207. Awaken (1)
207. Awaken (1)
- 1 -
"What on earth do you mean...!"
The head maid spat out the cake and glared at me.
Her eyes held intense fury.
At the same time, her gaze held shock at the news that the food was poisoned—and the question of why they had deliberately fed it to her while telling her.
I lowered my voice.
"Rest assured. There will be no immediate symptoms. Not unless you consume something else very soon."
"That means..."
The heat gradually faded from the head maid's eyes, and then her eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly open.
It seemed she had reached the conclusion of who the poison was intended for.
Uprightness was good, but she wasn't a quick-witted person.
"Shall we speak outside?"
At my words and gesture toward the maids, the head maid composed her expression and nodded.
"How did you come to know? No, is the poison certain?"
Yes. That question had to come up.
It was the one that hadn't been asked earlier—probably because I'd spoken so decisively.
"We also use silver spoons. But to be convinced that poison is present based on that..."
"There are many poisons that cannot be detected by silver. Head maid."
Didn't the alchemists of Earth also say,
'It is only the dose that makes a thing a poison'?
Cyanide, commonly regarded as a quintessential poison, isn't detected by silver either.
'Besides, this world has magic.'
Among phenomena that alter substances using mana, reversible ones are the most common, but irreversible ones aren't rare, and some aren't even magical.
It's also common for a magically induced phenomenon to change only the substance itself without being a direct magical effect.
In the end, the only way to properly detect poison in this world was a vast body of knowledge and the internalization of countless experiences.
As I said this, the head maid's eyes and mouth went round.
"Then..."
"I have a good memory, Head Maid. I've ingested many poisons—and experienced their effects."
The head maid's eyes turned to me.
The question contained in her slightly widened pupils was clearly, 'Why would a noble young lady experience such things?' but...
For me, it was natural.
One of my queens, the snake queen Echidna, was a master of this field.
As I said, toxicology and pharmacology in this world are closely related to magic.
And if it was a form of magic, there was no reason for me not to be curious.
Of course, I had no obligation to truthfully answer her question.
I took out a single gold stick from within my shadow.
"Hold this stick and insert it into the cake."
She took the stick I offered, shook off the clinging shadow, and inserted it into the cake. Soon the stick turned white.
When she looked back at me, her eyes begged for the correct answer to this situation.
"It's a stick infused with soul magic that detects hostility. And if hostility is contained in food, there are only two possibilities. One is a curse. And..."
"...Poison."
I nodded toward the head maid, who swallowed hard, and continued the explanation.
"Actually, it isn't a dangerous poison."
If it were a dangerous poison that caused death or fatal impairment, the royal castle's security would have filtered it out in the first place without needing other inspections.
And if the one who used the poison had been the Demon King or a Grand Duke, they would have noticed something unusual the moment they ingested it.
"The expected symptoms are lethargy, fatigue, listlessness... to the extent that it could even be used as a sedative at times."
Simply put, a sedative. That is, a poison with weak 'symptoms.'
But while its symptoms and toxicity were mild, other aspects were not.
"The problem is... it's a poison formulated to make its medicinal effect—or toxicity—linger for a very long time."
Even if the symptom was merely sedation, what would happen if the components of a drug that remained in the body for an exceedingly long time continued to accumulate?
Naturally, a person would grow lazy and indolent.
Furthermore, with long-term ingestion, speech could become slurred or respiratory impairment could occur, and in this world, even magical resistance would weaken.
If that happened...
"In the case of a weak demon, they could even die."
They could become a body that easily dies from even a simple wraith's curse.
Even if the Demon Queen's body was transcendentally resilient and she wouldn't die, it would become equally difficult or impossible for her to carry out normal activities.
Such a substance had been placed in the Demon Queen's food.
'She was a more remarkable woman than she appeared.'
As I continued the explanation, my curiosity about the Demon Queen grew within me.
This poisoning was exceedingly discreet and bold.
I didn't know how much poison the Demon Queen had been fed, but this was proof it hadn't been for a short time.
It was only natural that my interest was drawn to someone who had succeeded in restoring her will even while being gradually poisoned.
"We must report this to Her Highness at once..."
"Before that, we must detain the maids."
It would be an impossible proposal if this world were a society ruled by law without regard to status, or if there were high-ranking nobles among the maids.
Neither was the case now. Regrettably, or fortunately.
It wouldn't be without difficulty, but it was something that could be suppressed to any extent in the Demon Queen's name.
"Indeed."
The head maid pressed her lips together and steeled her eyes.
She nodded with a determined expression and spoke in a firm voice.
"I will take charge of the maids, so Miss Joanna, please go and speak to Her Highness."
I bowed once, then reported this matter to the Second Demon Queen.
And soon, we were able to discover the true culprit.
- 2 -
"Everyone withdraw for a moment. Leave only the head maid and the newly arrived maid."
"Yes, Your Highness."
At the Demon Queen's command, the maids filed out into the corridor.
Their glances flicked between Libertas and the Demon Queen, but no one raised an objection.
When only the two of them remained in the room, Libertas, her expression neutral but revealing a hint of sorrow, opened her mouth.
"I must report that poison was found in the food."
The Demon Queen's expression upon hearing this new development was comparatively calm.
But Libertas did not miss the slight tremor at the end of her eyebrows, nor the way her pale fingers gripped the armrest of the chair a little more tightly.
It was the precariousness of a woman who had barely pulled herself together before collapsing.
It was not incomprehensible.
'It's only natural, now that she's learned of the poisoning directed at her.'
Libertas thought it might become very easy to get through to her.
