Antidote

The entire Karlac Castle bustled for the first time in a while as preparations for the grand banquet to welcome back the Great General were underway. Rumor had it that a massive ten-day celebration was in the works.It had been about a year since the General left Karlac. He had led his army to suppress an uprising of tribespeople near the York border. The rebellion turned out to be much larger than expected, and with York showing signs of displeasure at the army’s proximity to their border, tensions rose, prolonging the conflict.Though none of this had much to do with me, it was clear that the people were excited. Karlac Castle hadn’t seen much good news lately. The atmosphere had been tense all summer due to consecutive deaths and purges, but now, things were loosening up quickly.There was also a sense of liveliness at the Glenberg estate. Merchants came and went several times a day, their carts loaded with expensive spices, silk, and provisions. Despite the late summer heat, the merchants’ faces were bright with excitement.There was a rumor that the Duke of Karlac, delighted by the General’s victory, would generously reward all the castle workers with gifts, both large and small. This rumor seemed to be true, as carts loaded with cheap wine, rather than the fine liquor reserved for nobles, were seen entering the castle. People whispered that the Duke intended to distribute food and drink to everyone.Lords from neighboring regions arrived at Karlac Castle one by one to attend the victory banquet. Knights and servants bearing unfamiliar crests wandered through the castle, sometimes causing noisy quarrels.Everyone’s excitement for the upcoming banquet was palpable.I, however, thought of Jiyod, who had quietly returned like a defeated general. He was a war hero who had ended a 20-year civil war in Alto in just two years. Yet, what awaited him was not a grand victory ceremony or a lavish banquet, but cold indifference, disdainful glances, and an old lover who had lost her memory and gone mad…A wry smile tugged at my lips. I felt strange.I slipped away from the bustling crowd and spent my days quietly.The mages predicted the weather and set the date for the victory parade. The chosen day was bright and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky.From the morning, all the workers were abuzz with excitement. A boy I had grown somewhat close to snuck over to me and whispered.“The Duke of Karlac is going to throw a mix of gold and silver coins, ten thousand in all.”He puffed up with pride. His face was flushed red, eager to be the first to rush and pick up the coins.Not just him, but everyone was the same. With excited faces, people chattered nonstop about the upcoming parade and banquet, spitting as they talked.In addition to the gold and silver coins, thirty carts loaded with peonies and roses to be thrown alongside the coins had entered the castle.Thin silk banners bearing the Karlac crest and the General’s title of Inkery were draped over the horses.Finally, all the castle gates were thrown open.Ninety-six towers unfurled flags with both the Karlac and Inkery crests. The vibrant banners resembled waves of red and blue.“Slan.”Lisbeth called out to me.She wore a splendid red dress, with a crown of glass and pearls on her head. Her cloak was thin and fluttering, with the Glenberg crest boldly emblazoned on it. The sword at her waist was an ornate and expensive item adorned with delicate silverwork, though it was not meant for actual combat.Her three children stood lined up behind her, all dressed in unusually fine attire. The two sisters had their long hair braided and intertwined with golden flowers. Their cheeks were flushed as they fidgeted and played with each other. Kirsten, dressed in gold and red matching Lisbeth, ran over and clung to my leg.“The parade is about to start. You should change your clothes,” Lisbeth said to me. I quietly shook my head.“A slave cannot attend such an event. I’ll stay here.”At my words, Lisbeth’s dark eyebrows rose sharply.But I didn’t change my expression.At the parade, Lisbeth’s place would be right below the Duke of Karlac. I wasn’t ready to face the Duke yet. And, of course… I didn’t deserve to, either.After a moment, Lisbeth sighed.“I see…”As she sighed, Lister entered from the entrance of the inner chamber.He was also dressed in colors matching the Glenberg family. His long red cloak bore the prominent Glenberg crest, and his black tunic was densely embroidered with gold. He looked at me and furrowed his brow.