Was that it?
Though they were just a few simple words, they stirred countless churning thoughts in Erika’s mind. Fortunately, she was not dull-witted and quickly understood the key meaning of the sentence.
Her system had been sealed because of this so-called ‘Lapasga Red Flame Poison,’ and it was currently in a state where it could not be summoned.
What exactly was Lapasga Red Flame Poison?
At least according to Erika’s own memory, nothing like this had ever appeared in the original novel.
She flipped through the thick encyclopedia she had previously opened to look for the entry on ‘Succubus,’ carefully scanning page by page, thinking she might find a related entry on ‘Lapasga Red Flame Poison.’
Found it!
[Red Mountain Alkali: A material used for refining and strengthening magical implements. If ingested by humans, it reacts with internal components to transform into a lethal poison. Since ancient times, the royal family has used it to execute criminals.]
Because it also had the property of reacting with mana, even a tiny dose would cause fatal and irreversible damage to the human body. One could say that once it was ingested, one must immediately seek a high-level healer or a Saintess, or else their life would be forfeit.
Moreover, if mixed with other poisons, finding and concocting an antidote would become extremely difficult, resulting in an extremely high mortality rate.
It seemed like a poison similar to cyanide on Earth, only tinged with magical elements.
Did she have any memory of drinking such a thing? Could it have happened before the transmigration? But then, how could the novel not mention such a crucial point?
Wait a minute, speaking of memories of drinking poison… there actually was one.
A few months ago, a maid who attempted to assassinate her had poisoned the girl. Although it was unsuccessful, it caused Erika to fall seriously ill. Could the poison she drank then have been this?
Erika’s thoughts raced, but she soon corrected her error. The poison she took back then was a different kind called Black Arsenic. Therefore, according to her memory, she should have never ingested this poison called Red Mountain Alkali.
Lapasga Red Flame Poison… how was she supposed to detoxify herself?
Many seemingly feasible ideas came to mind… Take every antidote? Combat poison with poison? Poison…
The first and clearest thing that emerged was a type of venomous beast with a hard shell and a barbed tail—a scorpion.
A scorpion… yes, if it was that person, they might have the antidote for this poison. No! They definitely would.
“Hey, where did my partner go! Where am I supposed to sleep?”
—
There was a profession on this continent called ‘Assassin.’ They were beings who secretly killed specific figures due to money, favors, or various other reasons. While it was questionable whether such a dangerous and unstable thing should be considered a normal profession, the concept of a ‘professional assassin’ did indeed exist in this world.
Some children would even write the word ‘Assassin’ without hesitation when writing about their future wishes in school essays. In fact, the protagonist’s party in the novel was constantly attacked and surrounded by various assassins throughout the progression of the story.
If Erika had to choose the most memorable assassin antagonist among them, it would undoubtedly be the ‘Death Tracker.’
Although the name sounded a bit embarrassing, it was likely taken from a real-existing desert venomous scorpion.
And just like the name implied, this assassin kept scorpions as pets, and her primary assassination method was poisoning with biological toxins. The priest in the protagonist’s party once fell into a near-death state after being targeted and poisoned by her, and it took a great deal of effort to save him.
Erika followed her memory and headed deep into the underground sewers of Monarch City, a place filled with the stench of sewage and waste, and dark corners that were nauseating to behold.
“Where is the medicinal shop?”
“Go that way. It looks like the beauty is visiting the underground market for the first time? Watch your back so you don’t get stabbed, sweetheart.”
Although this wasn’t Erika’s first time in this dark gray area, finding the way was quite difficult because it was her first time visiting that famous yet secretive poison assassin.
Erika tightened her cloak, revealing only the lower half of her face. After searching for a long time, she finally found a wooden door painted with the pattern of a potion bottle. She nervously knocked on the door with her knuckles, and a low voice soon came from inside.
“Who is it? Our pharmacy is already closed for today. If you have business, please come back tomorrow.”
“But if it’s business from under the manhole cover, shouldn’t the commission time only start now?”
Hearing this question, the rustling movement inside suddenly fell dead silent.
“Rustle—Click… Creak—”
“Please come in.”
The door slowly opened, pushing inward. The room was filled with unknown, choking smoke that hung low over the floor. The stifling heat of various things boiling in a large cauldron and medicines being brewed wafted toward her.
She seemed to have seen such a description in the novel; this atmosphere was quite authentic, wasn’t it?
The girl slowly stepped through the open wooden door. As soon as she got inside, she instinctively looked around, but she soon noticed a red-haired woman wearing a black robe and wooden-framed glasses looking down at her coldly.
The woman before her looked mature and glamorous. Not only were her features sharp and exquisite, but she also had a unique, cold, and elegant temperament.
She looked to be about twenty-five to thirty years old? She appeared older than Emil and Evelyn, but one could also sense that she wasn’t that old—somewhere between a young woman who had just passed her youth and a fully ripened noble lady.
This woman was likely the Death Tracker. By day, she was an unremarkable apothecary in a medicinal shop; by night, she was a deadly assassin on the rooftops of the back alleys.
