<Self-Harm. Readers, please be advised.>>
The refined Thousand-Poison Antidote became a wine. Jin drank it whole, and his vision went black.
He fainted right then and there.
When he opened his eyes, instead of Quikantel, Enya was at his side.
“Eeerrrrr…”
“Ah, Lord Jin. You’ve finally awoken!”
“Enya? Where’s Miss Quikantel? And what do you mean by ‘finally’?”
Jin thought he lost consciousness for only a short while. However, it was odd that Enya was watching him instead of Quikantel.
“Miss Quikantel is in the room over there. And you were knocked out for five days.”
“What?! Five days?!”
“Indeed. I thought you actually died. While you were half-dead, your entire body turned black and then normal again. Probably did that dozens of times. It was super cool!”
It only took him five days due to the Runcandels’ blessed body.
A normal knight would require at least a month to fully absorb the antidote. Quikantel knew this but didn’t tell him. She thought that not knowing would be better in any case.
“So I presume you are immune to all kinds of poison? Congratulations, milord. You don’t know how wonderful it is for me to see you make achievement after achievement! Anyways, everyone! The lord has awoken!”
Enya ran out to the hallway and shouted, and one by one, more people sought Jin. Gilly, Murakan, Quikantel, Alisa, and Jet. While everyone gathered, only Kashimir was absent.
He was currently fighting his way through the monsters of the Black Sea after ending his little drink with Cyron.
“Oh my goodness, Young Master! Great work! And Congratulations!”
“You said you’ll be off of Nameless’s radar for ten years, right? You should still be careful during that time. The Thousand-Poison Antidote is an absorbable elixir. Which is why it’s passed down to the best executioners of Nameless.”
Quikantel sat on the bed.
“I thought you’d be out for at least a week, but you got up in five days. There was also an intent for you to rest, so don’t think of it too badly.”
“I don’t feel bad at all. Consuming it without knowing is better. If I knew about it, then it would’ve been really nerve-racking.”
“Congratulations, Young Master. Thousand-Poison Immunity… You’ve achieved what most knights dream of.”
“Hey, kid. Drink this as a celebration.”
Murakan handed him a goblet filled with an unidentifiable black liquid.
“…The hell is this? This… I don’t think this is something a human can drink.”
Sizzle, sizzle.
Bubbles burst and smoke rose from it.
“What else do you think it is? It’s poison. While you were asleep, Jet got it from the Vermont Black Market. Drink up. I wanna see the immunity for myself.”
“Murakan, are you crazy? Seriously? Experimenting on me as soon as I wake up…”
However, all of his companions around the bed looked like they were awaiting results. Even for dragons who lived thousands of years, immunity was not a common sight.
Even Gilly only acted like she was stopping Murakan.
“Haaa, alright.”
Gulp, gulp…!
With a burning sensation in his tongue, the poison slithered down his throat.
Cough!
“Tastes disgusting.”
“Whoa, milord. How do you feel?”
“Wow, he’s actually fine?”
“My stomach is getting a little hot… but that’s it. What kind of poison is this?”
He rinsed his mouth with a glass of water from Gilly. .
“It was something that could end a 7-star with one sip.”
“Haha, and you gave me that? I might shed a tear because I’m so thankful. Yeah? You’re messed in the head.”
“Quikantel said that there’s no poison in the world that could instantly take you out.”
Jin turned his head to Quikantel.
“It’s true. There’s no poison that can kill you instantly. You have complete immunity over the one you just drank. And above that, if you get excessive exposure, then it’ll be dangerous. Instead, for poisons that could kill others with a single drop, you can take an entire goblet-full.”
Despite that, it still wasn’t an absolute Thousand-Poison Immunity. That was something that only Temar, Cyron, and the first Leader of Nameless, Corun, achieved.
However, that was only a speculation. Nothing was confirmed. Still, Jin’s poison immunity was very strong.
“From now on, no poison-tipped weapon or poisoned food can threaten you. I’m sure I don’t need to explain that in depth.”
Killing Jin with poison basically became impossible.
‘Next time I meet Kuzan, I won’t need to back down because of his poison. Not only him, but other poison users I’d face in the future as well.’
As he thought about his brighter future, he forgot about being used as a human experiment. The heat in his stomach was now neutralized. Jin felt it being carried away by his breaths.
“Satisfactory. It was all worth it. Alright, now then… A meal. No matter how curious you are, why would you give poison instead of a meal to someone who woke up after a five-day coma?”
It was lunchtime.
Kashimir was still absent, but they exchanged many stories as they had a nice familial meal. The main story being Jin’s adventures in Samil, and Enya constantly smacked her lips in jealousy.
“Lord Jin, since you are super strong, can I go with you on your next mission? I’ll go anywhere. I want to grow with you.”
