The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 89

The unidentified antipyretic drug monopolized by the Umbra Guild, a force that divided Kartan City.

Just because it was labeled as a drug didn’t mean it had to be less effective than a priest’s healing.

Out of curiosity, he asked Guild Leader Marcus what it was made of, but…

“Well, it’s a drug that can only be obtained through close ties with the Umbra Guild. The source or the manufacturing recipe is said to be a guild secret, so I couldn’t find out…”

However, it wasn’t made by the Alchemists’ Tower Ouroboros, but a drug monopolized by a mere guild, and it was more effective than the healing of a saintess. This was strange.

No, the premise itself was strange from the beginning.

The cause of Charles’ illness was the spirits entangled with Charles’ affinity.

Unless all the spirits, which were the direct cause, were completely removed, there was no way to get rid of them.

These tenacious spirits only temporarily disappeared when the priest exercised healing power, only to cling back as soon as the energy faded.

It was natural to be suspicious of the identity of the antipyretic drug.

Because of this, Aden requested Guild Leader Marcus to hand over the spare antipyretic drug he had, and asked Cassie to analyze it.

In a specially sealed soundproof room, the group gathered to observe Cassie’s on-the-spot analysis.

The alchemist Cassie dropped a single drop of Charles’ antipyretic drug into a flask containing a blue reagent.

Sssssss.

The blue reagent mixed with the antipyretic drug instantly turned black.

“This is…”

Cassie’s eyes sparkled at the phenomenon.

“Have you found the result?”

“Wait a moment.”

Cassie wrote down the result on paper and compared it, then soon reached a conclusion.

“I’ve figured it out. This isn’t an antipyretic at all.”

She revealed the true nature of the drug.

“It’s a substance that forcibly distorts the mana within the user’s body, making their life force temporarily faint.”

When the life force became faint, the spirits mistook it for death and detached themselves from the body.

“This is a very dangerous method. It weakens the life force to the point of being mistaken for death, which is nothing short of poison that gnaws away at this child’s lifespan. If she had taken just a little more, she would have crossed an irreversible line.”

“…!”

At the word “poison,” Marcus’ face hardened in shock.

“That… that can’t be…!”

Apparently, even he was hearing this for the first time.

What father wouldn’t be shocked to learn that he had been feeding poison to his own daughter?

There was something more important.

Cassie said,

“More importantly, there isn’t a single component in this drug that acts as an antipyretic. It’s a drug specifically tailored to this child’s condition.”

A drug created solely to deceive the spirits and provide temporary extension of life.

This meant only one thing.

The Umbra Guild, which supplied Marcus with the antipyretic drug, already knew the true nature of Charles’ illness.

Aden felt something connecting within him.

A picture was forming.

Surely, behind the Umbra Guild were the Warlocks of Chaos, and perhaps Sylbeta above them.

‘Those who can handle spirits and wraiths could easily make such a poison.’

If things had gone according to the original future, Charles would have continued taking the poison disguised as an antipyretic and would have died within a few years.

And when she became mentally weak, Sylbeta would have approached her, coaxing and enticing her.

Or perhaps they would have used black magic to control her mind.

Anyway, there was one crucial possibility at present.

Aden spoke.

“The Umbra Guild must know something about the missing spirits of Charles.”

In fact, Aden almost intuitively thought that they were not just aware but had orchestrated the whole thing.

Though he didn’t know how they had handled the spirits, according to Curse, they hadn’t been annihilated yet.

To gain any information at this point, the only lead was the Umbra Guild.

The guild leader’s face turned crimson with blood upon learning the true nature of the drug.

There was no evidence that Aden’s party was telling the truth.

But there was no way the saintess of the church and her party would lie.

Everything was undoubtedly true.

“Those bastards!”

Until now, he had harbored a sense of gratitude towards the Umbra Guild.

Thanks to the antipyretic drug they provided, his daughter had been able to sustain her life.

Even though the two guilds competed for power in the city, there was an unspoken rule that they wouldn’t cross each other’s lines.

But to think that they had toyed with his only daughter Charles’ life!

The killing intent of a semi-master surged from his body.

He wanted to storm into the Umbra Guild and break the legs of their guild leader and interrogate him.

As Marcus was about to rush out with the intent of waging a guild war, Aden blocked him.

“What are you doing, Prince Aden!”

“Don’t do anything foolish and cool your head. Storming in without justification will only put you at a disadvantage.”

“Justification? Of course, this antipyretic drug…!”

“They would just claim they were merely delivering and mediating goods, playing innocent. You know how this business works better than anyone else, don’t you?”

“Ha, but… No, you’re right, Prince Aden.”

Only then did the blood that had rushed to his head from excitement recede, and the guild leader calmed down.

Even if he stormed in, would they readily reveal the whereabouts of the spirits?

Moreover, the Umbra Guild was a powerful force competing for the city’s hegemony. Although the Umbra Guild’s leader was said to be a notch below Marcus, he was also a semi-master who had stopped just before reaching the master’s wall.

They might even seize the opportunity to counterattack.

“Then, what should I do…?”

The guild leader’s face was filled with worry and helplessness.

Aden pondered for a moment, then spoke to the Maedala guild leader.

