Chapter 18. A Corpse in the Woods
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«Holy shit!»

I covered my mouth with my hands in shock when I realized that I had just run into someone's body.

In the semi-darkness of the forest, I could see a girl about my age, or a little older, whose hand I almost stepped on. When I realized that, I jumped aside.

She had a beautiful face with chiseled features and pale skin, and blue-black hair. In the back of my mind, I thought she was very beautiful for a commoner. At first glance I had no trouble guessing her origins.

Despite her attractive, high society face, her clothes were very poor. In my mind's eye, she was clearly not worth more than a couple of pieces of silver.

True, she was now covered in blood.

I had indeed discovered a corpse in the woods, not far from my estate!

Considering that it was my «first time,» I was shaking with fear for a while. Then I took a deep breath and tried to come to my senses.

After all, this is an NC-17 rated novel. Death and violence should be taken for granted here, just like elves and dragons in fantasy. It was no surprise that sooner or later I stumbled upon a breathless body.

What shocked me more was that it happened very close to my house! What's more, I almost tripped over her…

How could this commoner be here in such a terrible way? In my mind, I considered only one possible scenario.

The poor thing must have had the misfortune of running into bandits. Not far from here, the Black Guard was scouring the area time and again. Of course, these criminals didn't care about the lives of ordinary people.

I looked at this girl with pity. So young and beautiful, and left this world so early… I must be especially vigilant, lest the same thing happen to me.

After praying for the repose of her soul, I was going to step over the body and move on. But… The next moment I almost had another heart attack.

A cold hand, as if from the depths of the underworld, suddenly grabbed my leg.

I turned around in shock.

Just as I wanted to step over it, the girl I thought was dead suddenly grabbed me. She was still unconscious. Apparently, it was her internal reflexes that kicked in.

I was discouraged by this turn of events.

«It can't be! She's still alive…?!»

Even though she hadn't even breathed a second ago, her icy fingers held me surprisingly tight. With difficulty, but I was able to break free. As soon as I did, she ran out of the last of her strength and her hand collapsed.

Forgetting what purpose I'd originally set out for in this forest, I threw myself at her.

Still, even though I care most for my own skin, I'm not a heartless creature.

— Hey, how are you?!

Strange question, considering she's covered in blood. Oh, well.

I leaned my head against her chest as I expected no reply. How else could I tell if someone was alive or not? I could hear her heart beating very faintly through her clothes. And there was no breathing at all, like a dead man's.

I realized that even if she wasn't dead now, she was about to be.

As it turned out, my screaming was loud enough. Not five minutes later, Elisha soon caught up with me, worried that I'd run into some danger.

— M-my lady! What's the matter with…

The maid stopped in mid-sentence when she saw me leaning over someone's body. At the same moment, her pupils dilated.

— Th-This…

Remorse tormented me for a few seconds. I thought that if I left her here, I would feel guilty for the rest of my life. Still, though unfamiliar, this was a human life.

I believed that one day, my action today would boomerang back to me.

— Hurry!

I threw one of her arms over me, but it turned out I could not do without help here. I was surprised that, despite her slender build, she was quite heavy. The maid was dazed, not fully understanding what I wanted to do.

I looked at her expectantly.

— Elisha, quick! Take her other hand.

She froze in a daze.

— B-b-but… Milady… Who's that? What do you want to do?

— I'll explain later!

My unapologetic tone took her out of her stupor. As a result, the girl had to obey and carry this «burden» with me to the manor. Fortunately, there were few servants outside, as most of them were preparing for the arrival of the Duke.

Almost imperceptibly, we carried the commoner through the back door right into my room. I asked Elisha to call our family doctor, Xavier.

My request did not take long, and the right man appeared fifteen minutes later. During that time, I nervously looked at my watch, as every second counted.

The commoner was lying serenely on my bed, showing no sign of life. I feared she would end up dead right here in my room.

