Chapter 35: Harder Than Mathematics

"Reconciliation..."

Edgar held little expectation for Eric’s proposal. While he desperately wished for it to be true, he could not gamble with the lives of his niece and nephew. This was not a matter one could simply test. If reconciliation were possible, it would be a blessing; if not, there would be no chance of escape against the Moon Elves, who were innately powerful spellcasters.

"Has Father never considered Irene’s future? Are we to let her live her whole life under an assumed name, hidden away in the inner chambers?" Eric asked. "There must be some way."

"Perhaps there is." Edgar looked at the portrait on the wall, his gaze lingering for a moment. "But he didn't have time to pass on the instructions."

Eric opened his mouth, then fell silent. He suspected that the Moon Elves had likely moved past their hatred, or perhaps they were fully aware that the kinsman who had eloped with a human had left behind two children. Given their resources, they could have easily uncovered the truth through the slightest of clues. But he also understood his uncle’s anxiety. Eric felt emboldened only because of the experiences of his past life; his uncle, however, had nothing—only two children he felt he had to protect.

If only there were a way to speak directly with someone who had influence within the Moon Elf community... Eric realized he was running into the same problem here that he faced with the Saintess. Channels of communication were indeed vital.

"I will think of another way," Eric said to his uncle. "Irene’s study of magic can no longer be delayed."

Edgar exhaled a deep breath and nodded slightly. "Whatever you plan, remember to consult me first."

"I understand. Also, I must return to Vale Town before dusk," Eric said.

"Is there still business to attend to?"

"No," Eric smiled. "The villagers have arranged a banquet to celebrate our victory. I don't want to disappoint their kindness."

Edgar smiled as well. "Go then."

It was still early. Leaving his uncle's study, Eric sighed at the sky and, after a moment's thought, decided to visit Irene’s room again. This time she was finally awake; when she saw him enter, a smile bloomed on her face.

"Eric, is this for me?" She pointed to the magic books and notes resting by the bed.

"Yes." Eric sat on the edge of the bed, a sudden thought occurring to him. "You’ve flipped through these notes—can you understand them yourself?"

Irene shook her head.

It seemed that entering the world of magic entirely on one's own was difficult, Eric thought, especially in Irene’s condition. Looking at the chainmail he hadn't yet had time to remove, Irene looked into his eyes. "Eric, why do you want me to learn magic?"

"Because... it is your talent, and it could help you escape your current predicament."

His sister only stared at him blankly. Eric stroked her cheek, looking into her blue eyes, which were the same color as his own. "Are you not interested in magic, Irene?"

"I don’t know." Irene shook her head. "I am awake for such a short time; I don’t know what I am interested in... No, that is not true. I am interested in everything I can see when I am awake."

Eric felt a sharp pain in his chest; his heart was breaking. At his age, facing such a vibrant world, she could only sink into a black-and-white chaos, unable to distinguish reality from illusion. The more he knew, the more he suffered for her pain.

"Eric?" Irene raised her hand, caressing her brother's face.

"I will do everything in my power to free you from this state, Irene."

Eric looked at the notes on the bedside. Since Irene couldn't understand them and couldn't attend a magic academy, he would study them himself. If using a divine artifact like the Saintess’s veil could awaken a second career path for him, perhaps reading these notes would awaken a talent for magic as well—he did, after all, have a trace of Moon Elf blood in his veins.

Eric picked up the notes and began to read right there at her bedside. He didn't ask for greatness; he only needed a start.

From starting to giving up, it took him exactly half an hour.

"It’s no use... I can't grasp a single thing." Eric leaned his head back and took a deep breath. This was even more absurd than mathematics. If you didn't know math, you could at least count to five or perform basic addition; if you didn't have a knack for magic, you could hold your breath for a lifetime and still produce nothing.

*Damned elf blood,* he thought. *All of it must have gone into magic resistance!*

Eric scratched his head, not knowing how to face his sister, but Irene had already leaned against his shoulder and fallen back into a light sleep. Sighing, Eric set the notes aside, tucked Irene in, and left the room.

He hadn't been back in his own room for long when a maid arrived with a message: the guards watching the carriage in the courtyard were asking if they should move it elsewhere, as it was blocking the way. Eric suddenly remembered the load of dangerous goods still in the carriage. He hurried over, finding the steward of the Lord’s manor there—likely the one doing the urging.

"Young Master..."

