episode_0089

Fosao ascended the mountainside.

He crossed the dark forest, descending near Breezedon.

Then, panting heavily, he gazed down at the sleeping village.

“…”

Marvin was on patrol duty today.

That idiot was always drunk and never patrolled properly.

No doubt he’d done a few cursory rounds before heading into Merid’s house to fool around.

Fosao cursed with furious eyes.

“Th-those bastards…”

He slipped out of the forest and entered the village.

His destination was the apothecary.

Creak.

He opened the old door and stepped into the herb-scented interior.

Fosao raised his head.

This was Rits’s apothecary.

Perhaps it was a characteristic of arrogant people, but that young punk always had a habit of keeping things meticulously organized.

However, this apothecary was noticeably different now.

As if another’s touch had rearranged it, everything was in a completely different order.

It was as if the medicine bottles and books were categorized not by ‘strict rules’ but by ‘free efficiency’.

“Hehehe…”

The moment he saw this no-frills arrangement, he knew who had changed the apothecary.

This was… Tia.

These were the rules set by that lovely baby angel.

Fosao smiled wickedly.

That Rits would probably look at the rearranged apothecary and definitely think it was ‘messy’.

Because he thought his own organizing method was better than Tia’s.

…But there was no one superior to Tia in this world.

If ordinary people knew one thing, and Rits knew three.

Tia was a child who could see five steps ahead.

And this ‘Fosao Modaless’ was a guy who could copy exactly what Tia saw.

“Eheheh.”

He took a blue medicine bottle from the herb bag slung over his shoulder.

He tilted the bottle, thoroughly soaking a thick cloth.

Drip-drip.

Tia made a restorative medicine for Rits every day around lunchtime.

And this was the glass bottle where that restorative medicine was kept.

He wiped the spout of the glass bottle lightly with the soaked cloth.

So that the moment Rits put his lips to the glass bottle to drink the restorative medicine, it would be absorbed directly into his body.

“Ehehehehe…”

Fosao’s sinister laughter echoed through the apothecary.

Sorry, Rits. I didn’t want to do this either.

But only if you’re quietly confined to your sickbed will Tia do anything.

“Hoo- hoo-.”

Clink.

He put the glass bottle back in its place.

He had to be careful not to leave any traces.

Because Tia was sensitive.

She would immediately suspect even the slightest anomaly.

So, it had to be left exactly as it was, without the slightest disturbance.

“Hoooh-”

All that was left was to wait.

Fosao crouched low again, like a mouse, and slipped out of the apothecary.

* * *

Flash!

I jolted out of the memory vision.

“Ugh!”

I collapsed to my knees from the overwhelming dizziness.

“Pant, pant.”

I panted heavily, trying to clear my head.

This was no ordinary feeling.

I had entered Fosao’s heavy, repulsive body and seen all of his dirty, vile thoughts.

The recoil was too strong.

Even now, my head spun as if bugs were crawling inside it.

Thud.

My fingers lost strength, and something fell in front of me.

It was a calendar.

The unidentified symbols drawn on it…

Now I understood. Those symbols were all Fosao’s notes on ‘Tia’s menstrual cycle’.

“That pig…!”

I felt like I was going crazy.

My stomach churned so much I wanted to vomit.

Bang!

I slammed my fist into the wall.

He’d pretended to be so kind in front of Tia.

And behind her back, he indulged in such disgusting fantasies and self-gratification…?

“Damn it-!!”

Crash!

I pushed over the display shelf right next to me.

The items inside clattered out, shattering completely.

Tia.

…You were wrong.

Fosao hadn’t changed.

He hadn’t reflected at all.

He was no different from when he told you to take off your pants when you were a child!

“Gasp… gasp…”

It sent shivers down my spine.

How far had this insane pig reached out to Tia and me?

Now, even imagining it was terrifying.

When was that memory?

Since when had Fosao been giving me that medicine?

Probably… since the time I, who had been recovering my health safely, suddenly vomited blood and collapsed.

What on earth did that pig give me?

What was that blue medicine that made me vomit blood and collapse?

I placed my hand on the December calendar and scanned it.

I quickly reviewed the memories, but ‘what I wanted’ wasn’t there.

Flutter.

