Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Vicious Master - 4
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We withdrew from the lord for the time being.
The lord didn't cooperate with us, but he didn't try to stop us either.
Deep down, that's what he wanted.
For us to cure the residents of this damned poison.
Jenia spoke up.
"It's a vicious poison, isn't it? This Galgu stuff."
"Yeah."
"Hiren Gois probably told them that if they wanted more of the stuff, they should prop up Kaild as the hero and even go further—threaten the emperor with their own lives as collateral."
"That makes sense. Digging deeper, it's Idria's scheme to tie our feet so we can't reach the 'starting line.'"
We all nodded.
That's when Serein piped up.
"It's vicious, sure, but don't you think we could solve it surprisingly easily?"
"Huh? How?"
"If Jenia and I cast a joint healing spell, we could probably drive the poison out of everyone in this territory. Might as well let me get my hands on that Withering Jewel while we're at it."
Hope lit up on everyone's faces.
But I shook my head.
"That straightforward... well, no. It might be easy for you two, but..."
"Huh?"
"It won't be that simple. If it were, Idria wouldn't have sent it as a means to block me."
Poisons handled by assassins are brutal.
They're on a whole different level from the stuff ordinary people encounter on the black market.
I glanced at Ophen, gesturing for him to explain.
But his face was stiff as he stared straight ahead.
Tap.
I patted his shoulder once and said,
"What're you thinking about?"
"Oh. Uh... nothing. Anyway, like Maide said, healing spells won't cut it."
"Why not?"
"When Hiren made this new poison, the one thing he focused on most was ensuring no one but him could antidote it."
He let out a sigh.
"The moment Galgu enters the body, it melts into the blood, turning the blood itself into poison. The principle behind healing spells is to maximally activate the body's various functions with the grace of the heavenly god to promote recovery, right?"
"That's the general idea."
"That's why it won't work. That spell would only activate the poison dissolved in the blood even more. Cast it, and you'd end up with a bunch of hale and hearty poison addicts bursting with vigor."
Ophen continued.
"For the record, grand purification spells are even more useless. Purification reverts things that defy the gods' providence back to normal, yeah?"
"Right."
"But is poison really something that defies providence?"
"...Probably not. Plenty of plants and animals born in nature carry toxins."
So, magical solutions were off the table for this one.
I asked,
"Any way around it?"
"We need Hiren's blood. That guy's a walking poison, but also a walking antidote. If I get my hands on it, I can whip up a cure."
Hmm.
I thought for a moment before saying,
"Hiren's current body is a fake made by Idria. Could blood from that fake body work for an antidote?"
"I doubt Idria would make a fake with purified blood."
"Fair point. Altering the blood would be like handing over Hiren's weapon."
Which meant our top priority was tracking down Hiren.
We all let out deep sighs.
Ophen finished explaining and lapsed back into a dazed expression.
Lost in thought again, probably. I asked,
"So, what're you thinking about?"
"The moment I dealt with my master."
"Hm. From what the emperor said, the guy died on his way out of the palace after delivering his final batch of poison."
"Yeah. Alcahad's captain was watching."
He gave a wry chuckle and continued.
"I let him watch on purpose. Back then, I was a member of the assassins' guild where Hiren was guildmaster. I made it clear indirectly: the target you wanted is dead, so don't hassle me anymore."
"Huh? A member?"
"Why so surprised?"
"I figured with your skills, you'd at least be an executive."
Ophen shrugged.
"There was a vice-guildmaster. A discarded baby left at the guild door like me didn't have a shot at climbing the ranks."
"That vice-guildmaster must've been pretty strong too, to keep someone like you under him."
"Hmph. Anyway, that's not important—let's skip it. Point is, Hiren definitely died by my hand."
He got more specific.
Hiren had been on his way home, giddy with the massive reward from the emperor.
Ophen had ambushed him on a mountain path with no special prep and killed him without much trouble.
"I gave the body a proper burial, at least. Haven't visited since."
"Why not?"
"Seeing his grave brings back bad memories."
We had no reply for that.
Ophen shifted to a brighter tone, changing the mood.
"Idria must've snatched his soul right then, before it could cross the Redbi River."
"Makes sense. Then she referenced the real body to craft the fake one."
"But no matter how great Hiren was, he couldn't have made enough poison to dope an entire territory's worth of people."
"Ophelia couldn't handle bugs in life either. We have to assume Hiren's been monsterized. Idria probably granted him powers."
He nodded.
After a brief pause, I asked,
"Anything else you want to say?"
Ophen smirked.
"Nope."
Alright, then. Time to get started.
[With what?]
'To see how Hiren poisoned the territory folk.'
[Ah. Whose secret should I show—Hiren's?]
'Should've asked the lord his name earlier...'
No helping it.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
The party members took a few more steps before turning back.
"What?"
"Fruit stand."
"Wanna grab something?"
"Not really, but I'll buy one for each of you. Come here."
Even in this dire situation, the townsfolk were going about their daily routines.
This wasn't something to applaud as diligence.
It was more a sigh for the reality where skipping work threatened your livelihood.
Anyway, I said to the fruit vendor lady staring blankly into space,
"Just one bag of apples, please."
"Ah, sure... Even now, customers show up. You must be from out of town."
"Huh?"
"No, one sec."
She listlessly bagged some apples and handed them over.
I said casually,
"These apples look really fresh."
"Thank you. But please, leave this territory right away. Though... it's probably too late now."
"...Not sure what you mean, but what's your name? So I can recommend you to friends."
"I'm..."
That's when it happened.
Her hand trembled as she handed over the apples.
The tremor started faint but soon her whole body shook like a leaf.
Plop.
The bag hit the ground.
Jenia rushed over.
"Ma'am? What's wrong?"
