Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 141: The Red Pill
A young hot-blooded noble stepped forward and shouted angrily.
“Marquis Lyman, why did you poison Count Hogan?”
Count Hogan had been a benefactor to quite a few nobles present, and now he had been poisoned and killed.
Surely His Majesty the King would be furious at this, and if he suddenly changed his mind and chose to punish those nobles who had supported the First Prince, things would become disastrous.
“That’s right! Why would you do such a thing?”
A group of nobles accused Marquis Lyman one after another.
Marquis Lyman did not answer them directly. Instead, he said slowly,
“You all should be just about ready to feel it as well.”
No sooner had the words fallen than several elderly nobles began to feel ill. Soon, they showed the same symptoms as Count Hogan, and one by one collapsed and died in agony.
Middle-aged and younger nobles also began to succumb and fall.
The reason Count Hogan died so quickly was because Marquis Lyman had given him a much larger dose of poison. The others had smaller doses, so the onset was delayed.
In an instant, panic spread through the hall; every noble present feared for their life.
“You bastard! Give me the antidote!”
One frantic noble rushed at Marquis Lyman, intending to seize him and force him to hand over the cure.
But the knights at Lyman’s side reacted swiftly. One of them drew his sword and drove it straight through the noble’s chest, killing him on the spot.
Casting a casual glance at the corpse, Marquis Lyman said coolly,
“Don’t be so eager to throw your life away. Don’t forget, this place is filled with my knights and soldiers. Besides, not everyone’s wine was poisoned.”
The hot-blooded young noble from before lay on the ground, glaring up at Marquis Lyman in pain as he struggled to ask,
“Why… why…”
“For no particular reason,”
Marquis Lyman replied.
“I’m simply carrying out His Majesty’s will. His Majesty wants you dead. It’s that simple.”
“But…”
He couldn’t even finish his words before his eyes rolled back and he died.
“Count Hogan told you His Majesty had pardoned you, didn’t he?”
Marquis Lyman finished the thought the dead noble had been trying to say.
Then he burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha—how pitiful. Everything Count Hogan told you just now was nothing but lies I made up to deceive you. His Majesty despises rebels more than anything. How could he possibly pardon you?”
Hearing this, the poisoned nobles who were still struggling died with expressions of despair, many of them unable to rest in peace even in death.
By rough count, nearly half of the nobles present had already died of poisoning.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Seeing the scene, Marquis Lyman clicked his tongue and shook his head. The poison His Majesty had given him was truly potent.
In just a short time, all of the poisoned nobles were dead.
Those who hadn’t been poisoned stood frozen in place, not daring to make a single reckless move.
Marquis Lyman swept his gaze over them and said leisurely,
“You who weren’t poisoned are the ones who chose not to support the First Prince. You’re barely considered neutral, so you managed to escape this disaster.”
The surviving nobles exchanged uneasy glances. It seemed their decision not to meddle in the struggle for the throne had been the right one; otherwise, they would be lying dead on the floor like the others.
“Marquis Lyman, are you perhaps His Majesty’s messenger?”
Someone finally summoned the courage to ask carefully.
“That’s right.”
“And Count Hogan, he…”
“He was nothing but one of my pawns. Once he was used up, he could be discarded.”
In truth, White had only ordered Marquis Lyman to slaughter the nobles who had supported the First Prince. Count Hogan was not part of that command.
But Marquis Lyman had found Hogan an eyesore, so he had taken it upon himself to eliminate him as well.
As long as this act succeeded in intimidating the neutral nobles, Marquis Lyman was certain His Majesty would not blame him.
At that moment, an elderly noble stepped forward and said:
“I am willing to pledge my loyalty to His Majesty. May I leave this place?”
“I as well.”
“And me.”
One after another, nobles rushed to declare their allegiance, eager to get out of this ill-omened place where so many had just died.
“Don’t be in such a hurry.”
Marquis Lyman raised his hand to silence them, then produced a crystal-clear grey magic stone.
“This is a Voice-Record Stone. His Majesty has something he wishes to say to you personally.”
He poured magic into the stone, activating it.
The stone emitted a faint silver glow, and White’s voice echoed out from within:
“Those who supported the First Prince should already be dead by now. That means the rest of you are neutral, correct? Not taking part in the war between my brother and me for the throne has been the greatest stroke of luck in your lives. Still, I dislike fence-sitters like you.”
“For that reason, I’ve specially prepared a marvelous poison that can discern loyalty. Each of you must receive one pill from Marquis Lyman. Before swallowing it, say the words: ‘I will forever be loyal to His Majesty.’ If your loyalty is genuine, nothing will happen. But if it is false, the poison will act instantly and you will die. And should you harbor thoughts of betrayal later, the poison will activate then as well.”
“Remember this—there is no other choice.”
The voice cut off, and the magic stone in Lyman’s hand crumbled into a pinch of grey powder. Apparently, it was a single-use item.
“Did you all hear that clearly?”
Brushing the powder from his palm, Marquis Lyman pulled out a transparent glass vial filled with small red pills.
“Didn’t you just declare your loyalty to His Majesty? Now is the time to prove it. Line up and come receive one.”
Under the knights’ watchful eyes, the nobles obediently formed a line before Marquis Lyman. The corpses in the way were dragged aside.
The first was an elderly noble with a long beard. Marquis Lyman took out a red pill and placed it into his palm.
“Don’t even think about cheating—I have plenty of eyes on you.”
He gestured toward the four knights beside him, each holding a longsword and staring intently at the noble who had just received the pill.
At the slightest suspicious move, they would cut him down without hesitation.
“I understand.”
The old noble did as instructed, saying.
“I will forever be loyal to His Majesty.”
Then placed the pill into his mouth and swallowed.
Nothing happened.
Marquis Lyman smiled.
“Very good. Your loyalty to His Majesty is genuine.”
“Then may I leave now?”
The noble asked.
“Not yet. No one leaves until every last person has taken a red pill. Next.”
With no choice, the old noble obediently stepped aside.
The others, seeing he was safe and sound, relaxed somewhat.
Several nobles went through the same without incident—until the eighth in line swallowed his pill. Suddenly, he clutched at his throat, his face turning blue and purple. Unable to speak, he collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth. Within moments, his eyes rolled back as he died.