I Will Become a Poison Detector of Darkness - Chapter 15

2. The Villain’s Lair is Safe

Episode 15

But I was restless. Vadro nagged and the villains looked around the store and whined about when they were going to organize all this.

If I hadn’t read the novel, I would never have believed they were Wayne Eyeore’s evil entourages.

“So, you’re the owner of the building? Do you get in touch with our boss?”

“…Just call me Vadro. And what about the boss?”

“Ah, Leniel. No, Mr. Leniel.”

“I heard that he will not be able to come out for a while due to urgent work. In the meantime, I’ve been asked to clean up the store a bit. He said Mad Giselle would not be able to even touch things properly because she was timid and weak, so I called some helpers.”

Knowing that I’m timid and weak, it seems that Leniel really had something to say to Vadro and left. Even if he didn’t, I was worried about how to organize all the cursed items by myself, so I decided to just empty my mind and get their help.

By the way, their appearances were the same as the descriptions in the novel, but it seems that the characters actually have dual personalities. Dylan was the same.

At this point, I had reasonable doubts. Are there any normal people in this world?

***

The cleanup went faster than expected. Surprisingly, the three villains were very diligent and helped organize the luggage.

Furthermore, they asked me this and that because they were so curious about it. ‘What did you go crazy for?’, ‘How did you get to work at this general store?’, ‘Is it true that you met Dylan in person?’.

I thought that all the villains would be unsocial and gloomy, but through their closeness and affinity, I also realized that they were all prejudiced.

As much as possible, I answered all that I could honestly. I thought it would be beneficial in many ways to cooperate and be friendly. I don’t necessarily have to work under Wayne, but it wouldn’t hurt to be friendly with Wayne’s people.

And above all else, these three villains were residents of the same building as me.

The unlicensed medical center for villains operated by Sullien was right next door to our general store, the laboratory Windria used was upstairs in the general store, and the place where Gilbert slept was right next door.

Well, I’m glad it’s safe from Dylan’s threat.

“By the way, there is no medicine to get rid of bruises.”

Sullian muttered as he saw the bruises on the back of my neck. Windria, who had been concentrating on arranging the curse items by color on the display case, looked at me and said,

“Curse magic won’t work, and I don’t have any white magic to help either.”

I also know that the only thing that black magic cannot do is heal. Also, the only thing that white magic can’t do is curse.

Not expecting treatment, I shrugged insignificantly.

“It will go away.”

“Hmm.”

Gilburt shook his head briefly, as if in disagreement. Then he added a brief explanation in a thick voice.

“His mana is similar to white magic.”

“It’s poison for people like us. Dirty white magic.”

Sullien frowned and added an explanation.

“Hmm…”

If it’s poison, won’t that power work not work on me?

I thought about it for a moment, but then I shook my head. Because poison and mana are completely different.

Mana is the intangible power used by knights, similar to the magic of wizards. The other part is that while magic is an innate talent, mana is a power that overwhelmingly requires acquired effort.

In the novel, it is said that Viviana, the female lead, helped Dylan train, and the two naturally became similar in strength.

Naturally, it was a power that was the opposite of the villains, and it was a set procedure for the two main characters to become antagonists to the villains. If 『Poison Apple』 had been a little more hopeful and popular novel, the main characters would have defeated all the villains and eventually won.

But, this novel was a waste.

Anyway, even if Dylan’s mana have the properties of white magic, would that have a big impact on me?

“You’re not a wizard, so would it be okay if you had a polaroid personality?”

“You signed a contract with a wizard and tried magic?”

“Your body must have been stained with that power to some extent.”

Oh, that’s right.

I inadvertently rubbed my neck. Now, when I swallow something or touch the nape of my neck with my hand, I feel a tingling pain. When I looked in the mirror for a moment earlier, there were clear finger marks, along with red and purple bruises.

You don’t know how upset I was because the condition was more serious than I thought. Just by looking at the bones, I could hardly believe it had been fractured anywhere.

I thought it was all because of Dylan’s grip, but did he even use mana to strangle me?

“Still, it’s not broken…”

It’s like a bruise.

