.
And... one of them is hiding in our family.
I'd learn that bastard's face whether I wanted to or not.
I'd have no choice but to.
But I never imagined this—that I was the starting point of all their schemes.
Crunch, crunch...
I chewed and chewed the meat.
Devouring the poison that bastard fed me so nicely.
Does he know?
That their "gift" of poison is building my inner energy.
"Excellent meal. Whoever you are, well done. I'd love more in the future."
"Really?!"
Marian and Nellin, tense until then, clasped hands and jumped for joy.
Whether asleep or awake, these young maids worried about my health.
Oblivious that they were abetting their master's murder.
That's what makes it so vicious. Forcing the innocent into sin.
After finishing the steak, I moved on to the other dishes.
Every single one poisoned.
What variety! The Tang Clan's storeroom has nothing on this.
Should I call this a feast of poisons?
Like a picky child who chews thoroughly, I savored each bite, praising the cook's skill.
It really was good food for me.
Thanks. I was wondering how to source poison—maybe catch some venomous snakes.
But they're feeding me top-grade stuff on their own.
If they're giving me poison, I'll chew it well and enjoy it without issue.
I patted my belly and murmured,
"Still hungry. Anything else?"
The cook dashed to the kitchen at my words.
"Just a moment!"
Soon, the cook returned with food. For something rushed, it was a fine dessert.
I finished the meal with sweet lemon tart.
Poison included, of course.
"Now that's satisfying."
Screech.
I stood from the chair, stretching.
Now what? Should I just blurt out that the food's poisoned?
That'd be disastrous.
I'm still a frail invalid who faints at the drop of a hat. If I act rashly, I'll die before I can start my revenge.
The enemies need to think I haven't caught on to their plan.
I should only reveal the poisoned food when I can at least protect myself.
Until then, I'll play the sickly youngest son of Pador, pretending to fall for their tricks a bit.
More than that... I actually want to eat the real food here.
When night had fully fallen, I headed to the servants' kitchen.
There, I could eat real food without poison.
Nellin was shoveling potato salad when she spotted me and dropped her spoon.
"Uh...? Young Master?"
Potatoes stuck all over her mouth... she was eating fiercely.
Marian, prepping fish, tilted her head upon seeing me.
"Young Master, do you need something? Coming all the way here..."
"Yeah, I do."
"What is it?"
I pointed at Marian's potato salad with my index finger. Nellin awkwardly tried to hug the bowl closer, then coughed.
You glutton, Nellin.
"Can I have some of that and the fish too?"
Marian tilted her head.
"You too, Young Master?"
"I'm hungry."
"Ah! We'll get you something else. One sec, ingredients..."
"No, I want what you're eating."
I pulled up a chair and sat. Nellin stood with a blank face.
"Hm? Why stand?"
"No way a maid like me eats with you."
"Ah..."
The Pador family was relatively kind, but the empire strictly divided commoners from nobles.
Same here or there—no shared tables.
"Just sit and eat. Marian too. I'd like us three to eat together."
"But..."
Marian hesitated. Time to pull rank.
"It's an order. Order. Good?"
Marian nodded reluctantly, and Nellin plopped back down like the wind.
"Can't argue with that!"
Drool practically dripping—such an honest girl.
And so we ate.
The potato salad and soup soothed my stomach.
The fish, tangy with lemon and Eneris spices, melted in my mouth.
This is it...
No poison. Just because I'm cultivating the Ten Thousand Poisons Heavenly King Divine Art doesn't mean I like poisoned food— that's a misconception.
Who in their right mind enjoys food soaked in poison?
Daily life should feel normal to be enjoyable.
"Delicious. Really good."
"Really? The lunch must've been tastier..."
"No. This is way better."
Marian blushed happily, beaming.
Once I started, the girls dug in too, and we polished off the food in no time.
Gaining confidence, Marian stood.
"Want to try this too, Young Master?"
In her hand: chocolate muffins. I remember them.
Those were exquisite.
Nellin, knowing it too, licked her lips eagerly.
"Try it. So good, Young Master."
Saying so, Nellin crammed one into her mouth.
"Marian, how do you cook so well? Should I learn too?"
Nellin learning to cook?
Absolutely not. Even in my Dang Cheol-woo days, her horrific cooking haunted me.
It was worse than Tang Clan poison.
I had to stop her at all costs.
"Don't even think about it."
"...Okay."
Nellin's lips pursed like a duck.
Calming her, I stared blankly at the chocolate muffin.
Finally tasting the muffin I loved so much...
I took a careful bite.
Delicious. A bit rustic maybe, but the sweetness brought a smile.
And... with Marian and Nellin here, it felt all the more nostalgic.
After the family fell, we'd always eat together like this.
Tough times, but fond memories of these girls would touch me now and then.
I see... this is the taste I missed.
Sharing a table with people I thought I'd never see again.
This everyday normalcy is what I longed for.