Chapter 92: |
‘Addiction! Mercury poisoning can show symptoms like that!’
A shock passed through Raymond’s back as if he had been struck by lightning.
Mercury poisoning explained everything.
‘Neurological symptoms! It’s the same symptom that alchemists have when they accidentally become addicted to mercury compounds!’
‘This is the knowledge I gained while learning Alchemy Skill. This was included in the precautions when handling mercury compounds.
Raymond asked the soldier who came running as a messenger.
“What did fallen soldiers do during their break?”
“Uh…… I think I’ve been drinking water from the stream.”
“As expected!”
‘There was a mercury compound dissolved by the stream! Then everything is explained.’
Everything he theorized was right.
Mercury is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. So, you would not feel it even if you ingested it with water.
“Who in the world puts mercury compounds in the stream?”
At the moment, Raymond’s body stiffened.
One chilling assumption came to his mind.
‘Is it the Droughton guys again?’
Raymond now knows that the kingdom of Droughton was responsible.
The spread of the epidemic in the Bay Area and the sale of traps to the ruins were all done by the Kingdom of Droughton.
Even the incident of the Marquis of Langham was likely to have been the work of the Droughton men, so it was possible that it was their work again.
‘These devilish people. No matter how much of an enemy their country is, this has crossed the line!’
“BAron? Did you find out something?”
Raymond looked straight at Cliang.
“Give me an hour. Then I’ll sort it all out.”
“……!”
Raymond grinded his teeth.
He looks angrier than usual.
“We will catch all the damn devils who caused this situation.”
***
Raymond told Cliang and Lenton his guesses.
Both men were greatly astonished and outraged.
“How come! Those evil people!”
“I won’t be able to forgive them!”
Raymond said hastily.”First, please collect the water from the stream that the soldiers drank. I’ll take it to the tower later and analyze the ingredients and use them as evidence.”
“What about now?”
“We need to catch the devil who caused this situation.”
Raymond gritted his teeth.
“The criminal may still be staying around here. We must catch him before he can run away.” Raymond bit his lips.
The images of patients suffering from pain came to his mind.
Many of them will not recover and die.
‘No matter how much of a snobbish healer I am, I can’t stand still after seeing things like this. I will definitely catch them and make them pay for their crimes.’
“I’ll use the soldiers to catch them right now.” Cliang spoke in an exasperated voice.
But Raymond shook his head.
“If you mobilize soldiers, they will notice and run away. I’m sure they’re good at undercover and getting away. If they start hiding it, it’s likely difficult to catch them. We have to use a different method.”
“Any other way?”
“We have to set a trap.”
Raymond explained his plan, and Cliang shook his head in surprise.
“No way! It’s too dangerous!”
There was a reason why Clian reacted like this.
It was a tactic to bait Raymond himself!
But Raymond shook his head confidently.
“Excuse me, do you know what one of my tenets is?”
“Let’s save the patient”
“……No. ‘Safety is the best.’”
his two principles.
Along with “strong and weak”, it is “safety first”.
“It won’t be dangerous. We have a secret weapon.”
Raymond then looked at Lenton, a young lord with red eyes due to anger and sadness.
“……Me?”
“Yes, Lord, if you help us, we can defeat them all at once.” Raymond said with a blazing look.
“Then we will set out to catch the demons right now.”
***
“It’s a big deal! The Baron Penin is coming up the mountain!”
“Baron Penin?”
The White Sox paused in surprise.
They stayed in the upper valley, the drinking water source of the estate, and regularly spilled mercury in the water.
‘Could it be that they have already discovered their plot?’
It seems like that.
They must have picked up a clue and are coming up to check it up.
“Is the Baron Penin coming up alone?”
“He’s coming up with a dirty boy wearing a robe.”
“Are you sure? The soldiers didn’t come along, right?”
“Yes.”
The White Sox regained his relax expression.
‘He’s not sure yet either.’
If he had been sure, he wouldn’t have come up alone like that. Else, he must have been accompanied by soldiers.
“What is he doing now?”
“He is looking around the valley as if he is trying to figure something out.”
At that, the White Sox made a decision.
“Catch the guy.”
“……!”
“Now is the chance when he is alone. If we don’t catch him, this plan will fail.”
‘If he is left alone, he will discover the secret of the plague. If that happens, the plan will fail.’
‘I had to catch him before that happened.’
‘If we catch him, His Majesty GrandDuke Berard will be very satisfied. Tsk tsk.’
The White Sox went to catch Raymond with his men.
“Are you the Baron Penin?” asked the White Sox grimly.
Raymond’s reaction was strange, however.
Even after seeing them appear, he wasn’t afraid at all.
Rather.
“Yeah, you scuffling boys. This body is the Baron Penin.”
“……What?”
Raymond cried as if he had been waiting for them.”My lord, they have appeared! Please catch them!”
The boy next to Raymond pulled his hood back.
Elmud de Lenton
No, Elmud de Aris.
He is the successor to Marquis Aris, the greatest military family in the Kingdom of Houston, and was praised as the kingdom’s greeted genius.
Before he turned 20, a genius unprecedented in the kingdom’s history who had surpassed the intermediate level of a sword expert took out a sword with red eyes.
