Chapter 10
｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Bree ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
The scenery inside the room seemed no different from an ordinary study.
There was only a faint smell, perhaps from some medicine, but it wasn’t bothersome.
‘It’s more ordinary than I thought.’
However, the moment I saw the man in the black robe, tension washed over me again.
‘That person is the original’s villain.’
I recalled the questions he might throw at me and prepared myself to give the right answers.
“…”
But he didn’t say a word. He just stared intently at me
‘What is it, is this a power play?’
At that moment, a voice emanated from the robed figure, obscuring the face.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
It was a voice that didn’t seem human. Distorted and cracked, a voice that seemed to travel from somewhere else.
“Why have you come to find me?”
“…”
“How did you know that I’m looking for an artifact? And how did you know it’s fake?”
A barrage of questions followed, with an evident sense of caution.
“…”
For a moment, I stared at him in silence…
Then, I hesitantly took a seat on the sofa opposite him.
“…?”
For a brief moment, the man’s mouth slightly opened.
“What are you doing right now…?”
“I thought you put a couch across from you as a courtesy to the guest.”
Haven’t you learned the courtesy of seating the guest first before starting a conversation?
I glared at him with those unspoken thoughts.
“…”
Then, his lips closed momentarily before gently rising again.
“I see. I apologize for my rudeness.”
Contrary to expectations, he apologized politely and extended a teacup toward me.
“Please, have it. It’s tea prepared for the guest.”
The teacup contained what appeared to be black tea.
If it were someone else, they might have taken it without a second thought…
“I’ll pass.”
I pushed the teacup toward him as if returning the gesture.
“How can I drink first when the host hasn’t taken a sip yet?”
“…”
At that, the mouth of the villain closed firmly.
Then, after a moment, it gently opened again.
The tea he handed me contains truth serum.
This is what he feeds to anyone who wants to make a direct deal with him.
The person who drank it usually divulged their plans and desires induced by the drink.
Although he was a man who would make anything for money, he avoided getting involved in troublesome matters.
‘He’s saying he’ll listen first and then decide.’
Forgetting even the content that the customer had voluntarily revealed, he would reject their request.
Therefore, as a transmigrator, I shouldn’t take the tea.
Not only will I reveal my plans, but I’d tell him that he is the final villain and that he would die.
‘Would he tell me to leave just because I refused the tea?’
Thinking so anxiously…
“Hah.”
He suddenly burst into a faint laughter.
‘…Is he laughing?’
I looked at him with bewildered eyes. The villain also seemed surprised by his own laughter and covered his mouth with his hand.
“I apologize.”
He cleared his throat and lowered his hand.
“It seems you’ve thoroughly investigated our store.”
Yet, there was still a pleasant smile on his face.
“Don’t worry. There’s nothing in the tea.”
“Hmm.”
Raising an eyebrow as if expressing my distrust, he lightly chuckled.
“You seem quite suspicious.”
With that, he lifted his teacup and drank the tea.
As he drank the tea, his neck that was slightly exposed looked firm. His wrist bones, visible beyond the loose sleeves of his clothes, were also something else.
As I stared at him, he emptied the cup and placed it back on the saucer.
“Now, will you trust me?”
I nodded as if acknowledging. Then, he asked with a smile.
“So, what brings you here, really?”
“I have some questions.”
I handed him the vial I brought. It contained the poison that Daphne had ingested.
“It seems to be a potion made here. Can you confirm it?”
He rolled the vial in his hand after a moment. After making a judgment, he slowly spoke.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not made by us.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Although we can make anything, we are very careful about accepting assassination requests.”
The lady probably knows that well.
He said so, pushing the empty teacup aside.
Yes, I know.
He was the type to choose his requests. If someone wanted to purchase a poison, he would have surely investigated their purpose even more thoroughly.
But if the target was the troublesome lady of Peregrine, even if it was a black market store, it might cause some trouble.
If he was the villain I know, he surely would refuse the request.
‘And, he didn’t seem to have any suspicions about me being alive. He didn’t even know about the poison.’
So, the person who poisoned Daphne didn’t come to see the villain from the beginning.
‘I asked just in case, but it seems I was right.’
While letting out a sigh, he opened his mouth again.
“However, I have seen this poison before.”
“Do you know the seller?”
“Yes. People who use bottles like this are rare in the first place.”
He placed the vial on the table while explaining.
“This bottle is mainly used by assassination guilds. I heard they distinguish clients through the color of the bottle and the cork.”
He tapped the cork with his gloved hand.
“To begin with, assassination requests are expensive. Even a noble would find it hard to afford. The client is likely to be a high-ranking noble.”
A high-ranking noble. Why would they target Daphne?
Actually, there were many reasons. Daphne had committed sins more than once.