Because consciously knowing that someone might harm you was entirely different from truly realizing it.
Soon, the Demon Queen spoke with cold, sunken eyes.
"It cannot have been the maids who orchestrated this. We must find the culprit."
"An entirely just observation."
She seemed lost in thought for a moment, then arrived at an answer without consulting anyone.
"Joanna. You said this poison only activates when something else is consumed. Do you know what that is?"
"It is tea."
"Tea?"
"Yes. It will only react with tea of a grade high enough that only Your Highness would partake of it."
Creating a poison that reacts to a specific ingredient or a specific condition was not very difficult in magic.
Even if created through non-magical changes, it was only a little harder.
A poison that reacts to tea. And a noble who drinks tea daily.
Additionally, considering that nobles always change the type of tea when entertaining guests.
Identifying the culprit was not difficult.
"...The Jealous Duke."
The Demon Queen, who had been examining her guest list, soon uttered a single alias.
Various thoughts crossed the mind of Libertas, who had bowed her head.
'I thought it was the Duke of Pride or the Duke of Lust.'
Both were Grand Dukes who had relatives among the Demon King's consorts in the Demon King's castle.
Pride's cousin, Lust's uterine sister.
Soon, the Demon Queen spoke of the motive of the one she had identified as the enemy.
"Leviathan has frequently been in contact with Lucifer and Asmodeus as of late. It seems I must have gotten on Seth's nerves."
"Your Highness..."
The head maid, who had returned after detaining the maids, let out a sorrowful voice.
But the Demon Queen immediately shook off her bitter feelings.
"Apprentice maid Joanna."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"How should I deal with this matter?"
Was she sincerely asking for an opinion, or did she intend to at least listen because I was the discoverer?
Libertas's intuition leaned toward the former, but the probability of the latter was not low either.
But whichever it was, the answer was already determined.
"You must cover it up. For now."
"How dare you...!"
In the instant the head maid flared up and was about to step forward, the Demon Queen raised a hand to restrain her.
One of the three most noble consorts of the Demon Realm silently regarded Libertas and urged an answer.
"It is impossible to pin down a Grand Duke with this alone. It is only circumstantial evidence, and a Grand Duke would surely have one or two means to realize something has gone awry with the maids and dispose of them before physical evidence can be obtained."
The Demon Queen would also have been aware that there were eyes and ears of other nobles in her own citadel.
If she could not even realize that, Libertas thought she could not keep her by her side.
As she would be too incompetent as a collaborator.
Regardless of personal like or dislike, it meant she was too low in value to be considered a 'collaborator.'
"That won't be all, I'm sure."
Fortunately, Stella spoke without showing surprise.
'...Fortunately?'
Libertas almost tilted her head at the sentiment that brushed her inner thoughts, but she managed to maintain a respectful posture without showing it.
"You are correct. The Demon Queen lacks the power to ignore his pressure and proceed with this investigation."
Strength briefly drained from the Demon Queen's shoulders.
But only for a moment.
Watching her speak again with a firm countenance, Libertas inwardly raised her estimation of her a little more.
"Can I trust you?"
There was a certain earnestness in the Demon Queen's voice.
Not simply asking about trust between a maid and her mistress, but something deeper.
Libertas smiled only on the inside.
"It is not something I dare presume to say. But if you would grant me your trust..."
Libertas paused briefly.
Then she continued in a voice softer than usual.
"...I will do my utmost to repay it."
The Demon Queen fell silent for a moment.
Then, she gestured toward the head maid.
"Leave us for a moment."
"But, Your Highness."
"The two of us have urgent matters to discuss."
A trace of disappointment flickered across the head maid's face, but it quickly subsided.
Her loyalty could certainly be rated highly, but she was still a somewhat incompetent woman to keep at the Demon Queen's side.
Libertas shook her head inwardly.
"Now, please tell me."
After the head maid had left the room, the Demon Queen's purple eyes looked straight at Libertas.
"Why are you here, you who should bloom beautifully on the surface?"
Not the apprentice maid of the palace, but the dungeon lord.
It seemed she had not shared this conjecture with the head maid.
It was a wise decision. Even if it was close to certainty, it was still only conjecture.
Libertas straightened her back to face her, and naturally released the flow of mana that had been running through her entire body.
"I, too, am curious."
At that moment, the appearance of the woman with black hair and green eyes began to crumble softly, like sunlight striking satin.
Beneath the gentle illumination that filled the Demon Queen's study, the transformation of Libertas was as beautiful as a single painting.
Her height shrank by a handspan, and her features grew more delicate.
Her face took on an even more delicate impression, but her expression had grown firmer.
Skin pale as moonlight, frosty purple eyes that were cold as frost, and hair resembling the black night sky completed her true appearance.
The Demon Queen's eyes, of a somewhat distant color, opened wide as if trying to capture every part of this half-sister.
Libertas did not miss the subtle change in the sound of her breathing.
"Why Your Highness..."
"...would keep me so close."
A statement acknowledging that her guess was correct, yet simultaneously a counterquestion.
The Demon Queen's eyes wavered. Within them lay astonishment, along with some tender emotion.
"I have come to hear that answer."
A quiet smile rose on Libertas's lips as she looked at her.
A smile containing calculated goodwill.
It was something cool yet mysterious, as if moonlight enveloped the darkness of night.
The Demon Queen's purple eyes met Libertas's own.
The moment their gazes intertwined, the Demon Queen felt as though the time flowing in the room had stopped.
And at that same moment, Libertas was certain.
'It was worth coming to watch over this.'
That her value had become far higher still.