"It’s fine now." Eric remembered his promise before leaving and tipped the guard a gold coin. "Find somewhere else to park it. By the way, where is Miss Sophie?"

The guard, grinning at the gold coin, pointed toward the carriage behind him. Eric was taken aback. He lifted the curtain to find the little nun, Sophie, still waiting inside.

"Miss Sophie..."

"I didn't know where else to go." Sophie had been waiting until her eyes ached, and she couldn't help but sound a little resentful.

"My apologies. My talk with my uncle ran a bit long."

"It’s alright..." Seeing him lower his head, the nun’s minor grievance vanished instantly.

Eric’s gaze shifted to the plague toxins in the carriage. He still hadn't decided how to handle them; leaving them at the Lord’s manor was like keeping a ticking time bomb. He had mentioned it to his uncle, but both of them had forgotten in the shuffle.

"I wonder if those alchemists would be interested in this..."

Orei was, after all, the largest city in the Danton District. It had everything, including an Alchemist’s Guild. Eric recalled that they were always buying strange and exotic materials; perhaps these highly concentrated toxins would fall within their interests.

"Miss Sophie, would you be interested in taking a walk through the city with me?"

Sophie blinked, then nodded happily. "I would!"

The carriage left the Lord’s manor and headed toward the high tower standing in the city center. It was the Mage Tower of the Spellcasters’ Guild, and the Alchemist’s Guild was right next door. To most of the uninitiated in Orei, there was little difference between the two; the robed oddities who frequented those two doors and occasionally visited each other didn't look particularly reputable. The connection between mages and alchemists was, in fact, quite tight.

"Is Mr. Eric going to the Alchemist’s Guild? My father sponsors an alchemy apprentice. That man occasionally brings my father some potions he’s brewed, though I don’t know what they’re for."

"Probably health supplements..."

"Health supplements?"

"Things to strengthen the body. But sponsorship is one thing; if you’re looking for quality, it’s best to find a well-known master..."

Eric chatted idly with Sophie, and before long, the carriage arrived at the base of the tower. Leaving Sophie in the carriage, Eric walked into the Alchemist’s Guild and explained his business to the old man at the front desk.

"Plague toxin?" The old man squinted. "What kind of plague?"

"Uh... the green kind."

"Listen to this, 'the green kind.' Do you know how many green toxins exist? Why don't you just say it’s poisonous?" The old man rolled his eyes, glanced at Eric’s chainmail, and dismissed him as an ignorant warrior. "Did you bring it? Let me see."

Eric took out a vial as a sample. The old man’s eyes widened instantly.

"The purity is this high! Let me see... where did you get this?"

Eric didn't hide the origin. After hearing it, the old man fell silent for a long time before muttering, "It seems the legends left by our ancestors are true... I was planning on taking a crew to that mine to dig around in a while. What a massive loss."

Eric frowned, feeling a strange sensation. It seemed that even if the villagers hadn't broken the seal on the mine, these alchemists would have risked it eventually to obtain materials, and the tide of the undead would have broken out regardless. Was this some kind of inevitability?

"What price do you want?" the old man asked, interrupting Eric’s thoughts.

The price didn't matter. He just wanted to dispose of these dangerous goods safely. "You name it. I have a lot."

"How much could you possibly have?" the old man said dismissively.

"A whole carriage."

The old man stared. He followed Eric outside and saw the remaining toxins in the carriage. He was shocked, then glared at Eric. "That’s not a whole carriage."

"It’s close enough," Eric said offhandedly. "If you take these, how will you handle them? I don’t want to wake up one day and hear that a plague is spreading through Orei."

"You really don't understand, do you? Once it’s refined to this state, it’s no longer contagious. At most, it’s a poison—a drop and you’re dead, guaranteed." The old man spoke with authority. "Besides, a small place like this can't use goods of this purity, whether for research or anything else. There are buyers in Castelfair who will pay a high... well, not a very high price. It will likely be sold there."

*The Chaos Lands again...*

But then again, only the chaotic people there would have a use for such dangerous goods, Eric thought.

"I don’t know much about this, but I need your guarantee that all of it will be sold to Castelfair... You ask why?" Facing the old man’s skepticism, Eric pointed to the seal of the Lord’s manor on the carriage.

"Because of this. It seems you didn't recognize who you were dealing with. If a single person in Orei catches this, you will be the first to suffer the consequences."