When an older man who looked like a professor entered the room, I immediately locked the door behind him. The healer was somewhat surprised by this turn of events, but soon inquired uncertainly:

— My Lady, you summoned me without warning… Is there an emergency? Are you indisposed?

— Not me.

— W-what?

— Can you examine her?

When I stepped aside and the doctor saw the girl lying on my bed, his eyes popped out of his head. Probably because she really was in a terrible state.

— I-it's… Let me ask you a question…

When I realized that he was about to ask me the same question as the maid, I interrupted him.

— Please, I'll explain everything to you later! But do something right now!

Xavier looked at me in surprise for a while, probably because it was the first time he had seen me so determined. As a child, Camille was a sickly child, and the doctor often had to visit her. He remembered the Duke's youngest daughter as a weak and rather insecure lady.

This was the first time Camilla summoned him on her own, and even put some conditions. The man was understandably perplexed. But then, overcoming his inner embarrassment, he took up his duties.

— I will do what I can.

No more than ten minutes passed while we waited outside the door. I was surprised that the healer invited us in so soon. That meant it was either very good or very bad.

As it turned out, the latter.

— I'm afraid there's nothing I can do.

Xavier flung his hands helplessly.

— How so?! — I was astonished, — Did not my father hired you because you are one of the best doctors in the empire?

Xavier shrugged his shoulders guiltily. There was a note of doom in his voice:

— I am afraid that, apart from God himself, not even the most talented physicians on the planet can help this girl.

— Why? Is it that serious?

I was stunned. At first glance, I thought it was just stab wounds from a fight. Couldn't they be operated on and patched up?

When I told the doctor, he shook his head.

— They weren't stab wounds.

— But how? There's blood…

— It must have belonged to someone else. Though… There is indeed one wound, but it's minor.

— Then…? — I hesitated, wondering what could have caused such a strange illness.

— Poisoning,» Xavier concluded, «is probably the strongest poison I've ever seen in my life.

I couldn't believe my ears.

Who would want to waste poison that was considered valuable enough in the empire on some commoner? Was it not a mistake?

But the doctor dispelled my doubts:

— I assure you, I could not be mistaken about such a question. It is indeed poison, and with a minimal chance of survival.

— …

I couldn't even find the words.

— Since I've never encountered such a recipe before, I don't know the antidote,» he continued, «I'm afraid that what I have with me can't help at all.

I bit my lip nervously.

Would it really end like this?

I looked at the commoner lying unconscious on my bed, in the prime of her life. I couldn't believe that her life would end so unfairly and cruelly.

Did anyone deserve such an end for themselves?

Except for the main villain, I probably didn't wish such a fate on anyone. Even that villain, my older brother, wasn't bad enough to deserve such a painful death.

Taking a deep breath, I made a firm and irrevocable decision in my life. Even if I might regret it later.

— Elisha.

I silently called for my maid.

The girl immediately appeared beside me, and asked what was required of her.

— How many frost mushrooms were you able to gather?

After Elisha summoned the doctor, the presence of a second person was no longer necessary, and so as not to waste time, I sent her back into the woods. After all, it really was a precious opportunity.

— Th-This… — the maid hesitated, «One…

— What?

— M-my lady, I could only find one frost fungus… — «All the others take at least a couple of decades to fully mature… I assure you, I have thoroughly examined everything!

Elisha took a mushroom out of the basket she'd been carrying all this time, and showed it to me. On the outside it was very similar to the mushroom, which I knew well from my world.

Except… When I tried to touch it with my bare hand, my finger went numb, as if I had touched a block of ice. Well, at least the mushroom lived up to its name.

I grinned incredulously.

So, in those fifty years, only one could grow? Not a lot, though. In any case, I wouldn't be able to build a business with so little «product.»

So my entrepreneurial career has collapsed before it has even begun.

Well, then all I have to do is use it for its intended purpose.

I took the basket with the one and only frosty mushroom from Elisha's hands and turned to the doctor. He was surprised to see what I wanted to do.

— Xavier, can you make a decoction from this mushroom? I want to save this girl.

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