I flipped back a page of the calendar and scanned the November calendar.

Then.

“…!”

I saw it.

The image of the blue medicine flashed past in a brief moment.

I moved my palm to pinpoint the exact location.

The date where the intense vision lingered was…

It was when Tia had just arrived in Breezedon.

Gulp.

I was still afraid to see Fosao’s memories.

This strong repulsion emanating from the calendar.

But… I had to find out the identity of the blue medicine that bastard had given me.

Only then could my body return to normal.

Only by doing that… could I stop Tia, who would do anything to save me.

The only way for us to escape Fosao’s wicked grasp.

This was it.

The moment I hardened my resolve.

Flash!

The memory vision unfolded.

* * *

Clank- clank!

Fosao was writing on a calendar inside the moving carriage.

“…”

He counted the numbers one by one with his finger, skipping dates.

When he had skipped 14 days.

Scribble, scribble.

He drew circles in three separate boxes.

He skipped another 14 days and drew triangles in three boxes.

He continued drawing symbols on the calendar, then suddenly his hand stopped at a certain point.

“…Heh.”

February 2nd.

Suddenly, Fosao’s lips stretched into a grin so wide it looked like they would tear.

Snorting erratically, the man drew a triangle on that date.

Jolt!

The wildly shaking carriage stopped.

“Sir! We’ve arrived!”

They had reached their destination.

Fosao waddled down from the carriage.

Before his eyes, a vast ocean unfolded.

It was Deseo’s port.

Descending into the port, a warehouse appeared closer to the beach.

A hammock was strung between the trees.

A merchant was leisurely napping on it.

“Ahem!”

When Fosao cleared his throat loudly, the merchant opened his eyes.

The short, shaggy-bearded merchant greeted him with blurry eyes.

“Welcome. Uh… ah, ah.”

He rolled his eyes as if suddenly searching for a memory.

Finally, his eyes sharpened, and he shot up.

“Ah! You’re that guy! Hehehe… The one who bought ‘that medicine’ 20 years ago. Right?”

“…”

Fosao didn’t reply.

The rare goods merchant drew close to him and chattered.

“I know. I know. My memory is extraordinary. Plus, I definitely remember creepy guys like you. Hehehe!!”

“…”

“So, do you need that medicine again this time? If so, I can prepare it anytime…”

“No.”

Fosao replied bluntly, then stammered out the item he needed.

“A m-medicine that stops detoxification… I need it.”

“A medicine that stops detoxification? Preventing poison *is* detoxification. You need a medicine that stops detoxification? Hahahaha!! What kind of wordplay is this? An antidote to an antidote? What kind of antidote is that?”

“Dienbus.”

“…Huh?”

“A medicine that stops Dienbus’s detoxification… I n-need it.”

“…”

The merchant contorted his face and said nothing.

It was as if that expression showed even he, who prided himself on having lived a long time, was stunned by a fresh shock.

He asked.

“Are you serious?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Haha. Hahahahaha-!!”

Laughter echoed loudly through the port.

The rare goods merchant laughed for a long time, holding his stomach.

He choked, unable to breathe properly from laughing.

The merchant, having barely composed himself, pointed at Fosao.

“You helped that girl buy Dienbus for 1000 gold, and now you’re looking for a medicine to negate Dienbus’s effects? Hahahahaha-!! This is purely, purely… insane!”

In the merchant’s sunken eyes, his pupils gleamed.

“Good! I love disgustingly crazy people like you-!! I don’t know what you’ll do with what I give you. But it’ll definitely be beyond my imagination. Hahahaha-!!”

The merchant, excitedly shouting, began rummaging wildly through the warehouse.

And soon, he brought out a single blue medicine bottle.

“This is it. It’s not a medicine that stops Dienbus’s effects, but it’s an elixir that instantly doubles the toxicity with just a tiny bit. It works even better on someone who’s already a bit out of their mind from poisoning. They’ll vomit blood and die the moment they drink this, won’t they?”

“I’ll b-buy it.”

“3000 gold.”

The merchant said mockingly.

“Dienbus was originally 3000 gold, you see. I’d appreciate it if you could cover that loss for me?”

“I d-don’t care.”

He handed over three 1000-gold checks without hesitation.