“Why are you dressed like that?”Then he turned to Lisbeth.“Sister, you should have Slan change clothes.”“Slan isn’t going.”Lisbeth curtly replied. Lister’s mouth opened slightly, then closed again. He scowled at me.After a few seconds, he shrugged.“Well, what good would it do for a slave to attend? Better to stay with the lowborn and pick up some coins— Ow!”Before he could finish his sentence, Lisbeth punched him hard in the chest. With a yelp, Lister staggered backward, and I secretly enjoyed watching it.In contrast to the roughness she’d shown to Lister, Lisbeth placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. Without saying a word, she patted me a few times and then brushed past me. Kirsten, still clinging to my leg, pouted for a moment before following her out.Lister briefly glanced at Lisbeth, who was walking ahead, then turned his head towards me. He approached, leaned in close, and whispered in a low voice.“Instead of wasting time picking up coins or throwing flowers in the crowd, stay quietly inside. Got it?”I turned my head without answering.Lister’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t hold on to me any longer. His grip tightened on my arm briefly before he let go.He turned away, and I watched as the edge of his red cloak fluttered in the air.The banquet would follow immediately after the victory procession.It would last for ten days, and for ten days, everyone would be caught up in the drinking and revelry, lost in the festive mood.The castle was far more crowded than usual, filled with merchants from beyond the inner walls and knights and workers brought by the regional lords. In all this chaos, who would pay attention to me? Perhaps I could slip unnoticed into the Ipsen manor… I harbored that small hope as I stepped out of my chamber.Jiyod was probably attending the victory banquet.I tried to gauge his thoughts, but I failed every time.Instead, I left the manor. With everyone gone to watch the victory parade, the castle was quieter than usual.From beyond the inner wall, I could hear loud cheers. The sound of music mixed with the lukewarm breeze of late summer.My feet naturally headed towards the corridor.But just as I was about to enter the small back path leading out from the northern annex of the manor, I heard a familiar voice call my name from behind.“Lord Slan!”The voice was rather loud.I hesitated and turned around.A short man, dressed in lavish navy silk, was waddling towards me. A small hunchbacked man… I quickly remembered him.And along with that, the name that hadn’t come to me before.“Yofius.”The familiar name slipped from my lips as if it had always been there, waiting to be recalled.The hunchbacked man, with his glassy eye gleaming, stopped in front of me. He looked up at me with a stern face.“Fancy seeing you here. You look healthy. Have you been well?”But I couldn’t answer him.A whirlwind of confusion was raging in my mind.Why had his name surfaced at this very moment?“Are you alright?”Yofius asked again, his soft voice contrasting with his stern expression.I nodded reluctantly. My breath quickened and then slowly returned to its normal pace.Yofius moved his short neck to glance around, ensuring no one was nearby before speaking to me again.“You didn’t go to the parade. I thought you might not, so I came here. It was a gamble whether I’d see you, but I guess I was lucky.”“Uh…”I nodded awkwardly, unsure of what to say.“How did you get here?”It wasn’t until a moment later that the obvious question came to mind.At my question, Yofius’s glassy eye rolled slightly.“I came to deliver spices for the banquet. I pushed aside the driver and took over the reins myself.”Then he spread his hands before me.“I’m missing a few fingers, but I can still manage to drive a cart.”I looked down at his hands, where the spots for three fingers were missing. His left ring and index fingers, along with his right thumb, had been cleanly severed as if by a blade.And I… I remembered when all of those fingers had been intact.My breath quickened again. After several rapid inhales and exhales, I managed to calm myself.“Yofius, you had…”Every memory circuit in my mind was flailing about like fish out of water.“Didn’t you have a sister? Tall, red-haired… with a deep knowledge of fine swords.”The look of despair that washed over this small, frail man’s face at that moment!I immediately realized I had made a mistake.Yofius’s eyes were trembling wildly. His aged, wrinkled face was flooded with pain, fear, anger, and sorrow.