It wouldn’t be surprising if someone harbored enough hatred to want her dead.
The problem was, what would happen when they find out that Daphne was not dead but still alive?
‘Having died once, does that mean I’ll die again?’
I didn’t like that idea. This was my second chance at life, and no matter what happened, I didn’t want to die.
‘If that’s the case, there’s only one way.’
“There’s something I’d like you to look into. Find out who ordered this poison.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but the assassination guild has nothing to do with me.”
The villain raised his hands as if in regret. I quickly continued speaking.
“But since I prevented you from wasting time with fake relics, this should be nothing.”
“…”
“Time is something you can’t buy with money, and trade should be fair by all means.”
As I spoke words that were almost like a creed to a merchant, the villain stared at me in silence.
Maybe my desperation was evident on my face.
‘But I can’t help it. There’s no other option.’
In reality, I had considered going directly to the assassination guild and asking who the client was.
‘But what if the person they were supposed to kill, meaning me, was perfectly alive?’
If I went there on my own, what kind of reaction would I receive?
I couldn’t send my servants either. If I did, there was a high chance they wouldn’t return safely.
‘Besides, if I were caught by my uncle Lyas, it could lead to complications with the assassination guild.’
There was only one option left.
Go to the villain and find out what the death flag was.
In the original novel, the villain was described as having a close relationship with the leader of the underworld.
Of course, he might target me instead, but… there was no other way.
‘I can’t step back. Since I’ve come this far, I’ll go all the way!’
I continued to gaze at the villain with this determination.
How much time passed in silence? The villain chuckled and spoke.
“Well, alright. I don’t know if the lady’s claim about it being a fake is true, but I’ll look into it.”
The villain put the vial that contained the poison back into his robe.
Fortunately. Feeling a bit relieved, I seized the opportunity to speak quickly.
“And one more thing.”
I took out another vial from my pocket. It contained the antidote I had made.
“I want to investigate the ingredients of this medicine.”
“What is this?”
“The antidote I made.”
I remembered the mixture, but the specific effects and composition of the antidote were still unclear. Even if it was similar to the herbs from my past life, I needed to know it properly, just in case.
“…You made this, milady?”
The villain asked with a voice that seemed somewhat hard to believe.
“Are you saying the existing antidote didn’t work?”
“While it may not have been completely effective… Wait, but how did you know I drank a different antidote?”
He paused at my question and then said, “Lord Peregrine requested an antidote. He wanted something effective yet gentle on the body.”
“…”
“Did you really not know?”
I was surprised at his words.
‘My uncle asked the villain for an antidote?’
Since Lyas hadn’t officially inherited the title yet, he had lived as ‘Lord Peregrine’ until now.
So, he had consistently tried to live an upright life to avoid becoming someone that the family would want to disown.
It meant that someone like him would never have anything to do with the black market.
A person like that requesting an antidote for Daphne was unexpected.
‘Did he worry about his niece more than I thought?’
Having thought that far, I raised my head again.
From his perspective, it would be much better to hear that Lord Peregrine went to the black market to save his niece rather than hearing that Lady Peregrine committed suicide after being rejected by her fiancé.
People would probably admire, ‘How much Lord Peregrine cherishes the lady…’
‘He’s truly clever.’
Seeing my slightly disgusted expression, the villain asked.
“Well, alright. I gave the most expensive antidote, but was there another problem?”
“No, it did improve, but…”
As I was contemplating, I tilted my head.
“The medicine I made was much better.”
“…”
“Above all, it tasted awful. I’ve never eaten something so unpleasant in my entire life.”
“…”
“Oh, right. And the scent wasn’t great either.”
While nodding as I recalled the mixture, the surroundings suddenly fell silent. The villain had closed his mouth.
I couldn’t see his face, so I didn’t know what expression he was making…
‘Somehow, he looks like he’s in a bad mood.’
Surely, he won’t be upset by my harsh evaluation?
As I subtly observed his reaction, the villain slowly began to speak.
“… As good as the medicine may be, it’s bitter going down.”
Well, that statement was also true.
However…
“But the antidote I made tasted good, had a pleasant fragrance, and, on top of that, the effects were proven since I recovered immediately after taking it.”
In response to my continued words, the villain closed his mouth again.
“… I understand.”
After a while, he spoke in a low voice and took the vial.
“… I’ll thoroughly investigate what it’s made of, down to each ingredient.”
“…”
His voice seemed a bit sullen, maybe because of his mood.
While I tried to think positively, he spoke again.
“Now, Lady’s turn.”
“The question is how did you know that the relic was fake?”
Depending on what answer I give here, it will determine whether the villain will kill me or not.
Suppressing my trembling heart, I slowly opened my mouth.
