Roxis’s eyes burned with rage.
He glared at me as if he could chew me up and swallow me whole, but his entire body was paralyzed, so he couldn’t do anything.
“Rohiriel, what kind of medicine did you give him?”
Julion asked in a bewildered voice.
Looking around, everyone who had drunk the medicine behind Roxis was also completely immobilized.
Thanks to that, among Roxis’s subordinates, there were no longer those who could move freely.
Observing Ares and the knights quickly assessing the situation, I answered succinctly.
“It’s a healing potion. Just half of it, though.”
“Half…?”
“You see, he needs to take two different medicines. To return to normal completely, he needs to take the other one.”
I casually pulled out the medicine, shaking it in front of Roxis.
As he followed the medicine, Roxis’s pupils flared up, showing a slight ripple.
“Do you want it?”
I chuckled, and brought the medicine even closer to Roxis.
Intense desire gleamed in Roxis’s silver eyes.
Yet his body was frozen like a wax doll, unable to speak properly.
It was so amusing that I couldn’t help but curl the corners of my mouth upward.
“Now we can make a proper deal. Where’s the antidote?”
As much as I wanted to make it myself, it was difficult to obtain the necessary ingredients here.
Moreover, identifying the specific poison and creating the antidote would take a considerable amount of time.
‘Hopefully, Roxis has it.’
Even now, I could see Julion clenching his teeth.
Although he tried not to show it on the surface, he was growing weary by the minute.
I could only hope that there was some truth to Roxis’s offer to trade for the antidote.
Looking at the rigid Roxis, I spoke.
“Try to use your tongue. You should be able to make simple sounds.”
Roxis neither made an effort nor showed any sign of movement.
When he didn’t seem to be able to produce any sound, I said mockingly.
“With such a lack of willpower, you’d be a disgrace to Cassian.”
Various emotions flickered in his silver eyes, holding me.
As if trying to speak somehow, Roxis’s eyes showed signs of bloodshot.
I shrugged my shoulders with a mocking chuckle.
“Actually, it’s a lie. Even if you exert yourself, you won’t be able to say a word.”
Then Roxis’s eyes seemed to glow again.
However, being completely immobilized, he didn’t pose any threat.
I smiled slyly, reaching my hand towards Roxis’s chest.
“I’ll look for it myself. You must have it in you.”
“Just a moment, Rohiriel.”
Just as I was about to undress Roxis, Julion hastily grabbed my wrist to prevent me.
“Julion? Just hold on a bit. Roxis surely has the antidote…”
“I’ll do it.”
“What?”
“……I will.”
Julion slowly raised his hand, holding the sword.
Then, at one point, he swung it so fast that it created a gust of wind.
Click.
The sound of the sword returning to its sheath coincided with something falling from Roxis.
Following a delayed beat, Roxis’s torn clothing fluttered in the air.
The outer garment was sliced off, and whatever was inside tumbled out.
“How on earth?”
The words “Are you alright?” almost burst out of my throat.
But looking at Julion’s pale face, it seemed unnecessary to say anything.
First, I picked up the fallen items.
One was a potion bottle.
Judging by the purple liquid inside, it seemed to be the poison causing the current situation.
“So, this is the antidote?”
I shook the pouch in front of Roxis as if boasting, having retrieved it.
Even without hearing a response, it seemed like I could tell the answer from Roxis’s eyes alone.
However, upon opening the pouch and checking the contents, my expression hardened.
“What’s wrong?”
Julion asked, furrowing his brow.
He, too, checked the inside of the pocket alongside me.
Certainly, there was a small vial inside that seemed to be the antidote.
“There’s only one left.”
The problem was that there was only one left.
Instinctively, I looked at Roxis, who seemed to be strangely smiling.
His mouth remained the same, but joy was visible in his eyes.
“You despicable bastard.”
I said, gripping the pouch tightly and not taking my eyes off Roxis.
“Julion, it might be good to search for the others as well.”
“……I agree.”
Nodding, Julion approached Roxis’s motionless subordinates, and the Royal Knights, enduring their pain, started searching Roxis’s followers.
“Strip them all!”
“Search thoroughly!”
The knights intentionally made loud noises to cover the sounds of pain while searching Roxis’s subordinates.
Hearing those sounds, I took one more step closer to Roxis.
“Since we couldn’t receive what we were supposed to properly, what should we do now?”
Roxis’s eyes were still as intense as an unquenchable flame.
“If you’ve done wrong, you should face the consequences, Roxis Cassian.”
I opened the cap of the vial that was in Roxis’s pocket.