“Anuka…”He answered in a hoarse voice.“Anuka passed away some time ago, Lord Slan. Just shy of two years ago.”Two years…My thoughts unraveled, one leading into another, until they were a tangled mess like a knotted thread.I stopped trying to think and simply nodded dumbly.“I’m sorry.”“What do you have to be sorry for, Lord Slan? Please, don’t say such things.”Yofius twisted his lips into something resembling a smile. If it really was a smile, it would have been a very bitter one. I looked down at him for a moment, clutching my chest with one hand, and when our eyes met, he made an obedient expression, like a well-trained hunting dog.A shock as if lightning split me in two followed. Why was this man looking at me with such an expression?“Is there anything I can help you with? Are you uncomfortable in any way?”His eyes darted around as he scanned me up and down.“Is that wretched man treating you well? Though I suppose it’s obvious without me asking. Is he taking good care of you?”At that, I looked down at my toes.“Yeah… he’s good to me.”“As he should be.”Yofius replied, and I felt a wave of shame wash over me.“How about food and clothing? Is there anything lacking?”“No, nothing.”“If you need anything, just let me know anytime. I’ll help you.”I looked back at him.His twisted lips moved again, as if trying to form a smile. For some reason, the expression made me want to laugh. I let out a small chuckle and placed my hand on his shoulder. Even that touch felt natural. Yofius shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.“Thanks.”“Not at all. I’m always ready.”Ready?That one incongruous word briefly made me pause, but it was soon overshadowed by his next words.“Anyway, it looks like it’s going to be quite the banquet. Ten whole days, you say? This kind of grand procession and feast hasn’t happened in almost ten… no, twelve years, right?”He quickly continued.“The frankincense and myrrh I brought into the castle today alone exceeded twenty jars. If you include everything else, the amount is staggering. And they’re scattering ten thousand gold coins at the procession, along with thirty thousand silver coins.”The quantities Yofius mentioned were three times what the boy had told me. I nodded.“It seems the Duke of Karlac is pleased with the grand commander’s return.”At my words, Yofius’s expression twisted.“Of course, he would be… But isn’t it a bit much? When the Lord of Ipsen returned—”“Yofius.”I cut him off with a bitter smile.“We’re inside the castle.”“Ah…”His thick eyelids fluttered. He sighed.“I’ve misspoken.”“It’s fine.”I smiled softly to reassure him. Yofius sighed again, this time at least three times deeper than before.“You look well. That’s a relief.”Then he glanced around.“I’d better be going. If anyone finds out I snuck into the Glenberg manor… or that I happened to run into you, no excuse about getting lost will hold up.”With those words, Yofius bowed his head to me.“Reach out anytime. Whenever you need me…”After leaving those parting words, he turned and walked away.I quietly watched as his figure quickly disappeared down the path to the other side of the courtyard.His significant words about always being ready and to contact him if needed lingered in my mind a few more times before slowly fading away.Instead of going to flip coins, I went back inside. My steps led me to the farthest room on the first floor of the annex.The room was a large diamond shape, with sunlight pouring in through tall glass windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. The windows were half-open, letting in distant sounds of singing and cheers from afar.The old woman inside the room glanced up when she heard my footsteps. She must have been around a hundred years old. Dressed in long black robes, she sat before a loom, slowly working her hands. The clacking sound of the shuttle moving back and forth echoed in the room.“Who is it?”“It’s me.”I answered softly and approached her.She turned her head slowly, following the sound of my footsteps. But my image didn’t reflect in her fallen eyelids.The old woman blinked her dim eyes.