Chapter 105
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 105
Three days had passed since then.
Kibon and I frequented the Manufacturing Workshop at all hours, day and night, conducting various experiments and filling scroll paper with countless attempts.
"Let's go, Kibon."
In truth, Kibon had nothing to do, but he insisted he couldn't move about alone.
In any case, while we conducted our experiments, the Team Leaders of the Scroll Department occasionally dropped by as well.
"Wow, is this the Magic Tower?"
Victor, who sometimes entered the Manufacturing Workshop to handle his duties, occasionally threw out quips.
"Will the Scroll Department undergo changes in this manner going forward? It's remarkably research-oriented."
Victor acted as though the incident at the Saint Kairo Banquet had never occurred.
I didn't mind his casual, lighthearted approach. In return, he refrained from crossing those subtle lines he'd occasionally ventured toward. I too behaved naturally as if that incident had never happened.
"I'm trying to create a defense scroll using Imperial Servants' blood. Wouldn't that be more effective? Last time, I nearly died making 166 sheets all at once..."
"So the research is progressing well?"
"No. Actually, I'm still failing continuously."
I chuckled wryly in response.
Anastasia occasionally brought me a cup of coffee and subtly observed the work. It was natural—whenever I came to the office, I often received her coffee.
"I-is this... is this really Imperial Servants' blood? D-did the Minister really ask for it, so y-you gave it?"
The Manufacturing Workshop contained a beaker full of blood mixed with preservative solution.
I took a sip of coffee while working with that blood to create scrolls, then nodded.
"Yes. It seems genuine, doesn't it? To think he'd even provide blood... I'm beginning to open my heart a little."
"W-well, I suppose..."
Anastasia murmured in a serious voice.
"Blood... well, it's not as if it costs money or anything..."
In any case, those three days passed.
Of course, no matter what I attempted with the Imperial Servants' blood, the scrolls never functioned. Still, I simply pretended to work diligently.
After filling those three days completely.
"Kibon."
That afternoon, as I left the Manufacturing Workshop, I spoke with resolve.
"Tell Crown Prince Kiaros I wish to meet him tonight."
The time had come.
* * *
Imperial Servants' blood.
An irresistible bait for the Gaejo Faction.
I filled a beaker with that bait and used it lavishly under the pretense of experimentation. Each time I came and went, a considerable amount disappeared.
'From an observer's perspective, they must have found each day increasingly painful.'
Moreover, the experiments continued to fail.
Whether I created various scrolls using Imperial Servants' blood instead of ink, nothing functioned.
'How desperately they must have coveted it.'
Of course, it wasn't actually Crown Prince Kiaros's blood.
It was transfusion blood kept in storage at the Health and Welfare Department. I had requested it from Luca Class.
[Luca, as a Health and Welfare Department employee, I need something from you.]
[This isn't an official situation right now, so feel free to speak casually. I'll just get to the point. You're not my superior, and you can't give me orders....]
[It's an order from Crown Prince Kiaros. A secret decree. You can't even tell your minister about this.]
[Please, go ahead and tell me.]
Luca had immediately prostrated himself and spoken.
[My goodness, having a rival turn out so useful... I never expected to suddenly gain a connection to Crown Prince Kiaros like this....]
So I asked Luca for two things.
One was to obtain blood, and the other was....
[Is there any way to immediately detect if someone has ingested a small amount of a drug that causes mild illness?]
[There isn't.]
[But there has to be.]
[There's no way. Really, unless you come to me the moment they drink it.]
[Is that so? Then take a leave of absence and stand by.]
[Why are you deciding my leave....]
[It's an order from Crown Prince Kiaros.]
[I understand. What type of leave should I file? Would it be alright to classify it as special leave?]
[Do you want to advertise that you have a secret mission? File it as personal leave—say your parents in the Provincial Area have birthdays coming up and you're leaving the Capital. Once everything is finished, I'll convert it to special leave.]
If I were a spy for the Gaejo Faction and desperately wanted the blood of an Imperial Servant, how would I act?
Obviously, I'd switch it out. Whether it's that blood or any human blood, the scroll wouldn't activate either way, so I wouldn't even notice.
But since I was coming and going day and night, it would be difficult for them to find an opportunity. So they would need to devise a way to keep me in place.
'Poisoning won't work. If I caused something that serious, the investigation would tighten. If I were them, I'd just cause a simple illness—something like diarrhea or a cold—to keep me confined for one night.'
And the method was simple.
'I drink Anastasia's coffee every day out of habit.'
Anastasia always made me coffee.
But that didn't mean I was certain Anastasia was the culprit.
I had my own personal cup, which I always washed and left in the Break Room. If someone wanted to drug me, they could simply coat the inside of my cup with a thin layer of gel-based medication.
'That's why I only took small sips.'
I deliberately chose times when Anastasia or Victor were present, took a small sip of coffee, and secretly poured the rest down the drain.
And I always left the empty cup in the office, saying "Thank you for the coffee, Anastasia."
Then I immediately called Luca to confirm whether I had ingested the drug or not.
[You're perfectly fine. You've gained a bit of weight though.]
Staying in the Imperial Palace meant three meals a day were exceptionally well-prepared....
Kibon, who was standing behind me, reacted to that comment.
[That's pleasant to hear.]
Kibon had opposed this operation considerably, but I had overruled him with my authority.
Yet every time I took a sip of coffee, he suffered alone, as if watching someone drink poison.
But today, finally.
"Oh my, it's a small amount, but... you've ingested a drug that causes dizziness. And there's a sedative mixed in too. It's not harmful to the human body. It's not a strong sedative either."
Luca spoke gravely.
It was clear they intended to make me dizzy and put me to sleep soundly tonight. At least they hadn't used anything harmful to my body—that was a small mercy.
"I can detoxify it right away, but it'll be difficult to completely flush the sedative components from your body. You might feel a bit drowsy."
"Surely not so much that I'd lose consciousness?"
"It's only a trace amount, so nothing that severe. It'll be similar to staying up all night. You'll probably yawn a lot."
"Then it's fine."
I'd pulled all-nighters countless times before, so a little fatigue was nothing to worry about. What was exhaustion, really?
In any case, the spy would be certain I wouldn't show up at the Manufacturing Workshop today. Now was the time to move.
It was clear we'd act after 6 PM, once all the Scroll Department staff had left. And now I had to move in tandem with Crown Prince Kiaros.
* * *
I met Crown Prince Kiaros inside the Scroll Department Office.
We had to pass through the Scroll Department Office to reach the Manufacturing Workshop.
"We don't have to stay pressed right up against each other while we wait, do we? I'd prefer to keep some distance."
Crown Prince Kiaros declared this to me with grim resolve. I nodded in agreement.
"Of course."
The darkened Scroll Department Office was spacious. There was no need to stay close together.
Besides, there were already an enormous number of Ravens stationed outside the office. We wouldn't need to be involved from start to finish.
I simply wanted to make Crown Prince Kiaros witness it directly himself, and as for me...
'I want to see it with my own eyes. Who the spy is.'
The thought that everything would come to a head today, one way or another, weighed heavily on my heart.
Meanwhile, the lingering effects of the sedative kept drawing yawns from me. It was a separate matter from having a sharp mind.
I was lost in these thoughts when it happened.
"Namia Loapi."
A low whisper reached me. It was Crown Prince Kiaros's voice, speaking quietly as he kept watch outside in the darkness.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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