Turning

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Chapter 167

Yuder hesitated, then nodded. At that moment, a blue aura flowed from Kishiar's hand, wrapping around the letter and causing it to float gently before setting it down onto his lap.

"...What did you just do?"

"It's a levitation spell stored in this ring."

As he mentioned it, Yuder noticed a ring on Kishiar's right middle finger he had not seen before. He wondered just how many magical items Kishiar possessed. With that lingering curiosity, he picked up the letter.

"There's... writing on both sides."

"Indeed. The front is written by the sender to Lenore Shand Apeto, and the back is written by Lenore herself."

Yuder began reading the front. The elegant, yet somewhat ambiguous handwriting wasn't too lengthy.

Lenore Shand Apeto, in response to the wisdom I saw in your letter yesterday regarding our country and future, I raised my cup of fluaville tea. They say the special fragrance of fluaville comes from its triumph over the harshest of environments, blooming only after a great struggle. Despite the multitude of flowers and fruits each year, is there anything as courageous as the fluaville that has thrived on a barren mountain, devoid of sunlight, rain, and fertile soil?

In you, who trusted me and made bold decisions even in difficult circumstances, I feel the spirit of the fluaville. I believe your cooperation will bring a hopeful future for me as well. The day when we will be together is eagerly anticipated.

P.S. Return this letter and hand-deliver your next response so I may believe in you as clearly as the rising sun.

The letter, using the fluaville tea, a flower that thrives in the black rocky mountain where no other plant could grow, as a metaphor, was complimenting Lenore for her decision to cooperate. After reading the postscript, Yuder flipped the letter over to reveal a completely different handwriting crammed on the back.

To my naive younger brother, Revlin Shand Apeto.

This letter was another one written by Lenore, this time to his brother Revlin. Ignoring the parts filled with resentment towards Revlin, the remaining content was short, but it was easy to see why Kishiar found it intriguing.

Just as you have made a new choice, I too plan to move along a different path. The previous letter was sent to me by someone from the Palace of Bright. This person reached out his hand, telling me the truth when I was ignorant of the situation outside. I can guess that the reason why this person, who no longer needed the help of others, chose me was because he was trying to face Duke Peletta in the trial using me as his proxy.

I will seize this opportunity and claim Apeto for myself. If that happens, wouldn't it be brotherly love not to include you? By now, you must regret your foolish choice, so upon receiving this letter, I hope you reflect deeply.

While Prince Katchian left no clues to identify himself in the letter he wrote, Lenore wrote the name of the Palace of Bright where the Crown Prince lived on the back as if mocking it.

"He asked to send the letter back, but Lenore managed to sneakily leave this behind."

"Perhaps he thought ahead, preparing for a scenario where the conversation with the Crown Prince didn't go well. He planned to extract information about me and the Cavalry from Revlin if things went according to plan."

Kishiar informed him that before his death, Lenore had secretly entrusted the letter to a servant, instructing him to deliver it to Revlin should anything happen to him.

"Fortunately, the Gakane Bolunwald had agreed to meet with him, guaranteeing his safety and pledging to deliver his letter on his behalf. Notably, Revlin had already made it clear that I was free to use this letter as I pleased."

"Then why did you not disclose this second letter immediately? If you had revealed it before today's trial, wouldn't we have avoided a scandal?"

"I discovered a somewhat troubling substance while examining the letter."

Kishiar raised his hand, pointing towards the letter.

"During the examination of the two letters, I noticed fine dust adhered to their surfaces. It seemed as though it had dried up, perhaps originally having been a liquid. The second letter had more of this dust, and I suspected it was not ink but something else. Despite much of the dust being lost, the remaining amount did not reveal its nature. However, I can't help but suspect that it smells of foul play."

Upon hearing this, Yuder looked down at the letter once more.

"Thus, my plan was to reveal it once I'd confirmed the identity of this dust, at a time when suspicions and doubts about me had peaked and the Crown Prince had made his move."

Yuder knew the identity of the unpleasant substance Kishiar was talking about. It was a poison that induced intense thirst.

