Chapter 31: Or you’re dead

Heidi’s career as a hero lasted only two years, but if counted from the royal family’s devastating blow, when she took on the main responsibility, it had already been a full six years.

During these six years, Heidi had gained quite a bit of experience.

Yet now, she had to admit that the strange woman in front of her was a bit beyond the norm.

Or rather, there was something wrong with her mind.

At first, Heidi had thought she could scare her off with the absolute superiority of her status, but now it was clear that was impossible.

She sighed softly, completely ignoring Virlian’s mad declarations, and put away her fake smile.

“No matter what I say, you’re not leaving Eze, is that it?”

“Unless Eze tells me to leave.”

“Or unless you die.”

The casual words struck like thunder, deafening in their impact, and the temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees in an instant.

Then silence.

Silent staring.

Half a minute passed like this.

Virlian snorted, a slight smirk lifting the corner of her mouth as she stared fearlessly into Heidi’s eyes.

“You can try. This time, don’t fail again~”

There was even a hint of contempt in her tone.

“Again?”

Heidi still didn’t realize Virlian’s true identity and frowned in confusion.

“What do you mean…”

“What do you mean!?”

Before she could finish, a loud commotion suddenly echoed through the entire banquet hall.

In an instant, all eyes turned toward that direction, including Heidi’s and Virlian’s.

Eze had somehow returned to the hall, and in his haste, collided with another guest.

The one he bumped into was a middle-aged man wearing a white suit, somewhat overweight.

The startled shout came from him, for he had been splashed with a dark liquid held by Eze.

Now, disgusted, he was trying to wipe it off with a handkerchief, only making the stain worse.

Eze shrank into himself like a child who had done something wrong, repeatedly apologizing.

“Sorry, sorry. I was a bit too anxious because this was an order from Viscount.”

This middle-aged man was Roderick, the president of the Tafia Adventurers’ Guild.

In his youth, he had been a strong adventurer, but after retiring due to injury, he had climbed the ranks through flattery and ended up in his current position.

Due to his background, he lacked education and was rough in speech and manner.

At this moment, he paid no heed to the other guests nor Eze’s status as a fellow attendee, shouting and gesturing at him:

“Clumsy! This suit was custom-made for me, do you know how expensive it is!? Look what you’ve done! How are you going to compensate me!?”

“Sorry, sorry…”

“Even someone as incompetent as you can work for Viscount? Is Tafia completely out of usable people now?”

Guests nearby whispered amongst themselves.

Sure, ruining someone’s clothes was wrong and deserved an apology and compensation, but this was a social event; such shouting was inappropriate.

Yet, Roderick, backed by his high position and guild officials, never cared about such social niceties.

Seeing the whispers around him, he became even more agitated.

“You say you’re handling Viscount’s business? Fine, I want to speak with the Viscount myself!”

“Sorry, sorry, sorry…”

Eze looked like he was about to cry, bowing repeatedly.

If Virlian didn’t know Eze was acting and fooling everyone, she might have ripped that fat man apart on the spot.

“Cough cough—”

A clear cough sounded, and the crowd naturally parted as Sheen, the host of the banquet, appeared at the entrance and politely bowed beside Roderick.

“My sincerest apologies, President Roderick. I will personally compensate you for your damaged clothes in full.”

Roderick arrogantly raised his chin.

“That’s more like it. Where did you find such a servant? Can’t even teach him properly!”

“Mr. Ein is not a servant but a guest here, just like you, and also my friend. I asked him for help, which is why this happened. Please do not blame him.”

“Hmph—Viscount, you…”

Roderick wanted to say more but suddenly his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the floor.

Staring blankly at the chandelier above him, his vision blurred, his heart pounding violently as if it would explode, cold sweat uncontrollably pouring out and soaking his clothes.

“I… what’s happening…”

Memories from his adventurer days flooded his mind suddenly.

He picked up some of the viscous liquid with his finger and examined it carefully.

Instantly, his face turned pale, and with a trembling voice, he asked:

“Kid… what is this!?”

“This is… the venom of the Crystal Rock Centipede that your guild’s adventurers were hunting tonight.

The Viscount sent someone to fetch it and noticed something abnormal, so he brought it here for you to see… I’m very sorry!!”

Eze apologized as he pulled a small vial from another pocket.

“But it’s okay, I prepared some Night Sun Herb potion just in case.

