I’ve Become a S*ave Bride - Chapter 40

“Are you saying you want to participate in the interrogation?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not a pleasant sight, Lady Leneta.”

Lenette gave a formal smile as if to say it was fine and stood up from her seat.

Knowing that he could not stop her, Najan reluctantly took the lead.

‘I found it before it could spread. I was lucky.’

What if she hadn’t run into Mahat on the way?

Even if she had, what if she hadn’t meddled and checked the medicine he brought back?

‘…That nightmare will repeat itself.’

Of course, the local administrator wouldn’t command the immediate execution of addicts like the King of Ecaron would, without mercy.

He wouldn’t have the authority to do so.

But the sight of a healthy person turning into an addict, while the hellscape unfolds, would be the same.

Her stomach churned.

Recalling that past event brought a strong sense of rejection and a headache threatening to overwhelm her.

‘…This time is different.’

She hadn’t prescribed that devil’s toy with her own hands.

She hadn’t created a situation where someone’s father and someone’s son had to die in vain with her own hands.

‘So don’t be afraid.’

She hadn’t sinned; she had prevented someone from committing a sin.

‘This time, I didn’t create an addict… I stopped one.’

Lenette tightly gripped her slightly trembling hands.

In the meantime, they arrived at the underground location where the interrogation was taking place.

It wasn’t a grain storage cellar; they had to go down stairs that led much deeper.

Is that why? A nauseating smell pierced Lenette’s nose. The stagnant air was a mix of blood and the foul stench of waste.

Unconsciously wrinkling her brow, Nazan quickly asked, “Would you like to go back up now?”

She had frequented places like this during the Unification War of the Ecaron Kingdom. It was unpleasant, but not unfamiliar.

“I’m fine.”

As she descended the last step, Kazen, who had been sitting in front of the physician, uncrossed his legs.

“Why are you here?”

“To check on the patient’s condition.”

“Patient?”

Lenette pointed with her chin at the physician who was gagging. Kazen raised an eyebrow.

“You consider that thing a patient?”

“For now, yes.”

She heard that the physician had started using ‘tariak,’ believing it was merely a medicine to alleviate pain.

He was ultimately a victim and a patient, manipulated by someone else’s intentions.

“Can I take a look?”

“It probably won’t be a pleasant sight.”

“I’m fine.”

The physician, who had just finished vomiting into the waste bucket, slumped to the floor with a drained expression.

‘There are no signs of beating.’

The smell was similar to that of a torture chamber, making her wonder if he had been physically punished, but it seemed not.

As Lenette naturally surveyed the surroundings, she realized that Kazen was treating the physician in a surprisingly ‘humane’ manner.

“That’s unexpected.”

“What is?”

“I didn’t think you would even prepare a place for him to sleep.”

Her gaze landed on a pile of blankets in the corner. The multiple layers indicated that the physician was experiencing chills.

“Were there any seizures?”

“No.”

“Is there any pain in the body?”

“Not really.”

“What about vomiting… that just happened, and what about diarrhea?”

“None of that either.”

“So, feeling extreme cold and vomiting is all there is?”

“Plus, an excessive level of anxiety? That’s about it.”

“I see.”

As Lenette quietly nodded, Kazen stood up and approached.

“Is treatment possible?”

Honestly, she wasn’t sure. Before any attempt at treatment could be made, the King of Ecaron had executed all the tariak addicts.

Still, one thing was certain.

If he had just started using tariak, it meant that his body wasn’t severely damaged yet.

“You said he hasn’t smoked tariak many times, right?”

“Yeah.”

“As I mentioned before, a person cannot quit tariak on their own. Therefore, continuous management is necessary.”

Kazen looked at the trembling physician in the corner and asked, “Will he remain in that state?”

“The severity will gradually lessen. However, even if it’s not a dungeon, he needs to be confined and monitored in a place where people can’t easily reach him. Additionally, he should be provided with good meals to prevent his body from deteriorating.”

“Got it. I’ll find a suitable place.”

It wasn’t Kazen’s fault that the author had ended up like this. Yet, it was somewhat surprising that he was so readily accepting Lenette’s advice. As she quietly looked up at him, he gave her forehead a light tap, as if to ask what she was staring at, and then ordered the soldiers, “Keep a close watch. Don’t treat him like a criminal, and don’t hit him.”

“Yes, understood.”

He approached Lenette and said, “Let’s go up. You said you had something to discuss.”

“Oh… right.”

“Let’s go. This isn’t a place to linger.”

Lenette quietly watched Kazhen’s back as he ascended the stairs.

‘He might be a better person than I thought.’

