Episode 121. Black Leaves (3)
“I will drink.”
Luden’s bland answer continued. Gaizen nodded in satisfaction. He had a frightened expression just a moment ago, but he accepted it quickly.
“Yeah. Think of it as a chance to compare it directly with yours. That’s lucky.”
Then, Kaizen got up from his chair and brought something.
It was a long, cylindrical bottle, and contained a liquid that appeared to be a magic potion.
Kaizen briefly dipped a glass rod into it, then placed it into his own bottle of ‘Confession’.
In that state, I stirred the glass rod. I could see something mixing inside.
“What is that?”
“It’s a diluent. I think I need to dilute the concentration.”
Of course, it was a lie. In fact, it was a mixture of some of the ‘Forgetfulness’ potion.
If properly manifested, Luden who took this would be able to tell everything and still not remember the incident.
“If you dilute it, I might not be able to check my resistance level again, Professor.”
“That unfounded confidence again. I just diluted it a little, so don’t worry.”
That can’t be. It was a magic potion containing Kaizen’s power.
After confirming that ‘Forgetting’ and ‘Confession’ were evenly mixed within the magic potion, Gaizen handed the vial to Luden.
Without a shred of caution, Luden poured it straight into his mouth, every last drop.
“… … .”
At that moment, it was clear that the strength was draining from Luden’s body. At first, he had kept his back straight, but soon his center of gravity collapsed.
Kaizen crossed his arms and leaned his body against the wall. From that position, he glared at Luden’s back.
The magical effect ‘Confession’ took effect 3 minutes later.
“Luden Poinen.”
When the time finally came, Kaizen called out the name.
“… … .”
Silence. A smile appeared on Kaizen’s lips at that fact. In confession magic, silence when called was a good sign.
In other words, it meant that the magic had been properly manifested and had penetrated deep into the heart.
“Luden Poinen. Can you tell me the truth now? Can you tell me everything you know, without a single lie?”
Kaizen waited silently. Now, depending on the answer that followed, he could confirm the final manifestation of the magic.
Soon, Luden’s lips moved and a soft answer came out.
“Yes, I will tell you the truth.”
“Phew… … .”
That’s right. Kaizen sighed deeply without realizing it.
‘We have to hurry.’
I swallowed hard. There wasn’t much time. Since this confession spell was going to be used on all new magic students, the duration of the potion wasn’t set to be very long.
The potion’s energy will naturally be consumed during the two or three exchanges of questions and answers.
That is why, from the beginning, Kaizen’s questions were focused on finding Per Lorenzini.
“Your name, Luden Poinen, is that your real name?”
“…no.”
Kaizen, who had been leaning back leisurely, became quite serious and leaned his upper body forward.
That’s not your real name?
It was the moment when what had been nothing more than a guess became certainty. A cold chill ran down his spine.
Kaizen took a step towards Luden. The second question followed.
“Then, what is your real name?”
“Per Lorenzini.”
“…her.”
Luden is Per? Is he the Per Lorenzini that he must find and kill?
Even though everything was going so easily, Kaizen didn’t even have a doubt. That’s because he had such strong faith in the magic potion he had created.
He burst out laughing openly.
“Ha, hahaha!”
Kaizen was satisfied, thinking that his guess was correct. From the beginning, this guy named Luden was strange in every way. From his ridiculous resistance to his friendship with Witherspoon.
No, does that mean Witherspoon has something to do with Per? And this guy is a student Benitez had in mind, so does that mean Benitez is involved too?
All sorts of questions came to mind, but I didn’t have time to think about them carefully.
‘Damn, if I had known this would happen… I should have made the duration longer.’
The professor put his hand on the back of Luden’s neck. Now that he had found Per, it was time to get rid of him.
But he hadn’t prepared a way to kill Luden. He hadn’t expected it to be resolved so easily, and all the knots had come undone out of nowhere.
Of course, you can kill it right here and now with attack magic.
‘It’s not that reckless.’
It was a dangerous thing to kill a cadet in a lab. It was obvious that he would be identified as a suspect.
Moreover, there is no plan for what to do with the body.
There was no need to rush. Just finding Per was enough for today. There are many secret but sure ways. You just need to prepare slowly.
‘I guess I’ll wake up soon.’
