The day started to get dark, before long, the night would co.
One young man walked on the neatly paved road.
Wearing a robe that was adorned with golden thread on its surface, the man in his twenties, seed to co from a noble family.
That's right, that person indeed was the guy from magic academy who succeed... no, who couldn't succeed to do shopping at the magic item store several hours ago.
The reason, he unluckily ended up et with the infamous Ractos household's oldest son Jake=Ractos and his fiance, Anessa=Nizzet, and that made him almost get involved in the evil plan that they tried to make.
However, after that he didn't et with them anymore, and so he was able to fully enjoy the imperial capital after a long ti, and now was in a very good mood as if the thing from before never happened at all.
And now, he, who was already satisfied after visiting the boutique and theatre, as the closure for today's trip on the imperial capital, dragged his feet toward the noble oriented restaurant, that was regarded as a good restaurant even in the Imperial capital.
--- After several minutes of walking, what appeared in front of his eyes was indeed a restaurant that gave the aura of high class shop.
After long ti since he visited the imperial city, and so it's been a long ti since he saw such spectacle, unconsciously his chest start to beat faster looking at that amazing high class appearance.
It seed that this restaurant that couldn't be compared with the magic academy's canteen, was backed up by so high class noble... also was a great gourt.
And so, being the magic academy student he is, while it was bit improper, he couldn't stop the saliva to co out from his mouth.
Because looking couldn't hold his patience anymore, he started to quickly enter the shop.
As he entered the shop, a beautiful white marble... and then, a faint sll of the food, welcod him.
The secretion of his saliva beca more than before, and he gulped unconsciously.
[ Aah, amazing. The shop of the imperial capital have to look like this, indeed. Elegant interior, the sll of the food that stimulate one's appetite... it's good if the food at magic academy could beco slightly better, not as good as this place is fine.]
The magic academy student, being guided by the waitress, now sat at his table.
After he ordered the special course for today, he looked around the store but was still careful to not look impolite.
[ But, how should I say it... I ended up coming here all alone because our schedule didn't match, but I don't look like a lonely person, right? Just as I thought, all of the custor are either bringing their family or coming in pairs of male and female. Beside the window, on the cater-corner... even the ones that just entered the shop are... Wha!?]
The guy muttered so as he felt slightly timid because of the fact that he ca alone, but suddenly, as he looked at the pair who just entered the shop, he beca lost for words.
--- That's of course, the ones that entered his sight were the ones who, several hours ago, gave him, and the people in the magic item store, fear.
Jake=Ractos and Anessa=Ractos.
As he sat in daze, wishing that he saw wrong, he repeatedly looked back at their position, but the scenery didn't change a bit.
[... What in the world. Is today my bad luck day?]
He muttered so as he hung his head, his brows were wrinkled together, showing how much he lanted the reality.
However, even though he knew that this was real, sowhere inside his heart still wished that this was a dream, and so he kept repeatedly looking back at their place.
In an instant, he felt like his eyes t with Jake=Ractos.
From that gaze that seems like the condensation of all evil, the magic academy student felt unspoken chill run through his spine, and panickedly shifted his gaze.
Our eyes t... !? No, it was just my imagination. That's right, it was just my imagination. Just like that, he kept repeating those word while running away from his fears.
[ Thanks for waiting. This is, todays special course hors d'oeuvre.]
[ Wha... ! Ah, aah.]
The one who dragged him out from the sea of thought as he desperately dived deep into the sea of thought, trying to run away from the fear, was none other than the waiter who respectfully brought his hors d'oeuvre toward his table.
Beautifully dished up, shrimps that looked glossy as if emphasizing it's freshness reflected into his eyes.
... It seems, I got to be conscious about it.
Even if he's the >. He is a normal man when he eats.
That's right, Jake=Ractos just ca to have a al. Just like .
The magic academy student tried to remove the fear from his mind as he thought so, and so he brought the hors d'oeuvre into his mouth.
The taste was just like how it looked, really delicious.
It seed that his fear from before were being wiped clean by the deliciousness of the food, the food one by one disappeared into his mouth.