If you apply it on your skin, you’ll recover quickly…”

“You idiot!!!!”

Roderick’s hysterical roar echoed through the banquet hall.

“What good is that!? Bring the antidote! The one with Shadowcap mushrooms, quickly!!!”

Eze wiped the sweat from his face in an exaggerated manner, then continued at a leisurely pace:

“But the Crystal Rock Centipede’s venom is treated with Night Sun Herb. Shadowcap mushrooms are for Night Song Centipede venom…”

Roderick’s face twitched.

Looking at Sheen beside him, who remained silent and smiling, he already understood the situation and knew what fate awaited him if this continued.

But life was more important than anything.

Such a large dose of Night Song Centipede venom in his body would cause his brain to rot and leave him a vegetable within minutes—then death.

“Hurry up, just do as I say! Fast! Fast! Fast!”

“All right, here is… but…”

Eze hesitated as he pulled the antidote from the other side of his pocket.

Roderick snatched it, twisted off the cap, and swallowed it all at once.

Several minutes later, his breathing finally stabilized and his complexion improved somewhat.

“President Roderick, can we talk properly now?”

Sheen smiled confidently and snapped his fingers.

Heavy footsteps sounded as the group of adventurers Eze had just seen were dragged over by noble soldiers like stray dogs.

Seeing them, Roderick’s last hope was shattered; his face turned even grayer than before.

Sheen’s smile deepened.

“I’ve heard the Crystal Rock Centipede is fierce, so I specially sent a team of soldiers to assist tonight.

But they found that the hunted monster was somewhat different from the legendary Crystal Rock Centipede and brought them back.

I hope the President won’t take offense.”

“……”

Roderick said nothing, exhaling heavily as he glared at Sheen.

Sheen smiled and pulled Eze closer.

“With the help of Mr. Ein, our expert monsterologist, we discovered that the equipment these adventurers carried was actually meant for dealing with weak Night Song Centipedes.

Isn’t that interesting?”

At this, whispers broke out among the crowd again.

Roderick’s hateful gaze immediately fixed on Eze.

Sheen feigned innocence.

“Originally, I didn’t doubt the President.

I thought perhaps the adventurers deliberately misreported the monster species, so I asked Mr. Ein to bring the venom for your inspection.”

“I apologize for the accident, but now I’m more curious—how did you know the monster was a Night Song Centipede and not a Crystal Rock Centipede?”

Roderick glared fiercely at his subordinates, probably blaming them for being caught and telling them not to speak recklessly.

Then, swallowing hard, he began to make excuses:

“I… only realized it after seeing the venom. The Crystal Rock Centipede’s venom… is purple, whereas the Night Song Centipede’s is black…”

Usually arrogant, knowing his life was now in others’ hands, he added a smile and spoke politely, with a hint of sycophancy in his eyes.

“My lord, I was truly unaware of this. My subordinates lied to me about the situation. I will severely punish them without mercy…”

Sheen glanced at Eze, who nodded knowingly.

“Then, President, why did you specifically ask for Shadowcap mushrooms?”

“I…”

“Venoms from species like Forest Centipedes and Deep Valley Centipedes are also black and indistinguishable by appearance.

They only require a simple antidote.

Only Night Song Centipede venom needs Shadowcap mushrooms.

Why did you insist on Shadowcap mushrooms?”

After splashing the venom on him, Eze had deliberately delayed, letting the venom fully seep in and take effect.

This meant that just drinking the antidote was insufficient; the specialized Shadowcap mushrooms were necessary.

There was no room for lies.

“Shut up!”

Roderick gave up pretending and roared hysterically:

“None of your business! Kid, do you know what you’ve done!? Just you wait, I’ll make you—”

“Cough cough.”

Sheen cut off Roderick’s outburst and positioned Eze behind himself, then smiled and said:

“President Roderick seems a bit tired. It’s best if you go home and rest early today.

I will report this matter to the Guild Headquarters.

Everyone present tonight will serve as witnesses.”

“I… I…”

Unable to cause more trouble, Roderick deflated like a punctured ball, shaking his head repeatedly as soldiers approached, stripped off his venom-soaked jacket, and dragged him out of the hall.

Applause broke out among the crowd, some simply flattering Lord Sheen, others already discontent with Roderick’s boorishness.

Few truly grasped Eze’s meaning.

But it didn’t matter; the goal had been achieved.

Game over, total victory.