Chapter 44

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“Alright.”

Lux let out a soft chuckle as he watched Lucy nod.

The previously expressionless Lucy had lit up at the mention of food.

‘She must have been hungry.’

Lux pulled out cooking utensils from his carriage.

He was someone who took meals very seriously.

Since he believed in eating properly, he always carried cooking tools with him.

As he prepared the meal, Lucy scurried over to his side.

Lux smiled as he looked at her.

“By the way, the menu is mushroom stew. Is that okay…?”

Lux immediately shut his mouth.

Lucy’s eyes had widened in shock.

She stared at Lux with disbelief.

No, she glared at him.

‘Why, why is she looking at me like that…?’

For some reason, Lucy’s face was filled with anger.

Lux had seen a face like this before.

It was exactly like the face of a comrade he had betrayed in the past.

Does she not like mushroom stew?

“H-how about potato stew instead?”

Finally, Lucy’s face brightened.

It was a complete change from before.

A truly dramatic shift.

“I’ll have the potato stew.”

Lux began preparing the potato stew.

Lucy craned her neck, watching the cooking process intently.

Her eyes followed Lux’s hands as he chopped the potatoes.

Her pupils moved left and right with each slice of the knife, which was quite adorable.

‘Hehe.’

Lux smiled inwardly.

However, it was different from the gentle smile he showed on the outside.

It was a sly, sinister smile.

‘I got lucky.’

Meeting a girl as cute as Lucy in a place like this was nothing short of a stroke of luck.

Normally, even if he scoured the slave markets all day, finding a girl this adorable would be impossible.

Lucy’s beauty rivaled that of an elf.

And she was all alone, without any companions.

‘It’s like she’s begging to be kidnapped.’

Lux’s smile deepened.

If he kidnapped and sold Lucy, he could make a considerable amount of money.

She would undoubtedly fetch a high price.

‘But I can’t do that.’

Lux glanced at Lucy’s face.

Her white hair and red eyes.

She was as beautiful as a doll.

In Particular, Lux liked Lucy’s reactions.

Her consistently blank expressions.

Unchildlike, and therefore special.

She was the perfect embodiment of Lux’s ideal.

Selling someone like Lucy as a slave would be a waste.

Lux wanted to keep her for himself.

Money could always be earned, but finding a girl like Lucy might be impossible for the rest of his life.

Sizzle—

While lost in thought, the cooking was nearly done.

Lux got up and approached his carriage.

The meal was almost ready, so it was time to add the final ingredient.

‘It’s expensive, but…’

Lux took out a small jar from the carriage and looked at it with slight regret.

Inside the jar was a type of poison.

It was also known as the Flower of Silence. Consuming it would gradually paralyze the body after about 10 minutes.

Starting from the fingertips, the numbness would spread, and after about 15 minutes, the entire body would be paralyzed, rendering the person completely immobile.

The effects lasted for three days, but the peculiar thing was that consciousness and sensation remained intact.

The person would be fully aware and able to feel everything but unable to move.

In that state, enduring various acts for three days would cause immense psychological suffering.

Of course, he didn’t need to use the Flower of Silence—he could just tie her up—but there were certain perverts who insisted on using it.

They claimed they couldn’t enjoy themselves without it.

Lux was one of them.

In fact, he was even involved in smuggling the Flower of Silence.

The merchant badge he had shown Lucy earlier was just a pass for travel.

“It’s done, Lucy. It’s ready to eat now. But before that, I’ll add a special seasoning.”

Lux ladled the potato stew into a bowl and sprinkled the Flower of Silence over it.

A small amount of the Flower of Silence was enough to take effect, but Lux added about three times the usual amount.

He wanted to make sure he could fully enjoy himself.

“That…”

At that moment, Lucy spoke.

Her gaze was fixed on the powder being sprinkled over the potato stew.

“Is that… something like mushroom powder…?”

“Haha, no. It’s much better than mushroom powder. Doesn’t it look pretty, shimmering like silver? It’s a precious seasoning that enriches the flavor.”

Despite being poison, the Flower of Silence was quite beautiful.

A shimmering silver powder.

When sprinkled on food, it gave off a mysterious vibe.

That’s why people ate it without suspicion.

