Published: July 3, 2025
Confirming that there were no rafflesia imposters around, Ryo gave a small nod and looked towards Zeek.
Priest Zeek seemed to be standing strong against the paralytic poison.
"That's amazing, Zeek..."
Ryo unintentionally muttered that as he took out a homemade antidote potion from his usual bag.
Without a word, Zeek accepted it and, with slow movements, drank the potion by himself.
After confirming that, Ryo began to administer the antidote potion to the five individuals who had collapsed on the ground, one by one.
Even though they had collapsed, the situation was quite chaotic.
The ones with the mildest symptoms were Amon and Harold.
Ryo felt he sort of understood Amon. He didn't have a reason, but he just felt that way.
Harold, being a direct descendant of the royal family, seemed to have been trained to develop a strong resistance to poison... though it was uncertain whether such seemingly inhumane practices even existed...
Still, it seemed plausible.
Since ancient times, one of the things that the privileged class has feared the most is poison.
Next, with the mildest symptoms were Nils, Gowan, and Eto.
These three seemed unable to move even a single finger.
Fearsome, that paralytic poison!
After giving them the antidote potion, it took just five minutes for everyone to fully recover to their usual selves.
However, their complexions were poor.
“Huh? Was my antidote potion bad?”
Ryo felt concerned about their pale faces.
Since it was a potion to neutralize poison, he hoped they would tolerate the bad taste...
“No, Ryo. You saved us.”
Nils was the first to speak up.
Even so, it was still somewhat difficult to understand him.
It seemed that recovering from the paralytic poison took some time before they could speak properly.
While their bodies could move quite quickly, the muscles around their mouths might require more delicate control.
"However... what was that? My entire body suddenly went numb."
"Yeah, that was surprising. Even for paralysis, to have my whole body go numb that instant..."
"That was because of the plant Ryo froze, right?"
Nils recalled with a bitter expression, Eto traced back his painful memories, and Amon gazed at the frozen rafflesia imposter with a refreshing expression devoid of any suffering.
“Thank you, Ryo…”
“I’m grateful.”
“We’re glad you came.”
Harold, Gowan, and Zeek from Room 11 properly expressed their thanks to Ryo.
This area seemed to have made a solid impression.
Perhaps Nils had said something.
Words from someone you admire have an overwhelming impact.
Nils approached the frozen rafflesia imposter with a sense of trepidation, while Amon approached with an excited feeling of seeing something for the first time.
“There weren’t any of these guys just now, right…”
“Perhaps they just weren’t visible,” Nils speculated.
Nils and Amon exchanged opinions.
"I encountered this creature during a journey with Abel, and I think it has the ability to reflect like a mirror, blending into the surrounding scenery," Ryo explained casually.
“I've never heard of a plant-type monster that can become invisible,” Amon remarked.
“It might not exist in the Central Nations,” Nils suggested.
“Oh? But Ryo and Mr. Abel have seen it before…”
Nils and Eto shared their thoughts, and Amon questioned the information Ryo had just mentioned.
“Ah... When Abel and I encountered it, it was on the other side of the mountain of demons. Whether we can call it the Central Nations is debatable,” Ryo clarified.
His words were met with astonished gazes from the other six.
“The other side of the mountain of demons... you survived from such a place…”
“Still, your majesty Abel is incredible!”
“It sounds like there must be some tremendous monsters on the other side of the mountain of demons!”
Eto murmured while Nils respected the person he admired even more, and Amon spoke as if he was stepping onto the path of a battle junkie.
Of course, the three from Room 11 remained silent.
All three were trembling just a bit... but this too was a well-kept secret.