“Our own… antidote?”
“Well, the so-called antidote isn’t actually as complicated as you all imagine.”
Facing the crowd’s confusion, Helos sat on the sofa, holding the recipe she’d borrowed from Duran, and nodded.
She merely glanced twice at the parchment covered in complex procedures before casually tossing it onto the table, as if it were nothing more than scrap paper.
“I can solve this.”
“Really?!”
Linnuo sprang up in surprise, her eyes brimming with disbelief.
“Even Duran said this poison is hard to counteract, that it would take a long time.”
“That’s because he’s incompetent.”
Helos didn’t bother explaining the principles behind it. In truth, she knew that for the few people present, no amount of explanation would be as convincing as showing them results directly.
Besides, she didn’t want to reveal too much about the secrets of her ability.
“In any case, Sister, you just need to trust me.”
Helos picked up paper and a pen from the table and swiftly scribbled down a list.
“Moonlight Mushroom, Snake-tongue Herb, and some basic neutralizers.”
She handed the finished list to Eleanor beside her.
“These should all be available at the herb shops in Orissa City. They’re the basic materials for refining an antidote.”
Eleanor didn’t hesitate any longer.
She clutched the list tightly in her hand, left the room, and found the squire standing at the door.
“Immediately mobilize all the manpower we have in the city.”
The usually gentle saintess now displayed decisive, swift judgment.
“Go purchase every herb on this list. No matter which shop, no matter the cost, buy them all! I want to see them appear here within half an hour!”
“Yes, Lady!”
The squire accepted the order and departed.
And over the following hour, the immense wealth and execution power of the Olivias Family were perfectly demonstrated.
Cart after cart of herbs were continuously delivered to the back door of the villa.
Those Moonlight Mushrooms and Snake-tongue Herbs that had once piled up neglected in pharmacy warehouses had now become the key to saving this city.
Helos didn’t choose to refine them in the living room.
She found an empty room originally used as a storage space—large enough, with only one door, perfect for keeping secrets.
With everyone’s help, it was quickly cleared out and transformed into a simple yet fully functional alchemical workshop.
When all the herbs had filled every corner of the room, Helos reached out and stopped everyone.
“Alright, this is far enough. The next steps involve my proprietary alchemy, which is an absolute trade secret.”
Helos stood at the door, turned around, and looked at Eleanor, Julius, and Gavi, who were about to continue helping.
She spoke nonsense with a perfectly straight face: “So, to prevent any leakage of technique—even for you all—please wait outside.”
“I can’t even watch?”
Eleanor craned her neck curiously.
“I’ve also studied some basic alchemy. Maybe I could help?”
“No.”
Helos refused without a hint of hesitation.
“This is a secret art taught to me by my teacher. Even the sound of one extra person’s breathing could cause it to fail.”
She even turned her gaze to Gavi.
“Gavi, you go outside too. Guard the door and don’t let anyone come within a step of it. Even if a fly flies over, I want you to swat it dead.”
“Yes, Master.”
Though a bit confused, Gavi faithfully carried out the order.
Eleanor, though a little disappointed, also knew that alchemists did indeed have their fair share of strange rules.
“Alright then.”
“We’ll wait outside for you. Call us anytime you need anything.”
“Don’t worry.”
Helos gave them a reassuring look.
Then, she slammed the door shut heavily and locked it from the inside.
Only after confirming that the people outside had walked away did Helos let out a long sigh of relief.
She leaned against the door panel, looking at the mountain of raw materials before her, a light smile curling at the corner of her lips.
What secret art, what absolute silence—all of that was nonsense.
There was only one real reason—her refining process was simply too astonishing for anyone else to witness.
After all, in this world, there was probably no other alchemist who could produce over a thousand potions in an instant without using any equipment.
“Whew…”
Helos walked into the middle of the pile of herbs.
She didn’t need a cauldron, didn’t need fire, didn’t even need to lift a hand to process those dirt-covered plants.
All she needed was a single thought, and she deftly located the recipe for [Universal Antidote].
[Sufficient raw materials detected.]
[Begin mass production?]
“Yes.”
This ability, practically cheating, was something Helos knew she couldn’t flaunt too openly.