[Hmm, delicious... As I thought, it seems that I fell into irrelevant thought because my stomach is empty.]
He muttered so in satisfaction, just right, when he finished eat the last piece of salad he heard it, the word that beco his object of fear, and so his thought once again start to change.
[You can expect the food on this place, you know. This is the purveyor of Ractos duke household after all... Kishishi.] -Jake
That's the word that spoken toward the woman... Anessa=Nizzet who sat in front of, Jake=Ractos.
That word accidentally ca into the magic academy student's ears.
The hand that brought his food toward his mouth stopped.
[ Just now... Ractos Household's purveyor... ?]
That word that unconsciously co out from his mouth, were seemingly be heard by the waiter who co bringing soup toward his table.
[ Yes. Though recently Duke Grid-sama is rarely co, but Ractos household are the regular custor of this place. Everyone at their place is a gourt, so we even get so advice from them.] -Waiter
[... Is that, so...]
Confird by the waiter, the magic academy student answered faintly, with a slightly faint, empty tone.
Though it couldn't be perceived from the outside, but deep inside... his mind, because of the conversation right now, was full in turbulence.
To the extent that he himself didn't know what he was thinking.
The advice that co from Ractos household, the house that full of evil, in the end, were those advice decent advice?
No, no matter what, there was no way theyd do evil things as frequently as that.
But, if by chance.
No way, there's no way.
What in the world have they done.
Stop, don't think about it.
His thoughts kept repeating that.
Even when his condition was like that, the food was being brought to his table one by one.
The boy from the magic academy unconsciously brought those food into his mouth.
As he was in daze, unknown to him how much ti had passed, in his hand was a cup that was filled with after al coffee.
Fragrant, ink-like black coffee.
[... Ink]
At that ti, inside his mind, a flash appeared.
Of course, it's not an amazing idea.
That's sothing better to be called as the worst premonition.
What did Jake=Ractos say in the magic item store several hours ago?
The first thing that Jake took, was a syringe.
The next one was cartridge model ink pen.
Both of them, have a utility of being able to have the inside replaced.
Then, the inside that's being replaced is?
[... That's right, poison.]
His heartbeat started to beat faster, to the extent it started to hurt.
The boy from magic academy arrived at one conclusion.
Did perhaps, the reason why Jake=Ractos stated the fact that he will change the inside of the syringe, or the cartridge pen first, is because he already have the poison prepared?
That poison, before he used it, of course there will be need to test it.
Perhaps, he's seeing the effect of that poison, whether the poisoned object will realize sothing weird after being given the poison, by mixing it in the food.
... If, it's being mixed in the steak sauce that I just ate.
My breathing was hard. I couldn't breathe, properly.
[ Dear custor, your face look pale, is there sothing wrong?] -Waiter
The waiter was calling his na in worry.
However, the word didn't seem to reach him at all.
What was on his mind was just one thing.
Why, .
He himself understood that his face right now is pale.
Jake=Ractos and Anessa=Nizzet are looking over his side.
That's right, Anessa=Nizzet... She is a student just like himself, the sa magic academy as himself.
He was never deeply involved with her, but he at least had chance to et her several tis.
--- He, who was a student, wearing a robe adorned with golden thread... the thing that was worn, in the academy.
Perhaps, Anessa=Nizzet realized that fact.
The fact that he is student of magic academy, and studying dical care.
He, arrived at one answer.
The reason that they tested their poison on him, was perhaps because he was soone from magic academy.
Perhaps, they wanted to test whether he, who ca from the magic academy, and learned dical care, could realize the poison that had been mixed with the food or not.
His limbs trembled. He couldn't put any power in it.
The guy from magic academy, started to speak with a wrung out voice.
"What did you guys make drink?"
... That's, what it supposed to be.
[ Wha, di... you, .... ! ]
He couldn't speak properly.
He couldn't breathe, his muscles were numb... inside his head, the word ca out.
And then Jake=Ractos co toward his place.
