GDTEA Chapter 117

Experimental Report

Sharti staggered to her feet.

She pulled off her herb-stained gloves with limp hands and rose up on her toes to open the small window.

She had spent more than half a day in the herb room preparing all manner of antidotes, and before she knew it, the sun had gone down.

Was I hunched over the whole time? Every muscle in my body is stiff.

A series of cracking sounds followed every time she moved her back, arms, and neck.

On top of that, after spending so long concentrated on blending herbs, a headache crept up on her belatedly.

With a low groan, Sharti surveyed the filthy table before her.

“……When am I ever going to clean all this up?”

The table was, in a word, devastated. The turbulent production process was laid bare for all to see.

Sharti gazed at the dark bluish-green liquid on the table with complicated eyes.

It was the best antidote she could currently produce.

It can’t be called a perfect antidote, but there was definitely a reaction.

It was an unfinished antidote at best, yet for the first time, the venom of the Hwanyeongcho—the purple poisonous herb—had shown a clear detoxification response.

—But that was as far as it went.

It had only been half a day, yet Sharti had poured herself into it with more passion and focus than ever before.

Even so, she had not managed to complete the antidote. It wasn’t simply a matter of insufficient skill or lacking ingredients.

She had not been able to examine the young lady of Chelonar County directly and in detail, and since she had never used it on a patient suffering from mental illness before, she had no way of confirming its side effects or efficacy firsthand.

There’s only one left now.

Sharti checked inside her bag.

All of the poison that the Tower Master had extracted for her had been used up, and now only a single purple poisonous herb remained.

I have to use it carefully.

She could request more purple poisonous herbs by going back to Sedipia Village, but she didn’t have the time to go in person, and extracting the poison required the Magic Tower’s assistance.

And yet, there was no way they would permit a stranger to take such a dangerous and hallucinogenic poisonous herb out of the village on their own.

So she had to make do with the limited quantity the Tower Master had allowed her.

“……I’ll just rest for a bit first.”

Throughout the antidote-making process, the scents of medicinal herbs and poisonous herbs had mingled together, leaving the room thick with a stifling smell.

Sharti needed fresh air.

She applied ointment to the blisters on her fingers and gathered her outer coat.

“It feels even colder than usual today.”

The moment she stepped out of the herb room, a biting wind shoved her this way and that.

Sharti walked down the street with weary steps. The evening in District D of Chelonar County was bustling in a way entirely different from the daytime.

At some point, swept up in the crowd, Sharti found herself holding a cheap sandwich she didn’t even remember buying.

I feel a little more human now.

Even though the sandwich was nothing but vegetables, the slightly stiff bread was rich and nutty.

Sharti took a big bite and blinked.

Where am I?

She had been heading toward the free clinic where Ren and the general store merchant might have left word, as they had arranged to do—but she had been pushed and jostled into a street she had never seen before.

Fortunately, the air still carried a heavy scent of medicinal herbs, so she was still within District D.

Sharti remained calm and steadily worked her way through the sandwich.

There are a lot of bookshops on this street.

All of them carried medical texts.

Sharti stepped into the most run-down looking bookshop among them.

Thousands of books lay heaped and neglected. Perhaps because of that, most of them were dusty and in poor condition.

“Um, would it be all right if I read something here?”

“Go ahead.”

With a polite bow to the seemingly indifferent owner, Sharti slowly scanned the titles of the books.

Touch them and they’ll fall apart.

Sharti pressed a handkerchief over her nose and mouth and carefully made her way through the rows of shelves.

<What to Do When Poisoned?>

<Forty Common Illnesses You Can Encounter in Everyday Life>

<Fear Not. Even if You Fall Ill, You Can Live as Long as You Get Proper Treatment.>

Since the books appeared to have been made a long time ago, there was almost nothing particularly interesting or unusual among them.

That was probably why they had been left to gather dust like this.

Sharti pivoted lightly to check the last bookshelf.

“……!”

In doing so, she failed to notice the pile of books stacked on the floor, caught her foot on them, and went tumbling straight down.

With a thud, Sharti let out a small cough from within the dust.

“You all right there, miss?”

“Yes, yes. The books are fine.”

Sharti laughed in embarrassment and did her best to ignore the throbbing pain in her backside.

Thanks to her sacrifice, the tall stacks of books she had wrapped her arms around to support had at least not toppled over.

“Hm……?”

As Sharti carefully picked herself up, she caught sight of an unusual title peeking out from between the books that had shifted slightly due to her fall.

<Experimental Report on the Combined Study of Poison, Forbidden Magic, and Curses>

Having taken in the title with her eyes, Sharti struggled to pull a thick bundle of documents out from between the stacked books.

She gave her backside a quick rub, then wiped the dust obscuring the title away with her handkerchief.

Why is a report doing in a place like this?

And not just any report—one bearing such ominous words as poison, magic, and curse.

Sharti swallowed hard and carefully opened the document.

As she read down the table of contents on the first page, her eyes trembled faintly.

Sharti sat herself down right there and read on. She paid no mind to the dust that flew up with every page she turned.

<There is healing magic that saves lives. And there is dark magic that harms them. So then, what is a curse that kills people? Curse arts—that, too, is a form of magic. It is known by the name forbidden magic.> 

……Forbidden magic?

Sharti’s eyes moved without pause.

<Forbidden magic is the greatest weapon capable of killing a mage, possessing the power to destroy mana itself. Forbidden magic has no limits. Because it allows one to break any law of the world in exchange for one’s own life. But that is precisely what made me curious.>

<Why is there not a single record of forbidden magic anywhere in history? If one were to possess such overwhelming power, would it not be possible to not merely revolt, but to create an entirely new world? Why is there no trace to be found anywhere of a courageous mage who laid their hands upon forbidden magic?>

“…….”

