Chapter 16
Mia cautiously slipped out of the door. The hallway was silent, and there was not a single guard in sight.
Tsk.
Mia clicked her tongue. Even with a foreign army recklessly invading, they didn’t even consider putting up a guard.
Was it negligence, or was this just a show? Either way, it wouldn’t pose a threat to her, especially now that she had awakened her divine power.
‘If a meddler appears, I can just take care of them.’
The baron’s room was on the top floor. Since she hadn’t paid much attention to the baron in her previous life, that was all she knew, but if she had a rough idea of the location, it wouldn’t be impossible to find it.
‘Theoretically, it seemed feasible, but this is my first time actually trying it…’
Well, if it didn’t work out, she could just open each door one by one. Mia closed her eyes and focused.
Before long, thin threads of light began to flow from her outstretched fingertips, gradually seeping through the long line of doors.
While there were limitations to what she could see with her eyes, it was possible to identify or track distant people with just her divine power.
“Hmm.”
The last room. He’s alone.
Satisfied, Mia withdrew her divine power.
Bang!
The sound of the door being kicked open jolted Baron Galua awake.
“Oh, Lady. You found me… Cough!”
“Shatten merchant. Where is he?”
The voice, as if waiting for this moment, was immediately muffled by a hand gripping his neck.
The confident look in his eyes faded, slowly replaced by shock as he accepted the situation.
He had gathered information about Lady Blanchard ever since the rumors of her receiving divine prophecies and being appointed as the vanguard trickled across the border, but he had expected her to be just an average noble girl raised in comfort, so he had miscalculated regarding Mia’s strength.
“Do you still find my words amusing? Or do you have some loyalty to those scoundrels?”
The gaze looking down on him turned sharply red. As Mia tightened her grip, the baron quickly shook his head and pointed to his throat.
“Tsk.”
How pathetic. With that murmur, she released her grip, and Galua slumped down, his legs giving way beneath him.
“Cough, gasp.”
“Now speak.”
“P-please, just a moment! I have something to say first… Gasp.”
Thud.
Just as he straightened up, Galua lost his balance again. The sound of impact reached him before the pain did. He clutched his abdomen, gasping for air.
Seeing the one who had mocked her before the crowd now rolling on the floor brought no sense of pity to Mia. She didn’t give him a moment to calm his breathing and pressed on.
“Stop with the nonsense.”
“But this is really important… Ah, no, I will tell you!”
As Mia reached out her hand, the baron hurriedly corrected himself.
“Just go outside the gate and ask where the oldest tavern in this area is.”
“Is that a code word?”
“No! I swear, it’s the oldest tavern still in business in Glen!”
As if another authoritative command was about to fall, the baron hurriedly clarified. Mia nodded briefly and moved away from him.
“Wait, Lady! Just! Just give me 10 seconds! I have a deal…!”
Thud.
The baron’s desperate attempt to hold onto Mia was in vain as the door closed mercilessly before his eyes.
***
Etienne was searching for Mia. She had just returned to her room to catch her breath, but for some reason, she didn’t want to let him inside.
He seemed to have a sense of duty not to leave her alone. In his hand, he held a dessert that he had likely obtained from somewhere, and without any malicious intent or deviousness, he was simply an annoying presence, making him a difficult opponent to deal with.
“The march must have been tough; shouldn’t you take a break?”
“I’m fine, so please have something to eat. But more importantly, are you alright, Mia?”
“No, really, I’m good. I’m not hungry, and I don’t like sweets. I think the one who’s been moving a lot should eat more, right…?”
“You know that’s not why I asked.”
Etienne’s insistence was harder to refuse than the baron’s. She had hoped their pretense of being lovers would remain just that.
The warmth and concern in his demeanor, as if they were genuinely in a romantic relationship, was, to be honest, a bit overwhelming.
Ultimately, Mia decided that rather than bickering over a piece of cake in the bustling hallway, it was better to let this man into the room.
With her weak grip, she grabbed Etienne’s wrist and pulled him into the room. Etienne beamed at her.
“Does that mean you’re starting to feel like eating?”
“I have something to say.”
As the door creaked closed behind Etienne, Mia took the plate from him and carelessly set it on the table.
“Sir.”
“Etienne.”
“Ah, yes. Do you remember where the wine served today was sourced from?”
“I don’t think I heard anything about it.”
“Exactly. The baron didn’t mention it at all. It’s the only thing from the meal he didn’t boast about. Doesn’t that seem strange for such a showy person?”
“That would imply it wasn’t originally marked for its source…”
Etienne murmured as he fell into thought. Mia nodded in agreement.
“But what kind of fine wine doesn’t come with a source label?”
“…If it’s sold at that price, it likely had another purpose.”
“Right. I know because we received it as a gift after diplomatic negotiations with Veridian. This wine contains special components that become toxic when mixed with spices widely used in western Veridian cuisine.”
Ah, that’s why he mentioned the spices. The baron likely had a grim expression when Mia spoke about them.
Only then did the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together in Etienne’s mind.
***
Consuming the ‘originless wine’ along with the problematic spices caused side effects.
Everything about this wine, including its origin and distribution route, was shrouded in mystery, and those who directly bought the wine were well aware of the details of this “side effect,” making it practically impossible to mistakenly consume both ingredients together. It was essentially the same principle as poison.
Therefore, if someone had suffered from this poison, there had to be someone behind it acting with intent.
Of course, if one ingested poison, it would immediately pose health issues, but the most frightening aspect of this poison lay in its aftermath.
The commander, who had once charged into enemy lines like a mad beast, often found himself bedridden after battles, completely drained of strength. Once he fell ill, he would have to lie still for days, leading the prestigious 1st Holy Corps to gradually avoid fierce combat.
Naturally, the front lines began to falter.
The more they struggled, the more reckless Rochefort became in battle, and his times of sickness extended accordingly.
Considering that Etienne Rochefort was hailed as the empire’s most revered hero, it was largely due to his remarkable combat sense, in addition to his dazzling appearance, which meant this alone dealt a significant blow to Etalon.
As if that weren’t enough, they were unable to withstand the onslaught of Veridian’s forces, leading to daily battles.
Naturally, the number of battles that Rochefort couldn’t attend began to increase. Battles without the commander noticeably demoralized the troops. The day when nearly half of the 1st Holy Corps was decimated was when Rochefort had been bedridden.
Rochefort’s illness had undoubtedly turned the tide in favor of Veridian. Day by day, Etalon’s chances of victory grew slimmer.
The cause of the sudden illness being the “originless wine” was something Etienne would learn only after his death.
It was fortunate that he had the chance to interrogate a high-ranking priest of Veridian he had captured. The line between interrogation and torture was a bit blurry, but that didn’t matter much to Mia.
Through that priest, Mia learned two crucial facts for the first time.
First, the influence of the goddess Aetos in Veridian was greater than anticipated. Even if they implemented a policy of tolerance towards other religions, the power of the Veridian temple remained formidable.
And second, those who drank the suspicious wine would suffer from an unidentified illness if they excessively used divine power.
The symptoms of that illness were strikingly similar to what Rochefort had been experiencing.
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