[ How is ---- it? Tha--- man, in pain----- ] - Jake
[ ---- That's, coffee ---- looked, suddenly beco pale ---- ] - Waiter
[ Eh, ---------------,- ---- ours? Is it --- okay ? ---- is there anything wrong ---- ? ] - Jake
(TL: there's so difference with the previous sentence, but that's what it beco when you remove so word, so, yeah)
Because of the poison, my consciousness started to fade away, I couldn't recognize their words properly.
However, I still understood that, Jake and the waiter, were observing the progress as they exchanging words.
He... he the man from magic academy, finally conviced that what he thought all this ti is not a mistake.
He, without a doubt, was poisoned by drug... poison.
[ Gah... ma, bi.... !?] -Male
What did he try to say, probably the person himself didn't understood it.
After saying those word as his last words, the pitiful lab rat, lost his consciousness.
---- After that, so ti had passed.
He finally woke up after fainting.
The first thing that reflected into his eyes the mont after he woke up, the ceiling of an unfamiliar bedroom that looked dim as he just woke up.
[Oh, you are awake.]
Then an old man, who looked to be in his forties and was wearing doctor robe, called to him.
[I...? That's right, if I rembered correctly, in the middle of my al...] -Male
Faintly inside his head, a flashback occurred.
A needle-less syringe.
Cartridge type ink pen.
Anessa=Nizzet.
Delicious food.
Coffee.
... Jake=Ractos.
[ That's right... ! I...!!] -Male
[ Yes, it seems that you lost your consciousness, so we brought you here.]
Carelessly, the man who wore the doctor robe said so to him.
Because of that, the male from magic academy realized that that doctor was soone affiliated with this shop.
On the top of that, he also arrived to conclusion where he is right now.
A slight sll of disinfectant, a white bed with simple decoration, this was the sickbay of the restaurant.
[ I... did, I'm fine? My breathing beca hard, my hand were trembling... just like, right, it's just like... ! ]
He rembered. The strangeness that happened to him several hours ago, and the fear.
[ Aah, it's better if you dont think too deeply about it. I already inspected your body, there's nothing wrong with your body... Probably it's just from excessive stress, it's an emotional one. I don't know what you thought when you were eating, but it's better if you take things more easily you know.]
[ ...Stress?]
[ Indeed. From what I see, you're a student from the magic academy, have you never heard of sothing like this? Because of ntal weariness, it'll affect your body.]
Hearing what the doctor said, the man indeed had so clue about that.
Indeed, he could rember about sothing like that before.
Now that he said it, perhaps that was indeed the reason.
... If the circumstances were not like this, and this didn't have anything to do with Jake=Ractos.
[No, but... that's right, this suffering, is not, shouldn't be sothing that's happening because of ntal stress! I am, yes, I am... !]
[Even if you say so... in fact, there is really nothing wrong with your body, you know? Even when I do a blood test, nothing is wrong.]
[ But...!!]
[ Well, if youre really that worried, maybe you can go to hospital to go for a check up. The shop is about to be closed, and we already called your family. You should be picked up soon.]
The man from magic academy, raised his voice desperately to refute the doctor.
However, the doctor only returned it with a long breath that was akin to a sigh, and a calm word.
--- After that, his family ca to pick him up with a worried expression on their faces, bringing the man back to their house.
When they arrived, the doctor once again told that man's family that it's a sickness due to stress. And he told them that it'll have repercussions so he asked them to take care of him.
The family, believed what the doctor had said as they nodded their heads several tis.
However, the person in question... he, still didn't believe what the doctor had said.
So ti already passed, but this doctor, was a doctor that was affiliated with a restaurant that beca the purveyor of Duke Ractos Household.
There was no guarantee that the doctor didn't plot this together with Jake=Ractos.
... Furthermore, that pain, was no way sothing that ca from stress, or so ntal problem.
[ What in the world, did they do to ...]
In his own room, the man from the magic academy looked at his palm as he muttered so.
Right now, he didn't felt those symptoms where he felt pain, or any bit of weird thing happening to his body.
But, on the contrary, that only made it more eerie; he, for a while, would have to sleep while cowering in fear.
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