There were three ways to find other cadets in the academy. One was to hope to meet them by coincidence, but it became much harder after the private training rooms had been opened. The second was to go to their room, but it wasn’t a good way since many of the students would be asleep. The last way was to find them at the cafeteria.
Chun Yeowun took the third way and found Bakgi eating alone. Before he got there, someone walked up to him first.
‘Chun Kungwun?’
It was Chun Kungwun, the Prince of the Sword Clan.
‘Nano, cut out all the noise except for the conversation between those two.’
[Yes, Master.]
Chun Yeowun then heard Kungwun and Bakgi’s conversation. What was interesting was that Kungwun wanted to recruit Bakgi who was powerful enough to be a group leader. It wasn’t surprising that Kungwun would want a powerful warrior like Bakgi, but there was no way Bakgi would join a group when he himself could be a leader.
Chun Yeowun then took a seat. It didn’t matter as he was here to let him know about the poison.
Yeowun then looked at Bakgi’s neck.
‘His neck...?’
His neck had regained color and the red dots were gone. Bakgi answered, “Not interested. Get lost.”
“...Hm.”
Chun Yeowun then began thinking about how should he explain everything. He didn’t know what to tell Bakgi when the red dots were gone. However, he couldn’t let Bakgi die from the poison.
“If we don’t talk now, you might die.”
“What?”
It wasn’t his intention, but Bakgi interpreted this as a threat. He glared at Yeowun.
“You are more arrogant than the other princes. Do you think you can get group members like that?”
“...You misunderstood.”
“What? You just threatened me. I understood you perfectly fine.”
Bakgi was almost trying to fight him. Yeowun shook his head.
“I’m not saying that. Hear me out. You have been poisoned.”
“Poison? What the hell do you mean?”
Bakgi became dumbfounded.
“I saw your fight and saw the red dots on your neck. Your face also became pale. You have been poisoned with a special kind of poison.”
Bakgi frowned. There was no way he would not notice being poisoned when he was a master-level warrior.
‘Poison? That’s impossible.’
He had never found any type of poison while meditating. Ever since he was appointed to the group, he had been wary of Chun Jongsum. He even avoided coming into contact with the prince.
‘And why is he warning me of this?’
Bakgi then became curious about Chun Yeowun’s intentions.
“...I’m sorry I misunderstood you, but there is no way that I would’ve missed detecting the poison.”
Bakgi apologized for his mistake. It seemed like he was very truthful to his feelings.
“What?”
Chun Yeowun was also surprised. He and Lady Hwa had no internal energy, so he didn’t know that one could sense poison by meditating.
‘Meditating allows one to detect the poison? But... that symptom was surely because of the poison.’
If what Bakgi said was right, then he wasn’t poisoned. As Chun Yeowun thought, he saw someone entering the cafeteria. It was Baek Jongmeng, the doctor of the academy.
‘Doctor Baek!’
Chun Yeowun then decided to ask the doctor.
“Then why don’t we check with the doctor? It’s better to be safe than sorry, right?”
“...Yeah.”
It was reasonable, but it felt like Yeowun was doing what he wanted. Bakgi returned his dishes and went to Baek Jongmeng along with Yeowun.
“Dinner, dinner~”
Baek Jongmeng was getting the food while whistling.
“Doctor Baek.”
“Huh?”
Baek Jongmeng turned and saw Chun Yeowun.
“Oh, long time no see! Uh, or is it? Anyway. Did you eat?”
“No, sir.”
“Then let’s eat. I don’t want to eat together though. I want to tell you something too later.”
Baek Jongmeng wanted to thank Yeowun. After he left, he had gotten many patients. They weren’t all because of Yeowun, but Jongmeng loved being busy. Yeowun shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but can you check up on him before that?”
“Huh?”
Jongmeng turned to Bakgi who was standing next to Yeowun.
“18th cadet, Bakgi. Sir.”
“Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you. I’m Baek Jongmeng. Did you get hurt?”
Baek Jongmeng had never seen Bakgi. Although his foot was pierced by sword qi, he didn’t go see the doctor.
“...I think he’s been poisoned.”
“What? Poison?”
Jongmeng’s expression turned serious. He didn’t think that he’d have a poisoned patient in the academy.
‘Oh... they are here I guess.’
He then realized that Chun Jongsum and the other members were from the Poison Clan.
“I can’t do it here. Let’s go back to the medical room.”
Jongmeng then returned the food he had gotten and went back to his medical room. When they reached the second floor, Chun Yeowun was confused by the number of guards. There weren’t that many before.
‘...All these guards were here and Teacher got past all of them?’
That didn’t seem likely. He then realized that none of the instructors including the Chief were curious about his Butterfly Blade Dance.
‘I see... so they must have known.’
Chun Yeowun then followed Jongmeng into the room. Jongmeng let Bakgi have a seat and began checking his various blood points.
“Hm... this is strange.”
“Is it dangerous?”
Bakgi was concerned so he carefully asked his question.
“No, your pulse is fine.”
“Then am I okay?” Bakgi asked with relief but Jongmeng then said, “Did you try meditating?”
“Yes, always. I didn’t sense any poison.”
“Hm... I can’t find anything from just feeling the pulse and blood points.”
Yeowun then interrupted, “His eyes turned red and his face became pale. His neck also had red dots.”
“What?”
Bakgi was shocked.
‘How did he see that?’
He was surprised that Yeowun had seen all those details at such a distance.
“I think it’s the poison that kills the target slowly.”
Yeowun offered his conjecture and Jongmeng exclaimed, “...Right! How did you know that?”
Chun Yeowun was right about the poison’s symptoms. Yeowun answered, “...My mother was killed by that poison.”
“Oh... I’m sorry.” Jongmeng bowed. He then remembered seeing his teacher taking the medicine to use it as an antidote for that poison a long time ago.
‘...So, that’s why.’
Bakgi also became apologetic. He was suspicious of Yeowun trying to help, but hearing this made him understand.
“Well, you can’t find that poison through meditating or just checking the pulse.”
“What?”
“Hold on.”
Jongmeng then went to his cabinet and brought something out. He then began mixing the medicines and fired it up. The smoke began to rise.
“Breath with your mouth to take the smoke in.”
“Mouth?”
“Yeah, a big one.”
“Okay.”
Bakgi then took in the smoke and began coughing roughly. He began to turn pale and the red dots popped up around his neck.
“Ugh!”
He fell down on the ground and kept on coughing. Jongmeng put out the fire, and then Bakgi got up with a pale face.
“It is the poison.”
“W-what... but how..”
He couldn’t understand how he had been poisoned.
“But I was fine when I meditated and I didn’t make any contact! I always ate alone too!”
This was why Bakgi ate alone. It was to defend himself from Chun Jongsum so he couldn’t do anything to him.
“Well... this one is a bit different.”
“What?”
“This one shows the effect when it’s inside your lung or stomach.”
“Lung?”
“You can consume it through food, but you can also be poisoned by breathing it in while you sleep. And the poison is so little that you won’t notice it when you’re asleep. Do you share a room with someone who might be using the poison?”
Bakgi then glared with reddened eyes and shuddered in anger.
‘Chun Jongsum, you bastard...!!!”