Reincarnated as a Genius Prodigy of a Prestigious Family

6. So, What Do You Do? (2)

The man seemed to be poisoned by the Redcap Mushroom.

His fingertips were white, his breathing was rapid, his complexion pale, and his pupils were constricted. All signs pointed to this dangerous toxin.

If left untreated, he would survive but suffer nerve paralysis, eventually leading to suffocation and death.

Fortunately, the symptoms indicated that he had ingested the mushroom not too long ago.

Also, an antidote could be made from plants that grew in this forest.

Using the dagger Nighthorn that his mother had just given him.

“Dane, I don’t recall teaching you about antidotes.”

“I read about it in a book.”

He had read it in a book.

But his real knowledge came from the battlefield. It was common for soldiers to forage for food and accidentally ingest poisonous mushrooms due to supply shortages.

Through others’ experiences and trial and error, he had learned how to counteract such poisons.

“The ingredients for the antidote to Redcap Mushroom include nightshade leaves, blackflower petals, and sap from the Gilly tree, right?”

His mother nodded.

Dane immediately got to work.

Luckily, the ingredients were not far away, and he quickly gathered them and returned.

“Dane, remember to purge Nighthorn’s previous contents before using it for the antidote.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Ethril, the mystical ore, expels its stored properties when it comes into contact with earth.

So, he buried Nighthorn in soft soil, waited a moment, and then pulled it out. The black blade had returned to its original blue hue.

“Son, did you really learn this from a book? You’re very good at it.”

His mother watched in amazement as he prepared the antidote.

“You once told me that poison and antidote are two sides of the same coin. That piqued my curiosity, so I researched it.”

“Such a diligent son…”

He felt a pang of guilt.

But what could he do?

It was the most straightforward answer.

“I’m glad I stocked the library with books on antidotes.”

He was relieved the explanation was accepted.

While frequently checking the man’s condition, he carefully cut the ingredients with another dagger and absorbed their juices into Nighthorn.

Soon, the blade turned black again, indicating it had absorbed the necessary properties.

“The mixture seems right. Carefully make an incision and administer the antidote.”

“Yes, Mother.”

He never expected to use Nighthorn so quickly.

He gently lifted the man’s clothing. His eyes caught the emblem on his belt.

His sister had told him about it.

A tower reaching the sky, entwined by the legendary creature Nirksion.

This was the emblem of the Nirksion Magic Tower.

“He’s not an ordinary person.”

His mother’s comment made him nod as he revealed the man’s skin and made a precise cut with another dagger. He then carefully applied Nighthorn to the wound.

“Ugh…”

The man groaned.

Nighthorn’s blade gradually returned to its original color, indicating that the antidote was being administered.

In a few seconds.

“Hmm…”

The man’s fingertips regained color, his complexion improved, and his trembling ceased.

“Well done, Dane.”

His mother’s loving praise came.

Dane sighed in relief, sheathed Nighthorn, and tucked it away.

“We should move him now. I’ll carry him.”

“Let’s go.”

He lifted the man and followed his mother.

“This dagger could save lives too.”

His mother’s soft muttering accompanied his steps.

* * *

The Master of the Nirksion Magic Tower, Sidraine Gauss, awoke suddenly.

“Gasp.”

Sidraine looked around.

A room with a faint fragrance.

Judging by the decor and the soft sheets, it seemed to be a room in a well-off house.

“Ugh.”

Pain surged through him.

Memories of the previous events surfaced.

“That damned forest, it’s insane!”

Nirksion Magic Tower.

One of the top magic towers in the Alteon Empire, Sidraine prided it as the best on the continent.

Sidraine was the master of this tower.

And now he was wandering the continent.

To escape all the things that annoyed him.

That’s the nature of wizards.

Unpredictable, their actions unfathomable to the common mind.

Sidraine, who had casually left the position of tower master to wander, was a prime example.

Sidraine had grown weary.

Eight chains.

That level was practically the end for a wizard.

The path to the dreamlike ninth chain showed no signs of opening.

And he hadn’t found an apprentice worth taking under his wing.

So, weary and bored, he set off on a journey, wandering the continent for months.

“Who would have thought I’d get lost in a forest?”

For months he wandered.

Unluckily, he got lost in the Forest of the New Moon.

That was still manageable.

He just needed to escape.

For a tower master and an eight-chain wizard, it was nothing.

But when his teleportation magic failed to activate, he realized something was wrong.

The Forest of the New Moon.

A place known only as a forbidden land.

Sidraine knew it as such.

But it was much more than that.

Ancient magic.

The entire forest was saturated with ancient magic, so deeply that no one who entered had ever returned, leaving only Count Sogress knowing its true nature.

From that point, things went downhill.

Not realizing this, he tried to cast magic again, causing his mana to backfire, leaving his body wrecked.

“Damn, the mana flow was different from what I knew.”

That was when his ordeal began.

He wandered for two days with his mana disrupted.

He encountered monsters.

Despite his disrupted mana, he managed to fend them off with his eight-chain magic.

The problem was that it was incredibly taxing due to his disrupted mana.

He continued to search for an exit while starving.

“And why are there so many traps and snares in that forest?”

Starving, he foolishly ate a mushroom he found.

He remembered nothing after that.

Hunger makes one blind.

