TVMBS 10

Chapter 10

Just as Rizeana clenched her fists because she could not accept her fate, a loud voice came from beyond the door.

“Your Majesty! The people who went to collect the poppies have returned!”

“……!”

‘Poppies?!’

Rizeana quickly raised her head.

A wide smile appeared on Rizeana’s lips.

But no one except Ian, who was beside her, noticed it.

It seemed that Goddess Laura was on her side after all.

“The last ingredient of Gwangakcho is….”

Now that she remembered the final ingredient,

“It is the poppy.”

The entire room suddenly became silent.

Poppies were poisonous plants that only grew in the hot and humid climate unique to the Tenzel Empire.

They were known to cause hallucinations and seizures, but when used in small amounts, they could be used as medicinal herbs.

The Tenzel Empire exported poppies for medical purposes.

But the fact that poppies were the final ingredient of Gwangakcho was unexpected.

“Poppies… all of a sudden?”

After Rizeana’s statement, the audience chamber became as quiet as if cold water had been poured over it.

The Emperor’s voice echoed through the silence again.

“That is correct, Your Majesty. It is definitely the poppy!”

“Poppies are difficult to find anywhere except Tenzel. Here in Tenzel, we use them for medical purposes. Of course, we also export them to your Avid Empire.”

“That is correct.”

“Then are you saying that the Avid Empire dared to make Gwangakcho using our products, causing this situation?”

Once again, a strange feeling filled the room.

Rizeana could not carelessly answer this question.

The poppy was one of the specialties of the Tenzel Empire. Not only had someone used it illegally, but they had even smuggled it into Tenzel.

This could lead to a conflict between the two countries, or, if things went badly, even a war.

“I have no way of knowing about something I was not involved in. However, I believe the first thing Your Majesty should focus on is the final ingredient of Gwangakcho.”

“…….”

The Emperor said nothing in response to her answer.

Rizeana used the opportunity to continue speaking.

She did not know where this courage had come from, but she had to keep arguing this matter until the end.

“I also know the general process of making Gwangakcho.”

“Tell me.”

“But before that.”

Rizeana cut off the Emperor’s words.

Ian looked at her in surprise.

However, Rizeana ignored his gaze and continued.

“I would like you to keep the promise you made to me first. Since I am a prisoner of an enemy country, I would at least like to save my own life.”

Her tone was quite bold.

It was even somewhat arrogant.

Such an attitude was enough to offend a proud Emperor, but instead, it caught his interest.

“You are quite an interesting prisoner, more than I expected.”

The Emperor slowly stroked his thick beard and thought for a moment before nodding.

“Come to think of it, Neriah followed the poppy collectors recently because she said she was conducting an experiment, did she not?”

The Emperor asked Ian while keeping his eyes fixed on Rizeana.

Neriah was a herbal mage belonging to the Magic Tower.

Remembering that Neriah had recently begun showing interest in poppies and had followed the collectors, Ian nodded.

“Ah, yes. That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“Perfect timing.”

The sound of his large hands clapping together echoed softly through the room.

“Send away all the collectors and let Neriah enter with a small amount of poppies.”

The Emperor’s eyes shone sharply as he looked at Rizeana.

“Let us find out whether the hostage’s words are valuable or not.”

“I greet the Sun of the Empire, His Majesty Adam Tenzel Tivera.”

When the Emperor allowed Neriah to enter, the large doors of the audience chamber opened with a loud sound.

A woman wearing a white shirt and trousers entered with light steps. Her orange hair was neatly tied up high.

Her clothing was the exact opposite of the Avid Empire’s style.

‘A woman wearing trousers with her hair tied up. In the Avid Empire, she would have been pointed at and called vulgar for dressing like that.’

Only then did Rizeana truly realize that she had come to the Tenzel Empire.

“So. How was the gathering?”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s great kindness and the collectors, I learned many things.”

Neriah smiled brightly as she looked back and forth between the Emperor and Ian.

However, her warm gaze became very cold the moment she saw Rizeana.

‘What? Why is she looking at me like that?’

While Rizeana was confused, the woman’s cold voice struck her.

“But, Your Majesty. I beg your pardon for asking, but who is this woman?”

‘Oh no.’

Ian noticed Neriah’s attitude and groaned inwardly.

Neriah was one of Ian’s closest aides. When she was abandoned at a young age, Ian had taken her in.

At first, she had been more wary of him than anyone else, but now she cared deeply for Ian and would rush to him whenever something concerned him.

The problem was that Neriah sometimes crossed the line when it came to Ian.

Before Neriah could focus her attention on Rizeana, Ian tried to divert her attention.

“You know about the Gwangakcho incident that has recently been occurring in the northern slums of Harhaje, right?”

“Of course.”

Neriah slowly nodded.

It was something Ian had been especially troubled by recently. As one of his closest aides, how could she not know about it?

Besides, she had managed to obtain a small amount of Gwangakcho and analyze it, but its complicated composition had made it difficult to find the final ingredient.

“This lady has provided information about the final ingredient of Gwangakcho.”

“What…? No way. Even I had difficulty finding that ingredient.”

Neriah raised one eyebrow as if denying the truth.

“I understand how you feel, but it is true, Neriah.”

The Emperor followed after Ian.

“According to this young lady, poppy leaves complete Gwangakcho.”