“Alright. Deal done.”

Thump.

Fosao took the blue medicine bottle and immediately left the warehouse.

Watching the waddling pig’s back, the merchant rubbed his goose-bumped arm.

“Damn it. Those insane bastards… Was it Breezedon? Anyway, from now on, I shouldn’t deal with anyone from there.”

With a stiff face, Fosao got into the carriage.

The coachman asked.

“Where to now?”

“…”

The man settled his protruding belly comfortably and stroked his jowls.

Fosao thought for a moment, then gave an instruction.

“To the R-Royal Medical Institute…”

“Understood.”

Clop. Clop.

The carriage galloped through the heart of Deseo.

As they approached the crimson castle, the streets grew more ornate, and the crowds thinned.

Fosao silently gazed out the window.

The royal palace street reflected in his dark eyes.

Though he was merely an ordinary merchant riding in a humble carriage now.

Who could guess.

That this inferior man, ridiculed by all, harbored the ambition to one day stride majestically down this street, lauded by everyone.

“We’ve arrived.”

In front of an annex slightly away from the royal palace.

The carriage stopped.

Fosao took the prepared item and entered the medical institute.

The ‘Medical Institute’ established by the current king.

This place was a crucial subsidiary institution, protecting the health of Deseo’s king.

Thus, it was also where the world’s most brilliant doctors gathered.

Fosao had coincidentally come to know the woman who was both a doctor and the head of this medical institute.

It was thanks to Tia having her letter of introduction.

It was a perfect opportunity. Fosao secretly wrote a letter to the royal physician.

He included content stating he knew she had used her excellent medical skills, called a ‘miracle,’ on a commoner boy from the mountains rather than the current king.

And he added a malicious threat, demanding she cure his venereal disease before he revealed this fact to the current king.

And today. He had come all the way here to receive her reply.

Upon entering the magnificent medical institute, an attendant approached him.

“Who are you?”

“I am Fosao Mo-Modaless. I r-requested to meet the Royal Physician a few days ago…”

“The Royal Physician, you say? Ah.”

The attendant rummaged through a drawer as if something suddenly came to mind.

What he took out was a letter.

“The Royal Physician is not currently at the institute. Instead, she left this reply.”

“Oh, oh…”

Crinkle.

Fosao opened the letter.

Inside was content scrawled furiously in an enraged handwriting.

[I am sorry, but such a disease cannot be cured. I do not know what you want from me, nor do I wish to know, and I will not reply to you in the future. Do as you please.]

“…”

The attendant, who knew the situation, shrugged, and Fosao closed the letter and nodded.

“Was that helpful?”

“Yes, yes… Thank you…”

Turning around, Fosao put the letter into his pocket and smiled, baring his teeth.

* * *

Stepping out of the memory, I couldn’t believe ‘what I had just seen’.

“…Insane.”

I rushed to a wall in the corner of the general store.

Clank! Scrape-scrape.

I swung open the hidden display case.

Ah, now everything made sense.

These books Fosao had hidden in the general store.

All those books were arranged in alphabetical order.

It was something impossible to do if one didn’t know how to read.

I retraced my memories.

Even on the documents prepared for Tia to enter into a marital relationship.

Fosao had written his own name.

And later, even directly writing a letter to the royal physician.

Tia must have also left notes at the general store because Fosao knew how to read.

“…”

Not only that, but I’d also heard that Fosao used to read books to young Tia.

If so, Tia didn’t learn to read on her own…

Did she learn it from Fosao?

“Gasp…”

It was hard to breathe.

That pig… he had intended to steal Tia from the very beginning.

From a very long time ago.

Since Tia was a child.

He had targeted only Tia and prepared for this very moment.

I believed this disgusting bastard even a little?

I must be crazy.

“It’s… not too late yet.”

I gasped for breath, barely.

From the last memory until now.

A gap of 5 days remained.

This was the time after I had fallen victim to Fosao’s scheme, vomiting blood and collapsing.

Surely… Tia wouldn’t have been defiled.

Because she was smart. She would have seen through Fosao’s evil scheme and escaped.

I wanted to believe that.

No, it *had* to be that way.

If anything had happened to Tia…

Then I would go insane.