* * *

Back in the laboratory with Kazen, Lenette immediately began discussing Hyangran and Bunna. Once she finished her explanation, Kazen sank into a chair, looking as if his mind was elsewhere.

“Are you saying that if Bunna and Hyangran are consumed together… one goes insane?”

“Not so much insane, but rather they experience hallucinations or hear voices. To others, it appears as if they have lost their minds.”

“……”

‘It’s surprising, but it shouldn’t be this shocking.’

However, Kazen’s face, which was brushing against his lips in disbelief at what he had just heard, was… quite serious. It was as if he had just learned that his parents were not his biological ones.

“What’s wrong?”

Finally, Lenette couldn’t hold back and asked.

In response to her question, Kazen replied with a question of his own.

“Is it possible, aside from seeing hallucinations, to be consumed by delusions or to confuse something that hasn’t happened as if it has?”

“Yes. If hallucinations are repeated, one can start to accept them as reality, which eventually leads to ‘delusions.’ Moreover, the boundaries between reality, dreams, illusions, and my own imagination become blurred, leading one to claim that things that never happened actually did.”

At that, Kazen let out a hollow laugh and rubbed his face, as if he finally understood. Lenette could now see why Kazen was reacting this way.

‘He’s probably recalling the state of the previous brides.’

According to the old woman, all the brides had enjoyed Bunna and Hyangran, so they must have all experienced symptoms of mental confusion. This might have further heightened the notorious reputation of this abandoned palace and Kazen himself.

“There’s definitely a problem with the items Sarman is selling.”

Having quickly recovered from the shock of what he had just heard, Kazen returned to the main topic.

“Is there a possibility that it wasn’t done with malice?”

“Very low.”

“Why is that?”

“Bunna and Hyangran can be traded as medicinal herbs, so it could be a misunderstanding if we only look at those. However…”

Since the explanation to come would be quite lengthy, Lenette paused and asked him, “Do you have time?”

“Not really, but go ahead.”

Lenette recounted her visit to the market a few days ago and shared the bizarre behavior of the Saruman merchant she had learned about.

“Is the problem that they’re supplying grain at a low price?”

As expected, Kazen reacted similarly to Nazan and the soldiers. However, unlike them, Kazen was someone who needed to be persuaded.

“Exactly. From the perspective of the immediate situation, Sarman, who is providing cheap grain, is a ‘good merchant.'”

Kazen nodded in agreement.

Lenette sat down in the chair opposite Kazen and took out a piece of paper. She began to list the agricultural products currently being produced in the Ragan region one by one.

“Look closely. The first is Taragan wheat.”

Six years ago, Sarman had supplied a large quantity of Taragan wheat to this area for a full three years.

“As a result, farmers who supplied Taragan wheat were on the brink of being left out on the streets. So, they either changed their crops or gave up farming altogether.”

Upon hearing this, Kazen slightly furrowed his brow. Lenette thought he would naturally conclude that it wasn’t entirely Sarman’s fault, just as Nazan and the soldiers had done. However, his response was different from her expectations.

“Well, Sarman certainly contributed to the cause.”

“No, that’s not… wait, what?”

Lenette blinked in surprise at his unexpected response.

“Are you… acknowledging my analysis?”

Kazen stared at her as if to say, “What’s the problem?”

For a moment, she was at a loss for words. She hadn’t anticipated that he would grasp her logic so quickly.

“What’s the issue?”

“Oh… it’s just that others reacted differently when they heard that.”

“What did they say?”

“Well… they seemed to think that while I was right, they felt it was too malicious to assume that Sarman had bad intentions just for selling grain at a good price.”

Kazen rubbed his chin and nodded.

“That could be the case.”

“Don’t you think so?”

At that, he chuckled softly.

“You shouldn’t expect goodwill from merchants. They worship money, not virtue.”

“Oh.”

Only then did Lenette understand the difference between Kazen and others. This man had a precise grasp of the essence of merchants.

“So, shall we continue with what we were discussing?”

“Ah, understood.”

Lenette crossed out the words “Taragan wheat” on her paper with a line.

“As the farmers gave up cultivating Taragan wheat, Sarman naturally stopped supplying that item.”

However, people did not doubt this. They believed the explanation that “pests had infested the region where the grain was sold, making it difficult to obtain,” but more importantly, another grain was immediately supplied in large quantities to replace it.

“But similarly, after about two years of supply, when the cultivators disappeared, they ceased that supply as well.”

“And then they supplied yellow beans.”

“Exactly. But that was only until last year. Starting this year, the supply of yellow beans has also stopped.”