Chapter 60

It wasn’t easy to breathe.

I wasn’t sure whether I had lost consciousness or not.

‘No, I think I’m awake… but I can’t open my eyes.’

It wasn’t just my eyes.

My entire body wouldn’t move, as if it had turned to stone.

Even breathing was barely possible.

‘Damn it.’

No matter how I thought about it, this was seriously messed up.

The poison I’d been hit with was one that had supposedly disappeared hundreds of years ago.

The healers of this era knew nothing about it, so there was no way they could make an antidote in time.

‘If you’re poisoned by this, you die in twelve hours.’

That’s why I had deliberately made Tantalr, the panacea—

To prepare for exactly this kind of situation.

‘No, honestly, I didn’t expect myself to be the one poisoned. I only planned to use it if someone else got hit…’

Because I knew about their poison and was confident I could avoid it, I had left the Tantalr safely in my room.

The Rhaineus rebels threw poison-filled glass bottles straight at you, but I figured I could easily dodge something like that.

‘And I actually did dodge them all. But Lisa was about to get hit, so I took it for her.’

Anyway, there was no point in thinking about it now.

The fact remained that I had been poisoned, and that I was screwed.

‘There’s no way the healers will make an antidote within twelve hours.’

The only survival scenario I could hope for now was that someone would check my bag.

And that they’d find the Tantalr inside and feed it to me.

‘…Easier said than done. Probably won’t happen.’

Unless they were a thief, no one normal would look through someone else’s bag.

Even if by chance they did, there weren’t many who could recognize the potion as Tantalr.

‘…What’s that?’

My eyes were closed, and my hearing was fading.

But I could definitely sense someone’s presence nearby.

‘Lisa?’

It sounded like someone was talking beside me—and that voice unmistakably belonged to Lisa.

I couldn’t make out the words clearly, but I was certain it was her voice…

‘Something about killing someone…? I can’t tell. Guess my ears are giving out too.’

A moment later, Lisa’s presence vanished.

I had no idea what she went to do, but I had a bad feeling about it.

I felt like I needed to stop her—fast.

‘No… before that, I need to deal with myself first. Whatever Lisa’s up to, it won’t matter if I die here.’

But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with a solution.

Right now, I couldn’t move or speak.

How could I possibly let someone know that there was Tantalr inside my bag…?

‘…Wait. Maybe I can?’

A sudden idea flashed through my mind.

Maybe I didn’t need to tell a person in words.

‘Worth a shot.’

I focused as much as I could and called out in my mind.

‘Hey, Siri. Can you hear me? If you can, come out.’

I shouted inwardly, but there was no immediate response.

Just as I was about to try again—

“Woof!”

A faint bark came from nearby.

Hearing that sound gave me a flicker of hope.

‘You know my bag, right? There should be a glowing glass bottle inside…’

I didn’t know if the little Hellhound understood me completely, but soon I heard a variety of noises from around me barking, bumping into something, whining as if struggling.

Time seemed to pass slowly, but I waited patiently.

And after who knows how long—

‘Hm?’

Something wet trickled onto my lips.

The liquid flowed through the slight gap in my mouth.

My tongue was numb, so I couldn’t taste it, but I swallowed it somehow.

“…Ugh.”

About five minutes after swallowing it, feeling began to return to my body.

My fingers twitched slightly, and I managed to open my eyes.

“Woof woof!”

As soon as I did, Siri wagged her tail and licked my face.

I smiled faintly, slowly raising my hand to pat her head.

“Good job—ugh, good job. Thanks.”

Even though I had only been lying down for a few hours, it felt like months.

My whole body was stiff, and every tiny movement made my muscles scream.

But somehow, I pushed myself up.

“Ugh… damn it. I’m never letting this happen again.”

“Woof?”

“Hm? Ah, don’t mind it. And thanks again—you saved my life.”

I patted Siri’s head once more as she looked at me with worried eyes.

As expected… my Siri was the best.

‘Anyway, what time is it now? It feels like it’s been a while since Lisa came by.’

I had a bad feeling about this.

Just as I was about to get up from bed—

“Luke, didn’t you just hear a voice from inside?”

“Yeah, I think I did.”

From outside the door, I heard Luke and Jason’s voices.

I glanced at Siri, and she gave me a reluctant look before slipping back into my shadow.

And right after she vanished—

“Gideon?”

Luke carefully opened the door and entered.

When he saw me sitting up in bed, his eyes widened in shock.

“What the—? How are you awake? The healers said you wouldn’t even be able to move until the poison was cured!”

“Guess even healers can be wrong sometimes.”

I replied casually while quietly hiding the glass bottle beside me.

‘Come to think of it, there’s still half a bottle of Tantalr left.’

It could cure almost any poison—definitely worth saving for later.