Sharti felt a chill run through her with every line she read from this thick report.

<—Only a mage who has carved a mana sigil into their heart can use the forbidden magic capable of destroying the world. The Magic Tower was foolish. If every mage were to wield forbidden magic, they would obtain a power that not even a god could stop—and yet the Magic Tower executed without mercy any mage who dared touch forbidden magic. With the further assistance of Sword Masters, mages who reached for forbidden magic only grew fewer and fewer.>

<Without an ally, mages who use forbidden magic alone merely burn away their own lives and cannot dream grand dreams. (Omitted) ……If we are inferior in numbers, then there is no choice but to amplify the power of forbidden magic itself. And so, from this point forward, I intend to experiment.>

Sharti turned the page with trembling hands.

<The most powerful ingredient that can kill a person: ‘poison.’ The most powerful incantation that can kill a person: ‘curse.’ If these two are combined, forbidden magic will become all the more perfect.>

Magic can only detoxify something to the level of a paralysis poison. Even for the Tower Master, purging life-ending toxins was no easy feat.

The same held true for curses. The malicious, twisted ill-will that was offered up as a sacrifice in dark magic rituals was a concept rooted in witchcraft, making it difficult to break through magic alone.

“—Excuse me, are you all right?”

“……!”

A hand tapping her shoulder made her heart drop straight into her stomach, and Sharti whipped her head around with a start.

One of the other customers browsing books was looking at her with an expression of concern.

“Your color just looked so off.”

“I’m, I’m fine. Thank you.”

Her voice cracked and trembled for a moment.

Sharti clutched the report to her chest and rose from her seat on unsteady legs.

“I’ll buy this.”

The bookshop owner, who had been doing nothing but yawning idly, sold her the report at a fair price.

Sharti ran through the crowd. She couldn’t even feel the cold.

She forced strength into her legs, which felt on the verge of buckling at any moment, and kept on running.

Her pounding heart felt as though it might burst right out of her mouth.

<Forbidden magic is powerful, but it is equally painstaking. (Omitted). Again! Again! I’ve failed again.>

<Today marks the 50,002nd failure. (Omitted). I’ve decided to change my approach. Attempting to experiment on the full scope of forbidden magic all at once seems to be unworkable. I’ll drill down into just one single forbidden magic.>

<……The 62,422nd attempt, and the first success. The test subject was a child under the age of ten. Children’s brains are small, and applying forbidden magic directly as an attack kills them too easily, so I administered poison first and then gradually applied forbidden magic in small doses. The beginning was somnambulism. (Omitted). As memories disappeared one by one, they ultimately became nothing but an empty shell, like a doll that could be controlled!>

<……The 68,966th attempt, a disappointing success. The test subjects provided were fifty combat slaves ranging from their twenties to fifties. After attacking with forbidden magic, I scattered poisonous powder into the air. However, the sharp-witted combat slaves did not inhale the poison powder, and so the forbidden magic did not take full effect. In the end, only half of them died.>

<……The 69,452nd attempt, I finally succeeded! The test subjects consisted of combat slaves who had survived the previous experiment. This time, swordsmen to assist the forbidden magic were deployed. The swords were coated in poison. This time it was perfect. As expected, a sword cuts more sharply and deeply, allowing the poison to spread quickly. Ah, it’s perfect.>

“Hah, haa……. Hah…….”

With legs that trembled violently, Sharti made her way to a communication office.

Communication offices found everywhere throughout the Empire could send letters and parcels anywhere. Of course, the rates varied depending on the region.

“Tw, two places, please.”

Paying seven silver, Sharti wrote out two letters with the same contents.

One was addressed to Vireta’s house, and the other to the Krofl Mercenary Group in Sedipia Village.

“Please send them as quickly as possible.”

Even after paying the additional express fee, sweat dripped down Sharti’s cheek.

<A problem has arisen. The Imperial court caught wind of things. Word has come that the supply of poisonous herbs will become difficult from now on. I don’t know what they’re doing if they can’t even stop that one thing without me doing anything. This is exactly why one shouldn’t work with nobles.>

<—I’ve discovered that there is a type of illusion magic within forbidden magic. It seems further research will be required. Since using magic will alert the Magic Tower, I’ll need to be even more careful in developing it. This looks to be a long study ahead.>

She had no idea how she had managed to make it back to the herb room, but Sharti’s legs gave way before she could even reach the chair, and she sank heavily to the floor.

As if the cold had finally caught up to her all at once, Sharti wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered.

……It’s horrifying.

The report had ended with the announcement of a long study ahead.

Whether the author had concluded it themselves, or whether the remaining pages had been lost and the document simply cut off, she could not tell.

But Sharti already knew what outcome that long study described in the report had ultimately produced.

Who…… who on earth wrote a report like this?

The front of the report bore what appeared to be initials or perhaps a pictorial emblem of some kind, but with the passage of time it had faded and blurred beyond recognition.

Sharti curled herself up more tightly.

……Ren.

The worn report was filled to the brim with experimental content that brought Ren to mind.

The specific symptoms were not recorded, but from the other documented cases of successful experimentation, she could make a rough guess.

Amnesia.

Destroying the brain, and ultimately the person themselves…….

Sharti squeezed her eyes shut.

Then, a sudden thought made her shoulders flinch.

“……If poison and curses and forbidden magic were combined, wouldn’t the reverse also be possible?”

Sharti gritted her teeth and crawled across the floor. Then, using the chair to brace herself, she pulled her body upright and sat down before the table again.

“What this antidote is currently missing is…….”

Sharti’s lips grew parched as she muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, at Chelonar County’s estate, Ren was facing a crisis of his own.

“……Damn it.”

Ren clenched his fist around the shattered fragments of the magic tool—the silver ring—and ground his teeth.