Archmage's Restaurant - Chapter 50: Hidden Faces and the Dessert (6)
“I don’t really get human matters,” Rurin said, her expression a mix of confusion and disinterest, as we returned to the dining hall. Unlike me and the young lord, she clearly hadn’t felt much sympathy.
“Is that why you’re angry? We should just kill that Count Dedran and be done with it. It’s simple.”
“Well, when you put it like that, sure, it’s simple,” I replied, sitting next to her as I tucked her into bed. She was clearly tired, struggling to keep her eyes open after being forced to stay awake during her least favorite time of day—early morning. Despite her drowsiness, she clung to the edge of my robe, as if afraid I might disappear.
Perhaps she was anxious about me suddenly vanishing again.
But that wouldn’t happen. Not now.
“And you don’t understand Berna’s story?”
“That’s right.”
“Imagine that woman was you.”
“Why would I be such a pathetic human? No, I wouldn’t!”
“It’s just a hypothetical. And imagine that Count Grayke is me. But a group of dragons poisoned me, leaving me completely helpless. I don’t recognize you, I just sit there blankly, unable to cook for you, unable to hug you, unable to punish you if you don’t listen. We wouldn’t even be able to talk like this.”
“…”
Rurin’s face twisted with discomfort. What she had dismissed as the pitiful tale of a lowly human now seemed to take on new meaning as she imagined herself in the situation.
“You’re you, but you’re not really you?”
“Exactly. I’d be paralyzed by the poison, unable to do anything….”
“That can’t happen! I don’t want that! It’s impossible. You’re strong, so it won’t happen!”
“I’m just saying, what if. That’s the situation that woman is in. Can you imagine how sad she must be?”
“I think… I get it a little.”
“Good. Now don’t get in the way and just stay put. We’re going to get revenge.”
“If it were me… I wouldn’t just stay put! I’d turn the whole world upside down! I’d destroy it all! What’s the point of a world without you!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not going to happen. Now you’re getting too emotional. Come on, go to sleep.”
As I tried to leave after tucking her in, Rurin still wouldn’t let go of my arm.
“Why are you holding on? You’re clearly about to fall asleep. Get some rest, we have to be up early tomorrow. Or do you want to be left alone?”
“I’m coming too. I want to see how her story ends.”
For the first time, Rurin showed interest in someone other than me. It seemed my attempt to relate her situation to Berna’s had struck a chord.
“Then get some sleep, Dragon.”
She sat up, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she looked at me.
“But… can’t you stay with me? I feel strange because of you. Today… I’m not right. I can’t sleep alone. Please….”
***
The plan to exact revenge for the Grayke family began with the young lord pretending to suffer from the same mysterious ailment that had struck down his father.
This required an impeccable performance. The young lord, who had observed his father’s condition for so long, needed to perfectly mimic it for the ruse to succeed.
Though he wasn’t actually taking the potion, he had to make it look as if he had.
He had to deliver a performance worthy of an award, as if he were the star of a drama. This was all part of the script.
Only Berna, the young lord, and I knew the truth.
The steward was likely skeptical.
As for our dragon, she seemed mildly interested, but was otherwise firmly on my side, so she was out of the equation.
Once the young lord “collapsed,” the spies in the castle who were loyal to Count Dedran would report back to him.
Berna’s role in this phase was simple: she didn’t need to do anything. Directly contacting Count Dedran would only raise suspicion. It was best if he learned the news from someone else.
Through this fabricated performance, I intended to expose Count Dedran’s crimes to the entire city of Grayke. That would be the first step in delivering a major blow to him.
For days now, the young lord had been lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling with drool running down his chin. To any observer, he appeared far from normal.
Rumors quickly spread that the young lord had contracted the same illness as his father. The nobles loyal to the Grayke family, who had sworn their allegiance to the young lord, began to panic.
To deceive your enemies, you must first deceive your allies.
The lord’s castle was in an uproar, with everyone deeply concerned about the young lord’s condition. The truth of the situation soon reached Count Dedran.
The young lord’s acting was superb.
“Master, am I doing well?”
“You’re doing fine. Better than expected. Count Dedran has likely already received the report. He’ll believe that Lady Berna, driven to desperation, successfully administered the potion to you. After all, he threatened her before leaving.”
“I…”
“It’s going well. The real challenge starts now.”
The next day, as we had predicted, Count Dedran made his way to Grayke.
As soon as I heard the news, I arranged for Lady Berna, who held the highest authority in the Grayke household in the absence of the count and the young lord, to make an important announcement to all the nobles affiliated with the count.
