“Good thing I came here right away! You fiend, plotting something so heinous...”

A one-armed man, who had arrived just in time, shouted as he protectively embraced Ada, who still wore a dazed expression, unaware of what was happening.

“How did you…?”

Venom was utterly bewildered by the situation. How had this royal figure, who had attacked the cult, managed to track him all the way to Goldpool Valley, his hometown? It was shocking enough that they had followed him there, but the furious expression on the man’s face suggested he had somehow uncovered Venom’s hastily concocted plan.

“Did these damn dark wizards actually intend to turn a child and a dog into a chimera?”

“I was foolish. When Yustaf and the Crown Prince saw those manga, I thought they were overreacting. But to think they were actually preparing something like this.”

“I want to slaughter this wretch right now! How could someone so utterly violate the boundaries of human decency?”

Not only the man who appeared to be royalty but also the knights standing behind him radiated deadly anger.

Woof!

As if its task were complete, Rashu, who had been facing off with Venom, casually stopped and returned to Ada’s side, lying down.

Even though it was difficult to read expressions on a dog’s face, Rashu, sitting in the cart with Ada and staring at Venom, seemed to be saying, "You’re done for."

At that moment, the knights sprang into action, rushing toward Venom.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince gently brushed Ada’s hair with his left hand, checking to see if she was hurt.

“Are you injured anywhere?”

“No! Rashu protected Ada,” she replied, smiling brightly as she petted the dog, seemingly untroubled by what had just happened.

The Crown Prince looked at the dog, impressed by its actions.

‘This dog looks just like the one from The Iron-Blooded Alchemist. Rupert… you can rest easy now. I’ve prevented the tragedy you feared.’

He thought of how anxious Rupert must have been, hoping someone would intervene and prevent the horrors depicted in his drawings. It was a relief to have noticed in time and stopped the disaster.

“But why are you hurt, mister? Doesn’t it hurt? Let’s go to the church! They’ll make it all better with a touch!”

“I’m fine. I got something more important than healing.”

“What’s that?”

“The future… I sacrificed my right arm for the future of the Empire.”

He had saved soldiers from the tunnel snake’s attack, rescued a small girl and her dog from the dark wizard’s vile scheme, and prevented the horrific magic circle they had been preparing from claiming countless innocent lives.

To protect all of that, losing an arm was a small price to pay.

“Leon, take this man to the Imperial Intelligence Service so they can thoroughly investigate his crimes.”

“At your command, Your Highness.”

Venom, who had been beaten nearly to a pulp by the knights, was bound tightly with ropes. After being searched, one of the knights, Leon, prepared to escort him back to the mage tower.

“Let’s go, little one. I’ll take you home.”

“I’m not a little one! Ada is a pretty lady, that’s what my brother says!”

“Alright, our lovely lady. Let me escort you.”

The Crown Prince smiled as he lifted Ada into his arms with his left hand and began to walk slowly. Rashu followed quietly behind, while the remaining knights, unsure what to do with the abandoned cart, decided to pull it along as they headed toward the Somerset estate.

“I can sense a large amount of cannabinol accumulated in Sir Somerset’s body.”

“Cannabinol?”

“Yes, I suspect it’s been building up for quite some time.”

What could cannabinol be? Rupert wondered. He didn’t smoke, and he wasn’t a heavy drinker—perhaps a glass of wine before bed occasionally. His diet was meticulously prepared by the estate’s staff, balanced even by modern standards. There was no pollution like on Earth that could have contaminated the food here.

“I really have no idea how this could have happened. I haven’t been eating anything unusual...”

“Cannabinol is not something one can easily ingest naturally.”

“Is it a poison...?”

“No, it’s a drug.”

The Saintess looked at Rupert with a hint of suspicion. It was understandable, given that cannabinol was commonly found in addicts in the Empire’s slums who were treated for drug dependency. The Saintess couldn’t help but suspect Rupert might be a drug addict.

“I have never used drugs in my life!”

“Cannabinol is an unusual substance, so it’s not easily detected. The only common use for it is in vitality potions.”

“Vitality potions contain drugs?!”

“Yes, but in such tiny amounts that it’s generally not a problem.”

—Unless someone were to drink vitality potions like water.

At the Saintess’s seemingly obvious remark, Rupert hung his head in embarrassment.

He confessed to the Saintess that he had been consuming vitality potions like water, which shocked her, but she still removed the accumulated cannabinol from his body.

The Saintess explained that this was likely the cause of his collapse, but she found nothing else wrong with his health. For Rupert, having the Saintess personally confirm his health was a near-miraculous event, and he became even more respectful.