As I was immersed in a rather carefree thought, Sullien, who was still looking at the nape of my neck, shook his head and clicked his tongue.

“You ignorant bastard. After all, there are no good people who are close to white magicians. Even so, how can you strangle a crazy person like that?”

You seem to be on my side, but why aren’t you happy?

“The rumors spread that he was crazy and quiet, but if you dare to find him and try to kill him, his temper is garbage. You worked hard, Giselle.”

“Well.”

Windrea and Gilbert also helped curse Dylan. To be precise, Gilburt just nodded and sympathized with it, but anyway.

They were on the side of Giselle Roycevin, who will be beaten to death wherever she goes, not the righteous knight Dylan. I’m glad I made it to the den of the villains!

“Honestly, he has a really bad personality.”

“Still, none of the wizards survived to face Dylan, and I was lucky.”

At Windria’s words, I rubbed the goosebumps on my forearm.

In the novel, Dylan’s past was explained to the extent of simply ‘making the wizards tremble’, but seeing the reactions of these three villains now, it seems that he had a reputation as a vicious man among the villains. I think I can understand the reason from the point of view of meeting him in person.

“He must have blue blood. Right, Gilbert?”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll have to catch him later and draw his blood.”

“Then you will die, Sullien.”

“Windria, you want his corpse too!”

“That’s because it’s going to be hard to get a body like that. But I don’t want to become a corpse while trying to get a corpse.”

As I listened to their unusual conversation, I laughed awkwardly.

‘It’s good to fight, but I want you to put down the bottle you’re holding. Every time you wave your hand, the eyeballs inside it spin around.’ 

Isabelle left, so this time I made eye contact with the eyeballs in that glass bottle.

“…It.”

I was looking into my eyes without realizing it, and suddenly Gilburton spoke to me. Gilbert’s gaze fell on my hand.

“Take it. Throw it at Dylan.”

What I was holding was an ominously cloudy marble. A small curse aid item that spreads a powder that makes you see bad illusions when you break it. Surely this will give me an opportunity to escape.

But what Gilbert was forgetting was the fact that these beads were sold in general stores. Although it looks small, it was quite expensive. I’m still a trainee at this general store.

Making the employees steal? And so openly too!

“It’s best just not to meet him again.”

I replied and arranged the marbles in the box.

“But it will be difficult.”

Sullien, who was having an argument with Windria, interrupted.

“Would Dylan be that tenacious?”

“How toxic is he? He’s a kid who is famous for seeing to the end once he’s got himself involved in it.”

Of course, I remember how just Dylan was in the novel. Besides, when he strangled me…

“How do you know that?”

I made a mistake…

I lowered my gaze sullenly. Why did I say something like that, like seeing the essence? I was stupid, really. If I hadn’t said that, I would have asserted that Dylan wouldn’t forcefully find me where I was hiding.

The eye for seeing the essence was Dylan’s secret, which was revealed almost at the end. So, it’s kind of a secret weapon, and I’m stating that I know how great it is.

I just gave him a reason to kill me. Even though I was being stupid, I had nothing to say.

“Don’t worry. We won’t let that happen.”

Perhaps because she felt sorry for my slumped gesture, Windria gave me a word of consolation.

Is this the kind of friendship between residents? Sullien nodded his head in agreement.

“Because you’re the only general store employee.”

General store employee… I’m a general store employee, so you’re going to save me? That was a bit odd.

I frowned and thought about it subtly, but there was nothing I could guess. I remember that there was not even a single line in the novel about general stores that sell cursed goods.

“Is this general store famous?”

“Famous? There is probably no wizard who doesn’t covet things in this general store.”

This store is famous? It’s a bit too small for that.

Rather, a well-known alley restaurant would be more appropriate. Such a small restaurant with only five tables inside, where you wait in line from dawn. Wouldn’t Leniel be rich?

While I was deep in thought, Sullian shook his head and muttered to himself.

“I thought he was crazy because he hired her.”

“You would probably die if you said that.”

After Windria responded with her sneering voice, she looked at me and spoke in a firm tone.

“Anyways, we will protect you from dying. All three of us are strong.”