“Here again. What does a young person like you find in visiting a dying old woman?”I didn’t reply and sat down beside her at the spinning wheel. I fiddled with the spindle for a moment before starting to turn it. The spinning wheel turned slowly.The old woman resumed her work at the loom, weaving a tapestry. Little by little, the bright colors of the tapestry emerged from the hands of the blind woman.I often came here when my mind was in turmoil, when I didn’t want to be alone, but didn’t want the curious gazes of others either.She was blind, didn’t know who I was, and didn’t care much. She was simply spending her final days here, quietly weaving tapestries or spinning thread. Aside from the occasional visit from her great-great-granddaughter, who brought her food, I was the only one who ever came here.“There’s a victory procession happening. Why aren’t you going?”“Not really interested…”I replied in a small voice.Although her vision was failing, her hearing was sharp. She could catch the sound of the thread passing and weave intricate patterns with it.I imitated the way she spun the wheel before, trying to make some thread. I placed a cotton lump into the carder and turned the wheel. The thread slowly, slowly began to form.The spinning wheel turned, and with it, my thoughts swirled around like the fine threads.Tsk, a sound of disapproval came from her.“A young person, wasting time here…”She clicked her tongue a few more times.But when I didn’t respond, she fell silent.The thread moved back and forth across the tapestry on the loom, slowly revealing a pattern. The golden and radiant crest of Karlac…“Do you know how to weave the Ipsen crest too?”I asked casually, and for a very brief moment, her hands stopped.“I don’t do that.”She answered coldly. I merely nodded.“What use is there in weaving a beast’s crest?”“Just…”I mumbled my response.“I’d like to have one.”“Carrying something like that around will only bring gossip.”I smiled bitterly instead of answering.There were only a few people who carried the Ipsen crest here in Karlac Castle. And of those, only one person openly displayed it. Even Ismion wore a ring with the Karlac mage’s insignia rather than anything bearing the Ipsen crest.The angle of the sunlight filtering through the window changed, and the shadows grew longer.The spool on the spinning wheel had grown quite thick. It seemed a fair amount of time had passed.I stood up and opened the window wide. A lukewarm breeze flowed into the room.Footsteps could be heard outside the chamber. They sounded somewhat urgent.The steps stopped suddenly at the entrance, and someone poked their head inside. It was a young male servant, sweat beading on his forehead and his cheeks flushed.“So, here you are.”He looked at me and beckoned urgently. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.“Someone’s looking for you.”“For me?”“Someone important.”He seemed out of breath.I blinked a few times and slowly nodded. The old woman weaving the tapestry widened one eye to look at me. I gave her a quick goodbye before following the servant out of the chamber.The servant’s pace was fast. I tried to keep up with him as best I could, but my left ankle wasn’t cooperating, making it difficult. He kept urging me to hurry.“Who is it, anyway?”“I don’t know. Someone important. The chief steward…”He sighed again.“Hurry, please.”I tried my best.By the time we arrived at the guest reception room in the main building, my ankle was throbbing intensely.But the pain in my ankle was nothing compared to the pounding of my heart from the tension and anxiety.Who could possibly be looking for me, a slave, in the master’s absence?Could it be Jiyod?That thought briefly crossed my mind but quickly vanished.Just then, the chief steward was exiting the reception room. His wrinkled face was pale. His dark eyes brightened a little when he saw me.“You’re here? Go on in, they’ve been waiting for quite some time.”He gently pushed me forward, but I couldn’t hide my confusion.“Who is it?”The steward leaned in close and whispered in a very small voice.“The Grand Commander.”That answer was like a bolt from the blue. I stared at him for a moment, thinking I had misheard, but he only nodded solemnly in silence.“The Grand Commander… why would he want to see me?”Was there some kind of mistake?What business could the Grand Commander possibly have with me, a slave?And why now, when neither Lisbeth nor Lister were here?A cold sense of foreboding trickled down my spine.Reluctantly, I stepped into the reception room.In the center of the spacious room was a comfortable armchair and a low table, with steam rising from a teapot on the table. Afternoon sunlight poured through the southern-facing glass windows, casting intricate shadows on the floor.A large man stood by the window. When he heard my footsteps, he turned.My breath quickened and then abruptly stopped.It was a face I didn’t recognize… but somehow, it seemed familiar.Perhaps he was in his mid-thirties. He looked to be around the same age as Ismion, or perhaps slightly older.His sun-darkened skin looked tough, like hardened leather. His deep-set eyes were a dark navy color. He wore armor, with a large crest emblazoned on his chest. Four arrows piercing through the broken star of Inkery… the crest of the Karlac Great Commander, Duke of Inkery.I finally exhaled the breath I had been holding.