SWY 15

“What? Addicted to tea? What are you talking about?”

Hans laughed and waved his hand like he’d just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. Tea addiction, anyone unaware of the situation would have scoffed at the idea too. Sharhan let out a sigh.

In every village they passed on the way here, there were always one or two people addicted to Paphun tea. Some had bought it cheaply from peddlers, while others had gotten it for free.

As addiction tends to go, those addicted to Paphun grew worse over time. Lestel’s expression whenever he saw them hadn’t been good either. Sharhan had sensed his growing anxiety, which was why he’d pushed forward with such an aggressive pace without hearing a word of complaint.

‘They say the tea was even given out for free in nearby villages. What is Lord Luhas thinking?’

Was he planning to turn the entire empire into addicts?

Sharhan couldn’t guess Lord Luhas’s intentions, but it was clear he hadn’t started distributing Paphun tea out of the goodness of his heart. There was a sinister malice lurking beneath it. Some addicts didn’t even realize they were addicted, like Hans.

“Luhas is producing tea with addictive properties and distributing it.”

Lestel answered in Sharhan’s place, who had been lost in thought. Hans still looked doubtful, then asked hesitantly,

“Is… is that really true?”

“Yes.”

Lestel nodded solemnly.

“I wondered why Luhas, who’s ignored our village for years, suddenly started giving us tea… What could they possibly be planning…”

Hans trailed off mid-sentence, eyes glazing over as he swallowed hard, his throat visibly bobbing.

“C-could I have some water? I suddenly feel… really thirsty…”

He kept licking his lips, he was clearly parched.

“Wait here.”

Sharhan had used up most of his water earlier to wash his hands. While Lestel went to get his own waterskin, Hans’s demeanor began to shift.

“That bastard lord! Fuck! What the hell did our villagers ever do to deserve this fucking tea? I’ll slit that bastard’s stomach open! Stab him with a blade! Let’s eat his guts while they’re spilling out!”

Suddenly consumed by rage, Hans trembled violently as he spewed curses, then froze, staring blankly into space again.

“Hans-”

“Antidote! Is there an antidote?!”

Sensing something was seriously wrong, Sharhan stepped forward to speak, but Hans whipped his head around and shouted. Foamy saliva was bubbling at the corners of his mouth, easily visible in the firelight. The whites of his eyes had turned bloodshot. Clicking his tongue, Sharhan took a step back.

“There isn’t. We were on our way to Luhas to find an antidote oursel–shit!”

Hans’s eyes had gone vacant. He bared his teeth and lunged at Lestel, who had just turned his back.

“Lestel!”

With his mouth wide open and teeth bared, Hans no longer looked like a man, more like a beast who’d tasted human flesh. The guttural growl rising from his throat didn’t sound human either. Sharhan couldn’t help but think, was this what the monsters that hunted humans during the ancient empire sounded like?

A chill shot down his spine. Sharhan flinched at the eerie sound, but the moment Hans was about to reach Lestel, he kicked Hans hard in the ribs. He didn’t have the luxury of holding back. The force of the blow sent Hans sprawling across the ground with a sharp crack.

Any normal person would have either fainted or at least been unable to move for a while. But Hans sprang to his feet like he hadn’t felt a thing and charged again.

Sharhan had seen enough addicts by now to know, when they got like this, knocking them out was the best option. Without hesitation, he struck the back of Hans’s head hard with the scabbard of his sword.

Thud. Hans staggered, then collapsed onto the ground. The blow had hit a vital spot, he’d lost consciousness. Sharhan exhaled, shoulders trembling, then dragged Hans closer to the fire and laid him down. Peering over him, he examined his body. He hadn’t noticed it before, but now that he was leaning in, he could see black veins bulging on his neck, face, and hands.

“Take a look at this.”

Sensing Lestel approach, Sharhan pointed at the back of Hans’s neck. Lestel bent down to inspect him too, letting out a low hum.

“Is his blood turning black?”

“Judging by the veins, it looks that way.”

“He said he first drank the tea half a year ago, right?”

Lestel’s expression darkened. He’d seen many addicts, but never symptoms like this.

“Yeah.”

“And he said they brought fresh tea once a month…”

Lestel trailed off, frowning deeply as he rubbed his chin with his thumb, a habit he had when thinking deeply. Sharhan stared at him for a while, then suddenly scowled as a memory came back. He abruptly kicked Lestel in the shin.

Lestel flinched and turned to glare at Sharhan, who was now fuming.

“Honey, are you crazy? Why are you kicking me out of nowhere? Trying to pick a fight? Or is this some kind of invitation to spar?”

“You’re the crazy one. When Hans was about to attack you earlier, you looked way too relaxed! Are you nuts? What if you’d gotten hurt? My heart would’ve broken! You bastard, I told you, you’re supposed to be treated like a jewel!”

