From helping the Azure Cloud Clan defeat the fearso Draythok beast in the wilderness to forcing Grand Magus Vernon to retreat in disgrace, Ery had quickly risen beyond the status of an honored guest. He was now regarded as a benefactor—a savior to the Azure Cloud Clan.
In gratitude, the clan provided Ery with the finest residence in their estate and the most respectful treatnt possible. The patriarch himself extended an invitation for Ery to involve himself in their affairs.
"My apologies for troubling you again, Mister Ery," said Ella, the patriarch's daughter, her voice carrying a heavy burden of concern. "But with my father still sick, our clan remains vulnerable... Perhaps you might offer so insight into our situation?"
Ery could see the desperation in her eyes. The Azure Cloud Clan was in dire straits, and they were his only allies in this unfamiliar and mysterious realm. Nodding solemnly, Ery agreed to listen.
Ella began to recount the series of misfortunes that had plagued the clan over the past six months. It began with their trading business suffering catastrophic losses due to a string of poor investnts and failed deals. Shortly after, the patriarch had fallen gravely ill with a mysterious disease.
The clan had two Grand Magus elders who could have bolstered their defenses, but both were away at the capital, and it would take weeks for them to return. Hiring outside Grand Magus-level protectors had proven nearly impossible—the news of the clan's financial struggles had spread far and wide, and no rcenary was willing to tie themselves to a sinking ship.
To make matters worse, Vernon, the patriarch of the Amber Fall Clan—once their closest ally—had turned his back on them.
"Hah! I was so blind!" the Azure Cloud patriarch rasped, his voice trembling with anger. "To think I once called that bastard my friend! If I weren't sick, he wouldn't even dare to raise his voice at !"
His words ended in a coughing fit, and Ella rushed to his side, gently patting his back.
"Father, please... Stay calm," Ella whispered. "We have the Draythok heart now. You'll recover soon."
At the ntion of the Draythok heart, sothing clicked in Ery's mind. He recalled the mysterious alchemist who had advised them to hunt the beast for its heart.
"You ntioned earlier that an alchemist master instructed you to retrieve the Draythok beast's heart," Ery said carefully. "Who is this person?"
Ella hesitated for a mont before answering. "It was Master Baldoni... He's a renowned alchemist here in this border town. His skills are widely respected."
There was a reverence in her tone—a blind trust in the title of Alchemist Master. Yet Ery couldn't shake off his unease. He had analyzed the Draythok beast's heart himself and discovered its highly poisonous properties. Could Master Baldoni truly have missed such an obvious detail?
"No... Surely not," Ella said, her voice soft but resolute. "Master Baldoni is a true expert. He wouldn't—he couldn't—have made such a mistake."
But Ery wasn't convinced. He requested to examine the patriarch's condition himself, and Ella readily agreed.
Using his [Nature Grasp] ability, Ery extended his senses into the patriarch's body. Almost imdiately, he detected a sinister foreign presence within the man's bloodstream—a deadly poison that had been cleverly masked.
"This isn't an illness," Ery said gravely. "This is poison."
For a brief mont, Ery considered the possibility that Master Baldoni might have been using poison to fight poison—a risky but not unheard-of alchemical thod. However, upon deeper analysis, Ery realized that the foreign substance and the poison from the Draythok heart shared the sa elental structure. They wouldn't neutralize each other—they would only make the poison deadlier.
After a long silence, Ery made his decision, to reveal his findings.
As expected, the patriarch looked furious at the thought, his weakened voice rising as he spat out, "We cannot doubt Master Baldoni! He is an Alchemist Master!"
But Ella didn't dismiss Ery outright.
"Father… Mister Ery here… he is also an alchemist."
At first, she was rely trying to be polite, unwilling to quickly dismiss Ery's words, especially since she held him in high regard. However, Ery could sense the doubt in her eyes—it was the word of a renowned alchemist against that of an outsider.
But then, a nearly forgotten incident resurfaced in her mind.
"Wait," she said suddenly, turning towards the dark elf captain. "Bring the vial of pills we received from Master Baldoni before the Draythok hunt!"
The dark elf captain stepped forward and handed over a small glass vial filled with green pills. Ella turned to Ery and offered it to him.
"Mister Ery, could you analyze these? These are the pills Master Baldoni gave us. He said they would protect us from the Draythok's poison. But… they didn't seem to work as well as he promised."
Ery took the vial and examined the pills carefully. His brow furrowed as he focused on their composition. At first glance, they did seem to be genuine poison-resistance pills. But Ery's expertise revealed sothing far more insidious.
"These pills are poison-resistant... but they also carry another, hidden toxin within them," Ery said, his voice low but firm.
Ella gasped. The patriarch's face turned pale as he stared at the vial in horror.
"Are you... are you certain, Mister Ery?" Ella asked, her voice trembling.
"There's only one way to be sure," Ery replied.
They brought out one of their captured beast, Ery administered one of the pills to the beast and waited.
Within the hour, the beast convulsed violently before falling limp. Dead.
Silence filled the room. The weight of realization settled over everyone present.
"This... this cannot be..." the patriarch whispered, his voice hollow.
But Ery stood firm, his voice cutting through the silence.
"This isn't a mistake. Master Baldoni intentionally laced these pills with poison. And given the timing of your illness and your ally's betrayal, I would wager that Master Baldoni and the Amber Fall patriarch are working together."
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