A wisp of violet smoke drifted into the air.
Since everyone present was already in a poisoned state, there was nothing more to fear.
I blocked the opening with my fingers and brought the vial over Roxis’s head.
For the first time, a sense of unease crept into Roxis’s eyes as we made eye contact.
“I guess you figured out what I’m up to.”
I dipped my fingers into the poison and slowly tilted the vial.
The potion, shimmering, stayed suspended, refusing to pour out, controlled solely by my fingers.
Looking at Roxis’s growing impatient, I gave him one last chance.
“Get down on your knees and beg. Then, I won’t use this. After all, I’m a generous person.”
I returned the playful banter Roxis had told me earlier.
Roxis’s face turned red and blue, but in the end, he was in a worse state than a wax doll.
Observing Roxis like that for a moment, I widened my eyes as if I had thought of something.
“Oh, right. You can’t move, can you? Well, it can’t be helped then.”
I smiled broadly and released my fingers from the bottle’s opening.
About half of the remaining purple potion in the vial poured down onto Roxis in a gushing stream.
In an instant, the purple smoke generated around Roxis seemed to surge as if it had a will of its own, then was sucked into Roxis’s respiratory system.
“How does it feel to be in direct contact? Is it more painful?”
I might not know for sure, but the pain must be intense enough to penetrate the paralysis that Roxis is currently experiencing.
True to my expectations, Roxis’s eyes bulged out as if they were about to pop, filled with a surge of energy.
Already flushed, his veins became more pronounced, and he began to convulse intensely.
‘I have to save some to make an antidote.’
I resisted the urge to pour every last drop onto Roxis and tightly closed the vial.
Shortly after, Julion, who had gone to check on Roxis’s subordinates, returned.
“What happened?”
“…It seems there are none.”
Julion’s voice carried a heavy fatigue.
His usually clear, golden eyes were becoming cloudy.
It seemed like his vision was spinning, yet he managed to walk and speak, which was quite impressive.
I pondered over the one pill I left in my pocket.
I wanted to give it to him. I wanted to tell Julion to consume it right away.
‘Even if I saved some poison, having this would allow me to create the antidote faster.’
Moreover, considering it came from Cassian, there was also the worry of unknown side effects.
If there were plenty of antidotes to begin with, it would have been a different concern.
“And you.”
Lost in thought, Julion grabbed my shoulder.
His breath, as he came closer, sounded harsh.
His eyelids, which had trembled for a moment, slowly lifted, focusing on my face.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry; it doesn’t hurt at all. More importantly, your body…”
Perhaps due to the injuries, Julion’s body felt warm.
I attempted to check the areas where Julion had been injured during his fight with Roxis.
“For now, let’s tend to these wounds…”
However, Julion shook his head, grabbed my wrist, and gently removed my hand from his chest.
“I’m okay… Check on others first.”
“With such a high fever, how can you say you’re okay?”
I exclaimed and grabbed Julion’s clothing again.
Yet Julion, despite his feeble strength, staggered and let out a small groan.
“Look at that. You’re already at your limit.”
Supporting Julion, I surveyed the surroundings.
Ares and the other knights lay sprawled on the ground, seemingly devoid of any strength to move.
I shouted towards the carriage parked in the back.
“Hemion! Are you in there?”
After all I had taught her, she might be able to help.
Thinking it was good that I brought Hemion along, I waited for him to come out.
However, as time passed, there was no sign of her, not even her voice.
“Hemion?”
Could the poison have affected the inside of the carriage?
While internally cursing Roxis once again, I checked the horizon.
The sun had set a little while ago.
It was about time for the knights sent by Zenid to arrive.
“Julion, can you move?”
Whether due to relief or not, Julion’s condition seemed to have noticeably deteriorated.
Still, he tried to distance himself from me, insisting that he was fine.
“Besides that, you… can make it, right? The antidote.”
“I don’t even know what kind of poison it is, and even if I did, I couldn’t make it right away. We have to go to Garnet Palace.”
It was probably the only one of its kind, made by the apothecary of Cassian.
The poison was just as difficult to create as the antidote.
Fortunately, having acquired both the poison and the antidote, analyzing them would eventually yield results, but it still takes time.
“It’s okay. I can wait, so don’t worry… Please.”
Whether Julion knew about my inner turmoil or not, he smiled faintly and blinked slowly.
Despite putting on a brave front, his clenched fist was as white as a sheet.
‘Why is Zenid taking so long…?’
Swallowing my dry saliva, I turned my gaze back to the horizon.
In the distance, a cloud of dust rose as a group rushed towards us.
