What Kind of Monster's Venom Is This?

"Sister, what do we do now?"

Sir Enzo's voice trembled, and an inexplicable chill rose in his heart.

The poison was terrifying. Their family's antidote hadn't worked at all!

"Let's ask Uncle John for help," Phyllis sighed.

Sir Enzo's expression shifted. He opened his mouth, wanting to say that he actually knew an apothecary named Haren.

Master John's skill with potions was among the best in City of Ambition, but his prices were just as high.

If Apothecary Haren could cure Luxray's poisoning, given their relationship, he probably wouldn't charge him too much.

"What are you waiting for? Go ask him already." Phyllis raised her voice.

After wrestling with the decision, Sir Enzo nodded. Luxray's poisoning was urgent. They should go to Master John after all!

He hurried outside. Dressed in purple finery, Sir Enzo ordered a servant to prepare the Monster carriage.

Before long, a rhinoceros pulling a carriage came swiftly down the road and stopped steadily at the entrance.

"Ironclad Rhinoceros, take us to Uncle John's house."

Ironclad Rhinoceros nodded somewhat woodenly, then set off toward the other end of the street.

Old apothecaries seemed to have their own peculiar habits, like preferring quiet countryside villages... Sitting in the carriage, Sir Enzo anxiously watched the scenery outside.

Master John's house was in a village outside City of Ambition. Even riding in an Ironclad Rhinoceros Carriage, the trip took half an hour, or an hour round-trip.

At the thought of that, he couldn't help remembering the young man at the farm.

Going straight to him would be the surest way to cure Luxray's poison, but that might expose him, and the young man certainly wouldn't help.

Damn it... Sir Enzo cursed under his breath, feeling that his luck couldn't get any worse!

He only wanted to cure his ailing father. Why was that so difficult?

His father's prolonged illness had left their family's standing precarious, and they had even lost their seat in the Council Hall.

Ironclad Rhinoceros had tremendous stamina and traveled without pause, soon reaching Master John's house.

"The antidote I made for your family didn't work?" Inside the house, Master John listened to Sir Enzo's account, his brow furrowing slightly.

Sir Enzo promptly explained the situation in detail again. "That's right. The potion can suppress Luxray's Poisoned State, but it can't cure it."

After speaking, Sir Enzo ingratiatingly produced a money pouch and handed it to Master John.

The master took the pouch, weighed it in his hand, and nodded. "All right, I understand. I'll get ready, then go with you to the viscount's residence."

As Master John returned to the inner room to prepare, Sir Enzo sighed with relief, then winced at the expense and muttered, "Old bloodsucker."

Ironclad Rhinoceros pulled the carriage swiftly along the stone road. The journey took another half hour.

With no delays along the way, Master John was brought to Sir Enzo's room, where he saw Luxray still lying on the floor.

Purple spots covered Luxray's body now. It was obvious at a glance that he had fallen into a Poisoned State.

Sir Enzo was startled. The antidote potion had clearly suppressed those purple spots just now. How had so many appeared again in such a short time?

"It's definitely a Poisoned State..."

Master John frowned and took out another vial of antidote, which he gave to Luxray.

Under the potion's effects, some of the purple spots on Luxray's body faded, but only some. They didn't disappear completely.

Watching this, John's pupils contracted. He took out a small knife and cut Luxray's skin. Black blood seeped out.

A drop of black blood fell to the floor with a sizzling sound, making everyone present draw a sharp breath.

What kind of poison was this? It was terrifying... The servants hardly dared to breathe. They edged away, afraid of touching the poisonous liquid.

Master John gazed at the toxic blood before him, his expression growing grave. He collected some of it, poured in the antidote potion, and began observing the reaction.

After a while, he shook his head and muttered repeatedly, "What kind of poison is this? It's terrifying."

"It contains several different kinds of venom, yet they've somehow blended together perfectly. I can't even tell what kind of Monster it came from!"

At the master's muttering, everyone in the room changed expression, especially Sir Enzo, who knew a little about the matter.

Monster venom... The image of Petilil surfaced in Sir Enzo's mind. But could a Monster like that really have venom so terrifying?

"Sir Enzo, what kind of Monster's venom is this?" Master John turned his gaze toward him.

Sir Enzo's expression changed, and he hesitated. After a long pause, he finally said quietly, "That Monster looked like... like a Petilil."

After he spoke, the knight looked around at the others and saw the bewildered expressions on everyone's faces.

All right, maybe that Monster hadn't been a Petilil. Maybe it had been too dark, and he'd mistaken it... Sir Enzo himself was beginning to doubt what he'd seen.

Trying to come up with an excuse, he hesitantly explained how he'd gone looking for a Petilil.

But he didn't mention trying to steal the Petilil. He only said that he'd encountered a Monster in the wild that looked a lot like one.

"A Monster that looks like a Petilil? Could it be a Poison Rose?" Master John made his guess.

"Uncle John, can you cure Luxray's poison?" Phyllis asked, dressed in a purple dress.

John didn't answer directly. He only said, "We'll know once I've tried."

Although he hadn't given her a straight answer, Phyllis's heart sank. What kind of poison was this?

Brushing back her purple hair, Phyllis quietly stepped toward the door.

Then she gave the attendant at the entrance a few instructions, and he hurried off.

Inside the room, Master John's expression remained grave. He kept taking out various ingredients to prepare potions, adjusting them to match the poison's changing properties, but he still couldn't completely remove the poison from Luxray.

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