Chapter 10 - My Own (4)
The water in the cup was a pale blue.
I hesitated, taking a deep breath.
"Phew..."
Instantly, a faint, nutty scent pierced my nostrils.
So that's it.
This is poison.
I don't know exactly what kind, but it was a thinly diluted poison poured into the cup.
What's strange is that I can now distinguish the smell of poison.
Is this all because of the traces everyone left within me?
Or could it be something else...?
"Do I just put it in?"
As I asked, I simultaneously dipped my finger into the water.
The Inspector cleared his throat and nodded.
"That liquid is called a rash toxin."
"What? Poison?"
"There's no need to worry. It's not potent. You can take your finger out now."
I hastily withdrew my finger.
The Inspector looked at my finger for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Look. Isn't your skin perfectly fine?"
"Uh... It is."
"Normally, the skin would turn red. Indeed, what the physician said was true. Actually, while Young Master was unconscious, I conducted a few tests with the physician. To get straight to the point, Young Master, you are already wielding Aura."
"What? Me?"
"That's right. In fact, I thought that might be the case from the beginning. Because Young Master survived that poison cave."
The Inspector dipped his own finger into the water glass and said,
"The results alone mean that your body has developed resistance to poison. That is, Aura."
"But I can't wield Aura. I have no leyline affinity whatsoever. Even now, I don't feel anything particular..."
"Could it be that you awakened it due to this incident?"
"What?"
"Leyline affinity isn't a lifelong immutable ability. Even if someone had no affinity when they were young, it's not uncommon for them to awaken it anew as they get older."
Of course, that's true.
That's why I also underwent the academy test with a sliver of hope.
With the wish that some subtle awakening might occur at the very moment of the test.
"To be frank, Young Master's Aura is currently at such a negligible level that it's practically imperceptible. It's almost too faint to even call it 1st Stage."
"..."
"But there's a world of difference between having nothing and having something. Even the minimum is fine. If you can wield Aura, the condition is met. I will contact them immediately and proceed with your enrollment process for the Northern Academy."
"You, Inspector?"
"I have that much authority. We'll simply conduct the test here at our discretion and mark it as passed."
"Already passed? Is that allowed?"
"Of course. Who would question it when an Inspector vouches for it? Even an academy professor wouldn't dare to find fault."
So this is how it was going to happen.
I had been curious about how I would enroll in the academy. Knowing the outcome felt almost anticlimactic.
Is this the power of an Inspector that my brother Rajiks longed for so much?
To have academy enrollment confirmed by such a simple test...
"Thank you, Inspector. I won't forget this favor."
"There's no need to feel burdened. This is all I can do."
The Inspector smiled and shook his head.
"From here on, it depends on Young Master's efforts. Even an Inspector's grandfather couldn't interfere with internal academy matters."
"Of course. What you've done is more than enough."
"Young Master will surely do well. Even if your Aura is weak, your swordsmanship is top-notch. Oh, do you have anything you'd like to ask? I also attended the Northern Academy in the past, so..."
"Do you know what the Poison King Cult is?"
The question came out instinctively.
The Inspector gasped and held his breath.
"Hmm, that is..."
"I heard it from an enemy minion in the poison cave. They called themselves the Poison King Cult, not the Poison King family."
"The Poison King Cult is... a radical religious group that splintered off from the Poison King family."
"Splintered off?"
"As far as we've confirmed, yes."
The Inspector frowned and sighed.
"The Poison King Cult is a religion that worships the First Poison King, Kainens, who died hundreds of years ago, as a god."
"..."
"And they are also the main culprits behind this incident. However, it's certain that the cult's power has been broken by this incident. There were massive battles during the pursuit. It's been confirmed that at least a thousand combatants were eliminated."
"That's good news."
Was it really good news?
That there were fewer people for me to kill?
"That's right. Although saying this won't bring comfort... Young Master's revenge has already been somewhat achieved by us. I hope it brings you a little solace. In the past few days, we've also begun receiving information that the cult's forces have effectively disintegrated."
"In that case, that's fortunate. Phew..."
I sighed and bowed my head, looking regretful but also slightly relieved.
Of course, it was all an act.
Contrary to the Inspector's story, the Poison King Cult still maintained a large force and would continue to do so.
How did I know?
At least, that's what happened in the future I saw.
In the hazy illusion of that future, I was unleashing endless madness against countless enemies.
So there was no need to worry about the targets for my revenge disappearing.
It didn't matter if a thousand had died right now.
The enemies in the future were as numerous as the stars in the sky.
After the interrogation ended, I went outside the building for the first time in days to get some fresh air.
Crest was quite a large city.
Even in the late afternoon, many people bustled through the streets.
Even though the Granvelle family had fallen, the world remained the same.
Almost nothing seemed to have changed during my absence.
After watching the people for a while, I shifted my gaze to the faint blue liquid on my finger.
They called it a lightly diluted rash toxin, right?
If it had been ordinary water, it would have dried and disappeared long ago.
But this liquid still remained on my finger, maintaining its viscosity.
Because it was poison.
