Chapter 133

The location where Leon was currently confronting soldiers was the 10th Infantry Brigade.

This brigade was responsible for the safety of Lebspadow, one of the major cities in the east, and its surrounding areas.

Though the unit usually handled regional defense, they had recently earned significant commendations for successfully quelling disturbances caused by demon worshippers in the area.

This success was largely due to Leon Rothe Dale.

Initially assigning Leon here was also my reason. Even as a penalty unit member, I intended for him to showcase his talents.

But now, all his previous achievements have become meaningless.

In less than a week, a deserting soldier massacred over twenty individuals – there was no possible way to forgive such a crime. Especially when that deserting soldier had a history of attempted regicide.

“…Truly a pity, Mr. Alan.”

The only attendant I had brought with me, Bono, uttered those words.

No attendants were necessary anyway. There was no reason to solve things with force.

Bono too only came equipped with casual clothes and a single arming sword. He understood his role well – it was not to oppose Leon but rather to escort or even support him.

‘A pity.’

Indeed, it wasn’t a wrong statement at all.

Leon, the overwhelming genius who reached mastery before his third year at the Academy.

If Anais hadn’t provoked him, Leon might have been contributing to the Empire’s security for a few more years with the Penalty Unit. Unlike other superhumans who require great courtesy, Leon Rothe Dale could be kept loyal with just narcotics.

But in the end… Here we are now.

Even the usually unflappable Bono seemed a bit down.

Actually, last year, Bono had inadvertently revealed Siena’s plan to poison Empress Lianhua to Anais after being tricked by me. At that time, he had mentioned that Leon Rothe Dale was by Anais’ side.

“…Leon Rothe Dale once warned me about my safety. He said that publicizing Siena’s fault would bring retaliation.”

“But, you actually faced retaliation, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but I was saved by you, sir. Only… At the time, I didn’t feel his concern was fake.”

So that was why. It made sense now.

“Mr. Alan… If this incident hadn’t happened?”

“Perhaps one day Leon could have been pardoned. Earning a few medals would have given sufficient justification.”

“From then on, he could have lived peacefully?”

“Yes, probably.”

But that probability has already vanished.

It seemed Bono understood, that’s why he was unusually talkative. The reason why just the two of us, a former knight, were coming to capture a master, the danger of the drugs in my possession, and Leon’s future – he had guessed them all.

“Disappointing indeed…”

I didn’t echo Bono’s sentiment.

Instead, I continued moving silently.

Through a teleportation magic circle, we arrived at the nearest location from the base and waited for the carriage. After a little more than two hours of travel, we finally arrived, then walked to our destination. As we entered the barracks area, the palpable tension in the air was unavoidable.

“The infirmary, sir.”

The brigade commander met me with a tormented expression.

Not just the commander but every visible officer, non-commissioned officer, and soldier looked drained. An uncontrollable, even mentally unstable superhuman was occupying their infirmary – understandable.

As if they were carrying a bomb. No, perhaps something worse.

Only one hope now: swift action.

The brigade commander murmured faintly.

It wouldn’t take long indeed.

…

At first, I wasn’t recognized.

It was not that I failed to recognize Leon Rothe Dale. Though he looked exhausted, his appearance remained recognizable.

It was Leon who didn’t recognize me, only blinking repetitively.

While his hand firmly gripped a sword.

I decided to eliminate the risk of dying by Leon Rothe Dale’s blade.

“Leon Rothe Dale. I am…”

“Five… fifty thousand talers!”

Fortunately, he remembered my voice. But I couldn’t be sure which version of me he remembered. Did he mean the first time we met when we discussed fifty thousand talers?

Fortunately, our exchange wasn’t entirely impossible. After rambling for a while, Leon blinked and looked directly at me.

“Pharmacist, Mr. Alan.”

“That’s right. The pharmacist.”

In response, Leon suddenly raised his left arm with a brighter expression.

“Really real!”

“…”

“Mr. Pharmacist, it’s actually because Anais, whether senior or junior, threatened to stop giving me drugs by abusing the imperial family’s power. At that moment, Captain Dayven drew his sword to prevent me from using the drugs, and the situation went awry because of her nonsense.”

“I understand. The bad imperial princess made you emotionally unstable, and the misunderstanding happened when a superior drew their sword.”

“Yes! That’s it.”

Afterward, Leon proceeded to explain the killings he had committed over the past few days. Excuses like I didn’t intend to kill them, but they were aggressive; they pointed their guns; or they tried to steal the precious medicine, so I had no choice but to kill them.

Now, those excuses were all useless.

“Mr. Pharmacist, I—”

“Leon Rothe Dale. I know there was no malice on your part. But, too many people have died for this to be easily overlooked.”

“It is true!”

