Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Life and Death
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Lucas's pupils trembled. It seemed something in his memory had snagged on the point I'd raised. He worked his lips, then clamped them shut.
"That's just speculation. I personally received this food and never once let it out of my hands on the way here."
It didn't sound like a lie. There was conviction in his voice. So, from the kitchen onward? Or from the serving officer?
"Fine. Let's say you're right. Then prove it. Just one bite. Dip your finger in and taste it. Is this crazy talk from a madman, or is it really poisoned?"
I gripped the iron bars tighter, my knuckles turning white. Ten chances.
I couldn't waste one of them dying like a dog. If I ate the poison and died, I'd just suffer and reset without gaining any information.
Lucas was clearly conflicted. Ignoring the emperor's order would be easy enough. But the weight of the word "poisoned" was no light matter.
What if the emperor really got assassinated with poison in his cell? The blame would fall squarely on him, the one who delivered the food. He was just a lowly soldier—perfect fodder for the sacrificial lamb in some massive political struggle.
I could've sworn I heard a faint ding in my ear. Persuasion skill success?
He let out a deep sigh. Then he knelt down, inching closer to the bars.
"If there's nothing wrong, the prisoner will eat his meal quietly. No more complaints."
He dipped his index finger ever so lightly into the porridge clinging to the edge of the wooden bowl.
A small bit of the gray, doughy mush clung to his fingertip. He hesitated for a moment, squeezed his eyes shut, and brought it to his mouth.
Gulp.
The sound of him swallowing echoed loudly in the silent prison.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
Nothing happened. Lucas grimaced and smacked his lips.
"See? Nothing's wr—"
That was the moment.
"Gahk!"
Lucas's eyes rolled back. He clutched his throat and collapsed to the floor. White foam bubbled from his mouth. His body arched like a bow, convulsing violently.
"Ugh... krrgh..."
His nails scraped against the stone floor. He tried to scream for help, but his vocal cords seemed paralyzed—only a metallic rasp escaped.
I staggered back, slamming into the wall behind me. Watching the soldier die right in front of me sent chills racing across my skin.
If I'd casually shoveled that stuff down bite by bite? I'd be the one writhing on the floor right now.
Lucas's convulsions gradually slowed. His unfocused eyes stared blankly into space.
His heaving chest rose and fell in tiny, faint movements.
Silence.
The prison fell back into heavy quiet once more. One man on the verge of death and one still alive. And a bowl of spilled porridge on the floor.
My hunch had been right. Poison. A potent, fast-acting one at that. He'd only ingested a tiny amount, so he hadn't died yet... but he would soon enough.
I wiped my trembling hand across my face.
"Damn it."
The curse slipped out on its own. Ten chances, my ass—this was hardcore mode from the start.
Someone had tried to kill me. Methodically. Lucas was just the delivery boy; the real culprit lurked in the shadows.
"Shit... first things first, gotta save the guy."
That's when footsteps echoed from the corridor beyond. Not just one this time. Several heavy sets of boots. And the clank of armor.
The patrol.
Luke's body—barely more than a corpse now—lay sprawled right in front of my cell. Foam crusted his lips, his face twisted in agony.
"Didn't hear anything?"
"No idea...?"
The soldiers' voices drifted in.
I took a deep breath. And decided to play the madman. Hell, I was the mad emperor, right?
"Hey! Someone's dying here! They poisoned it! Trying to kill me!"
I bellowed at the top of my lungs, rattling the bars. Bang! Bang! Bang! The iron rang out noisily.
Thud, thud, thud.
The boots pounding the corridor grew louder, faster.
The irregular clank of plate armor mixed in. Orange torchlight flickered and danced across the damp prison walls.
"Over here! Sound came from this way!"
A gruff shout preceded five soldiers charging up to the bars.
The lead soldier spotted Lucas on the floor and gasped.
"Lucas!"
He dropped to one knee without hesitation, grabbing Lucas's shoulder and shaking it.
But Lucas just trembled sporadically, his vacant eyes fixed on nothing.
His pupils were already losing their light, the muscles around his mouth twitching wildly.
"Step back!"
A sharp cry came from the rear. The soldiers parted, revealing a woman in silver breastplate.
She'd removed her helmet, tucking it at her side; her long brown hair clung sweatily to her neck.
Patrol Captain, no doubt. Her eyes were sharp, brimming with disgust as she glared at me.
She placed her hand on her sword hilt first, eyeing me before even checking Lucas.
"Prisoner. What the hell did you do?"
Her voice was ice-cold, like she was interrogating filth.
"Use your eyes! Does that look like my handiwork?"
I yelled, veins bulging in my neck from frustration. Spittle flew.
"You think I brewed poison in here? Or gave him a heart attack with telepathy while chained up? The food! Look at that damned porridge!"
My finger jabbed through the bars at the overturned wooden bowl on the floor. Gray mush seeped into the cracks.
The woman's gaze flicked to the bowl, then to the foam on Lucas's mouth.
She wrinkled her nose, sniffing. Anyone with keen senses could smell it—the scent of death.
"Poison...?"
She murmured softly.
"Yeah, poison! The guy stepped up to taste it for me and ended up like that! Call the medic now! Get the antidote! If you don't save him, he's really gonna die!"
She flinched at my shout. She'd pieced it together; she barked orders at her men.
