Chapter 62: Alchemy Mark
After Armand finished looking through the documents in the folder, the Crown Prince lit a match and burned all the papers, pushing the ashes into the trash can.
The two of them didn’t talk much. For this kind of special task, Armand just took one look, gave a respectful bow, and left the Crown Prince’s office.
No matter how difficult the task, Armand couldn’t refuse it, or more accurately, he had no reason to refuse. That was part of the deal he made with the Crown Prince long ago, since he chose to accept the prince’s protection and help, he had to be ready to give something in return.
“Heading back to the estate?”
Carle was already waiting at the palace gate. The two of them had come to the palace together, but Carle didn’t like speaking directly with people in power, so he hadn’t gone in. He just waited outside in case Armand needed anything.
“Yeah, there’s nothing else today, so might as well go back.”
“You look kind of troubled.”
“Just your imagination.” Armand forced a small laugh, trying to act relaxed.
“If you say so. But if you need help, just ask.” Carle knew Armand had a stubborn side, so he didn’t push the topic.
“Thanks.”
After saying that, the two men got into their separate carriages. One heading left, the other right, each going home.
The carriage kept shaking and swaying, making Armand feel really sick.
Although it wasn’t the first time he had handled private matters for the Crown Prince. In fact, ever since he started working under him, he often dealt with these kinds of special tasks outside his official duties with the knight order. Still, with his health getting worse, it was starting to feel harder and harder to keep up.
“Haah…”
Armand let out a deep sigh and lay down on the carriage’s soft seat.
He really hoped the royal doctors researching his condition could find some kind of miracle medicine to stop the poison that was still spreading through his body.
Rustle, rustle.
With that thought, Armand shifted on the small seat and kicked the side of the carriage before pulling out a small medicine bottle from his chest pocket.
The knights often joked that their commander could pull out a bottle of pills at any moment and pop one into his mouth like it was a peanut. And honestly, it wasn’t far from the truth. Armand always carried different kinds of medicine with him. Each bottle had a different color and effect.
Some were simple, like medicine for his stomach. Others had more specific uses like pain relief, healing, stopping bleeding, or helping with coughs. You could say his whole body was basically stocked with medicine. Of course, he didn’t carry them all in his coat pockets. Instead, he used a special kind of alchemy technique to create a storage “space.”
The idea behind this technique was simple. By using a special mark along with a matching material, the alchemy mark could be placed on a person’s body. This created a small space, like a personal storage room, which the user could access anytime. Armand had his mark on his palm, which made it easy to grab anything. When not in use, the mark would disappear and couldn’t be seen, very convenient.
But while this system was useful, it had its downsides too. First, it only worked for people whose bodies could handle alchemy. If someone’s body rejected it, they couldn’t get the mark at all. Forcing it could even risk their life.
Also, the materials were rare and very expensive. Only royal alchemists in the palace knew how to use this kind of technique. Most people who had such a mark were closely connected to the royal family.
What’s more, every time someone used the mark to store or take something out, they had to endure a burning pain caused by the alchemy. That’s why only warriors with special roles usually had one.
Armand was considered lucky, his body matched well with alchemy, so he was able to get the mark. However, because he got the mark early on, its system wasn’t very complete. And now that his body was in poor condition, using the mark put too much pressure on him. As a result, he couldn’t store as many items as before. Compared to others who had storage spaces as big as a whole room, Armand’s was now only about the size of a coffin lid.
He had even thought, once or twice, about putting an actual coffin inside. Just in case something happened to him one day, at least his body wouldn’t be left out in the wild.
Rustle, rustle.
Armand looked at the plain little medicine bottle in his hand, shaking it slightly. He listened to the sound of the three pills inside hitting each other.
It looked like the simplest kind of medicine. A clear bottle, a white cap, and three white pills, like small marbles.
It seemed simple, but it was actually very dangerous. Not a poison, but close to one.
This pill was an alchemical creation, not a regular drug.
Its effect was straightforward and powerful. It was made specially for Armand. The pill itself was highly poisonous, but it could temporarily push a person’s body to its strongest condition. How much it boosted the body depended on the user’s physical limits. For someone like Armand, whose body was damaged but who could resist strong poisons, this pill was perfect.
But that didn’t mean Armand could take it carelessly. The poison from the pill would build up inside the body. Even though it would slowly leave the system over time, in the short term, it would still cause problems, even for Armand, who had a strong resistance to poison. After all, this was an alchemical poison, not a natural one. If he didn’t rest properly when the effect ended and the poison kicked back in, it could be deadly.
The royal doctors and the Crown Prince both knew about this medicine. They had warned Armand, don’t take it unless it’s absolutely necessary. But for Armand, “absolutely necessary” situations happened far too often.
Click.
When the carriage came to a stop, Armand sat up and put the medicine away. He got off the carriage as the estate guards came to greet him.
“Hm?”
Just as he stepped down, he happened to run into Evelia, who had just returned as well. They looked up at the same time and saw each other.
“Mr. Armand.”
Evelia, holding a dance book, gave Armand a respectful bow.
“Went to the bookstore?”
“Yes, I bought something I needed.”
The dance book was wrapped in brown paper, so Armand couldn’t see what it was. But since the spies he placed around hadn’t reported anything unusual about Evelia today, he didn’t pay much attention to the book. He simply stepped slightly to the side and walked into the estate with her.
The two didn’t speak much on the way in. The silence was a little awkward. Evelia quietly held her book and walked beside Armand like she didn’t feel like talking. Armand, on the other hand, was itching inside, wondering how to bring up the topic of the upcoming festival.
Although Carle had split the celebration into two areas, one for nobles and one for knights, Armand wasn’t sure if Evelia would enjoy a lively event like that. After all, she usually seemed very cold and quiet, not someone who would enjoy a dance party.
But like Carle said, the dance would be a good chance to get closer to her. Inviting her might help their relationship grow...
Wait?
Something’s weird...
As he thought about it, Armand suddenly realized something.
Why was he so interested in getting closer to Evelia?
Wasn’t the original plan just to keep an eye on her because she was a spy? When did it turn into wanting to build a relationship with her?
When had that change happened...?
“Mr. Armand.”
While Armand was still lost in thought, Evelia suddenly spoke beside him. She looked up at him, he was a whole head taller than her.
“Ah? What is it?”
Armand looked down and met her gaze.
“Do you want to go on a date with me?”
“—?”