“…Poppies? Do you mean the poppies I have been researching all this time?”

She had just returned from studying various medicinal herbs with the collectors, including poppies, to clear her head after being unable to solve the final clue.

And now this woman who had suddenly appeared, a woman who clearly looked like a prisoner, was saying that the final ingredient of Gwangakcho was the poppy.

It was truly like being struck by lightning out of a clear sky.

“Neriah. You are in the presence of His Majesty.”

Ian warned Neriah.

“Ahem. If Your Majesty is also saying this, then I suppose it means the fact has already been verified.”

“No. That is why I called you.”

Neriah looked at the Emperor with an expression of confusion.

“I do not understand.”

“I will have the ingredients prepared. Can you make Gwangakcho right now, in front of me?”

Rizeana flinched at the Emperor’s unexpectedly direct order.

‘He wants her to make it right now….’

Rizeana slightly bit her dry lips and swallowed.

She was certain that her memory was correct, but she still had no confidence.

Meanwhile, Neriah was also extremely flustered by the Emperor’s sudden request to make Gwangakcho.

“Your Majesty, I have brought all the ingredients you mentioned.”

The Emperor’s aide appeared at exactly the right moment, carrying the ingredients.

“Ah, good.”

The Emperor gestured for Neriah to come closer and handed the ingredients to her.

“You know how to make Gwangakcho, correct?”

“Of course.”

It was a process she had repeated countless times.

Worried that the ingredients might crumble, Neriah slightly frowned and relaxed her hands as much as possible while moving them.

“Then I shall begin, Your Majesty.”

The process of making Gwangakcho itself was not difficult.

The only difficult parts were identifying the ingredients and using a small amount of magic to fuse them together.

However, the Tenzel Empire was suffering because it lacked enough mages.

“First, I will seal the scent. Herbs that cause hallucinations and seizures can be quite dangerous to people without immunity.”

‘Is she a mage?’

As if answering Rizeana’s curiosity, Neriah began chanting a spell.

When she touched each leaf, a pink light flowed from her hand and quickly disappeared.

Then she began grinding the ingredients one by one after sealing their scents.

Once the various ingredients had been evenly crushed, she added the final ingredient, the poppy.

Rizeana watched calmly.

‘It has to work. It must work.’

Rizeana’s life depended on whether it succeeded or failed.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Neriah’s fingertips.

Once all the ingredients were ready, Neriah covered them with her hand and murmured,

“Coalescență (Fusion).”

Whoooosh.

An orange light burst from the palm of her hand.

A quiet sound of wind briefly circled the room before disappearing.

Gulp.

Silence filled the room, so deep that the sound of someone swallowing could be heard.

“…It is complete, Your Majesty.”

Ian, the Emperor, Rizeana, and Neriah all stared at the single leaf that had been newly created.

“That is Gwangakcho….”

‘It worked.’

The Gwangakcho Rizeana had seen in the past was right before her eyes.

“Advisor! Take Neriah to a prisoner in the underground prison and test that on him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The two people disappeared for a few minutes following the Emperor’s order, then returned.

Neriah stepped forward and knelt on one knee before the Emperor before reporting the result.

“It succeeded, Your Majesty.”

Who had said that an unsatisfying success could feel even more unpleasant?

Although creating Gwangakcho had been her own achievement, the decisive ingredient had been provided by the prisoner.

Despite having achieved something she should have been happy about, Neriah could only bite her lips tightly.

“We finally succeeded in making Gwangakcho!”

The Emperor expressed his immense joy at Neriah’s report and tapped the armrest of his throne twice.

Rizeana looked up at the Emperor.

He had bright red hair, the same color as Ian’s eyes, and deep gray eyes that created a strange contrast.

His slightly raised eyes naturally carried an imposing dignity that made anyone feel nervous.

“You are quite something, Lady Delisa.”

A strange sneer appeared on his wrinkled face.

It seemed that he viewed all of this as both the key to solving a national problem and a form of entertainment.

“Thanks to you, it will be easier for Neriah to make the antidote. Is that right, Neriah?”

The Emperor looked at Neriah with a smile, giving her silent pressure.

“Y-Yes, of course, Your Majesty. I will return with good news soon.”

When Neriah answered, the dimples on his face grew deeper along with his wrinkles.

‘This is the moment.’

Rizeana had been waiting for the atmosphere to relax, and she did not miss the moment when the Emperor raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.

“Your Majesty.”

Rizeana gathered her courage and called out to the ruler of an enemy country, not her own lord.

She could feel Ian’s gaze.

His eyes were fixed directly on her.

He probably thought she was being impatient.

After all, he had already promised her the right to seek asylum, so all she had to do was wait. He probably could not understand why Rizeana had deliberately brought it up herself.

But she had grown tired of relying on others to speak for her and fulfill her wishes.

At least in this life, she wanted to win her freedom with her own hands.

She had promised herself that she would change.

“I want the right to seek asylum, Your Majesty.”

A strange light appeared in Rizeana’s eyes.

“Please allow me to stay in the Tenzel Empire.”

“Hm. The right to seek asylum….”

After hearing Rizeana’s words, the Emperor stroked his beard again.

At the same time, he moved his crossed leg up and down.

“Well, is there any reason for me to grant the request of a mere prisoner?”