"Jason, fetch the medic! Now! You two, hold Lucas's limbs. Turn his head to the side so his airway stays clear!"
The soldiers scrambled. The one called Jason bolted down the corridor. The other two grabbed Lucas's arms and legs. His body was rigid as a log, hard to restrain.
"Ugh... urgh..."
Lucas groaned in pain.
The woman didn't blink. She pried his jaw open, her leather-gloved fingers plunging into his mouth without hesitation.
"Tongue's rolling back. Damn, how potent is this poison?"
She cursed, yanking it out. Sticky saliva and foam soaked her glove.
I pressed my forehead to the bars, watching. My heart pounded. Don't die. Please.
If you die, I'll be the mad emperor who poisoned a prison guard. You need to testify. Who gave you that porridge? Where'd it come from?
"Hey, Patrol Captain."
I swallowed dryly and called to her.
"Your man's dying. You gonna just stand there? He barely got a fingertip's worth. There's still hope. Tiny dose won't kill instantly. Keep him breathing till the paralysis wears off—he can make it."
She whipped her head around, glaring. Doubt flashed in her brown eyes.
"Tyrant like you knows a lot about poison. One of your usual tricks?"
"This the time for snark? Want him alive? Listen to me! Strip his shirt! Chest compressions—his heart's about to stop!"
She bit her lip. She knew I was right on instinct. Lucas's face was turning ashen, then bluish.
"Get the armor off."
She commanded curtly. Soldiers undid the straps on his leather breastplate.
Thud, snap. It came off with the sound of buckles breaking. Beneath his sweat-soaked undershirt, Lucas's chest rose and fell faintly.
She stacked her hands on his chest without pause.
"One, two, three!"
She pressed down with her full weight. Crunch, crunch. His body jolted like a doll's.
I watched, calculating rapidly in my head. Medic would take at least five minutes.
If his heart stopped before then, game over. But I couldn't do a thing from here. Just bars, chains, and the Persuasion skill.
"Harder! Break ribs if you have to—just get that heart pumping!"
A nearby soldier swung his spear at me for the advice.
"Shut it! Prisoners don't talk!"
The blade slipped between the bars, grazing my cheek. Cold metal. But I didn't back down.
"You shut up and your friend dies! Idiot—don't you get it? The one who tried to kill me won't let your buddy live either!"
The soldier's eyes wavered. His spear tip trembled faintly.
Then—frantic footsteps from the corridor. An old man in a white robe came panting up. The medic.
"Out of the way! Patient's status!"
He dropped beside Lucas, opening his bag. Vials clinked noisily. He flipped Lucas's eyelids, checked his neck pulse.
"Pulse is weak. Breathing labored. Pupils dilated... classic neurotoxin symptoms."
He pulled out a syringe filled with green liquid.
"Move! Administering antidote!"
The needle plunged into Lucas's jugular. The cylinder emptied. Everyone held their breath, watching. Even I forgot to exhale.
One second felt like a minute.
Even after the injection, Lucas lay still. No response. Failure?
"Damn... too late?"
The medic muttered, face stricken. The woman's hardened.
Right then—
"Gahk!"
Lucas gasped hugely, bolting upright. Eyes wide, he heaved ragged breaths.
"Hah... hah... ugh..."
He'd made it.
Relieved sighs rippled through the soldiers. The woman wiped sweat from her brow with her forearm and sank to the floor.
My legs buckled too; I slid down the bars.
Lucas blinked around dazedly. Still processing.
"Lucas, you with us? It's me, Captain."
She gripped his shoulder.
"C-Cap... tain...?"
His voice was a gravelly rasp. He groped his throat with shaking hands. Then his gaze slowly settled on me inside the cell.
I gave him a wry smile.
"See? Told you something was off."
Terror flooded Lucas's eyes. He realized what had happened. He'd eaten the emperor's meal. And nearly died.
The woman rose slowly. She eyed the spilled bowl.
Then looked at me. Not just disgust now—complex doubt and wariness mixed in.
"Someone targeted the deposed emperor... and my man got caught in it."
She murmured low.
"Getting the picture now?"
I smirked. Inside, relief washed over me. Lucas lived. Witness secured.
Now if Duke Karls heard about this, he couldn't ignore it.
An attempt to poison a prisoner. Clear security failure—and a signal of forces at play.
Even if Karls himself wanted me dead, he'd decided to keep me alive for now. Me dying like this? Would trash his face with Helena—and everything else.
The Patrol Captain ordered her men to carry Lucas to the infirmary. She carefully wrapped the spilled bowl in a handkerchief, securing the evidence.
She approached the bars, meeting my eyes. Without her helmet, she was quite the beauty, though a scar across her brow gave her a rugged edge.
My body reacted. Want her. Never noticed this hottie before.
What the hell...
"Take that bowl straight to Duke Karls yourself. Make sure no one else touches it."
I whispered low, gripping the bars. Adella's brow twitched. She nodded curtly instead of replying and turned.
"Move out. Double the guards here. No drop of water gets in without inspection."
The soldiers withdrew. Silence returned to the prison. But a different kind—heavy with nearby sentries. Tension hung thick in the air.
I slumped against the wall. My stomach growled fiercely. Surviving near-death had unleashed a tidal wave of hunger.
"Damn... when do I get food?"