Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

Maomao went for another spoonful. However, the delicious mushroom congee was snatched away by the priestess attendant.

Wh-wht are you doing?!

What, you ask, Im tasting for poison.

The other party had switched to her language. It seems Maomaos proficiency in the Shaou language was indeed lacking. She was grateful for this.

Please hand over the congee. I still havent finished tasting for poison. Also, do you intend to give the rest of it to the priestess?

Maomao pushed on at the attendants silence.Realistically, theres no way youd give it to me, but isnt it quite valuable? The poison youve managed to obtain which leaves no evidence behind.

Whats yur basis?

The attendants face had stiffened for an instant, but immediately returned to calmness. People who can come up with such a complex plot are also brazen. The priestess also wore a look of innocence.

(I guess thats true.)

How easy would it be to have them confess here?

Then, can you wait for a while? If there is poison in the congee I just ate, I should be showing symptoms of poisoning soon. I dont know if the poison is effective with a single mouthful, so please give me the rest.

Maomao held out her hand. The attendant made no move to pass it over.

My current mouthful only has bits of mushroom. It hasnt reached the lethal dose. Please give it to me.

Dnt say such foolish things. If you say thres poison, please spit it ut.

No. I wont.Maomao took out a notebook from her bosom.

Wht is that?

This notebook belongs to a court lady called Yao: Priestess-samas food taster. Shes an earnest learner, so I taught her to not eat anything that smells strange when tasting for poison. For example, even if Consort Airin had served poison, she should notice the smell. Shes inexperienced, but she shouldnt have made a mistake when it comes to the basics.

And the notebook contained a thorough record of events in the days prior to the banquet.

She noted down everything Priestess-sama ate. It seems that before the banquet, she ate something similar to this for breakfast.

The notebook read: Morning: Mushroom Congee.

You meticulously calculated the efficacy of the poison, didnt you? So that she would fall ill at the end of the banquet. So then, do you feel even a sliver of guilt? The dose wasnt lethal, provided there was adequate treatment.

Yao was currently stable. There is concern over whether her internal organs will sustain any permanent damage, but at least the worries over her losing her life were dropped. Enen was probably also relieved.

The things youve said so fr dont mke any sense, so please stp talking. The culprit should have confssed already, right?

Yeah, she has. The day youll receive news about the culprit and her punishment should be today, right? Therefore, you can rest at ease and commit suicide, Maomao said.

Beyond the culprit needing to be Airin, a guilty conscience was necessary in order for her to commit suicide. Was that the reason they chose a poison with two stages? On top of that, if Airin is settled as the culprit, its highly likely that the priestess subsequent death will be left unresolved. On the contrary, any mess-ups during the search for the true perpetrator will spell trouble for both sides.

Maomao watched the two calmly.

(They wont suddenly decide to silence me here, right?)

Rahan had ordered her to standby at the priestess villa. He was going to bring Dad here via a messenger, so they should arrive soon.

(Itll be difficult to seal my mouth, but itll be more troubling to have them reveal it now.)

She understood. Even Maomao couldnt pretend itd do her any good. Her threats were not intended to expose their crimes, it was merely a strategy to keep them focussed on what she was saying.

Priestess-sama, you seem to know Consort Airin very well.

ys, as the priestess cndidate in the pst.The priestess opened her mouth. She looked somewhat sad.

(I knew it.)

Airin had covered up for the priestess. If the priestess made a one-sided accusation, would she have reacted in such a way? Rather, could it be that Airins entry into the inner palace in and of itself had been factored in their calculations from the start, since it involved the priestess?

At this rate, she will be sentenced to hanging.

The priestess jolted. She seemed more of a ham actor compared to the attendant. It would probably be better to target the priestess if she was going to sway them.

I dont know about Shaou, but assassinations or assassination attempts are death sentences in this country, no exceptions. Are you going to watch the person who put her life on the line for you to die?

The two stayed silent.

Are you going to watch Consort Airin die? Maomao asked.

(Is it really impossible?)

As Maomao deliberated over her next step, the priestess lowered her head onto the bed and let out a wail.

P-priestess-sama.

w-wht should w do?

There was no dignity to her cry. It was a fleeting, pitiful sound.

My life has been wrped ever since I was born, and I have lived with the flow of things without subvrting it. The position of priestess wasll I had. And so, I wanted to live on as a splndid priestessll the wy till the nd.

Priestess!The attendant shook the priestess who continued her monologue.

Broken Rii language and fluent Shaou language intermingled.

Its contents largely confirmed Maomaos predictions. The kings faction, who viewed the priestess influence as a hindrance, had attempted to evict her from her position. The eviction wasnt much of an issue on its own, but following that, they had even picked out a groom for her, so she mustve panicked.