“You were only able to serve in the penalty unit instead of your previous crime of attempted regicide because you were a knight of superhuman caliber. That’s why Empress Victoria could show mercy. But now, Empress Victoria herself is in political trouble.”

“Anais, that wretched girl tried to send a letter.”

“I know that too. But if we show you mercy, the sacrifice of the fallen soldiers will be buried like meaningless deaths. The only driving force left for Empress Victoria to control the army after cleansing the Wolphall family will be gone.”

“Penalty unit?”

“It’s difficult now with the penalty unit. Regrettably, considering you got entangled in the mess created by that Anais to bother me.”

Leon’s expression became solemn as he tried to respond again.

For a moment, a flicker of awareness appeared in his unfocused eyes. The feeling wasn’t mistaken; after he moved his lips a few times, he seemed to stop, likely realizing his fate was the death penalty.

Before his rebelliousness rekindled, I pulled out the drugs from my robe.

Carefully wrapped paper containing heroin and phenylacetone.

“Hey!”

Leon stared blankly at them at first. Even his shoulder started quivering slightly. He seemed to sense they were drugs. As I started measuring the doses using my poison scale and Bono prepared a nasal delivery device, his eyes darted around anxiously.

Even after being subtly hinted about the death penalty, Leon could not tear his gaze from the drugs.

“Mr. Pharmacist, these.”

“They’re yours. All of them.”

“Aah.”

An involuntary sigh of relief even emerged. When I added, “This is phenylacetone, and you’ll be the first person in the world to consume it,” his expression brightened further. Seeing this alone, one might claim it reveals what the drugs mean to Leon Rothe Dale… though saying so would be too arrogant.

“That’s a good name: Phenylacetone.”

“Of course, a powerful narcotic is also ready for you. It’s heroin.”

“Even heroin sounds good.”

…At least I was certain that this was a matter of life and death for Leon. Perhaps this situation made it even more urgent for him.

I unfolded a clean piece of toilet paper in front of Leon.

Then I mixed and aligned two types of drugs on it, making it easy for him to sniff them through his nose by drawing lines. Heroin for oral use is rather ineffective, so we prepared accordingly… though the amount probably rendered the method irrelevant.

1 gram of heroin. And 1 gram of phenylacetone.

This was the amount of drugs I arranged.

By injection, the lethal amount of heroin is 0.03 grams. Even by nasal inhalation, 0.05 grams would be fatal.

Yet, I added 20 times that amount of heroin, plus an extra gram of phenylacetone of high purity, having purified away most of its impurities.

This was the quantity calculated based on Leon having a superhuman’s physique. Despite consistently consuming amounts of drugs that would have killed an ordinary person from respiratory failure or tachycardia, he somehow survived each time.

But, this quantity would overwhelm even him.

Even if he didn’t die immediately, he would likely fall into a coma. Regardless of whether he survived in the end, it was better to choose the former given his execution awaiting.

I had no intention of hiding from Leon the implication of this dosage.

“Leon Rothe Dale. This is…”

Attempting to explain it step by step, Leon cut me off.

“But Mr. Pharmacist Alan, what about Anais?”

I couldn’t be sure exactly what his question entailed.

Based on his unfocused gaze and excited expression, it seemed like he was revealing his resentment towards Anais who had prevented him from taking good drugs.

However, there was another possibility.

“Could it be… he’s realized he was used?”

Anais, who disregarded Leon’s well-being and induced his reckless actions.

Though Anais might have expected a protest rather than desertion… it was clear that she undervalued Leon’s life. She would have disregarded his death if it meant she could irritate me, even slightly.

Had Leon Rothe Dale sensed this?

Assuming he had, I responded accordingly.

“Of course, that woman will also pay the price.”

“Will she die? That woman deserves death.”

“It depends on the situation. But I can guarantee she will be unhappier than you. And… for your peace of mind, we will ensure the safety of your family. We are designing a plan to place a considerable portion of your crimes on Anais.”

After my explanation, Leon simply nodded and replied, “Alright!”

His response seemed devoid of intense emotion. He merely pointed at the line of heroin and phenylacetone on the paper, asking me with his gaze how to proceed. When I told him to inhale through his nose, he eagerly received the tools with delight.

“Can I do it now?”

“Yes.”

With that, Leon leaned toward the drugs.

“My lord, he needs a moment alone.”

I accepted Bono’s suggestion and stood up.

…

Just as we turned our backs, the events unfolded.

“Sch… Keuk keu…!”

“Schthoo.”

“Hu!”

After some minor mistakes, Leon Rothe Dale slowly raised his head, completing the inhalation. There was some drug residue on his nose and lips, but his expression was overall bright.

“Still worth a try.”

That was his last words before the drug effects took hold.

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