Towards the enemies who harmed the people of the territory who were like family to him.
***
Raymond uttered a profanity in excitement.
‘You damn bastards, you’re going to hell! You are all dead! Get ready to go to hell!”
There was a reason why he is so confident.
Because of Elmud, the boy next to him!
“The greatest coward in the kingdom.”
It was a public comment on Elmud.
But Raymond knew of other rumors.
“The greatest swordsmanship genius in the history of the kingdom.”
Three years ago.
Elmud broke through the Sword Expert intermediate level at the age of around 17.
It was a huge deal.
He was one of the greatest geniuses in the history of the kingdom.
Because of Elmud’s introverted personality, who was afraid to stand in front of others, it was a fact that only some of them knew.
Raymond happened to know the rumor.
‘Now Elmud must be stronger. He might be able to grab them with just his fingers even.’
He could see them flinching, as if they had noticed Elmud’s power.
Raymond swore in excitement.
“Those damn people. You guys are finished now! Be prepared to pay for your sins. My lord, quickly bring those bastards to their knees!”
Then an unexpected situation occurred.
Elmud stood tall and did not move.
“My lord?”
At that moment, Raymond witnessed Elmud’s eyes shaking anxiously.
His heart sank.
‘No way? Is he afraid? With such great skills?’
Come to think of it, what Elmud said yesterday came to his mind.
‘I was kicked out because I brought shame to him. I’m a coward unlike my father.’
At the moment, Raymond realized what he had overlooked.
It is the fact that the Marquis of Aris may have kicked out his son.
‘The Marquis of Aris didn’t kick him out for nothing! What a coward you were you!’
Elmud was not just a coward, he was an irredeemable coward!
Raymond quickly changed his stance.
“You guys, just go.”
“……What did you say?”
“I’ll show you special mercy, so get out! Live with penitence for the rest of your life.” Raymond was bluffing desperately.
‘Please go. Just go. Oh, I shouldn’t have planned this. I don’t want to die! Please just go.’
Of course no such miracle happened.
The White Sox twisted the corner of their mouth.
“Someone said this. You were the greatest coward in the Houston Kingdom. Good. I will capture you both and present you to His Majesty Grand Duke.”
The White Sox glared at Raymond with an eerie look.
“I will offer you as a trophy to His Majesty the Grand Duke since you ruined more than one of his plans. I am sure you will have a very long and terrible death. Tsk. tsk.”
It was a psychopatic laugh afterwards.
‘Argh! Help me! He is crazy. Why are they planning this?’
Now that it’s come to this, there’s only one way.
Raymond took out Mace, an iron club for self-defense.
He was shaking, but fortunately, this message came to mind.
[Trying to catch the culprit who poisoned so many patients!]
[“Heart of Steel” is manifested!]
[Have strong will and firm heart!]
‘But is it because I’m so nervous? Fear has not completely subsided.’
Raymond barely clenched his teeth.
“Young Lord, run away.”
“Healer?”
“I’ll hold them so go down quickly!”
It was not his intention to save Elmud alone through some kind of burning sacrifice.
Cliang’s soldiers are waiting not far away.
I had to call them in.
Elmud, a Sword Expert, would be much faster than a turtle step like him.
‘They don’t seem to want to kill me right away, so if he will only take a little while, the soldiers will come and save me!’
Thiswas the only way.
But Elmud did not move.
“I can’t go alone without the healer.”
“Oh, really. Just go!”
Raymond felt like he chewed up a million sweet potatoes and swallowed them.
‘I didn’t know, but it was a lump of sweet potatoes.’
‘I understood a hundred times the feelings of the Marquis of Aris who had driven him out.’
To make matters worse, they’re starting to move.
“It’s such a pleasant day.”
The White Sox pulled out his sword with a black smile.
‘Shit!’
Raymond choked back tears and stood in to block their path to Elmud.
“Go quickly!”
“Well, that can’t be…….”
“Oh, come on! Please run away! Oh, my! Hurry up!”
But Elmud only told a heartbreaking story.
“Well, you’re blocking the enemy for me, a coward. Uh, how…… Can you be so courageous? To not only help the people of the land, but to sacrifice yourself even in this situation…… How can you be so sublime when I’m a shameful fool…….”
He was so moved that his throat was strained a little as he spoke
Raymond, of course, was just gutted.
‘Shut up, you lump of sweet potate!’
Raymond picked up the mace.
‘Please, may heaven help me again this time.’
‘Perhaps, if I get to be really lucky, I might get as lucky as when I fought with Seytil.’
Then, as if the timing is just right, a message popped into his head.
[It’s a crisis!]
[Self-defense skill, “the healer’s self-defense skill” will be manifested!]
[Stat]
Stamina: 36 → 46
Sense: 33 → 43
Additionally, that went up more.
[The opponent’s power is strong!]
[The perks of ‘Achievement: The Dwarf Who Defeated A Giant 9+2) is manifested!]
[You will ‘slightly’ get stronger!]
[Stats]
Stamina: 36 → 46 → 49.5
Sense: 33 → 38 → 41.5
Due to the special effect, his stamina stat has reached a whooping 50!