"Ugh. Again, again. I can't take it anymore. Please..."
"Wait, hold on."
She started to habitually clasp her hands.
I quickly stopped Jenia.
"It's withdrawal kicking in."
"Oh."
"Healing spells now would only poison her deeper. It's painful to watch, but let's leave it be for now."
She bit her lip and nodded.
It wasn't just the shop owner.
By the time we looked around, the whole territory had turned into a slice of hell.
"Uwaaaah! Again, again!"
"Huff, huff. Please. I'll give anything. Anything for that smoke!"
"Mom. Mom. I'm going crazy."
"Kuaaaaa!"
Some clawed their faces bloody with their nails.
Some rolled on the ground like mad.
Others bashed their heads against walls.
People licking shoes with their tongues.
People swimming in mud puddles.
People strangling themselves.
And so on.
Adwin finally turned away.
"I can't watch this."
"Come here."
Neril covered his eyes.
How long did the 'frenzy' last?
Whoosh.
Suddenly, smoke began blowing in from the far side of the territory.
Green smoke.
From a distance, it looked like a massive sandstorm.
I gaped in shock at the green smoke.
'No way!'
[Hey, if the leader panics, that's bad. Calm down.]
'...Yeah. Thanks.'
[That green stuff is obviously the Galgu poison. You've seen way freakier things—what's got you so rattled?]
'It's not the poison. I saw something that'll make you freak out more.'
[What?]
I was about to answer when
Ophen shouted in alarm.
"Barrier spell, now! That's the Galgu poison!"
"Ah. O Heavenly God..."
"Grant us your shield here!"
Jenia and Serein threw up a joint barrier.
A massive golden circle formed in an instant.
Ophen clicked his tongue.
"Too wide. Shrink it to just us."
"But—"
"Protect the townsfolk from that poison now, and they'll go truly insane. We might even get suicides."
Jenia and Serein had no choice but to narrow the field.
In the end, the green smoke engulfed every townsfolk except us.
The eyes of those writhing on the ground slowly regained light.
"Haaaah."
"I-I'm alive."
"With this, I can do anything. Anything."
"Haa. Haa."
They regained their calm and greedily savored the green smoke.
How much time passed like that?
The smoke finally cleared completely.
The townsfolk slowly rose to their feet.
Any trace of the peace they'd just felt was gone from their faces.
Only despair, frustration, and self-loathing remained.
They tore at their hair with both hands.
"What kind of bug life is this? Damn it all."
"What the hell is that smoke? What?!"
"I'd rather die."
"I can't live like this forever. Sob sob."
"Honey, hang in there. Please."
Risel's eyes reddened.
"It's truly vicious. That's no way for humans to live."
"Yeah."
"It was just like the old slaves. Only difference is chains of poison instead of iron."
We all nodded.
Neril said,
"That smoke just now—was it Hiren?"
"Has to be. Now we know how he poisoned everyone at once."
Every morning at this time, that smoke must sweep through.
Perfect way to dope a huge crowd in one go.
Serein looked deeply displeased as she said,
"Let's go beat that bastard Hiren right now. We can find him with shared vision from Jenia, right?"
"Ah. Yes. Just have Ophen describe his face."
"Wait. His face was so average, it's hard to describe."
"Never mind then. Thanks anyway."
"Huh?"
Jenia moved to summon Agril.
But I spoke first.
"Hold up a sec."
"Yes?"
"He's probably not wearing Hiren's old face right now."
"Oh... Did Idria change his features when making the fake body? But Ophelia kept hers—at least until later."
"Not what I mean."
Drip.
I felt cold sweat trickling down my neck.
I'd been shocked when the green smoke rolled in.
But not because it was poison.
[What then?]
'Blood Letters. There were Blood Letters floating at the top of the smoke. Black ones.'
[What...]
Explaining to Trail and the group at once, I said,
"That green smoke just now? That was Hiren Gois himself."
Hiren Gois finished his one lap 'tour' and settled atop the mountain overlooking the territory.
He was in human form.
The power granted by Idria.
Hiren could transform his body into any poison he'd ever created in life.
'Truly grateful. Heh heh.'
Hiren was nothing like Ophelia.
While Ophelia had rejected Idria's power to the end, Hiren had eagerly embraced it.
Simple reason.
He was in awe of Idria's true goal.
"Speaking of which... it's been a while since I last saw those faces."
Bright death.
He knew they'd joined Maide's party, but reuniting like this brought fresh emotions.
He recalled the moment they'd killed him.
When he killed me, the guildmaster... and even 'that child,' the vice-guildmaster, in such a state.
Grind.
Hiren gnashed his teeth.
"That hurt back then, my disciple."
We rented rooms at an inn and gathered.
To hammer out a concrete plan for this mess.
"How do we extract blood from smoke?"
Everyone fell silent at my opening question.
Adwin glanced around before saying,
"I figure the wind doesn't blow forever. It'll stop someday."
"Good point."
"No, not like some inspirational crap. You think that form's comfy for Hiren?"
He elaborated.
"Truth is, the first time I saw that green smoke, something felt off."
"Yeah?"
"There was a soul trailing behind it. Neril sis covered my eyes, so I didn't see well."
"I cover your eyes and this is the thanks I get."
"Ahem. Anyway, that soul looked seriously uncomfortable. Bet Hiren can't hold smoke form for long."
So the green smoke only swept the territory once a day?
Human form the rest of the time?
Neril said,
"Doesn't change much. He can still turn gaseous."
"True."
"So if we charge him, won't he just go gaseous again?"
"Hmm..."
Adwin crossed his arms.
The idea was solid, but we were stuck on the key part.
That's when Ophen spoke up.
"We sneak in and siphon his blood, then."