chsdbacks Chapter 214 – Source of Poison
Chapter 214 – Source of Poison
Chapter 214 - Source of PoisonThey returned to one of the abandoned houses they used as a temporary base. Well, unlike some of the others, where they stayed the night and left, in this building Eva had been running experiments.
[Letters of the bastard's involvement. What a perfect prize.] (Syrus)
[They are still written in code, so they can’t exactly be used as evidence.] Luna knew that coded information was hard to use as evidence; she had heard of and read about such dramas. Because something was coded, it could mean that if someone got their hand on a coded letter, if they wanted to, they could pretend to solve the code to frame someone.
There was quite a famous case of a love story between a priest and a flower girl in Luminous State, where the head of the church rested, where their letters were taken, and one third party tried to blame false crimes on the priest with a false code break.
When they entered the room, Eva immediately went over her chemistry setup and looked over the results, shocked. There were three vials with the exact same clear orange colour. She was stunned as this meant something had failed with the extraction process.
“The poison from the weapon, no matter the method… the poison has vanished.” Eva had tried many different chemical solutions for the poison used against them. But everything failed, the poison that had been detected before had vanished and even in her test to amplify the poison, it had resulted in a failed test case.
[Isn’t that the same as what happened when you tried examining Alba’s blood?] Syrus asked.
[Yes, it is…] Eva remembered running some tests to check for poison within the blood sample provided, and while negative, the blood wasn’t as bright as expected. When she ran a test as she did with poison in the weapons, there was also an equally no result.
[So the same poison used to attempt to kill us… was the same poison used on Alba?] Luna waited for Eva to hopefully explain this further.
[It could just be coincidental. Perhaps they use some similar ingredients that cause this reaction… As when this poison was used–on the assumption that this is the poison the prior assassins used to take their own life–the output was far more deadly and fast acting.] Eva felt there had to be a connection, but calling them the same poison she figured might be a stretch. [There are also too many other reasons why the test with Alba’s blood failed. So we can’t safely say there is any connection at all.]
However, Luna and Syrus's words had created an idea within Eva. What if the poisons used were the same?
A poison could be harmless or beneficial in small quantities, but deadly above a certain level; the difference in effect was massive. Still, the effect it had on Alba versus the assassins was staggeringly different; the amount used on the assassins' weapons was tiny.
If anything, there were thousands of reasons that made more logical sense about why all the tests got the same result.
[There… is likely no way it is the same poison. But, if it is…] (Eva)
[If it is?] (Luna)
[Then the question becomes, ‘How’ and ‘Why’ are the effects different.] Eva’s mind ran through everything she knew about poisons as she paced around the room for over an hour. She mixed different potions and chemicals, checking for different results, mumbling words under her breath as the other two let out theorise.
“We need to speak with Lavender.”
Lavender was minding her own business early in the morning in the training yard. She was here early most days, as it was a good way to relieve stress.
“Lavender, this is really important.” Syrus leapt over the wall where Lavender was training alone.
“Huh, Syrus, wait.” Lavender was momentarily stunned to see the red-haired woman suddenly show up after no word for days.
“Please listen, I know this might be rude, but I need to know some details about your Attribute."
Lavender frowned. It was not a question anyone would like to hear, but for her, it was especially sensitive. Due to the rarity and nature of it, it was not something she liked others knowing the inner workings of.
“...Why?” But she at least decided to hear the woman out. No normal person would jump off a building to get over the fence just to ask her this question. Still, she wasn’t sure if she would actually give any answers.
“I believe there is someone I am hunting who has a similar Attribute, and I need to figure out if that is true.”
She kept her frown. “You ask, and I will debate answering."
“You mentioned you only had one poison, so do the effects change?”
“More mana does changes to it.”
Eva asked a more detailed question, “What are the effects of the poison?”
“All I will say, based on my own research, is that people with similar attributes to me tend to have variance in their poisons. The weaker form of my poison might cause some mild annoyance, while for someone else it might make the intaker slightly drowsy."
Eva’s eyes sparkled. “Thank you, Lavender.” That was a way better answer than hearing Lavender’s poison effects.
Lavender dropped her frown. From Syrus’s expression, it appeared the woman had gotten something she needed.
“How long can your poison last outside your body?”
“Not long, it is still mana-based and that, like most Attribute magic, disappears quickly.”
