I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 71

CHAPTER 71

“Poison?”

Stella’s expression became strange.

“They used poison to dye it?”

“Yes.”

“Is that possible?”

What can’t be done? 

Even extracting color from a corpse.

Well, showing it once is better than saying a hundred words at times like this.

It’s not something difficult to show.

“Shall I show you?”

I approached where the items were piled up.

After a servant handed me gloves, I covered my face with a cloth firmly.

Then I picked up a small carpet among the items.

As soon as I shook the carpet, the summer green powder bloomed all over it.

“……!!”

Green powder floated in the air.

“This is the poison.”

To be precise, it was arsenic.

A deadly substance often used in poisons that kill people had emerged from the carpet.

“It’s made into powder form and applied to cloth or objects.”

It wasn’t dyed; it was processed by sprinkling powder, so the poison would gradually seep out little by little even in normal times.

At first, it’s fine.

Symptoms don’t start after just a few days of exposure.

“But as the day goes by, the more it accumulates inside the body.”

The accumulated arsenic initially brings minor symptoms like headaches, lethargy, and rashes.

“Then suddenly, they die.”

The child playing with toys died.

The lady showing off her beautiful dress stopped breathing, and the gentleman working in the study was found dead.

People were dying, but the cause and reason were unknown.

The lives of the deceased were the same as before, and they hadn’t eaten any special food or gone anywhere else.

“Moreover, it has been raining for the past few days.”

 “It’s been raining for the past few days, and your body feels sticky, right?”

Didn’t Liena say it rained while I was lying down?

“If the humidity is high, it spreads faster.”

So the symptoms would have appeared more quickly recently.

I took a deep breath.

‘It took so long to find the cause…!’

Nobody thought that the toys they played with, the dresses they cherished, or the wallpapers in their study could kill people.

From occupation to age, gender, and lifestyle patterns.

Finding the cause took longer because these people, who had nothing in common, kept dying.

Meanwhile, more people died, investigations fell back into confusion, and the vicious cycle repeated.

‘After all the effort to find the cause, who’s the lunatic who made this again?’

I gnashed my teeth at the thought.

“I didn’t know.”

When I turned around, Stella was looking at me with a pale face.

“It’s possible.”

I nodded my head as I threw the carpet and the gloves covered in green powder for the piled items.

“This happened a long time ago in the Ashart Kingdom.”

It happened a long time ago, and due to the distance between the Ashart Kingdom and the Pandelion Empire, their interactions were extremely rare. 

So, Stella might not have known.

“How dare…”

Before I could finish my sentence, Stella grimaced frighteningly.

“Who dares to do such a thing…!!”

Her eyes were filled with the kind of anger that would have torn apart a suspect on the spot.

“Calm down; the priority is to save the patients first.”

Stella bit her lips, suppressing her anger. 

Blood stained them.

“…What should we do now?”

“First, we need to remove all the green items in the mansion.”

Among them, there might be items dyed with safe dye, but now is not the time to distinguish that.

“Wallpapers, frames, candles, small jewelry, everything.”

Even small items were dangerous.

Especially if this wasn’t just a vacation villa.

“After that, open all the windows and doors for ventilation, and, oh! Are the herbs I asked for earlier here?”

Before leaving my palace, I had requested Stella to fetch some herbs for me.

Stella turned around in response to my question.

A maid, her brown hair tied in a bun, quickly briefed me on the current situation.

“All the shops in the capital district are being searched now. The herbs are not rare, but it takes time to purchase them in such large quantities.”

“Take your time, but bring as much as you can. Anna.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The maid nodded in response to Stella’s words.

“After that, until the herbs arrive, we can evacuate the patients outside, right?”

Stella quickly continued.

“That’s right.”

“Among the personnel moving the items, leave a third behind, and the rest can move the patients after they’ve changed into clean clothes.”

Stella muttered to herself.

“And since a large amount of herbs will be coming, we’ll need someone to process them together.”