‘Some nobles have donated hundreds of gold coins just for a chance to receive the Saintess’s blessing.’

Rupert, who had received such a precious blessing for free, couldn’t help but lower his head in humility, like a well-ripened ear of rice.

Knock, knock!

Just as Rupert was about to discuss the topic of the sacred painting, one of the reasons for the Saintess’s visit, someone knocked urgently on the door of the drawing room.

“Who is it? We have important guests!”

Rupert quickly checked the expressions of the Saintess and her attendants. Fortunately, they didn’t seem angry, but this was still a significant breach of etiquette.

Everyone in the household, from Alain to the estate staff, knew that the Saintess was visiting, so to knock so urgently on the drawing room door was beyond rude.

This could easily be perceived as an indication that something more important than the Saintess’s visit was occurring, which made Rupert break out in a nervous sweat.

In the medieval era, the law could change depending on a person’s status.

Especially for someone as revered as the Saintess, an insult could lead to the complete ruin of a noble family like the Somersets.

—The scent of heresy lingers around this man!

—Woe to the heretic! Let us behead him and confiscate his wealth to bestow the Goddess’s grace!

If the fanatics of the Goddess’s Church were to riot, Rupert doubted he could handle the aftermath.

“It could be something important. Let them in, Sir Rupert.”

“No, how could anything be more important than attending to you, Saintess?”

“Really, it’s alright. If it’s nothing, then that’s good, but if it is important, it’s best to know right away.”

Reluctantly, Rupert opened the door, reassured by the Saintess’s calm demeanor.

He still couldn’t believe someone would commit such a breach of protocol, especially when everyone knew the Saintess was present. It made him wonder if something serious had indeed occurred.

Outside the door stood a maid, pale and trembling.

“What’s going on?”

“Well... Master Rupert, there’s a big problem at the workshop… and at the front gate…”

The maid stammered, looking as if she had seen a ghost, unable to speak coherently. Rupert, seeing her panicked expression, grew tense.

“Take your time. Slowly, tell me what happened.”

“Well…”

Thanks to Rupert’s calming words, the maid managed to regain some composure and began to recount the terrifying incident she had witnessed and the shocking person who had just arrived.

Here’s how it started.

As usual, the maid, Yuri, was going about her chores, paying extra attention to her cleaning today. The news that the Saintess of the Goddess Church was visiting the estate had prompted her to work even harder, eager for a glimpse of the holy woman.

Yuri, a devout follower of the Goddess, was so excited about the possibility of seeing the Saintess in person that she barely felt the strain of her work.

Then, Alain approached her.

‘This is Lady Amelia of the Bluewell Duchy. She has graciously offered to cook a meal for the workshop staff, so please assist her as needed.’

Yuri was awestruck by the sight of Amelia, thinking how beautiful she was, much like the Saintess. It amazed her that such people existed in the world.

‘Your name is Yuri, right? Thank you for your help.’

When Amelia smiled at her and spoke kindly, Yuri felt an immediate fondness for her.

As the daughter of a duke, Amelia could have easily ignored someone like Yuri, but instead, she treated her with kindness.

‘Miss, I’ll handle the prep. There’s no need for your delicate hands to get wet...’

‘It’s alright. I’ve done this many times at home, so I’m used to it.’

Yuri was impressed by how different Amelia was from what she had expected. A duke’s daughter, accustomed to cooking?

Yuri stepped back, handing over ingredients as Amelia requested.

But then—

‘Oh dear, why is this puffing up? Maybe I should add more salt?’

Yuri watched in horror as Amelia worked her culinary magic. Why was she dumping such a large spoonful of salt into the dish? And then, when Amelia decided to flavor the oil for frying by tossing in whole fruits, Yuri nearly fainted.

The knife that Amelia wielded with such confidence produced vegetables cut into wildly uneven chunks.

The top-grade, fresh ingredients Amelia had brought with her were slowly being transformed into something unrecognizable.

Yuri couldn’t help but think of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist, the manga she had been reading recently.

In her eyes, Amelia was an alchemist who was turning food into waste.

Finally, Amelia’s dish was complete.

Yuri, terrified of what she might see, instinctively backed away.

‘Thank you for your help, Yuri. Now let’s bring this meal to the staff!’

Yuri wanted to shout, “No!” and stop her, but she didn’t have the courage.

Instead, she followed Amelia, carrying the dish to the workshop.

—A dish personally prepared by Lady Amelia! We have to eat it, even if it kills us!

—A meal prepared by such a beautiful lady must taste divine.

—Out of my way! I’m tasting it first!

The craftsmen, excited to see the meal Amelia had brought, cheered.

And then they collapsed.