Eva asked, “Do you know how long that limit is? The person I am facing can have their poison exist long outside of the body.” She went with the assumption that the poison on the assassin's weapons was an Attribute poison for the question.
Lavender based this off her poison. “Could be a personal quirk of the user, because mine does not last long. A few minutes at best.” When she heard Syrus say long, she assumed an hour at best, but Anlesa was thinking that the poison used could at least last for days.
Finally, Anlesa asked Lavender if she could drop her poison into two vials, which she did without complaint.
“Thank you for everything.” Anlesa heard people moving in the house towards the training field, and she had got her answers. She turned to jump the large fence.
Lavender said, “Syrus, you owe me for this.”
Syrus turned to Lavender. “I won’t forget that.” While it was important for their investigation and Lavender recognised that, which was why she cooperated at all, it was still a discourteous act, and Lavender only answered as detailedly as she did because it had to do with the safety of the people inside she needed to protect.
Eva was ready to stay in the room and wait. She wanted to watch the entire process of what happened to Lavender’s poison. However, Lavender’s words were true. Her poison didn’t last long, and when she pulled the vials out of her pocket, the contents of one had completely disappeared, and the other was the same orange liquid as the failed batches.
[This doesn’t exactly mean what we are dealing with is poison crafted from an Attribute.] (Syrus)
[You are completely correct.] Eva was not denying that. There were many ways to get this result, and assuming an Attribute could be an extremely wrong conclusion. Even if this branch of this poison Attribute lasted longer, could it really last so long as they expected it to have been in Alba’s system for? [However, it does create a possibility we haven’t thought about.]
[Which is?] (Luna)
[I don’t know how Attribute poison works. It is a completely unknown field, and if Lavender is correct, where different people have slightly different poisons, then that expands the scope of what is possible even more.] Eva said with focus. [If someone’s attribute does have different properties, or if they have experimented with improving the poison through internal means, or external mixing with other chemicals. Then there is the chance they could create wholly original poisons. Poisons that aren’t detectable via normal means and can be more or less effective. Based on Lavender’s words, mana-poisons don’t last forever, which makes sense. This normal magic doesn’t last too long when it's not being maintained, but we know there are exceptions, and so why can’t this be a case?]
She had spent so much time studying poisons within this city. When they learned about the plague’s history, Alba's condition, and the poisons the assassins used. Eva had been dedicated to studying them.
Eva had been trying to look at all the combinations of poisonous plans, and with Havier’s help, at what supplies were brought into the country. They had spoken with him briefly about the assassins using poisons, and he ordered investigations, as if they could find the poison, they could potentially create an antidote if it were somehow used on the royals.
As Eva completed her hypothesis, it brought her to another thought.
[We need to attack Abe.] Eva's words were sudden and shocking to everyone.
[Wait, what?] (Luna)
[Definitely, but right this instance?] (Syrus)
[His attributes are Wind and Water… we need to verify if he has a third…] (Eva)
[You think he is the one with a poison attribute?] (Syrus)
[I think it is a high possibility… it would be a way he could sneak poison into places without being caught with any evidence. Then, to enhance the deadliest and other effects, he could mix with other ingredients. He had plenty of time to develop it over the years. And no one would suspect a thing. He managed to keep that Attribute a secret, and there is no reason to check people’s Attributes after the initial testing. Then he would have the perfect stealth weapon without anyone ever knowing it existed.] (Eva)
[But it doesn’t have to be him, why not someone who works for him?] (Luna)
[Development time…] Eva’s words were less confident now. [It can’t have been something that has taken a few years… I know it is the point I have the least evidence for, but if it is true!]
Syrus interrupted. [I guess it could be one of those… aligned arrangements? That is what it is called here, right? Such a stupid name.] Syrus recalled the name given to certain combinations of three plus Attributes. While a person had two Attributes, they could be anything. The rarity of three Attributes greatly spiked, and they usually appeared related. [Water, Wind, Poison, that kind of sounds like a swamp. Not perfect or even just a plague. Since Water and Wind can be a dangerous way to spread some infections.]
Eva knew she had made some leaps in logic in places. But she felt that if at least part of the source of the poison was from an Attribute, that could explain some of the oddities with the poison.
[There is another test we can do. That isn’t just attacking Abe to see if he uses a possible poison attribute.] (Luna)
[Hmm?] (Eva)
[We can test his Son.] (Luna)