“You were looking for me…”Before I could finish speaking, he stepped toward me. His armor joints creaked, and the sword at his waist clanged softly. Instinctively, I took a step back.A brief sigh escaped from him. Instead of approaching further, he went to the armchair and sat down.“I called you because I have something to ask.”“What could the Great Commander have to ask of a slave? If it’s about Glenberg, both of my masters are away….”“Sit.”His arm, encased in a vambrace, gestured to the chair opposite him.I remained silent for a moment, glancing between his hand and his face, before slowly sitting where he indicated, all the while not letting down my guard.His gaze studied me.There was neither hostility nor curiosity in his eyes. I tried to calm my rapidly beating heart.After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again.“It seems Madam Lisbeth has made a mistake.”His eyes moved toward my ankle. My face flushed. No matter how carefully I had walked, it was clear I couldn’t deceive the eyes of an experienced knight.“In any case, we don’t have much time, so I’ll get straight to the point.”His voice was curt…I’d heard this voice before. Yes, surely I had. The Duke of Inkery, Karlac’s Great Commander… his name… his name… I racked my brain, trying to recall anything about this man, but nothing came to mind.Only my pounding heart, as if it were trying to alert me to something my mind couldn’t remember, beat furiously.He reached inside his cloak and pulled something out.It was a small wooden box. Its edges were worn smooth from being opened and closed countless times.He casually opened the box. With a soft click, it revealed a delicately rolled-up piece of paper. His broad fingers carefully unrolled it and laid it on the table.My eyes naturally followed it.The paper wasn’t large—about the size of a handkerchief.Its edges were crumpled as if it had been looked at hundreds or even thousands of times, and its color had slightly yellowed with age.The Great Commander rested his hand on the paper and slid it toward me.“Do you know what this is?”I leaned in to take a closer look at the paper.Something was drawn on it in black or blue ink. It appeared to be a design—a part of something massive.I lifted my head to look at the Great Commander.“Is it some kind of magical blueprint?”“You don’t recognize it?”“Not… really….”“Have you never seen it before?”At that question, a bitter smile crept onto my lips. I bit my lower lip and glared at him.“Great Commander, I am a slave. A madman suffering from delusions… Surely, if you have eyes and ears, you know what happened to me two years ago. Did you come here to mock me?”He didn’t answer.A long silence followed.After a while, he retrieved the paper. He carefully rolled it back up, placed it in the box, and tied it with a red string before tucking it back into his cloak.Though his expression remained neutral, I could sense the stiffness in his thick, black eyebrows, revealing an inexplicable displeasure.My heart continued to race.A cold sense of dread turned into sweat, soaking my back.“I apologize for the sudden visit. I will explain things to Madam Lisbeth, so don’t worry about that.”With those words, he rose from his seat.I wanted to stand up as well, but I couldn’t seem to muster any strength in my body. If I tried to stand now, I’d surely stumble.He didn’t seem to mind that I hadn’t stood.It was unthinkable for a slave to remain seated in front of the Karlac Great Commander…All I could manage was to open my mouth and utter a few words.“Congratulations on your victory.”The Great Commander looked down at me silently. He gazed at my face for a long moment before slowly nodding.“Thank you.”With those words, he turned away.I remained frozen in my chair, unable to move, even after he left the room and the door closed behind him.A minute passed… or perhaps fifteen minutes, or even longer. Eventually, the chamberlain hurried into the sitting room. He was usually composed and never raised his voice, but today his face was flushed with anger.