Therefore, even after finishing the production, she chose to stay inside for an entire day.
Of course, during that time, she also had Julius and Eleanor keep watch over Duran’s movements, ensuring he absolutely couldn’t get ahead of them.
A day passed quickly.
Though Helos had absolute confidence in her recipe, when it came to matters of life and death for tens of thousands, not a single mistake could be tolerated.
She had to conduct a final verification to ensure everything was flawless.
So, she asked Julius to find her a little helper.
“Julius.”
Helos turned around, looking at the young man by the door.
“Did you find what I asked for?”
“I did.”
Julius nodded, then produced a cage woven from iron wire from behind his back.
Inside the cage was a plump gray rat.
He’d caught it in the wood shed in the backyard. To catch this unlucky little creature, this so-called chosen one had gone through quite a bit of trouble, even nearly dirtying the clothes he’d just changed into.
“Put it on the table.”
Helos directed.
Julius did as he was told.
Helos pulled a small bottle from her chest—this was the Holy Water she’d asked Eleanor to bring.
She poured the Holy Water into the water trough inside the cage.
The rat was clearly parched.
It didn’t sense the danger, leaning over to lap up a few mouthfuls of the clear liquid.
A few minutes later, a change occurred.
“Squeak—!”
The rat, which had been scurrying around the cage, suddenly let out a pained scream.
Its body began to convulse violently, its limbs stiffening and stretching out.
Beneath its originally gray fur, an eerie blue-purple hue spread.
As if someone were choking its throat, it opened its mouth wide, letting out dry heaving sounds.
Those symptoms were exactly like the poisoned worshippers in the Square.
“So it’s really like this.”
Eleanor covered her mouth. Though she’d already known the truth, seeing it with her own eyes still made her heart race.
Helos calmly observed the rat’s reaction.
She silently counted the time in her head, calculating the speed at which the toxin spread.
“Not yet.”
When the rat’s vital signs began to drop noticeably, and it looked about to breathe its last, Helos finally brought out the antidote.
“Drink up, little one.”
Helos opened the cage and used a dropper to drip the emerald-green liquid into the rat’s mouth.
Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the commotion inside the cage.
The rat, which had stopped convulsing and was lying on the ground waiting to die, suddenly gave a slight twitch.
Then, its rapid and weak breathing began to steady.
The blue-purple under its skin faded at a visible rate, returning to normal.
***
After about half a minute.
The rat flipped over, wobbling as it climbed back to its feet.
It seemed a bit dazed, washing its face with its paws, then began scurrying energetically around the cage again, even gnawing at the cage’s iron wire with surprising vigor.
“It worked!”
Eleanor was so excited she nearly cried out. She grabbed Helos’s hand, tears of joy glimmering in her eyes.
“Sisi! You’re amazing! This antidote really works!”
“Of course.”
Helos raised her chin smugly.
“This was personally refined by yours truly. A bit of mixed toxin—how could that possibly stump me?”
She looked at the reborn rat in the cage, and the heavy stone that had been hanging over her heart finally settled completely.
Now that the potency had been verified, they held the trump card capable of reversing the situation.
And so, it was time to strike back.
Helos turned her head, looking out the window.
The sky was already faintly bright, a pale hint of dawn creeping across the eastern horizon.
For the residents of Orissa City, this day was destined to be extraordinary.
And for Archbishop Duran, dreaming sweetly in the Cathedral, this day would mark the beginning of his nightmare.
“Pack up.”
Helos took off her apron, her pale-violet eyes gleaming with a sharp, icy light.
“Time for us to move out.”
“Let’s go drag that hypocritical old man down from his altar.”
“At your service.”
Julius drew the longsword at his waist, its polished blade reflecting the smile on the young man’s lips.
Meanwhile, Gavi silently hoisted the chest full of potions onto her back.
Eleanor straightened her holy robes and tightened her grip on her staff.
The four of them walked out the gates of the villa.
Against the first cold breeze of dawn, they marched with steadfast steps toward that towering Cathedral, launching their final charge.
In their hands, they held the evidence of Duran brewing poison to pass off as an antidote, the records of corruption Eleanor had uncovered, and the antidote personally refined by Helos.
The tide had turned.
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