“Guild Leader, I have a proposal for you.”

“A proposal? What do you mean…?”

Interrupting the guild leader’s question, Aden spoke directly.

“If you help us overthrow the Umbra Guild and save your daughter, Sharle…”

Aden had already planned to wipe out the warlock base here anyway.

And there was strong suspicion that the Umbra Guild was associated with the warlocks.

What more could be the problem here?

‘Moreover, if things go well…’

With that thought, Aden looked at Marcus with a serious expression.

“Then, what can you offer? I am requesting your commission, Marcus Maedala.”

It was also an opportunity to thoroughly exploit the Maedala Guild.

Marcus, the guild leader, pondered for quite some time over Aden’s proposal, but eventually, he made his decision.

He knelt down with a thud.

“If you save my daughter, I will give you anything. Even if you ask for the entire guild, I will give it to you, so please…”

“I’ll tell you in advance, there’s a possibility we may not find the spirit.”

“You have already informed us about my daughter’s illness that we were unaware of. How could I blame you? Do not worry.”

Aden had discovered the existence of the wraith, Elise had purified it, and Cassie had uncovered the truth about the medicine.

There were more than enough reasons to trust them.

Thus, the deal was made.

Elise clenched her tiny fists tightly.

“Making a girl sick, those really bad adults. I’ll punish them.”

The little saintess was truly enraged.

For some reason, she had become more aggressive since developing and mastering her holy martial arts.

Bali, a priest with strong religious faith, expressed slight dissatisfaction with Aden’s deal.

“Lord Aden, it is not right to act with expectations of compensation.”

Bali lectured with a serious expression.

“The secret pilgrimage is not a journey for personal gain, but a sacred duty to establish the church’s authority…”

“Doesn’t the church also receive donations from believers for medical treatment? And we all know about the exorbitant fees for your miracle pills.”

Especially these days, since Remes had accepted the Ent Tribe, the supply of the highest quality ingredients for the miracle pills had increased, leading to a surge in sales.

Bali coughed awkwardly at Aden’s pointed remark.

“Ahem… it is a duty, but it is also not desirable to disregard the sincerity of the believers.”

Thus, the entire party agreed to the deal.

Aden then demanded from Marcus, “First, bring me all the information related to the Umbra Guild and the personal details of its members.”

Although the guild leader had already reviewed the information once, it was wise to search for any useful details.

Soon, Aden was handed a pile of documents detailing the Umbra Guild members that the guild leader had gathered.

As rivals, they naturally had compiled a lot of information.

‘But most of it is just surface-level information.’

The critical internal details he sought would only be known to high-ranking members within the guild.

As expected, it was mostly worthless information with no real substance.

He then proceeded to read through the documents containing portraits, names, brief characteristics, and positions of each guild member.

‘It would be good if there was someone useful enough to exploit.’

Someone who wasn’t a high-ranking member but was still influential enough to negotiate on their own.

As he casually glanced through the portraits, suddenly…

“Uh?”

Aden’s expression became subtle upon seeing a certain figure.

“This guy looks familiar, doesn’t he?”

-Ho, it’s a face I remember.

“Do you also think it’s the guy I’m thinking of? Huh, why is this guy here?”

Aden, just in case, checked the faces and information of other guild members.

“Oh, look at this?”

However, his puzzlement was brief, and soon a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

He had a feeling that things would go better than expected.

* * *

The next evening, at a famous pub in Kartan City.

Those who had returned from a dungeon raid were sharing toasts and chatting, while those who had come back empty-handed were lamenting their efforts, drinking as if to forget their losses.

The pub was filled with a variety of people eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves.

Creak.

But when the pub door opened and a group of five or six entered, the noisy place fell silent in an instant.

People glanced at the badges on their chests and flinched.

“Gasp, that emblem… Umbra…”

“Damn, why are those guys here…?”

“Shh! Watch your mouth. They might hear you.”

Regular guild members of the Umbra Guild, one of the two major forces controlling Kartan City.

Everyone avoided their gaze and tried hard to keep their expressions neutral.

One of the Umbra guild members, Vero, laughed arrogantly and spoke.

“Haha! Don’t be scared, keep drinking! Don’t ruin our boss’s mood! Who’s going to take responsibility if he gets upset? Let’s all smile. What, you’re not going to smile?”

At his slight glare, everyone forced a smile.

The Umbra Guild was not only powerful but also notorious.

It was common for a neighbor who spoke ill of the guild to disappear without a trace the next day.

They had every reason to be afraid.

The pub owner hurried out and bowed his head to them.

“Wel- welcome!”

“Hey, owner! Give us a table right now so we can sit! Hurry up!”

At the bark of the Umbra guild member, the owner, frightened, immediately set up a table.

Once the owner disappeared, Vero, rubbing his hands like a sycophant, spoke to his superior.

“Please, have a seat, Lord Armand.”

“Hmm, very well.”

Enjoying the expressions of fear and reluctance on the faces around him, the leader of the guild members twirled his mustache in satisfaction.

He thought to himself.

‘Ah, life is full of twists and turns.’

His current name was Armand, but his real name was Shandalkan.

He was the vice-guild master of the Cerberus Guild, who had imprisoned Elise.