19 Chapter 19 - Poison (2/2)

Everyone was looking at him, and he felt very self-conscious. This was supposed to be his big moment, and instead, it was a horrible mess. He felt better that his dad believed him immediately, even if some of the guests were questioning whether he had failed the spell. It was his first attempt after all.

(FOR FLAWLESSLY CASTING YOUR FIRST SPELL, YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED MAGERY 1)

(MISSION – CAST YOUR FIRST SPELL)

(MISSION COMPLETE)

(REWARD – 5 LIFE POINTS)

He kept his eyes on his father, so that when he looked at him, he understood that he wasn't lying, despite the people's murmured comments. Seeing the look in his eyes, his dad nodded to him, to let him know that he had done well.

The healers arrived, and confirmed that it was true. People were sent to check on Phenic, because all the food came from him. Some of the guests were wondering if he had done it on purpose, but Joseph knew that wasn't true. His dad honestly trusted Phenic.

He sat down, to stay out of the way, as things were so crazy. Thankfully, Fred's choice to restrict usage of the flour to tonight's supper, had saved everyone in the caravan from being poisoned. Those who had taste tested the food, were easily treated.

When the people sent to check on Phenic, returned, the news was heart wrenching. He was dead, along with his wife and their two oldest sons. The newborn baby girl was still alive, only because she had been too young to eat real food. Even Phenic's flour was poisoned. The blame had to be further back. His father told them to trace it down.

The baby girl was brought back, and Joseph watched his father comfort the babe. Tears were in his eyes, and Joseph knew that if his father were able to punish whoever did this, they would pay dearly.

By the time he returned to his carriage, he was exhausted. His dad still had much to do. He was taking it upon himself to bury the family and to see to his estate. There was family nearby who would deal with most everything.

They had found out, when his father sent word to the town guards, that while there wasn't a food mage capable of detecting the poison, they were skilled enough to detect it when looking for it. His dad was calling him a savior. If he hadn't found it, a lot of lives would have been lost. There wasn't a healer that had enough mana to save everyone.

Joseph knew his father was immune to poison, but no one else knew.

”System,” he thought. ”I want to allocate all available life points towards less sleep.”

(6 LIFE POINTS AVAILABLE WILL REDUCE YOU TO 3 HOURS OF SLEEP A DAY)

(3 HOURS OF LESS SLEEP ACQUIRED)

His mental effort could still give him headaches, so his hours of study would have to go up as his willpower increased. Now it was time to talk to father about what kind of kind cla.s.ses he needed to take to be a better king. But that could wait until tomorrow.

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