"So I'm really going to die?" Malozar asked.

"Only if you continue to stay here and continue to do nothing."

"Maybe the others can find the antidote, but I'm not good at these sorts of things. All my life I've only ever cooked and baked."

"I know."

"Then you would know that I don't know that many people and there are only really a few places I trust."

"Sounds like it would be fairly easy to find that antidote then."

"But, there's no way it can be that easy. Especially not while we're all so exhausted."

"And why can't it be?"

Malozar was at a loss for words for a moment. "Because it's a test, right? If I could find it easily, then it would be one, right?"

"Life is often unfair. What might be difficult for some, other might find as if it's their second nature," Aleister said. "Let's use your profession, for example. You're a baker. To you, creating delicious delicacies is fairly easy. But, to someone like me, when I attempt to create a scrumptious good, it turns into an unspeakable horror."

"That's because I've had over a decade of practice!" Malozar protested.

"You have, but ever since birth, you've shown a natural talent in baking and cooking."

"How would you know anything about me?"

"I only know what I've read and have been told." Aleister pointed at the box on the table. "That box on the table, did you not recognize it?"

Malozar turned around and looked at it. His eyes widened as he whipped his head around. "Is it—"

"Yes. It is." Aleister turned his back to Malozar. "Unfortunately, I have better things to do. If you want to stand here and continue to waste time, then go ahead."

Malozar took in a deep breath and left the room, leaving no one inside.

As soon as he saw Malozar leave the building, Aleister let out a sigh of relief.

"Please don't tell me you actually poisoned them," Luo Yun said with a ticked of expression on his face.

"Do I look crazy to you?"

"You don't." The man, who was supposedly left first, peeked his head around a pillar in the room's corner.

Oh great. Aleister rolled his eyes.

He walked out and said, "I had a feeling you wouldn't have done something so reckless. Even if Luo Yun has connections to one of the princess's, the City Watch wouldn't just sit still as you casually kill four people. The Empress may have the most power, but the City Watch Commander and the laws exist for a reason. Nobles having similar punishments to regular commoners is a vital part to Osetia and the Lillium Empire's success in citizenship."

"So you reasoned I wouldn't have poisoned you and instead just have sent you on a wild goos chase?"

"That is what I assumed."

"You're smarter than I first thought, Stronvun. But, you underestimated my lack of regard for the law and the lengths I said would go towards forcing all of you to go through." Aleister said as he shook his head. "The truth is, I am crazy enough to feed you food and water with poison."

"Surely you don't need to keep up this front any longer."

"It's not a front. It's the truth. I just wanted to give Luo Yun some plausibly deniability." Aleister turned his back towards the man. "If you don't believe me, that's fine. But when the effects start to kick in, it might be too late for you. Your eyes are already sagging, the bags under you eyes are dark after all. The heat of the room seems to have increased from just moments ago. The hair on your skin tingling across your entire body. A rash on your legs breaks out. Your arm suddenly feels itchy beyond reason, as if thousands of ants bit you."

Aleister turned around again. Just as he hoped, the man was darting his eyes across the room as he itched his arm through his white robe.

"Your hair thins. The surrounding shadows come alive. Your hallucinations become reality. Your worst nightmares come true." Aleister shrugged as he folded his arms open. "Of course, these are just some effects of the Gloom Touch poison I created. Its complex structure and creation process makes it release a purple gas upon your death to become untraceable."

Stronvun swallowed his saliva. The gulp audible in the now silent room. "But you talked to some people I know. Surely—"

"The laws in the city may be impartial, but how much time and effort will the City Watch put into your investigation? When I scouted and talked to the people, you knew, such as your wife and daughter, I obviously put on a disguise. I took off my earring, covered my eyes with a pair of shades, tied up my hair and wore discrete clothes. They wouldn't be able to recognize me. Oh, and say that you leave now and go tell them who that person they talked to really was. Would you really want the last thing your family remembers about you is a lunatic rambling about how he was poisoned?" Aleister smirked. "Of course, you don't have to believe me or anything I say. The choice is up to you after all."

Stronvun let out a small laugh. "Even if this isn't true, I have to admit I was wrong. Clearly, you are much crazier than I ever thought." He let his words linger in the air, but he didn't stay to observe their effect. He ran straight out of the dojo. The door closed behind him.