'I didn't get the chance to report it because of the chaos, but he's already figured it out.'

The fact that Kishiar, who had no foreknowledge and was dealing with the situation blindly, managed not to overlook such a small detail made Yuder realize his brilliance once more. Kishiar tilted his head, seeming to have noticed Yuder's nuanced expression.

"You seem puzzled. I thought you'd find it intriguing. Do you have any guess?"

"Yes. I failed to mention it earlier, but when I found the body of Prince Lenore, I discovered the same substance all over his body and belongings. It's a poison I'm already familiar with."

"Poison?"

"It's not lethal, but when absorbed in large amounts through the skin, it causes severe thirst."

"How were you able to identify such a minute substance at a glance?"

"The poison reacts to fire. When I ignited a flame to examine the prince's body in the warehouse, I noticed its glow and response."

In truth, Yuder had confirmed it after suspecting Katchian upon witnessing Lenore's death as he suffered from extreme thirst and drank poison from a cup. Yet, Yuder calmly lied.

"That's an unusual poison, even for me to hear about. Impressive."

"It's understandable you wouldn't know. The ingredient is a non-edible mushroom, only used among the poor to induce vomiting by forcing excessive water consumption."

Yuder had learned this fact in his past life during a conversation with Enon. During the period when this poison was commonly used, he'd asked Enon, who ran a herbal medicine shop and may have known something, after hearing that the raw material was a certain kind of mushroom. It was trivial information he'd obtained.

"It seems you know it quite well. Surely you..."

Facing Kishiar, who seemed to misunderstand something and furrowed his brows, Yuder firmly shook his head.

"I have never used it personally. I just happened to learn about it while living in the mountains. I never imagined I'd encounter it in this manner again…"

"That's a relief. If you had learned of it because you were ill enough to need it, my heart would have ached even more for the miserable state of this empire."

With a faint smile, Kishiar changed his expression, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Anyway, we obtained unexpected valuable information, which will ease our investigation. We need to secure evidence and a trace of how the Crown Prince obtained and used that poison. It would be proof that Lenore Shand Apeto was systematically murdered by drinking the poisoned cup."

"Yes."

"It's fortunate that Lenore Shand Apeto's funeral is tomorrow, isn't it?"

Since the corpse bearing evidence and his belongings would still be there, Kishiar smiled as brightly as the sunlight.

It was indeed better than the exhausted, emaciated face he had in his dream. Yuder also, unknowingly drawn by that smile, lifted the corners of his mouth faintly. For a moment, an odd silence danced between their laughter.

"...Why are you...?"

"Excuse me?"

"No, it's nothing."

Kishiar, who had inadvertently moved his lips to say something, quickly changed the subject.

"...So, now that the intriguing story has ended, let's hear your story."

"Ah, yes."

When he responded with the feeling that what was bound to come had come, Kishiar also turned his gaze with a much more serious expression than before.

"I didn't ask before because the situation was urgent, but how did you happen to meet Kiolle da Diarca that day?"

"...Kiolle da Diarca, you say?"

He paused in silence at this unexpected question before questioning back, at which point Kishiar nodded.

"He said he came to help because he was in your debt, but I'm not sure how much you know about the situation at that time, so I wanted to confirm. While you were laid up, I've been looking into his activities, and other than the strange rumor that you two seemed oddly entangled that day, I couldn't find anything else."

"... "

Although it was slightly embarrassing, he did have a hunch about that rumor. It seemed the soldiers who had witnessed him asking Kiolle for information had spread some strange stories.

Yuder sighed and began to speak.

"You needn't worry. I bumped into Kiolle da Diarca that day, and he followed me without my knowledge and saw me manifest. Still, he won't go around spreading what he saw that day."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

If asked, Yuder had planned to talk about the oath he made with Kiolle. But after hearing this, Kishiar simply stared at him with his red eyes for a moment before giving a single nod, not inquiring further.

"I see. It seems you're confident about it, so I'll leave that matter to you and not worry further. He's not worth the time and thought."

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