Their aim is probably to lwer the sttus of Priestess to rock bottom.

Whether they had realised the priestess true physique, or that they had tried to negate the sacred existence known as the priestess by marrying her as a normal human bridethere was no knowing which one it was. However, they could whittle down her great power by just passing on the position of Priestess.

Maomao made no mention of the priestess real physique, but from the context of the story, they spoke as though she had already noticed. It mightve been a slip of tongue from her hysteria, but Maomao didnt dare point it out.

It ws Irenes idea.

Airin was well-versed in Riis national affairs. In the case where the priestess dies in a foreign country, her body will be returned as bones. Burials were the standard in Rii, and only those on the death penalty will be cremated, but that was a difference in culture. She was told that the priestess will be burned and returned to the sun.

(If she was reduced to bones, no one would be able to identify her gender.)

With the priestess death, Rii will become indebted to Shaou. The perpetrator was a citizen of Shaou, there was no mistaking that. With that, Shaou will be rid of the thorn known as the priestess. On that point alone, the king will be satisfied.

Wouldnt it be the same in the end if Priestess-sama passes away?

No.The priestess looked at her attendant gently.Evn without me, there is a successor.

(Is that how it is?)

The priestess has set up a girl who hadnt gotten her first period. Once the attendant returns to her home country, she would become the brain.

The nxt priestess is much more superior than me. Thats why I can hnd myslf over.

A girl of tender years being much more superior than a priestess in her forties; where was the foundation for that statement?? Maomao was doubtful, but decided to keep quiet.

It will be fine, evn if Im gone.

However, Maomao couldnt help but cut into the priestess words.

Is it truly the case?Maomao said as she offered her water.Thats the ideal outcome. Have you ever thought about what would happen if his imperial majesty is angered?

Everything mentioned thus far only benefited Shaou. By raising a commotion, Rii, who became indebted to Shaou, reaped no benefits whatsoever in the end. Even if the priestess and Airin became scapegoats.

The priestess was thinking on behalf of her country, however, the act of imposing misfortune on others had given rise to her own feelings of sorrow.

If Yao had died, what did you intend to do?

That was all she wanted to say.

She thumped Yaos notebook. She wanted to ask what the girls offence was.

Th-tht

The two indeed harboured feelings of guilt. They didnt have the means of using a weak poison. They needed to demonstrate the strength of the poison for people to understand and accept the priestesss death. Although they made adjustments for the potency of the poison, a misstep would probably end in her death.

Inflicting drawbacks on my country, while everything falls nicely into place for yourselves, even I cant stay silent over something like that.

will I hve to die?

I cant stand for that, having you die or trying to end it another way.

Maomao felt refreshed, having said what she wanted to say the most. In other words, would it be, why not see this all the way to the end?

Suddenly, she recalled the innocent girl who loved insects. The girl who had disappeared in the snow and was unable to be found.

Following Priestess-samas death, is there any guarantee that Shaou wont make any unreasonable demands?

about that, we did consider overwhlming you with sveral demands.

Such as? Food supply?

Theres tht. One other thing we thought of was requsting for the white girl, who should be hre, to be rturned.

Lady Pai was it?

Parent and childits just not possible. Which reminds her, Airin had also hinted at it from the start. Just what kind of connection do they have?

That girl was supposed to hve been raised as the nxt priestess.

She mentioned a relation to the priestess. As blood relatives, indeed they were from a lineage where albinos were commonly born, but apparently, it was still rare.

At that time, had I obediently handed it over, we wouldnt be in such a predicment. I, as priestess, had clung to that position and snt the white baby bck home.

However, the baby became a criminal after kicking up a fuss in another country.

If there was another albin, it will become a problem in the distant future. With that in mind, I instructed them to raise her in secret. But

Why is she here in this country?

She was being used by someone who wanted to see my dwnfall. I heard they took the girl away with thm around five years ago.The priestess could only cover her face sadly.

Even if she didnt become the priestess, the albino girl whose existence was concealed had nowhere else to go.

so youre saying its Priestess-samas fault that this country had all these issues.

What are you insinuating!At Maomaos candidness, the previously composed attendant lashed out in anger. The priestess held her down. When either one becomes emotional, the other calms them down. It was the air of partners who had been together for a long time.

Snce its true.

Yes, then, do you plan to atone for that for the rest of your life?Maomao proposed the idea she had been thinking about. Nothing else had occurred to her, so if this was no good, they were out of options.Shall we have you actually die once?

At Maomaos words, the two exchanged glances.