Magister Insanity

The problem with using poison was that there was an endless assortment to choose from.

For instance: one toxin killed its victim instantly but left a particularly foul smell that made it easy to detect. Another caused permanent paralysis. Still another gradually robbed the victim of sight if ingested repeatedly and there was one that caused fierce diarrhea.

To summarize everything, different poisons existed for different occasions. But for this one, I needed a poison that could kill the target from within without alerting him of the collapse. Preferably, the poison had to also shut all his body systems' functionality like the brain so he couldn't let out a scream or use an Ability.

Of course, the target this time around was Kael.

He was a crossblood who awakened the Legacy [Doppelgänger] upon completing his First Descent, allowing him to create a perfect clone of himself. Though the clone itself was not as strong as the user, it would still be a problem if I attempted to fight him directly, which was the reason I had to even think about using indirect means in the first place.

Luring him out into the Eldergrove would have been ideal. But after what happened to Zephyr, I doubt any of them would be foolish enough to wander there alone. Most likely, they would form a group, making them harder to single out.

Additionally, there was a need to consider what type of poison would be used. And in what manner would the poison be used?

The last one was more important. Poisoning his food was out of the option considering anything food related and monitored by the Head Maid. She was a rather big and scary woman with huge "muscules." Not only that, she seemed to possess a supernatural sense, being able to detect unnatural presences.

On one occasion, she had almost caught a glimpse of my shadow. I don't know how she did it but it seemed to be related to the first sequence ability of her Legacy.

Seriously, the people of this world were strange and beyond weird.

Putting that aside, poisoning a student's food was not a small matter and would attract a lot of attention. It was quite possible that the blame would fall on the hands of the maids. Surely, bestowing ruin upon one person was already bad enough, but bringing ruin upon those innocent maidens was where I drew the line!

My weak heart wouldn't be able to take such a devastating blow!

Some of them were even...

Cough! Ahem!

Regardless, targeting Kael myself seemed like the best course of action. Preferably, it would have to be tonight. Considering his schedule, there was no need to worry about him going anywhere else. Sneaking out of the school premises rapidly would surely be noticed and from there, investigation would follow.

The academy's security was nothing to scoff at. A gateway was the only viable path; otherwise, slipping through the front gate unnoticed was next to impossible.

Even then, something had been bothering me this entire time.

From my calculations, I only have a day or two before my shadow turns ravenous. In other words, I don't have time to test its potency!

I frowned.

This was troubling. Time was not on my side at all. There was nothing more dreadful than being unsure of your own weapon's potency. If the poison proved lacking, the target might shrug it off — or worse, fight back while I tried to finish him. Crossblood anatomy differed just enough from a human's that that tiny variance could utterly ruin the entire plan.

And if I miscalculated the brew and it proved too strong, it would be my ruin instead. I hadn't even tested the limits of my own body.

It wasn't like I could stab myself just to check my regeneration.

Could I heal from a heart wound?

Could I regrow a severed limb?

Could I survive a bullet or a piercing to the skull?

Could I shrug off poisons and toxins?

Could I even survive decapitation?

How the hell else was I supposed to know, except through brutal experience?

Of course, I wasn't the special type of pervert that enjoyed pain!

Most likely my new body's natural regeneration outpaced an ordinary person's, maybe faster than most crossbloods, perhaps rivalling demonic species. That alone was a sliver of comfort.

Whatever the case, recklessly poisoning myself would be disastrous. The idea of dying by my own hand utterly was absurd. I sighed, closed the book, and forced myself up. I headed toward another aisle, intending to gather more material on toxins and anatomy.

Halfway there, someone stepped out from between the shelves. They were cradling a teetering stack of volumes, too absorbed to watch where they were going. Given the load and the narrow passage, the outcome was obvious.

The figure slammed into me and went down with a surprised yelp, accompanied by the stack exploding onto the floor. The sound echoed in the quiet library.

"Ah–!" The voice muttered with flushed cheeks. "My apologies! I didn't see you there."

Reflex made me crouch to help gather the fallen volumes. My fingers brushed the edge of a worn binding and then another. I kept my face blank.

"Here."

I handed back the top book... only to hesitate.

The person before me wasn't a "he" at all.

"She" was a slender young lady I recognized at once, with platinum-blonde hair cascading past her shoulders like strands of liquid silver, and clear green eyes. Just like me, she wore a formal attire: a fitted black blazer over a crisp white shirt along with matching black pants. The long ears at the sides of her head revealed her to be an Elven species.

At first glance, though, it was easy to mistake her for a boy. Her frame was slim, and her chest was almost flat, giving her an androgynous look.

To be completely honest, she looked like the kind of person who couldn't spark an ounce of sex appeal even if she tried. Under normal circumstances, this would have been the case. Even then, there was no mistaking it; she wasn't just anyone.

"Calista…" I muttered before I could stop myself.

Her eyes flicked up at the sound of her name.

"You know me?"

Forcing a smile, I answered, "How could I not? We're in the same runic class. It'd be strange if I didn't."

"Is that so?" Her gaze lingered for a moment before a spark of recognition lit her eyes. "Ah, I remember now. You're the one they call the Heartless Devil… along with a few other names."

My smile stiffened. "…Other names?"

"Yes. Things like Ugly Grasshopper and Wicked Bastard. Were there more? I feel like I'm forgetting some."

My eyebrow twitched.

Aren't you an interesting fellow, running your mouth without consequence?!

The urge to pull out Silver Casull and shoot her between the eyes was almost painful, but I forced myself to resist.

A permanent ban from the library wasn't worth it!

And of course the elves were still sneaking insults behind my back. I knew it! Elves could not be trusted!

Tilting her head, Calista asked with a calm, curious tone:

"Are you perhaps interested in medicine?"

I blinked, caught off guard. "What? Not really. Why do you ask?"

She nodded toward the book in my hands. "That's the Compendium of Poisons and Remedies by Master Varren."

"…Master Varren?"

Seeing my confusion, the elf's brows lifted slightly before she explained, "He was an Elven Blasphemer who advanced to the Sequence of Inquisitor. Before his untimely death, he wrote the Compendium of Poisons and Remedies as a guide for Blasphemers interested in the medical profession. I assumed you shared the same interest."

Ah, so that was it.

I glanced down at the book again. It really was the Compendium of Poisons and Remedies, just as she'd said.

Truthfully, I had only picked the book because it had the word poison in the title, completely unaware of its history.

…If I told her the real reason I chose it, I wondered if she might actually faint.