The day started to get dark, before long, the night would come.
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, seemed to come 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 meet with the infamous Ractos household's oldest son Jake=Ractos and his fiancée, Anessa=Nizzet, and that made him almost get involved in the evil plan that they tried to make.
However, after that he didn't meet with them anymore, and so he was able to fully enjoy the imperial capital after a long time, 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 time since he visited the imperial city, and so it's been a long time since he saw such spectacle, unconsciously his chest start to beat faster looking at that amazing high class appearance.
It seemed that this restaurant that couldn't be compared with the magic academy's canteen, was backed up by some high class noble... also was a great gourmet.
And so, being the magic academy student he is, while it was bit improper, he couldn't stop the saliva to come 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 smell of the food, welcomed him.
The secretion of his saliva became more than before, and he gulped unconsciously.
[ Aah, amazing. The shop of the imperial capital have to look like this, indeed. Elegant interior, the smell of the food that stimulate one's appetite... it's good if the food at magic academy could become 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 customer 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 came alone, but suddenly, as he looked at the pair who just entered the shop, he became 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 lamented the reality.
However, even though he knew that this was real, somewhere 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 met 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 met... !? 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, today’s 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 << Incarnation of the Devil Snake>>. He is a normal man when he eats.
That's right, Jake=Ractos just came to have a meal. Just like me.
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 seemed 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 become 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 came 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 come out from his mouth, were seemingly be heard by the waiter who come bringing soup toward his table.
[ Yes. Though recently Duke Grid-sama is rarely come, but Ractos household are the regular customer of this place. Everyone at their place is a gourmet, so we even get some advice from them.] -Waiter
[... Is that, so...]
Confirmed 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 come 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 they’d 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 time had passed, in his hand was a cup that was filled with after meal coffee.
Fragrant, ink-like black coffee.
[... Ink]
At that time, inside his mind, a flash appeared.
Of course, it's not an amazing idea.
That's something 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 something 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 customer, your face look pale, is there something wrong?] -Waiter
The waiter was calling his name in worry.
However, the word didn't seem to reach him at all.
What was on his mind was just one thing.
Why, me.
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 same magic academy as himself.
He was never deeply involved with her, but he at least had chance to meet her several times.
--- 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 medical care.
He, arrived at one answer.
The reason that they tested their poison on him, was perhaps because he was someone from magic academy.
Perhaps, they wanted to test whether he, who came from the magic academy, and learned medical 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 me drink?"
... That's, what it supposed to be.
[ Wha, di... you, me.... ! ]
He couldn't speak properly. [ How is ---- it? Th-- man, in pain----- ] - Jake [ ---- That's, coffee ---- looked, suddenly become pale ---- ] - Waiter [ Eh, ---------------,- ---- ours? Is it --- okay ? ---- is there anything wrong ---- ? ] - Jake (TL: there's some difference with the previous sentence, but that's what it become when you remove some word, so, yeah) Because of the poison, my consciousness started to fade away, I couldn't recognize their words properly. [ Gah... ma, bi.... !?] -Male What did he try to say, probably the person himself didn't understood it. [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 remembered correctly, in the middle of my meal...] -Male Faintly inside his head, a flashback occurred. [ 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. [ I... did, I'm fine? My breathing became hard, my hand were trembling... just like, right, it's just like... ! ] He remembered. The strangeness that happened to him several hours ago, and the fear. [ Aah, it's better if you don’t 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 something like this? Because of mental weariness, it'll affect your body.] Hearing what the doctor said, the man indeed had some clue about that. [No, but... that's right, this suffering, is not, shouldn't be something that's happening because of mental 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 you’re 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. --- After that, his family came to pick him up with a worried expression on their faces, bringing the man back to their house. Some time already passed, but this doctor, was a doctor that was affiliated with a restaurant that became the purveyor of Duke Ractos Household. [ What in the world, did they do to me...] In his own room, the man from the magic academy looked at his palm as he muttered so.
He couldn't breathe, his muscles were numb... inside his head, the word <
And then Jake=Ractos come toward his place.
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 time is not a mistake.
He, without a doubt, was poisoned by drug... poison.
After saying those word as his last words, the pitiful lab rat, lost his consciousness.
---- After that, some time had passed.
He finally woke up after fainting.
The first thing that reflected into his eyes the moment after he woke up, the ceiling of an unfamiliar bedroom that looked dim as he just woke up.
A needle-less syringe.
Cartridge type ink pen.
Anessa=Nizzet.
Delicious food.
Coffee.
... Jake=Ractos.
Because of that, the male from magic academy realized that that doctor was someone affiliated with this shop.
On the top of that, he also arrived to conclusion where he is right now.
A slight smell of disinfectant, a white bed with simple decoration, this was the sickbay of the restaurant.
Indeed, he could remember about something 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.
However, the doctor only returned it with a long breath that was akin to a sigh, and a calm word.
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 times.
However, the person in question... he, still didn't believe what the doctor had said.
There was no guarantee that the doctor didn't plot this together with Jake=Ractos.
... Furthermore, that pain, was no way something that came from stress, or some mental problem.
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.