This time, I decided I’d just keep it with me from now on.

“Gideon, are you really okay? A few hours ago, your skin looked like it was rotting.”

Jason’s voice came from behind Luke.

Actually, it wasn’t just Jason’s voice I heard.

“Gideon’s awake? Jason, move aside. Professor, just a moment— Gideon?”

Layla hurriedly pushed past Luke and entered the room.

She stared blankly at me for a moment, then her eyes filled with tears.

“Gideon, are you… are you okay now?”

“I’m not fully recovered yet, but I should be fine.”

“Ugh, haah… Gideon, you idiot… I was so worried about you.”

Layla burst into tears and suddenly threw her arms around me.

Her unexpected hug caught me off guard, but I couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“Sorry for worrying you.”

“Really… I thought you were going to die! I was terrified.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hing… seriously…”

Layla wiped her tears and stepped back from me.

I smiled gently and looked at her for a moment, then glanced around.

At some point, Luke, Jason, and even Sara had entered the room.

Sara looked at me with her usual indifference before speaking.

“Kyrgram, you’re in front of Her Highness. Fix your clothes properly.”

“Hm? Ah, yes, understood.”

I straightened the shirt that had come undone and slowly rose from the bed.

“Ugh.”

“Hey, hey, don’t push yourself!”

Jason quickly rushed over and helped support me as I wobbled.

My muscles felt like they hadn’t been used in years.

But I gritted my teeth and managed to stand on my own two feet.

“I’m fine. More importantly, Professor—do you know where Lady Lisa went?”

“I’m not sure. She hasn’t been seen for a few hours.”

“A few hours ago… Did Lady Lisa happen to say anything to you before she left?”

“No? She didn’t say anything special.”

“Then that means…”

It seemed likely that Lisa had gone to Gryph Cliff alone.

What she said earlier about “killing them all” must have meant she planned to annihilate Rhaineus by herself.

‘Normally, Lisa would never go there alone. The fact that she did means… she’s not in her right mind right now.’

With Lisa’s strength, she could probably crush Rhaineus by herself—

But only if she was in a normal condition.

Right now, I couldn’t imagine her being in any shape to fight properly.

“Professor, you know where Gryph Cliff is, right?”

“Gryph Cliff? Yeah, I know where it is. Why?”

“Please gather people and head there immediately. There’s probably a kidnapped student there, and Lady Lisa is most likely fighting alone right now.”

“What? Gideon, how do you know that?”

“I heard it while fighting those green-masked guys earlier.”

I lied smoothly, keeping my expression calm.

“Before I passed out, they mentioned it briefly, and I just have this strong feeling that Lady Lisa’s there fighting right now. We need to go quickly.”

“Hmm… all right. I’ll gather a team and head there right away.”

Thankfully, Luke believed me and started moving immediately.

Once Luke left, Sara and Jason exchanged a look and stayed silent for a moment.

The one to break the silence was Layla.

“Are you two going?”

“I’m planning to. What about you, Sara?”

“I’ll stay here. Someone has to protect Her Highness.”

“Got it. Then, Lady Layla, I’ll see you there.”

With that, Jason left the room as well.

Layla turned her head to look at me.

“Gideon, don’t even think about going anywhere. You’re staying here and resting.”

“Eh? Ah, yes. Understood.”

“Should I stay with you?”

“…No, it’s fine. I’d like to rest alone for a bit.”

“Oh… okay. I understand. If you need anything, call me right away, all right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Layla looked a bit disappointed but left the room.

Sara, before exiting, gave me one last uncomfortable glance, then followed after her.

And once again, I was alone in the room.

“All right, think.”

Right now, Rhaineus had succeeded in kidnapping one student—

and that alone would be enough for them to conduct their ritual.

Lisa might have gone to stop them, but in her unstable state, there was no guarantee she could handle it on her own.

‘Even if Luke gathers people and departs for Gryph Cliff now, it’ll be too late. By then, Lisa could already be captured, and the ritual could have started.’

I wanted to rush there myself, but the distance was significant.

Even on horseback, it would take over thirty minutes.

To reach it instantly, I’d need…

‘Teleportation magic? Impossible. I could go ask Kara, but finding and convincing her would take too long. A teleport scroll? I could buy one in town right now, but… it’s too expensive.’

A Teleport Scroll, capable of moving you anywhere instantly, cost at least a thousand gold coins.

Even for someone like me, that was too steep for a single trip.

Which left me with only one possible method.

“Hey, Siri.”

“Woof?”

At my call, Siri peeked her head out from my shadow.

“Can you move through shadows? And… can you take me with you?”

“…Woof?”

Siri gave me a completely baffled look.

I couldn’t actually understand dog language, but I was pretty sure she just said, ‘What kind of nonsense is that?’

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