Case 94: When they give me suspicious water.

*****

An alleyway near Syrus National Academy.

A figure silently stood in the shadow, a dark umbrella obscuring their face. They examined the scene meticulously, jotting down details in their head one after another.

''...''

There wasn't a single trace left here—if looked at with the ordinary eyes, of course. The victim was almost vaporized in an instant, flesh and bones annihilated and devoured by 'something.' Only the leftover, distinct plasma flowing through demonkind's blood was splattered violently on the walls.

Whoever did this either was too tired to clean up the mess... or they didn't need to. They wanted someone to witness this scene. A provocation, perhaps.

'Did those guys make a move...?'

Although everything was still vague, there were rumors of a certain organization under Libre's imperial family. Its existence was never confirmed, nor was a name mentioned, but the marks this supposed force left had begun to float to the surface.

Clues flashed across the figure's mind. Of certain political coups, numerous mysterious disappearances, secret subjugation operations...

Still, the possibility that this force had acted was low. The murdered demon was indeed a valuable asset for the military, holding good reconnaissance skills and camouflage, yet they weren't worth the attention.

It was more likely that someone else did this.

For now, the figure didn't dare to use long-range communication skills, lest they become the second victim to this unknown killer. They had to run all the way back to their active base to report the findings.

''Tch.''

A soft click escaped their mouth.

Such a cowardly sort of operation... it was imaginable before. They used to be so terrorizingly powerful, able to launch substantial raids on this very capital without much consideration. Now... every move they made needed to be prudent.

'All because those damned royals...'

Swallowing the anger, the figure slowly retreated into the darkness.

*****

''Drink these.''

''Eh?''

The day after I was exposed, Penelope brought me a bunch of suspicious water vials. They came in a nice wooden rack, with proper seals and even smelled good.

''Um... what are these...?''

I sat in my bed, staring at the rich lady whose face never seemed to change. Today was a Monday, which meant the diligent Kiara was off to school, and Rachael had to finish her work since she stayed with me all yesterday. In reality, it took me forever to convince them not to abandon their duties and camp by my side endlessly. Lyra, too.

But alas... I thought only Penelope was strangely obedient, but it turned out she had other plans.

Nodding slightly, the perverted beauty took one out of the rack and put it in my hand, ''Supplements. Drink them and tell me which one works.''

''...I already told you, supplements won't have an effect—''

''They're not ordinary supplements.''

...Huh?

''You know the white-haired princess has a registered adventure guild, yes?'' Penelope softly asked. ''With her and Rachael's help, we were able to secure a range of rare monster loots—from the unexplored land.''

''And... you made these potions using those ingredients...?''

''Yes. I funded the guild, and Rachael lent us the imperial alchemists.''

I was rendered speechless.

I couldn't even imagine that the three of them could actually cooperate, but they did it all for me... really, wasn't this kind of unfair? Of course, I also knew it wasn't something too outrageous to do—the expeditions and research, I mean.

The unexplored land basically meant the demons' territory. They remained unexplored until now because of those guys' presence—that's all. Now that the demon queen was missing, it made sense for this side to start pushing. The barren land on the other side indeed contained many valuable resources, after all.

Looking at the fizzy orange liquid that was swirling inside the vial, I began to harbor some hopeful thoughts.

Maybe there was something I could do to save my life.

''Then... can I drink them?'' I tentatively asked for permission, feeling my heartbeat getting louder.

Penelope smiled. She pressed my cheeks with both hands, eyes sharpening, ''Cecilia, my little foolish girl... I can trust you not to lie for no reason and tell us what you feel, right?''

''I-I won't do that...!''

It felt somewhat depressing, seeing that my reputation had become... this. Well, it was all my doing, but.

Either way, I started to gulp down the elixirs one by one, each time taking ample periods to rest and report what they did to my body. It took almost the whole day, but Penelope patiently sat with me, her hand scribbling some lengthy notes diligently.

''This is the last one.''

''Mhm.''

Perhaps thanks to my cursed physique, none of the supplements, with supposed 'potent' and 'miraculous' effects, made me feel particularly better. Penelope, as time went by, also became less enthusiastic, as reflected in her tired demeanor.

''Here... try it.''

In my hand was a blue, slightly crystallized, and cold-looking liquid, similar to what Penelope fed me once before. Even then, this seemed somewhat different.

I remembered feeling 'refreshed' after drinking that one, even though I was drained immediately afterward by this pervert.

Nonetheless, I chugged down the little substance. It felt cold to the tongue, and a sense of numbness seeped across my body as it went down. Truthfully, I expected little from this thing. After all, none of the previous ones worked...

''...Nn?!''

But I was soon blown away.

Something was happening to my body—something I had never experienced before as Cecilia. The moment that liquid settled in my stomach, a powerful burst of energy exploded, energizing every cell of my being to an utterly unfamiliar degree. The sense of hunger that always haunted me was briefly alleviated, and I was, miraculously, free again.

If I had to make an analogy, it felt similar to swallowing a mouthful of cold water after a whole day without hydration.

''...It's made from crystal bat cores' extraction mixed with herbs.''

Perhaps noticing my expression, Penelope explained, the corners of her mouth proudly lifted. I looked at her eyes glistening with excitement, seeing my dumbfounded face within.

It... worked.

I felt better than ever. Was I feeling it right? Not a dream? An illusion?

Crystal bats... I never knew such a species existed. Maybe I really tried to doom myself too hard until now. With this, maybe... maybe someone like me could live on?

''Ah, is it hard to produce this elixir?''

''Not really. A stable supply of crystal bat cores isn't hard to set up if we establish a dedicated route.''

''Is that so...''

I was honestly overwhelmed. The sheer sense of clarity that gave my sluggish mind so much life, the belated thoughts of past mistakes, and just... the shock of it all.

But for now, I was happy and filled with hope.

I plunged into Penelope's arms, excitedly flailing my limbs around like a child. They felt so light that I started to wonder if they were mine.

''Hahah...''

''...''

Tears trickled down from the corners of my eyes. Penelope hugged me tightly, patting my back while chuckling. I heard joy from her. I heard meaning in my cry of joy.

That day was a turning point in my life.

Soon, words of my 'recovery' got around.