Chapter 16: About to become a feast
Wistoria turned to look at the man behind her.
"Xavier, what are you doing here?" It was past midnight and he was still awake?
"Miss Wistoria, there is something that I would like to tell you," Xavier stood in a dark corner outside the large threshold of the main manor.
As he stepped out, the flames burning in the bowl placed on three interlocked wooden poles cast a golden hue on his cold face.
His silver hair turned two shades darker as he stopped in front of Wistoria. "It's of utmost importance, which is why I would hope that Miss Wistoria would listen to what I am going to say."
Wistoria's brows furrowed but she turned to face Xavier. She said, "Whatever that you want to say, Xavier, please do hurry, I have to think of a way to cure Nicolas—"
"He cured the Banppee wolf poison."
No sooner did those words fall, than Wistoria stopped speaking. She raised her head and looked at Xavier, her eyes filled with shock.
"What did you say?" She asked. Even though she understood what Xavier was telling her, for some reason Wistoria could not register those words in her head.
Damien de Brystoria, the man who was so powerless in the face of his half-brother's scheme that he lost his position as the crown prince of the Brystoria Empire—
Did he actually cure Banppee Wolf's poison?
Those beasts, even if Wistoria had only dealt with them once or twice, she knew that the poison of those beasts was deadly.
Even an S-tier healer wouldn't be able to treat that poison and anyone bitten by those beasts was as good as dead.
"Are you joking with me?" Wistoria asked in complete disbelief. "How could he treat such a deadly poison? If he knew such a great thing how could he have lost his position as the crown prince?"
Damien had no qualifications other than being the son of the Empress. Compared to Emiliano, he was lacking in every way possible; this was one of the reasons why he was so easily swept off from his position.
So how could he know how to make such a precious antidote? If he had produced this antidote a few months ago, he could have challenged Emiliano and he could have also protected his beast nucleus.
Why would he go through so much pain?
Xavier hesitated. Indeed he had thought the same thing as well.
Even if he could not understand why would Damien stay quiet in the face of such unfairness when he was so capable.
The elders of the Brystoria family only cared about qualifications, power and connections.
As long as Damien had announced to the world that he could treat Banppee poison which even the healers could not, he would have accumulated a bunch of supporters.
Emiliano would also have to take a step back but—
"I am certain. I sent a few men to the hyena tribe where I found Lord Damien," Xavier though confused himself, pressed. "According to the men, those hyena beastmen were indeed infected by Banppee poison as they had already examined the corpses of those who died."
"However, the death rate was incredibly low when compared to every other tribe which was attacked by those heinous beasts. When they asked around, the hyena beastmen all said the same thing Lord Damien, who claimed to be a doctor, saved them."
Wistoria frowned. She asked, "What are you trying to achieve by telling me this?"
Xavier inhaled sharply with his arms crossed behind his back. After a long and heavy pause, he knelt on the ground in front of Wistoria and said to her, "Lady Wistoria, please let Lord Damien take a look at Lord Nicolas's injuries. Maybe he might be able to do something miraculous."
"Are you aware of what you are saying?" Wistoria asked with a tinge of annoyance. It was one thing that Damien's words had confused her already but now Xavier was also joining in the fray.
"I am aware, Lady Wistoria," Xavier also knew that he might be rushing but what choice did they have?
Nicolas's condition wasn't looking great and if this went on, even if he was a beastmen if he continued bleeding then it would not be long before he lost his life.
Xavier closed his eyes while kneeling in front of Wistoria as he determinedly said, "I am willing to put my honour on the line, Lady Wistoria. If something goes awry during the treatment then I will willingly hand my knighthood back to Lord Gilderoy."
He would rather take risks than watch his mentor and brother die in front of him. Xavier hated this feeling of helplessness.
Wistoria looked at Xavier, she closed her eyes and breathed out.
"Fine," she said with an annoyed look on her face. "Go get him. Tell him that we are willing to let him treat my brother."
Hope surged in Xavier's heart as he climbed to his feet, he bowed in front of Wistoria before saying, "Thank you. Thank you for listening to me, Lady Wistoria."
He bowed two more times before rushing down the stairs.
Wistoria watched him leave and pursed her lips.
'Damien de Brystoria, you better save my brother after causing such a big hoo-hah. Or else it will be your funeral!'
Inside the prison, Damien looked at the large rats who looked right back at him. With their glittering red eyes and mouths filled with sharp piranhas-like teeth, they looked rather ugly.
"What are you looking at?" Damien hissed at the army of rats, his hands holding a needle and a thread as he dangerously growled at the rats. "You better not come here or else I will sew your mouth shut."
[…Is the host talking to rats?]
"Can't you see I am threatening them? Where did you see me talk to them?"
[—Rats don't understand human speech.]
"Oooh, thank you for telling me," Damien turned to look at the hovering hologram next to him which only he could see. "I thought that you were blind for the past fifteen minutes. You — can't you see where you have landed me? It's bad enough that I had to live as a slave and now because of you." He jabbed his fingers at the hologram. "I am about to become the feast of rats!"