Chapter 34 (1/2)

Chapter 34

I pouted.

The emperor pressed again, “Is there anyone who’s been hanging around you a lot, who talks to you often and shares food with you? Someone who can use magic?”

I had to think hard about this.

“I don’t know, I met so many people yesterday… I was with Vincenzo on my way to the academy.”

He nodded.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people there…”

“Anyone you talked to for a long time?”

“Vincenzo asked me to join him for the year-end party and helped carry my luggage.”

“Year-end party?”

Was the emperor the type to change topics so quickly? He seemed to be interested in such a minor detail.

Hmmm… Vincenzo had to help me because I met with a lot of instructors. Among them…

“Come to think of it, there was someone who said something strange.”

“What did they say…?”

“It was like…”

They spoke as if they knew that I had been attacked. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but now…

“‘You’ve changed your outfit. Did something happen to your school uniform?’ There was a person who asked that. It’s weird, right? People usually only say, ‘You changed your school uniform?’”

“Who’s that?”

“But he’s a lecturer…”

“I asked who it was.”

I belatedly remembered a sweet candy that smelled like herbs. I took a while to speak, tongue-tied.

“Instructor Xenon…”

The emperor didn’t miss my stammering. My voice sounded unconvincing.

“Instructor?”

“Yes. He’s my instructor and I went to consult with him about my early graduation requirements. He’s the one who said something I found weird. And yes, I ate something while I was there.”

“What was the exact time that you were there?”

Since I was busy running away from the stupid aristocrats hounding me about the imperial carriage, I had skipped lunch and went to visit the instructors right away. That’s how I was able to recall the exact time.

I didn’t know if he would be able to figure out the culprit just with this information, but in either case, I did not hesitate to say what I knew.

“It was half past twelve.”

“The herb I ate was probably an ingredient used in magical concoctions. Maybe that’s what affected me… It might have been the herb called the “stone dragon’s saliva”. The ingredients are medicinal and… It’s an ingredient used in magic.”

The emperor smiled as if he was pleased with my answer, his grin growing wider as I spoke. He touched his hand to my head very lightly, as if stroking a puppy, and then nodded.

It wasn’t a bad feeling to receive a compliment, but I was dumbfounded when I realized what he did.

He already knew the name of the herb I ate. So the emperor kept his mouth shut and watched if I could reason properly while I was thinking of every single person I met today, doubting and reflecting on what I ate?

I didn’t like the emperor acting like he was testing people’s intelligence every time. If it hadn’t been for this serious circumstance where I was suspicious of Instructor Xenon, I might have complained.

But the more I talked, the more it would seem that I was accusing Xenon of being the culprit. He was sweet to me from the start and was one of the few people who helped me adapt well to the academy from when I didn’t have many people on my side.

I didn’t want to think ill of him, I didn’t want to doubt him.

But I didn’t mean to stay quiet. I hadn’t forgotten the cold face the emperor had when he came into my room earlier. A stranger standing in my room was also not something I could let slide.

And most of all, I wasn’t afforded the luxury to grow up with my naivete. Just because someone showed you a kind face didn’t mean that they were a good person or that they meant well. You couldn’t live with your heart on your sleeve in the back alley–someone who treated you like a friend could be robbing you the next morning.

Instead of defending Instructor Xenon, I went on to say what I knew. “I understand that stone dragon’s saliva is a paralytic compound that works by mixing magic and drugs, and is rarely traded on the market because it is not suitable for medical use or for capturing animals alive. In some cases, excessive doses can kill you instantly, but it’s a drug that you can’t help but notice when you overdose on it because of its strong taste and aroma, which is followed by immediate paralysis.”

“Seeing how well you can speak again, the paralysis has really gone away. So?”

“Maybe he thought the drug would work right away, but it didn’t. I didn’t feel any effects until I got to the palace and it was too late.”

“Then what?”

“It must be Instructor Xerox.”

He looked intrigued. “You sound more determined than you look. Aren’t you acquainted with him? I heard you were generous with the food you gave away.”

“That’s right.”

The emperor’s red eyes looked straight into mine. “You’re being unexpectedly calm.”

“What did you think I’d do?”

“That’s not something I think of. But you’re being so calm when you might as well have been hit on the back of your head…”

“What about it?”

“It’s similar to how I would respond.”

It was an unexpected response.