CH 70

An inexplicable tension flowed through the Imperial Palace.

For the past few days, the Emperor had been confined to his bedchamber due to his poor health.

The Emperor’s personal guards were stationed in front of his bedchamber. Everyone’s access was extremely restricted. Only a few people were allowed to enter the bedroom.

“Here you are.”

Duncan, who attended the Emperor as usual, checked on him.

“How is your health, Your Majesty?”

The news that the Emperor had been poisoned was kept confidential.

All who knew the truth were Duncan, who was the first to find the collapsed Fernandez, the Emperor’s dog that guarded his bedchamber, and Princess Veronica, who investigated the poisoning.

“It’s a mess.”

Fernandez replied, his face twisting.

“The rest of my mana still isn’t responding.”

Mana flowed naturally through his body at all times, However, after being poisoned, he could no longer use it. It was as if the magical power had solidified near his heart.

His body gradually recovered and the flow of magic power began to return little by little, even though it was only about half of the power he originally had.

“Don’t worry too much, Your Majesty. You will recover it soon.”

“Veronica has identified the type of poison that was used. And if my guess is correct…”

Fernandez trailed off as he spoke.

“The mana won’t be coming back.”

Calix Benvito… That damn Calix Benvito used just about the amount to put him in this state and not kill him on the spot. Fernandez’s eyes flashed with anger.

“But Your Majesty is immune to poison, right? Over time, it will naturally detoxify…”

“I thought so too, at first.”

Ever since he was a prince, Fernandez had ingested small doses of poison to improve his tolerance to poisons. Any Imperial family with a desire for the throne naturally went through such a preparatory process.

The highest, most prestigious position in the Empire was not just given.

Thanks to this, he was immune to most kinds of poison.

Except for one.

“The Grand Duke used the secret formula of the Benvito family.”

“Is there such a thing?”

“If you don’t ingest the antidote within a day, you will die.”

The Duchy’s poison, the method of production, the antidote formula, were passed on only to the head of the Benvito family.

This was the reason why Fernandez was not immune to this poison.

There was no way to do anything about it because it was an impossible poison to obtain in the first place.

“He knew I wasn’t immune to that poison, so he must have chosen it on purpose.”

Duncan could not hide his surprised face at the story he had never heard. He looked at Fernandez with a flustered face, hastily regained his composure, and opened his mouth to speak as he stammered.

“I’ve never heard of such a poison in the Benvito family!”

“Because the existence of such a poison is not widely known.”

Once the lethal dose of poison was used, the person infected will die in less than 24 hours.

He didn’t know what ingredients were used to make the poison or its antidote, but even a divine treatment, provided by a priest, would not save the poisoned person from death.

“The only way to survive is to take the antidote. Otherwise, you will bleed to death from every hole in your body.”

Somehow, he imagined the dreadful sight, and Duncan involuntarily swallowed his dry saliva.

Fernandez mumbled in a dry tone.

“I have seen a man who was poisoned by it. He begged me to kill him.”

It was a terrible poison. Not only does it start working on a body shortly after ingestion, but it also causes horrendous pain and suffering.

So often, victims who were unable to endure the pain committed suicide in the process.

“I woke up alive, so I put aside the possibility of that poison. However, that was not the case.”

Fernandez continued his story with an angry look on his face.

“They diluted the poison enough to keep my life and not to kill me. Still, if it hadn’t been for the magic power, my body would have been torn apart.”

At times, the magical power functioned like a living organism.

If the master faced a critical situation, the magic acted on its own for the master’s survival and protection.

Fernandez’s magical power blocked the progress of the poison for its dying master.

“Then what are you going to do?”

“We need to get the antidote.”

Now? Isn’t half the Emperor’s magic already gone when it worked to slow the poison’s progress?

Just as Duncan was questioning this, the Emperor’s blank face turned momentarily agitated.

Fernandez gritted his teeth and said.

“The poison will not dissipate without the antidote.”

“Do you mean to say that the poison is still in Your Majesty’s body?”

“I can only guess, but it’s most likely the case.”

The mana that gathered around his heart and didn’t budge was probably meant to prevent the poison from further spreading.

If he took the antidote, the poison would disappear, and his mana would naturally return.

“Would Calix Benvito offer the antidote obediently?”

“No, he wouldn’t.”

This was an example. A clear warning that if he ever laid a hand on his things again, he was not going to let it go.

Rage flared in his veins.

“There’s something about Mariel Chartus. Otherwise, there is no reason for him to react the way he did.

For Fernandez, other possibilities were not worth considering.

So, for example, that Calix’s anger was caused by his wife’s wounded hand.

“That guy would have expected me to be in this state.”

His mood, which had been dull and sluggish earlier, was now ready to plunge and break through the ground.

Fernandez’s voice sank sharply.

“He must be waiting for me to offer him a deal.”

Fernandez’s face contorted oddly in a mixture of anger at being so easily beaten and shame at having to say something so disappointing.

The Emperor’s uneasy feelings were also conveyed to Duncan.

Then Fernandez drew in his breath for a while, clenched his fists, and began trembling in anger.

Perhaps if his body had been normal, there would have been no possessions in the bedroom left unruined.

After a few moments like that, the Emperor finally calmed down.

“But that’s as far as he can go.”

It was thanks to one thought that popped into his head.

“Because he needs what I can do.”

As long as Fernandez has ‘it’.

And as long as Calix Benvito needs ‘it’.

“Then, at the very least, he can’t kill me.”

That was the Emperor’s only solace at this moment.