‘And then they experience hell for three days.’

Lux handed the bowl of potato stew, generously laced with the Flower of Silence, to Lucy.

Lucy took it and began eating without hesitation.

Slurp—

Munch, munch—

She ate heartily.

She must have been really hungry, as she finished the bowl in no time.

“Haha, you eat well, Lucy. Would you like more?”

Nod—

“Alright, there’s plenty, so eat as much as you want.”

Lux ladled more potato stew into the bowl.

“Here you go.”

But Lucy hesitated, not taking the bowl.

She probably noticed he hadn’t sprinkled the Flower of Silence this time.

“…”

In truth, Lux had already given her three times the usual amount, so there was no need to add more.

Eating more wouldn’t change anything, and it would just waste the expensive poison.

But with her staring so intently, he couldn’t refuse.

Lucy seemed to think the potato stew was delicious, and that it was thanks to the Flower of Silence.

Reluctantly, Lux sprinkled more of the poison.

‘I’ve used more than I thought. Well, I’ll make sure to enjoy it thoroughly.’

Lux handed the bowl to Lucy with a gentle smile.

“Here you go, Lucy.”

Lucy took the bowl with both hands and began eating again.

◈

Lux glanced at the pocket watch on his waist.

‘It’s about time for the effects to start showing…’

It had been nearly 10 minutes since Lucy consumed the Flower of Silence.

When the paralysis began, Lucy would likely stop eating and panic.

Then she’d probably tremble in fear.

That moment was the most enjoyable.

At that moment, Lux planned to whisper softly into Lucy’s ear.

“You’re paralyzed.”

But…

Slurp—

Munch, munch—

“?”

For some reason, Lucy was completely unaffected.

She was still happily eating the potato stew.

‘Why, why… isn’t she paralyzed?’

Lux began to grow anxious.

This shouldn’t be happening. He had given her so much of that expensive Flower of Silence, yet it had no effect?

Could she have pretended to eat it and thrown it away?

No, that wasn’t possible.

He had seen her devouring the potato stew right in front of him.

Then, could the Flower of Silence be fake?

That was entirely possible.

The Flower of Silence he had just used on Lucy was something he had acquired only yesterday.

‘Those bastards, selling me fakes. They’ve got some nerve. They should know what happens when they pull stunts like this….’

Grind—

Lux gritted his teeth, vowing revenge.

Before he was a smuggler, he was an exceptional mage.

That’s how he had managed to thrive in such dangerous underworld dealings.

‘I’ll burn them all to the ground.’

After making that vow, Lux turned his attention back to Lucy.

For now, he had to focus on her.

If the Flower of Silence didn’t work, there was only one option left.

Subdue her by force.

It was less enjoyable, but he couldn’t let Lucy slip away.

Lux glared at Lucy with a cold gaze.

At that moment, Lucy spoke.

“It doesn’t work on me.”

“?”

Lux was startled.

What did she mean, it doesn’t work?

Did she know he had given her the Flower of Silence?

But how?

“It was delicious, the potato stew.”

Lucy said softly.

Her red eyes stared quietly at Lux.

“…”

After a moment of locking eyes with her, Lux tried to gather his mana to cast a spell.

“Ice…”

But Lux’s spell dissipated into nothing.

At the same time, blood gushed from his mouth.

“Cough!”

Lux found it hard to breathe, and his chest tightened.

“?”

Lux’s eyes twitched.

A green mist had begun to rise around him, creeping closer.

‘P-poison magic…?’

There was no doubt—this was poison magic.

If she was using poison magic, that meant…

“Cough!”

Lux coughed up blood again.

He clutched his chest, writhing in pain.

His breathing grew increasingly labored.

Every breath felt like his lungs were on fire.

His veins bulged as if they were about to burst, and his skin began to turn black.

“S-save me…”

Lux reached out toward Lucy.

His fingers were already necrotic, turning a dark, sickly color.

“Guh…!”

With a pained scream, Lux rolled on the ground.

Black blood gushed from his mouth, and his bloodshot eyes turned red before darkening completely.

Lux’s body convulsed violently one last time,

“…”

And then he stopped moving.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
A slave trader AND a minecraft youtuber, didn’t think we would get a 2 in 1 package there, woah.