“A tower master eating a mushroom and getting poisoned, what a joke.”

Anyone would laugh at such a story.

Anyway, it seemed he had been rescued and brought here.

If he had been kidnapped, he wouldn’t be in such a nice room with his belongings neatly placed.

“Ugh.”

The aftereffects of the poison left his stomach churning and head spinning.

Raising his body was a struggle.

“Damn.”

His head throbbed.

He had nearly died without passing on his magical knowledge.

Wizards usually take apprentices.

Before they die, they transfer their mana and knowledge to their apprentice.

It’s not just a formal passing of knowledge; they also teach and nurture their apprentice in various ways during their lifetime.

But Sidraine had no apprentice.

Partly because he disliked the hassle, partly because he hadn’t found anyone worthy.

‘An apprentice is neither here nor there.’

Unless he found someone truly remarkable.

Knock, knock.

Just then, someone entered the room.

A young man.

Silver hair, green eyes.

Chiseled features.

Tall and well-built.

‘Damn handsome.’

That was Sidraine’s first impression as the young man spoke.

“You shouldn’t move yet; the antidote is still working.”

“Antidote?”

“Yes. You ate a Redcap Mushroom. Fortunately, we found you in time and administered the antidote.”

Redcap Mushroom.

He realized he had done something incredibly foolish.

“It’s very dangerous. A bit longer, and you would’ve been found dead.”

“Ahem…”

Sidraine twisted his aching body and asked.

“Where am I?”

“You’re in a guest tower at Count Sogress’s estate.”

“Count Sogress…”

Lost in the south, poisoned, and now at Count Sogress’s estate.

“Rest for now. I’ve informed my father, and he’ll visit once you’re well.”

“Your father?”

“Count Archen Sogress.”

“…Then you are.”

“I am Dane Sogress, the youngest son of Count Sogress.”

“Well.”

He recalled the talent everyone in the magic towers talked about, Arabella Sogress.

The younger brother of such talent.

This was interesting.

“You’re Dane Sogress?”

“Yes.”

“You saved my life. Thank you. Who found me?”

“I did, while training with my mother.”

This was embarrassing.

While he struggled for his life, someone else had been training leisurely in the same forest.

“If not for Sogress, anyone would have been in danger. The forest is imbued with ancient magic, making it easy to enter but hard to leave, filled with traps and monsters. Mana use is restricted too.”

The explanation continued as if reading his thoughts.

“It was once used to imprison criminals until they died, wandering the forest.”

“A crazy forest. It’s different from what I knew.”

Dane nodded.

“It’s a place known only to our family. The ancient magic interferes with modern mana flows, making it lethal for wizards. Plus, you ate a mushroom.”

“Ugh.”

In other words, a death trap for wizards.

For wizards who harness mana in circles, ancient magic that disrupts mana flow is a deadly enemy.

He had nearly died without even a trace.

“But you’re safe now.”

Wait.

Was this boy training in such a dangerous forest?

“Did you make the antidote too?”

“Yes. It seems to have worked well.”

Unbelievable.

Sidraine, despite being a wizard, knew how difficult it was to concoct antidotes.

It required precise knowledge, proper ingredient ratios, and accurate application.

He was told this boy was only fourteen, and yet he did it?

“You really made an antidote for the Redcap Mushroom?”

“Yes.”

“Incredible. Hah.”

It was hard to

believe.

But there seemed no reason for a lie.

No benefit in it.

‘Especially not to a tower master like me.’

And that tall, muscular build, was he really fourteen?

Count Sogress was known for his robust physique.

But Dane, nearly as tall and broad-shouldered as his father, looked like he would surpass him soon.

‘An extraordinary family.’

The legendary magical talent Arabella Sogress.

The genius summoner Clair Sogress.

And Dane Sogress, who inherited all the talents and abilities of his parents.

What kind of family is this?

If the war were still ongoing, the Sogress family might be the most powerful noble house in the Alteon Empire.

“Then I owe you a great debt.”

“That’s correct.”

This boy was straightforward.

Most would show humility here.

Was he arrogant? Or…

Sidraine decided to probe further.

“If I owe you, I should repay. Is there something you want? I used to be the master of Nirksion Magic Tower. Though wandering now, I still have resources.”

He referred to the spatial pocket wizards often used.

Many wizards lived without a fixed residence, using such pockets for their needs.

“Oh, really.”

The response was indifferent.

Maybe he had expected more, but the boy showed no surprise.

‘Do you know who I am?’

Usually, revealing oneself as a tower master elicits three reactions.

Surprise.

Hostility.

Or sycophantic flattery.

But this handsome boy fit none of those.

Undeterred, Sidraine asked again.

“If you want something, tell me. I will grant it if I can.”

Dane shattered his expectations again.

“I’ll think about it.”

No excitement, joy, or anticipation.

Just a calm smile.

“Then, rest well. I must go; it’s time for training.”

Dane gave a slight bow and left.

Click.

As the door closed, Sidraine chuckled.

“Haha…”

He had planned to stay a day or two and leave once recovered, but now that was out of the question.

Since he had come to Sogress estate, he might as well keep an eye on this intriguing boy.

Wait, they say this boy has magical talent too?

“Well, this is convenient.”

Sidraine’s lips curled into a smile.