“Oh, I forgot that when I get hurt, it breaks your heart.”

“How the hell do you forget something like that? Lestel Ailun, I’m only going to say this once, so burn it into your ears. If you get hurt, my body is the one that suffers, so not even a hair on your head is allowed to be harmed. Got it?!”

Because of the contract, even the slightest injury to Lestel would put Sharhan in danger. But the moment he said it out loud, the way it came out felt oddly personal. Almost like… he actually cared for Lestel. Like he’d be in agony because he had special feelings for him.

Sharhan glanced sideways at Lestel, who was beginning to smirk as if he’d had the same thought.

“You were that worried about me-”

“Because of the contract! It was because of the contract!”

Sharhan cut in before Lestel could say anything stupid. Lestel clicked his tongue in disappointment, having lost his chance to tease him, just as Hans let out a low groan of pain. His eyes slowly opened. Though the redness in his eyes remained, the madness from earlier was gone.

Sharhan was quietly shocked to see Hans sitting up and looking around in confusion, clearly trying to understand what had happened.

He hadn’t expected him to wake up until dawn at the earliest. Considering how gaunt his body was and how sunken his eyes looked, it was obvious the addiction had left him severely weakened. It was strange.

“Are you alright?”

“What? Oh. What happened to me…? D-did I, by any chance, attack the two of you?”

Hans shrank into himself and glanced nervously at Lestel. Even in casual clothes, it was obvious Lestel’s garments were expensive. Hans had likely guessed his high status from that and became fearful. After all, a commoner attacking a noble could mean immediate execution.

“Yes. But neither of us is hurt, so don’t worry.”

Hans sighed in relief.

“I thought so. Recently, I’ve had episodes where I lose consciousness and attack people nearby. I thought it was some strange kind of contagious disease, but addiction… What on earth was Lord Luhas thinking, making tea like that?”

“We’re wondering the same thing.”

“If the tea came from Luhas, and it’s addictive… then maybe the antidote is there too?”

Hans didn’t seem to remember the conversation from just before he lost his mind.

“That’s exactly what we were hoping, so we’re on our way to Luhas.”

“I see. Then, by any chance, are there others with you who are…?”

When Lestel nodded, Hans let out a heavy, regretful sigh.

“It won’t be easy to get inside the Luhas domain. I’ve lived in a nearby village for almost five years and not once was I allowed in.”

“We still have to try.”

Lestel said as he stared at Hans, whose expression was conflicted.

“I have a question.”

“Yes, please ask anything.”

“You said Luhas first started distributing the tea about six months ago. Was the amount always the same? How did it taste?”

“Well… it tasted like normal tea, nothing strange… but now that you mention it, I think the flavor grew stronger each month. The villagers used to say it was tasting better and better.”

“When did the symptoms begin?”

“Let’s see… maybe about two weeks after we started drinking it? Or was it a month? It’s been a while, so I’m not sure. Anyway, around then, one or two people began falling ill with fevers. A Luhas official came by to observe them.”

“To observe?”

“Yes. Every time they brought more tea, if we mentioned sick people, they’d check on them. As more folks fell ill after drinking the tea… I think it’s been maybe a month or two since the symptoms worsened to this point?”

“……”

Sharhan glanced at Lestel, whose expression was growing darker. He could tell what Lestel’s questions were leading to.

“It was around then that things really got bad. Most of the villagers fell seriously ill. Some would suddenly fly into a rage and bite people nearby, others burned with fever then shivered uncontrollably… Now, they can hardly move and lie there like corpses. The whole village is ruined. And the tea stopped coming. So did the officials.”

“Ha… fuck.”

Sharhan cursed quietly, running a hand through his hair. It was clear now. Luhas had been experimenting on the people of Evers Village, testing the addictive properties of the tea. They’d started with weak brews, gradually making it stronger to find the point where the symptoms became severe.

“I thought I was in better condition because I’d taken care of my health… but no. The truth is, I just drank the least. I never really liked tea, so I hardly touched it. Only started drinking it recently because there’s not much food left, and at least tea helped me feel full… Wait, why did I come here again? Lately, I’ve been drinking ten cups a day… Right. The doctor. I need to go get a doctor.”

Hans staggered to his feet, his eyes unfocused.

“But it’s not a disease, so a doctor won’t help.”

“I bit my wife… and her leg is rotting. I have to bring a doctor, as soon as possible…”

Hans wasn’t even looking at Sharhan. He stared blankly at the air in front of him.

“After the sun comes up-”

Sharhan reached out to stop him, but Hans brushed his hand away.

“It’s fine… I need a doctor. I have to find one. The doctor… the doctor… doctor…”