And if I had truly wielded Aura, the poison, being antithetical to Aura, would have rapidly decomposed and vanished.
That's right.
It was like that.
It wasn't that I blocked the toxicity because I wielded Aura.
It was simply that this poison wasn't strong enough to penetrate my body.
Just a few days ago, the most terrifying poisons in the world had resided within my body.
Leyline Poison.
And Life-Death Poison.
Although they had left my body now, weak animals usually don't dare to approach the dens where powerful predators used to live.
Because the scent remains.
So even though my body was now empty, most common poisons simply couldn't penetrate it.
"Poison..."
I gathered the poison on my finger into a small droplet.
This fellow cannot enter my body.
But I can control this fellow freely.
Because...
I was once the Poison King.
Though only for a brief moment, I held the memory of the Poison King occupying my body.
And the memory of the Poison King himself.
Thanks to that, this kind of trick was possible.
"Haha..."
Laughter escaped me.
It truly was a ridiculous situation.
A descendant of the Sword King family who can't wield Aura but can control poison.
I wiped my finger clean before anyone could see.
Plop.
A small droplet spread on the dirt ground.
Am I pure?
No.
I am already poison itself.
At least mentally, I am.
Of course, my body isn't different.
Although not immediately, in the future, I will become a hideously distorted figure, like a toxic being or a poison demon.
Gaining such immense power, I will indiscriminately tear apart enemies who possess similar strength.
That is the future I desire and have chosen.
The path of revenge.
There is no other path.
Things have already turned out this way.
No, is there really no other way?
Really?
"If I just disappear like this..."
Wouldn't that be good too?
Everyone's dead anyway.
If I fail the family head assessment in a few years, the Granvelle family itself, to which I belong, will disappear.
If that's the case, wouldn't it be right for me to disappear with it?
What's the point of protecting a family when I'm the only one left anyway?
-No, Ray.
Then, a voice came from somewhere.
-You are the family.
-You must protect the family.
-We will always be by your side.
"...Brother?"
I felt a presence from somewhere.
I looked around, then finally gazed up at the sky.
High in the not-so-distant sky.
A somewhat familiar red orb was looking down at me.
"Ah..."
I stared blankly at it.
Just by looking, I knew what it was.
They were all there.
Everyone who had left me hadn't truly vanished; they were watching over me from there.
"Ha, ha, haha..."
Laughter escaped me without my knowing.
So that's it.
I wasn't alone yet.
Other people apparently couldn't see it.
Otherwise, they wouldn't fail to notice something so bright red floating in the daytime sky.
"Hi? How's everyone doing?"
I waved my hand towards the orb.
The orb seemed to react to my greeting, twitching.
But it didn't descend to where I was.
"Brother? Is that you, Brother? Are you perhaps sulking? I was just kidding. There's no way I'd let the family disappear, right?"
It was what my brother had longed for so much.
I didn't bother saying that much.
The orb seemed to descend a little, then stopped again, squirming.
"Just come down. Please."
I pleaded.
The orb then slowly began to descend.
Down.
Further down.
I didn't know if the orb was granting my request or if I was controlling its movement.
Perhaps both?
Anyway, it descended until it was right before my eyes. I reached out my hand towards it without hesitation.
"It would have been fine if we had all just stayed together..."
All of us, inside my body.
But that was impossible.
The moment my finger touched the orb, a fierce pain surged, and my mind grew faint.
"Ugh..."
The orb was Leyline Poison.
A potent poison created during the First Poison King's process of contaminating the leylines.
Its power was incomparable to the diluted rash toxin.
But it didn't matter at all.
Even as my finger swelled and pain washed over me, I felt rather good.
Because the feeling of wanting to disappear had vanished.
"Don't worry. I'll do it. I can do everything. Just trust me. Since I'm the only one left, I have to do everything."
What my brother wished for.
What my sister wished for.
What Tiber wished for.
And revenge against the enemy who caused all of this...
Thinking about it, I had a great deal to do in the future.
"Young Master Ray!"
The Inspector's voice came from behind me.
I sent the red orb back to the sky and clasped my hand around my finger.
"Inspector?"
"Young Master. So you were here."
The Inspector smiled without any particular change in expression. It's clear now that only I can see that orb.
"I just realized it's almost dinner time, you see. I came looking for you, thinking it might be nice to eat out for the first time in a while."
Had he received a report that I hadn't eaten much for the past three days?
The Inspector even made a gesture of eating, watching my reaction.
Food, food.
I really hadn't thought about it at all.
But as soon as I heard about dinner, an intense hunger erupted within me.
I'm hungry.
I want to eat something.
Something very delicious, if possible...
"Yes, dinner sounds good. Is there a place nearby that makes good pie?"
"Pie?"
"Yes. I haven't had a good, full pumpkin pie in a long time."
"Oh, of course. Coincidentally, I know a good shop nearby. I'll lead the way."
The Inspector smiled and walked ahead.
I followed behind him, looking up at the sky.
Yes.
Tiber.
I know.
I'm listening too.
So this is how you speak.
I'll eat.
I'll eat to my heart's content.
Until this hunger disappears...