“Where are your companions?” The orange-yellow eyes behind the woman’s glasses flickered as she asked flatly.
Facing this question, Erika shook her head. “I have none. If I had come with others, you wouldn’t have accepted the commission, would you?”
There were indeed attendants disguised and waiting for orders on the surface, but Erika didn’t mind telling a small lie. After all, lying was one of the things a villainess was best at.
“No, it’s just that a young girl of your beauty actually dares to come to a place like this alone… But it doesn’t matter.” The woman, whose temperament was like a flower on a high mountain, looked around behind the girl, her tone still devoid of any emotion. “It seems you’ve heard of my deeds from someone. That makes things much easier. Tell me directly, who do you want to kill?”
“Do I not need to explain my identity?”
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is the reward and the target.”
Is there really no need for any verification process? If I just coolly said right now: The person I want to kill is you…
Just as Erika was feeling confused and having some wild thoughts, Miss Death Tracker pointed to a sofa on the side. “Please sit on the sofa first. It looks like we’ll have to chat for a while. I’ll go pour you a cup of tea first.”
The sound of footsteps softly receded, moving toward the counter. After a short while, a cup of steaming tea was placed in front of the girl, but she was not so careless or foolish as to brazenly drink tea in the house of an assassin who used poison.
“There’s nothing in this tea. You can drink it with peace of mind. I wouldn’t go so far as to strike at a client.” The beauty chuckled. Although Erika’s standards for beauty had become incredibly high due to being used to Evelyn and a certain large man, she had to admit that this person was indeed a quite charming lady.
The word “sultry” was perfect for her. With such looks, it was no wonder the lecherous priest in the protagonist’s party fell for her.
“Clink, clink.” Slender fingers held a teaspoon to stir the teacup. The red-haired beauty asked the girl sitting properly on the sofa, “So, who is the person you want to kill?”
“Well… let’s put it this way. Actually, I want to save someone.”
“Then little sister might have come to the wrong place. I am not a priest or a doctor.”
“To be precise, I’m here to find an antidote. Do you know anything about Lapasga Red Flame Poison?”
“Hmm, Lapasga Zekgari… That is a very ancient poison. Originally, it wasn’t a poison used to kill people. It’s truly a name I haven’t heard in a long time.”
“Is there an antidote?”
“There is, but—not right now. However, it can be made. So, who do you want to save with it?”
“It is none other than myself, Erika Angelina.”
“Swish!” The girl suddenly pulled off the hood she was wearing, revealing the upper half of her face that had been hidden. However, even after seeing the girl’s face, the tea-drinking assassin did not show much surprise.
“Did you know I would come?”
“Of course, because I sent the invitation. That cute little scorpion, do you remember? …”
It was probably the night when the squirrel gained favor from Evelyn. At that time, Evelyn burned a scorpion that had run into the house and crawled under the bed. It seemed that the woman in front of her was indeed involved in that matter.
“Erika Angelina, many people want to kill you, and I imagine you have many people you want to kill as well. So I invited you here as a guest. I just didn’t expect us to meet in this way in the end…”
While speaking, the woman let out occasional “hehehe” laughs before continuing, “I didn’t expect you to come here not to kill someone, but to beg me to save you. Is it because of that incident where the maid poisoned you?”
“No.”
“I thought so. The poison used then should have been just arsenic. A clumsy, amateur method… If it were me, I would use another kind of poison that you wouldn’t even notice.”
“But you never thought about actually assassinating me, right?”
“Correct. Why would I eliminate a potential heavy-weight client? But you should know, the antidote for the Lapasga poison is not that easy to obtain.”
Excellent! Seeing her positive reaction, Erika cheered inwardly.
Her vague guess was indeed correct. In the original novel, the assassin ‘Death Tracker’ was an antagonist who appeared in the middle of the story as a member under the command of the villainess Erika.
There were many stories behind how she became Erika’s subordinate, and the girl knew these backstories. This would clearly become an important bargaining chip.
Erika decided to play the first card in her hand: “If this matter is resolved smoothly, you and I might become important partners, Miss Baroness.”
“…What did you say?”
“The eldest daughter of the former Baronial house, the Sugel family. That should be you, shouldn’t it? A woman who, in order to raise medical fees for her younger brother suffering from a rare disease, uses her family’s secret recipes for trade and secretly mingles in the black market.”
“…”
When people are struck in their most vital concerns, they often fall into silence—what is commonly known as freezing. Neither the big man nor this Baron’s daughter was an exception.
“Regarding the information about my past identity, it should have been completely erased through the Thieves’ Guild. How did you know…?”
It was the novel! I read the novel! Erika laughed to herself.
After all, in the original work, when she was being purged by the Thieves’ Guild, she personally poured everything out before her death.
However, the Great Erika merely gave a meaningful smile.
In response, Miss Death Tracker… no, it was the Baron’s daughter, Carola Sugel, took off her glasses and murmured in a low voice:
“You really are a villainess… I didn’t quite believe it at first.”