From helping the Azure Cloud Clan defeat the fearsome Draythok beast in the wilderness to forcing Grand Magus Vernon to retreat in disgrace, Emery had quickly risen beyond the status of an honored guest. He was now regarded as a benefactor—a savior to the Azure Cloud Clan. In gratitude, the clan provided Emery with the finest residence in their estate and the most respectful treatment possible. The patriarch himself extended an invitation for Emery to involve himself in their affairs. "My apologies for troubling you again, Mister Emery," said Ella, the patriarch’s daughter, her voice carrying a heavy burden of concern. "But with my father still sick, our clan remains vulnerable... Perhaps you might offer some insight into our situation?" Emery could see the desperation in her eyes. The Azure Cloud Clan was in dire straits, and they were his only allies in this unfamiliar and mysterious realm. Nodding solemnly, Emery agreed to listen. Ella began to recount the series of misfortunes that had plagued the clan over the past six months. It began with their trading business suffering catastrophic losses due to a string of poor investments and failed deals. Shortly after, the patriarch had fallen gravely ill with a mysterious disease. The clan had two Grand Magus elders who could have bolstered their defenses, but both were away at the capital, and it would take weeks for them to return. Hiring outside Grand Magus-level protectors had proven nearly impossible—the news of the clan’s financial struggles had spread far and wide, and no mercenary was willing to tie themselves to a sinking ship. To make matters worse, Vernon, the patriarch of the Amber Fall Clan—once their closest ally—had turned his back on them. "Hah! I was so blind!" the Azure Cloud patriarch rasped, his voice trembling with anger. "To think I once called that bastard my friend! If I weren’t sick, he wouldn’t even dare to raise his voice at me!" His words ended in a coughing fit, and Ella rushed to his side, gently patting his back. "Father, please... Stay calm," Ella whispered. "We have the Draythok heart now. You’ll recover soon." At the mention of the Draythok heart, something clicked in Emery’s mind. He recalled the mysterious alchemist who had advised them to hunt the beast for its heart. "You mentioned earlier that an alchemist master instructed you to retrieve the Draythok beast’s heart," Emery said carefully. "Who is this person?" Ella hesitated for a moment before answering. "It was Master Baldoni... He’s a renowned alchemist here in this border town. His skills are widely respected." There was a reverence in her tone—a blind trust in the title of Alchemist Master. Yet Emery couldn’t shake off his unease. He had analyzed the Draythok beast’s heart himself and discovered its highly poisonous properties. Could Master Baldoni truly have missed such an obvious detail? "No... Surely not," Ella said, her voice soft but resolute. "Master Baldoni is a true expert. He wouldn’t—he couldn’t—have made such a mistake." But Emery wasn’t convinced. He requested to examine the patriarch’s condition himself, and Ella readily agreed. Using his [Nature Grasp] ability, Emery extended his senses into the patriarch’s body. Almost immediately, he detected a sinister foreign presence within the man’s bloodstream—a deadly poison that had been cleverly masked. "This isn’t an illness," Emery said gravely. "This is poison." For a brief moment, Emery considered the possibility that Master Baldoni might have been using poison to fight poison—a risky but not unheard-of alchemical method. However, upon deeper analysis, Emery realized that the foreign substance and the poison from the Draythok heart shared the same elemental structure. They wouldn’t neutralize each other—they would only make the poison deadlier. After a long silence, Emery made his decision, to reveal his findings. As expected, the patriarch looked furious at the thought, his weakened voice rising as he spat out, "We cannot doubt Master Baldoni! He is an Alchemist Master!" But Ella didn’t dismiss Emery outright. "Father… Mister Emery here… he is also an alchemist." Continue reading at freewebnovel At first, she was merely trying to be polite, unwilling to quickly dismiss Emery’s words, especially since she held him in high regard. However, Emery could sense the doubt in her eyes—it was the word of a renowned alchemist against that of an outsider. But then, a nearly forgotten incident resurfaced in her mind. "Wait," she said suddenly, turning towards the dark elf captain. "Bring me the vial of pills we received from Master Baldoni before the Draythok hunt!" The dark elf captain stepped forward and handed over a small glass vial filled with green pills. Ella turned to Emery and offered it to him. "Mister Emery, could you analyze these? These are the pills Master Baldoni gave us. He said they would protect us from the Draythok’s poison. But… they didn’t seem to work as well as he promised." Emery took the vial and examined the pills carefully. His brow furrowed as he focused on their composition. At first glance, they did seem to be genuine poison-resistance pills. But Emery’s expertise revealed something far more insidious. "These pills are poison-resistant... but they also carry another, hidden toxin within them," Emery said, his voice low but firm. Ella gasped. The patriarch’s face turned pale as he stared at the vial in horror. "Are you... are you certain, Mister Emery?" Ella asked, her voice trembling. "There’s only one way to be sure," Emery replied. They brought out one of their captured beast, Emery administered one of the pills to the beast and waited. Within the hour, the beast convulsed violently before falling limp. Dead. Silence filled the room. The weight of realization settled over everyone present. "This... this cannot be..." the patriarch whispered, his voice hollow. But Emery stood firm, his voice cutting through the silence. "This isn’t a mistake. Master Baldoni intentionally laced these pills with poison. And given the timing of your illness and your ally’s betrayal, I would wager that Master Baldoni and the Amber Fall patriarch are working together."