“What business did the Great Commander have here? Does the master know about this? What’s going on? Wasn’t he supposed to go straight to the banquet after the victory ceremony?”I shook my head, still in a daze.I had no answers to his questions.I was drenched in cold sweat.My palms were slick with it.Seeing my nearly absent expression, the chamberlain clicked his tongue. A sympathetic light flickered in his wrinkled eyes. He likely assumed I was in shock from meeting someone who had once been beneath me. How laughable. If that were the case, my entire existence here as a slave at Glenberg was already absurd… and besides, I barely remembered the Great Commander.My shock came from something else.I recalled the inexplicable fear and tension I had felt the moment I saw that towering man.Cold sweat gathered at my temples, dampening my skin.“Go and rest.”The chamberlain’s voice was unusually gentle.I mumbled a quiet thank you and managed to stand up from my seat.As I left the sitting room, my knees wobbled.The dull ache in my left ankle began to throb again. I paused in the hallway to catch my breath. The stained glass windows cast colorful beams of light onto the wide corridor floor, forming small bird-shaped shadows.At that moment, the young servant who had sought me earlier appeared from the other end of the corridor.When he saw me, his shoulders flinched slightly.“Um…”He cautiously spoke.“Are you feeling unwell?”I shook my head and forced a smile. Relief washed over his face.“Could you help me with something? The chamberlain asked me to organize the master’s study, but there are a lot of papers and woodblocks…”“Oh…”I nodded. Many servants didn’t know how to read. In fact, even some nobles could only manage to read and write their own names and family titles, so it wasn’t something to be ashamed of.“I’ll take care of it.”His face brightened at my answer.“I’d really appreciate that…”He glanced at me hesitantly.“It’s fine. I’m not going to the banquet anyway… Go ahead. Didn’t the Duke of Karlac provide the food and drinks for it?”Only then did he beam. He thanked me repeatedly before quickly heading down the hallway. He’d probably spent a good while wandering through the mansion, searching for me while everyone else was excited about the victory ceremony and the banquet… Since I wasn’t going anywhere, helping with Lisbeth’s study was no big deal.I slowly made my way to Lisbeth’s quarters, dragging my left foot slightly.Her quarters were quiet and empty. The door to her inner chamber was closed, and a pot of incense sat in the corner.I entered her study, which was located further inside. Half of it was cast in shadow.I walked to the window and glanced outside. I could see flags fluttering on the ramparts and towers. After staring at the Inkery crest for a moment, I turned around.The study was slightly cluttered.Papers and wooden blocks were scattered around. I figured that since Lisbeth had already sorted out the important things, all I needed to do was organize the scattered documents. Lisbeth usually arranged her papers by date, so I followed suit. I rolled up the ones with marks of wear and placed them in the cabinet, while I stacked the rest neatly.It didn’t take long.Just as I was finishing up, something white caught my eye beneath the desk. It was likely a blank sheet of paper with ink smudges on it, perhaps left there by Kirsten while she was playing around in the study. I picked it up as the final task. I was about to place it on the desk when I noticed the slightly crumpled corner and smoothed it out with my fingers.As I absentmindedly touched the soft surface of the paper, the strange blueprint the Great Commander had shown me earlier resurfaced in my mind.That design… depicting part of some massive structure…A faint headache, like the tickle of a feather against my temple, crept up. At the same time, my heart began to race again.I…I knew that blueprint.I could envision the entire thing beyond the small portion that had been drawn on the paper.A grand bridge arching across a deep chasm.I recalled a dream from the past—Ismion standing in front of Mannerheim Gorge, with several figures lined up beside him. Ah. I blinked. Their faces, once blurry as if covered by frost on glass, became clear. Yofius, and his younger sister Anuka! How could I have forgotten their faces?My heart was now pounding so hard it felt as though it would burst through my ribs.