Gaizen gently removed his hand from around Luden’s neck. He hummed a tune without realizing it.
* * *
thud.
The sound of the door closing echoed throughout the laboratory.
“… … .”
Rubin opened his closed eyes. Through his wide-open eyes, he could sense Kaizen walking down the hallway outside the laboratory.
Thud thud.
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The potion didn’t work. It was all just Rubin’s simple act. It was so easy to fool the professor who was overconfident in potions. He wouldn’t even know about the existence of the dark smoke.
Of course, Rubin’s thorough preparation in advance was also a factor. He had been familiar with Professor Kaizen’s weekend schedule, and had even infiltrated the laboratory the day before. Thanks to this, he was able to know all the magic potions on the shelves.
I also knew that the drug I had mixed in as a diluent was actually a forgetfulness potion.
‘Come back.’
A figure appears walking down the hallway above Rubin’s dark room.
Kaizen stands in front of the door again.
If up until now, Kaizen had been the subject of the interrogation, now it was Rubin’s turn.
As the door opened, Rubin’s expression changed in an instant. Before he knew it, he had transformed into a confused and bewildered cadet.
“professor…….”
“You’re awake.”
“Oh, my head hurts. I feel like I’m going to explode.”
“Drink this.”
Rubin took the drink that Kaizen offered and drank it.
“…I don’t remember anything.”
“Yes, that’s true. It seems like the potion’s level far exceeds your resistance.”
“… … .”
“You may not remember, but as a teaching assistant, you experienced my confession magic in advance. Even though it was diluted, the potion seems to have caused some memory loss. But don’t worry. It’s a common, minor side effect.”
“…okay.”
“Well, I guess we’re done with everything we have to see now?”
Kaizen shrugged. He meant for them to leave the lab. He naturally expected Luden to take that at face value.
“Excuse me, Professor? You haven’t granted my request yet.”
“Please?”
“The professor has decided to let you try the confession potion I created on my own.”
Kaizen quickly smoothed his gray hair. Was the forgetting magic not working properly? I thought he would forget the purpose of coming to the laboratory because of the forgetting magic.
“… … .”
Rubin pointed to his open potion.
Kaizen hesitated for a moment, but quickly accepted it. Well, there are often people who only partially experience the forgetting effect.
“Oh, right… I forgot.”
“Please point out the shortcomings of my magic potion.”
“Because it is a bit lacking.”
The hand that was reaching for the bottle twitched. It was an instinctive hesitation. Kaizen looked down at his hand with eyes that couldn’t understand.
My body hesitated. Why? Even I couldn’t understand my own body.
Why are you hesitating in front of the magic potion that this freshman has made? It’s clearly a fake potion.
Fear? For a moment, Kaizen thought he felt fear. And it was a very primal fear.
‘That’s strange.’
As an apothecary who has been in the business of manufacturing for many years, his body has built up a sufficient tolerance to magic potions. At least, that means he is not afraid of ‘magic potions’.
‘But what is this fear?’
The fear that surges in front of this magic potion that is obviously a sloppy creation of a freshman.
“Okay, then.”
Rubin took a step closer. It was creepy, but there was nothing he could do. Kaizen took the magic potion Rubin had handed him and poured it into his mouth.
The bottle itself was so small, and only half full, that the contents went straight down my throat.
It was such a small amount that I didn’t even feel like I had drunk anything.
And after a while.
“Cadet Luden, I think this is a failure.”
If he had even a single magic potion, he would have been able to discern it. Even if it didn’t manifest, the mana contained within the potion would have been revealed.
But this didn’t even reveal a single bit of mana, which meant that either the spell was entered incorrectly or the spell was in a seriously poor condition.
Kaizen shook his head and clicked his tongue.
That was when.
“… … !”
All of Kaizen’s pores were blocked.
“Ugh!”
For a moment, my pupils dilated, the veins in my entire body stood out, my vision darkened, and my body became stiff.
My body is frozen in that standing position. I try to control it somehow, but I am infinitely helpless.
It was a moment when his entire body and sense of reality were cut off, one by one.
The feeling of wet tentacles rising from under the ground and crawling up from underneath my legs.
At the same time, Kaizen felt as if he was being dragged down to the depths of the ocean without being able to resist.