“Well, she has to gain real-life experience now. Just enough to carry her own weight. Don’t you think, Quikantel? Your contractor needs to be buckled up.”
“I don’t like it, but you’re right. I shouldn’t be keeping her in the nest, worrying about everything.”
“Isn’t Miss Enya training with Miss Quikantel and Lord Murakan? I heard she hit 4-star.”
She was being underestimated because of Jin’s excessive achievements. However, achieving 4-star at the age of 16 wasn’t an easy feat. Only nationally recognized magicians could grow that quickly. Enya didn’t attend the Vermont Magic Academy as an honored scholar just because she was Olta’s contractor.
“Since she only learns from theory with application, her growth is slow. And she hasn’t killed anyone before.”
“Hmm. Killing… Does Miss Enya really need to experience such things?
Clink!
Quikantel loudly set down her fork.
“Jin Runcandel. Everyone here is your ally. That means that we will also offer a hand when you become a flag-bearer and join the Battle for Hegemony. It will be an all-out war. Do you mean Enya to be deadweight when that happens?”
She spoke with the intention to make Jin feel shame. However, she was actually scolding Enya. After coming to Tikan, Enya hadn’t done much other than magic training and playing with the other children.
Of course, she was only 16. However, in the current state of the world, enough skill in self-defense was mandatory. Someone who got someone’s back in a fight.
And Quikantel felt a little jealous of Murakan. As guardian dragons, they only watched Jin’s rapid growth together.
“Despite looking like this, this girl is Olta’s contractor with a genius’s talent. And the opponents we will face are Runcandels and Zipfels. She needs to get stronger. Enough to support you even after you become a flag-bearer.”
Understanding Quikantel’s intention, Jin nodded.
“I have never thought of that. Alright, I was thinking of facing magicians in the next mission. Since I’m just testing out the new overload magic, I can go with Miss Enya.”
“Whoooaaa!”
Enya beat her chest as her eyes glimmered. Her unique way of… showing happiness.
“Adventure! With Lord Jin! The two of us! Then when should I plan the wedding?”
Jin spat the water he had been drinking. Quikantel sighed. Calming Murakan, who was laughing his heart out, was Gilly’s job.
“Enya. I will not tell you to act more respectable. Even Lord Olta gave up on that… Please act with common sense. I wasn’t scolding Jin, I was scolding you. Do you understand?”
“Haha, I was just joking. I’m sorry!”
Her words held genuineness, but Jin just laughed it off. It wasn’t that she was like this for only a day of two. He kind of felt that Enya acted like Yona.
‘Since she lived through the bullying and discrimination in the Vermont Empire, she would definitely have scars on her heart. And her excessively easygoing personality probably comes from there too.’
Jin, too, experienced the horrors of society. To the point where he couldn’t keep track of how many times he wanted to end his own life.
So, whenever Enya acted bright and happy, he didn’t feel great.
“Oh, and Young Master. I have something to tell you.”
“Hm?”
“I should visit the main house soon. I don’t know why, but the patriarch has decreed an order.”
“Father did…?”
‘Why would he summon a provisional flag-bearer’s nanny? Just like the flag-bearer, the nanny also became an outsider with the provisional flag-bearer.’
After shortly thinking about it, Jin was struck with an idea and met Gilly’s eyes.
“Maybe he summoned you for a reward?”
“A reward? Young Master, you are a provisional flag-bearer.”
“Some of Joshua’s knights died at the hands of Nameless Executioners because of me. I’m not too certain, but I think it’s a reward for that. With a provisional flag-bearer status, I basically won an unofficial battle in the Battle for Hegemony.”
Jin unraveled his theory, and his companions were shocked.
“My goodness… That’s what happened with Miss Yona? And you asked for such things from the Leader of Nameless… Joshua, that bastar—I mean, did you expect Young Master Joshua to have knights on your tail…?”
“I wasn’t completely expecting it. However, I did leave a warning after killing Kidard. I thought he’d definitely send someone. So after the Leader of Nameless agreed to help me out, I gave him the subtle request to deal with them.”
“I’m sorry, Young Master.”
“Why the sudden apology?”
“I should’ve acted after thinking it through. I merely waited for your safe return without doing anything. I feel embarrassed to show my face to you.”
“Don’t give me that. Have a nice trip. If it were a punishment, then he would have called me directly, so it must be a reward. And I’m sure you know what it means to win a Battle for Hegemony.”
“Yes. If it really is a reward, the patriarch will take something from Young Master Joshua and offer it to you.”
If flag-bearers were to fight, the one who would come out on top would get to take the loser’s knights or materials.
However, that didn’t apply to all fights. It was only for victories with special meaning. And since Jin defeated the second flag-bearer as a provisional flag-bearer, it was a special victory.
“I’m excited to see what Father took from him to give to me.”
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