The Herb King

A young servant came running toward Chris with an anxious look on his face.

"What did you say?" Chris stared at the young servant nervously.

"Lord Enrique was just crafting a weapon in his smithing room when he suddenly spat a mouthful of blood. I was worried about him so I told him to rest first, but he didn't listen to me and continued his crafting. Later on, his face became increasingly pale and he spat a huge mouthful of blood. This time, he fainted on the spot. I brought him to his bed, but I'm still worried about his situation." The young servant replied with a face full of sweat.

"You did a good job in informing me about this right away. Quick! Bring me to see him!" He then stared at Leric and bowed in apology. "Sir Aethelwolf, I'm sorry, but I have to check my cousin's condition."

Leric nodded his head gently while waving his hand. "Important matters first. I don't mind."

After hearing his reply, Chris immediately left with the young servant.

When they left, Leric sniffed the air and frowned. "This smell… it's poison!" He mumbled in surprise.

"It seems like I've become a witness of a major scheme. If I leave the shop, it will leave a bad taste in my mouth. Tsk!" Leric clicked his tongue as he hesitated whether to involve himself in this plot or not. However, he found himself trailing behind Chris and the young servant.

The duo went inside the room and Leric decided to enter as well.

Chris was surprised when he saw Leric standing behind them, but he chose to let him be and put his focus on his cousin instead.

Lying on the bed was a buff middle-aged man who was probably in his mid-fifties. He had a long wavy black hair and a thick mustache. His face was pale which destroyed his strong image. This man was the owner of this weapon shop, the Level 3 Blacksmith, Enrique Maynard.

Chris furrowed his eyebrows when he saw his cousin's condition. He reached out to the other party's arm to check his pulse, but he was pulled midway by someone.

"I suggest you don't touch him for now, Sir Chris." Leric muttered with a serious look.

The young servant clenched his fists upon seeing this.

Of course, this small reaction didn't escape Leric's detection. This also made him certain that this young servant was related to the poisoning of Enrique Maynard.

Chris frowned with an agitated look after hearing Leric's words. "What do you mean, Sir Aethelwolf?"

Leric didn't answer him. He squatted near the unconscious Enrique and sniffed his arm. He then stood up and answered in a grave tone. "I'm an Alchemist and I can smell poison in Sir Enrique's body. It is quite potent, but it couldn't kill Sir Enrique since he is a Level 3 Esper. However, his potential will downgrade and his Hegel might also be affected. There is a high chance that he would regress into a Level 2 Esper which will in turn make him a Level 2 Blacksmith as well."

The more Leric spoke, the darker Chris' face has become. This wasn't good news. He always treated his cousin as his brother and he respected him a lot. Knowing that his cousin was poisoned, he was incredibly furious and anxious.

The face of the young servant became pale when he heard Leric's words. This man was actually an Alchemist! What rotten luck!

"Manager Chris, I'll find the best doctors in the city and see if they have any solutions for this." The young servant muttered with his head slightly lowered. He didn't want them to see his nervous look.

Chris didn't suspect him either so he just nodded his head. "Alright. Bring them here quickly and tell them that our Maynard Household will not mistreat them."

"Yes, Manager Chris." The young servant nodded his head and immediately went for the door. However, a hand was preventing him from opening it.

"You also have the smell of poison in you. How strange…" Leric smiled strangely at the young servant.

Chris wasn't an idiot and he immediately understood the situation. He angrily pointed his fingers at the servant and roared. "You filthy creature! What have you done to your Lord!?" He then leaped towards the servant and gave him a good beating.

The room was filled with the servant's screams and Chris' rage-filled shouts.

Leric ignored them and continued observing the unconscious Blacksmith.

Not long later, a sweaty Chris stood beside him and asked. "Sir Aethelwolf, do you know about this poison?" This man was able to identify that his cousin was poisoned by merely sniffing for a short moment. He seems to be a skilled Alchemist who tackled in the study of poisons. Perhaps he knows what's up.

Leric glanced at him and then towards the young servant who had lost consciousness from the beating. "We could have asked that guy if he had an antidote with him, but I think it's too late for that."

Chris scratched his face with embarrassment. He couldn't control his anger earlier and poured everything into the servant. "Is there anything else we can do, Sir Aethelwolf?" He asked with a hopeful look.

Leric nodded his head. "There is. In fact, this poison isn't that difficult to cure. I only need three herbs to remove the toxins in his body, but if you want me to save his Hegel from being affected by the poison, we would need two more herbs. These are the five herbs. One… and …"

Chris listed the herbs on a piece of paper and after writing them down, he immediately asked another servant to buy the herbs on the list.

"Sir Aethelwolf, it's our good fortune that you are coincidentally here. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here." Chris was scared when he thought about it.

After becoming a manager of this weapon shop, he made many enemies. Those people might cause trouble for him if something happened to his cousin. After all, Enrique Maynard was his only support. Losing him would surely end his career and even his life might be at stake.

"Manager Chris, it appears that Sir Enrique is a victim of a vicious plot. If I'm not wrong, there should be something going on in the Maynard Household. Sir Enrique is the most likely person to inherit the position of patriarch if the Count, Sir Lucas Maynard, steps down from his position." Leric's words stunned Chris. His eyes widened and his fat cheeks jiggled up and down. He then frowned and pondered about it deeply.

Leric's words might be possible. There was indeed a conflict of interest between the patriarch candidates of the Maynard Household. Initially, they thought that no one would use any underhanded tricks since they were just one family. Who knew that someone would actually poison his cousin?

"I will report this to the patriarch. I will also bring that filthy creature to the family and make him spit out the name of the culprit. What a bunch of bastards!" Chris cursed angrily.