Chapter 14

The guard couldn't bear to look at him. He was worried about his friend and afraid of the guy in front of him. He spoke while looking at his friend down on the floor.

『Oh, you worried about that guy? Don't mind it. If you do as I say, I will heal him before I go back. And why so uptight? I told you I am on the same side.』

『O-oh, r-really? I-I-I will t-tell you.』

And then he started explaining. According to what he said, what basically happened, was that the madam of the house got poisoned while having breakfast with her husband.

『Hmm. So, what poison is it?』

『Umm, it's not been tested yet.』

『Then, how did you know that it was poison?』

『She fell exactly after taking a bite out of the food. We also needed to find a doctor fast, so nobody bothered to check it.』

『How bad is her condition?』

『The household physician said that she would die if not treated in a day.』

『Very bad, huh. The physician could not treat it?』

『No, he said he couldn't even identify the poison.』

『Did you find the culprit?』

『No, not till now. But we have a few suspects.』

『Who are they? And why do you suspect them?』

The guard was getting scared just by the questions he was being asked. He wanted to stop. But the reason he kept going was also due to fear.

『First, is the head cook. He was the one who cooked the meal. So, he is the most obvious suspect. Second, is the butler in charge of serving the food. Third, the maid who carried the food from the cook to the dining room. However, the maid is checked before she enters the dining room. At that time, there was no container found for her to carry the poison in. The hallway did not have any windows nor are there any places to dispose of it invisibly. So, she was removed from the list of suspects.』

『Hmm, okay. Has anyone touched the scene of the incident?』

『No, sir. It had been left as it is.』

『Great. Lead the way.』

The dining room's entrance was big. It was like the door to his former father's study. It was a double door made of polished, high-quality wood with solid titanium handles.

The dining table was vertically arranged a bit to the left of the door. The table was lined with lavish dishes that an ordinary citizen can only dream to have once in their lifetime.

Akio went around the table once and focussed on the two chairs that stood on the opposite sides. Seeing the chairs, he was reminded of the husband.

『What about the master of the house? Where is he?』

『Well...』

The guard was hesitating. It was a bit suspicious.

『Speak.』

『Yes, sir. He...is.....doing his work in his study.』

『At a time like this?』

『He.....is very busy and has a lot of work.』

The guard stared at floor as answered. To Akio, it seemed as if he was ashamed to look him in the eye.

『Really now. You sure he's not the culprit?』

The guard did not answer. He kept staring at the floor. This whole situation brought a smirk to Akio's face.

『Hah. So the master is a suspect too? Hilarious.』

For Akio, perhaps because the master was like his own father, it was amusing to him. He could cure the madam of the poison anytime he wanted to. But he wanted to solve the mystery and find the culprit.

『Where does the madam sit?』

『It's the on the left.』

He went over to the madam's seat. There were many dishes that were laid out in front of here. But there was only one dish which looked like it had been eaten.

『What's this dish?』

『It's 'Caviar and Crème Fraîche Tartlets'.』

『Wow. Fancy. Must be expensive, huh? But for main course, doesn't it seem inadequate?』

『Oh, it's just "Hors d'Oeuvres". Not the main course.』

『Horseshit what?』

『Not horseshit. "Hors d'Oeuvres."』

『Wow. Fancy.』

Akio couldn't say anything but fancy. He was trying hard to hold back his laughter.

He passed mana through the food to find the impurity in the food.

『Huh?』

Akio found it strange.

『This is food that the Madam ate, right?』

『Yes, sir.』

Akio tried it again. Again and again. It only made Akio more confused. He thought to himself:

『The madam was poisoned. So why? Why is it that I can't find any poison in the food?!』

He then passed mana through the entire table and all the dishes. But nothing turned up. Not an ounce of poison.