The nobles of the Grayke estate, consisting of barons and viscounts, were gathered in the chamber adjacent to the young lord’s bedroom, which had been converted into a reception room.
Of course, this caused quite a stir.
“Count Dedran will be arriving shortly, and Lady Berna, along with the count, will be making a significant announcement. Please be patient.”
“What?”
“What do you mean? Why is Count Dedran involved in the affairs of the Grayke family?”
“It’s only natural. After all, His Excellency is Lady Berna’s father!”
The nobles began pointing fingers at each other. This made it easy to distinguish between allies and enemies.
Of course, I already had a list of the nobles who had sided with Count Dedran.
The maids and servants working in the castle had been carefully selected, leaving only the final act to be played out.
And finally, the villain of our drama made his entrance.
Count Dedran himself arrived. From this point on, Berna’s role was crucial. She had to draw out every confession from him with her performance.
The first lead actor was the young lord, playing the part of someone who had lost his mind.
The second lead was Berna herself.
When I asked her one last time if she could do it, she responded:
“Are you sure you can do this?”
“I’m scared. But I was ready to die. There’s nothing more terrifying than death.”
With that resolve, Berna stood by the young lord’s side.
I returned to the reception room.
***
As soon as he arrived, Count Dedran insisted on visiting the young lord’s sickbed.
It was entirely predictable that he would want to confirm the situation with his own eyes. After all, someone who treats others as tools wouldn’t believe anything until they saw it for themselves.
“Baron Dieran, what on earth has happened?”
Feigning concern, Count Dedran approached the young lord and scrutinized him closely. Drool trickled from the young lord’s mouth.
The symptoms closely resembled those caused by the poison. In the room, there were only the count, his daughter, and the young lord.
If that was the case, then he had to confirm it more thoroughly.
Count Dedran drew a dagger from his coat. The surest way to determine if someone had been poisoned was to stab them.
If the young lord reacted—flinched or grimaced—it would mean he wasn’t truly poisoned. But if he didn’t react, the poison had taken hold, numbing his senses.
“Father…? You said you wouldn’t kill him. Why…?”
Berna approached, her face filled with fear. But Count Dedran merely smiled coldly.
“I’m not killing him. I’m just confirming something.”
With that, he drove the dagger into the young lord’s thigh.
*Thunk!*
Berna’s shock was genuine. This wasn’t part of the act. Seeing her reaction, Count Dedran burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
His laughter was one of satisfaction. As he pulled out the dagger, blood stained the blade, but there was no sign of pain on the young lord’s face.
That’s the nature of the poison. It paralyzes the nervous system, leaving the victim unable to feel any pain.
So, he had indeed taken the potion. The lack of reaction, despite the dagger’s bite, confirmed the poison’s efficacy. At least, as far as Count Dedran knew.
However, if one looked closely, they would see that no blood was flowing from the young lord’s wound. The reason was simple: the young lord was under the effects of a tenth-class spell, *Time Stop.*
The flow of time had ceased for the young lord’s thigh, halting the flow of blood.
But the sensation of the blade piercing flesh and the blood on the dagger convinced Count Dedran that everything was as it should be. He turned away from the young lord, satisfied, and prepared to leave the room.
Berna, still unsure of what had just happened, knew she had to act. She trembled from head to toe.
She had told me that nothing could be more terrifying than death, but the fear that had been ingrained in her for a lifetime now seemed to dwarf even that. She felt ridiculous for thinking otherwise.
But she knew that nothing would change unless she acted.
She had sown these seeds; now she had to take responsibility. Berna forced herself to call out to her father, her voice quavering.
“Is it done now, Father? Does this mean I’m free…?”
“Done? We’re just getting started. If you had produced an heir, this would have been much simpler. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused with your uselessness?”
Count Dedran, who had been about to leave, turned back and approached his daughter, yanking her by the hair as his eyes gleamed with malice.
“Don’t think that just because you gave him the potion, you’re free. All the evidence of the embezzlement points to you. If you want to survive, you’ll stay quiet and hidden in this castle. Understand?”
“But Father… may I ask you one question?”
“You dare to question me?”
Berna still couldn’t bring herself to look directly at her father. And as always, Count Dedran threw her to the ground by her hair.
She collapsed, tears streaming down her face.
“I want to know… Father, please tell me… did you give my husband the potion as well?”
Count Dedran, who had been about to leave again, grabbed his daughter by the hair once more. She trembled violently as she lowered her head.
With a sinister smile, Count Dedran gripped her chin with his other hand.