Horror. An indescribable horror enveloped Kaizen. A strange phenomenon in which even the fact of one’s own existence was helplessly crumbling and collapsing.
“Uh… uh-huh… . Hehe… .”
Kaizen shed tears. But that wasn’t all he shed. He even peed himself while standing there.
At this time, the professor of potion making was consumed by unspeakable pain and fear.
Thud thud.
Rubin walked calmly towards the shelf.
Since Kaizen has already brought the ‘Oblivion’ potion, I just need to prepare the next necessary potion.
Rubin picked up the bottle of ‘Suggestion’ potion. Then, he sat Kaizen down on the chair.
Now it was time to hear the ‘voice of God’.
“Kaizen.”
“… … .”
Kaizen curled up all over his body. His body was trembling.
Those who drink the ‘black leaf’ become powerless in all aspects. In particular, their body and mind become as light as a sheet of paper.
Moreover, the voice directed at him is felt as something absolute, like the voice of God.
“How did you become a scapegoat for the imperial edict?”
“Tch, I wonder what the imperial edict is… … .”
“Don’t you know the imperial edict?”
“That, that, that’s right.”
You don’t know the royal decree. Then who gave the order you received at home that night? If you ask them one by one, you will find out on your own.
“So how much do you know about Per Lorenzini?”
“Those who blackmailed me told me to find Per Lorenzini and kill him. That’s all. I don’t know who Per Lorenzini is.”
“Those who threaten?”
He was talking about those who had given orders that night. Rubin continued the interrogation, and each time, Kaizen confessed one thing at a time.
The reason why he became entangled with an unidentified force in the city of Avern. He was threatened and persuaded by them, and he even knew nothing about them.
‘It was less nutritious than I thought.’
It was somewhat expected that Kaizen’s information would be limited. However, it was somewhat surprising that none of the facts he confessed could answer Rubin’s questions.
‘This way, it is not clear why the royal command wants to kill Per.’
What is certain is that all circumstances regarding Per are at an early stage.
Per has not yet revealed his true form as a great wizard, and the Imperial Order only knows him as a target for elimination.
‘But if it’s income… … .’
Rubin looked at the trembling Kaizen. This was important. The link between the imperial edict and Per was in Rubin’s hands.
The Imperial Guard may think of Kaizen as their tool, but they may not realize that this tool could also be a blade that can leave scars on them.
From now on, Rubin planned to aim this blade at the imperial edict.
“What was your plan, Kaizen?”
“…if that’s the plan.”
“After you found Per, what did you plan to do?”
“I was going to have an outdoor class on collecting magic beans. And in that class… … .”
Rubin heard all about Gaizen’s plan to eliminate Per. It was an unavoidable accident that happened during an outdoor class. It was plausible, but Rubin knew it wasn’t a big deal.
“Kaizen. Drink this.”
Rubin placed the oblivion potion in his hand. The same way he had done to Rubin. He obeyed the voice of God.
Now that he has taken the oblivion potion, what happened here will be erased from Kaizen’s memory.
“And this too.”
This time, what was given to me was a suggestion potion.
Suggestion magic is also one of the deep magics that manipulates human psychology. Its effect is better when used through magic potions than through direct magic manifestation.
Gulp gulp.
The medicine made by Kaizen was used on Kaizen. Rubin continued speaking while looking into Kaizen’s eyes, which were gradually losing strength.
“First of all, the plan to give the confession potion to all the freshmen will be scrapped.”
“… … .”
Kaizen didn’t answer, but the plan in his head was being perfectly manipulated to suit Rubin’s taste.
If he woke up, he would find himself modifying his plans for some inexplicable reason.
“And you will keep thinking, with inexplicable fear, that Ruden Poinen might be Per Lorenzini.”
“… … .”
Due to the forgetting magic, Gaizen will forget the moment when Rubin answered Per Lorenzini.
Instead, Rubin will continue to suspect that he may be Per, under the influence of suggestion magic.
“The outdoor class for collecting magic herbs will proceed as planned. However, we will need to make some changes to the plan.”
“… … .”
Rubin grabbed Kaizen’s head with both hands and looked at him desperately as he avoided his gaze.
Rubin’s plan to get the Imperial Order into trouble began to enter Kaizen’s mind one by one.