Taking a brief pause, Stella asked.

“Lottie, do you need a space for a fire as well?”

“Yes, I do.”

“There’s a Lady’s villa nearby. Let’s borrow that. Anna.”

“I’ll send someone to Countess Lavillier right away. And I’ll ask if we can borrow the herbalists under Countess Lavillier as well.”

“Good, Countess Lavillier has been interested in herbalism for generations. She should have many capable people with her.”

Oh, she’s quick to catch on.

I blinked my eyes.

As soon as I provided a clue for a solution, Stella swiftly organized the situation and gave instructions.

Anna, the maid known as that, seemed to have been with Stella for a long time as she quickly understood Stella’s intentions and carried out the necessary tasks.

‘It’s fascinating.’

I briefly glanced at the two of them before locking eyes with Stella.

“By the way, was your visit to the temple earlier related to this?”

The temple had a substantial amount of herbs for treating injuries. 

Stella probably thought my visit was to gather herbs.

“No.”

I shook my head. 

It was for another reason, one I couldn’t disclose right now.

“I’ll be attending to my tasks for now.” 

I needed to do what I could.

‘I need to block any further exposure to arsenic as quickly as possible and expel the accumulated arsenic from the body.’

Originally, it would have been difficult to expel all the arsenic accumulated in the body. 

But I had hope.

‘The accumulation period is short.’

It usually takes at least a year to several years of consistent contact with arsenic-dyed items for such symptoms to appear. 

However, the patients had only been in contact for a few months. 

So, the arsenic in their bodies hadn’t been fully absorbed yet. 

This was my chance.

‘And now, I have the power of the Spirit Kings, don’t I?’

I chuckled as I touched the power stones I had tucked away in my pocket. 

The purifying flames of Ifrit, the purification abilities of Elam. 

And with Sylphid’s wind, we could neatly blow away any remaining arsenic in the mansion corners.

As for Gnome… not needed this time.

‘Moreover, if I can produce pure water using Shu, it will amplify the effects of the herbs.’

It would have effects similar to the Tiani Spring, which only the nobles had been drinking. 

No, it would be much better. 

Wasn’t this water made by none other than the successor of the Water Spirit King?

‘Alright.’

I picked up a clean cloth and gloves. 

“Are you planning to enter the mansion?” 

Stella caught on with just that.

“Right.”

I nodded and covered my nose and mouth with the cloth. 

“I’ll go in and check for any remaining items.”

“No, it’s dangerous.” 

Stella firmly objected. 

“You’re a noble, and your body is frail. There’s no need to take such risks. Let someone else go.”

“No.” 

I wore the gloves and shook my head. 

“If someone on the battlefield were to say those words, would you retreat?”

“No. Advancing with weapons and fighting is my duty.” 

Stella replied firmly.

“Likewise.” 

I chuckled behind the opposing glove. 

“This is my duty.”

I couldn’t afford to yield. 

Stella nodded in understanding.

“If anything seems off, come outside.” 

“No problem.” 

A brief exposure was nothing, and I had the power of the spirits. 

If anything, it was better without anyone around. 

Plus, I was getting annoyed by all the calling.

I was planning to go myself.

“Your Highness.” 

I paused my steps towards the mansion and looked at Stella. 

“Is the person claiming to be cursed in that room?” 

I pointed to the window on the top floor.

“Yes, how did you know? Lord Beaerus is in that room.”

“Seeing the speed at which the patients are coming out, it seems they’re coming out from the bottom floor first.” 

It was actually for a different reason.

“I’ll go check his condition. Your Highness, please focus on moving the items and patients.”

“Excuse me, but isn’t Lord Beaerus also ill because of this green poison?”

At the maid’s question, I shook my head.

“No.”

I said, looking towards the window where Lord Beaerus might be.

“That’s a separate issue from the poison. It’s…” 

I trailed off, sensing Kyres’ power emanating from inside since earlier.