Cermin’s eyes widened, and looked at the bottle with a strange expression on his face.

He then drank some of it skeptically, and made a gagging sound. He frowned, and rushed to look for some place where he could puke.

A male nurse in the infirmary heard this, and helped him, patting his back.

“Oh, that’s good. You’re awake and ejecting the poison now.”

Cermin made a pitiful expression, wiping his mouth. (I was really poisoned?)

The nurse handed him some water to drink, and he was sat down on his bed for a while. He pointed at the bottle and the note. “Was this from you, sir?”

“Oh?” The nurse only noticed it. “No… Perhaps it’s from one of the medics, but I can’t recognize the handwriting from any of them.”

“I see…..” Cermin said. “I would like to go to the library.”

“But you still need to rest—“

Cermin was already walking out, carrying the bottle with a note with him.

The library and infirmary were in a building connected to the Banquet Palace, in the center of the four Spires. Besides this was the Council office, and the four of them make up what was called the ‘Centrepiece.’_.

The Centrepiece was the space available for all students, with the exception of the Council office, of course. Just like the miscellaneous spaces like the Quadrangle, but it was not any Spires’ domain.

Cermin went to the large library with 10 floors full of books and sleepy librarians, finding it difficult to decipher which floor to find out about ‘mercury poisoning’.

But Ronin have found it easily, as he realized that this library was designed to follow the Dewey Decimal Classification System. First floor was 000-099, General Works, and last floor was 900-999, History and Geography.

The floor Cermin should be looking for was the 6th floor for Sciences. Many Scholars students lounge at this floor and study for exams and tests.

Cermin finally reached the floor, tired and panting from all the stairs he had to walk. If only he knew which was the right floor from the start, he would have walked on the spiraling staircase that connects to all floors and stopped at the sixth one.

He rummaged the shelves for medicine-related books and asked around still wearing that plain white hospital frock, making him seem like some lunatic that just escaped from an asylum. So people merely avoided or ignored him.

But a voice of someone wearing a cloak and reading a large book covering his face completely said:

“Go look at the third shelf on the right.”

Cermin nodded gratefully at this kind gentleman after being snubbed for so long. “Thanks!”

He checked the books on this shelves, and found what he was looking for.

The History of Mercury Usage, Benefits and Toxicity.

He checked the index for the Toxicity part specifically, and flipped the pages frantically.

“Mercury may cause an increase to the excitability of a person, resulting to high levels of energy, but unstable mental state that includes anxiety, restlessness, low balance control…”

The more he read, the more Cermin’s throat felt dry. He stopped, slamming the book to the ground.

Suddenly, someone unexpected came rushing to the library’s front door.

“Goldie! There you are! What are you doing here?”

Cermin’s blood went cold when he heard Volken’s voice, but part of him still doesn’t want to believe it. Part of him still wants to believe there has been a mistake.

“Are you alright now?” Volken went to his side.

(Does he know?) Volken thought nervously on his head, but showed no signs of it.

“How did you find me here?” Cermin merely asked, not wearing his usual sunny smile.

(Some bastard gave me a note saying ‘I know what you did to Cermin Drychspiel. Go to the 6th floor of the library.’, but I can’t obviously tell you that. )

“I went to the infirmary to check on you, you had been unconscious for two weeks and I was so worried.” He lied through his teeth. “The nurse told me you went out, and so I looked everywhere in the Academy for you.”

This made Cermin want to believe in Volken’s innocence more. How can someone who was so concerned about him and treated him like a little brother poison him?

“Volk….. Did you know that mercury was poisonous?” He asked, pointing at the passage on the book. “Why was something like that in the drink you gave me?”

Volken frowned, but he was prepared for this ever since he received the note.

“Sigh… I guess I should apologize. Yes, I know that too much mercury can cause these symptoms.”

Cermin’s eyes widened with shook, but Volken continued.

“But it really also give you more energy and stamina. You can check the book itself. We players drink it all the time, and it really takes a while for your body to get used to it at first.”

He acted so convincingly sorry that it almost looked like he was going to cry.

“I thought you would have survived that much Mercury Snail potion, since you have always been our amazing little Goldie. The first 2nd year to join the Main Six. I overestimated you, and that’s why I almost put your life in danger.”

He hugged Cermin, who doesn’t know what to feel at first.

But eventually, he sighed in relief and returned the hug.

“It’s ok, Volk. So I really just didn’t have much tolerance for it compared to you guys… I understand now. It’s not your fault, you just believe too much in me.”

He smiled naively once again. “I forgive you.”

The person who directed Cermin to the right shelf slammed his book down, making some student jolt at it.

“Thank you.” Volken said, pushing away crocodile tears. “Let’s get you back to the infirmary and have some rest, alright? I’ll bring you food from the Banquet Palace later too.”

“Haha, you’re really the best, Volk!”

The two friends walk out of the library together into the spiral staircase, just like before.

A shadow followed after them.

“By the way, what’s that little thing that you were holding?” Volken pointed at the bottle.

“Oh, this?” Cermin drank a bit more of the putrid antidote, and winced, but didn’t immediately puke this time. “This is an antidote. Some kind medic gave it to me, but they thought I was sabotaged, haha.”

“I mean, that’s impossible, right? After all, we’re friends, and friends don’t ‘sabotage’ each other.”

Volken studied Cermin’s face for any hint of sarcasm on that tone, but it was either he was very convincing or he truly was oblivious.

He took the note hanging on the bottle, and froze when he saw the penmanship.

“What’s wrong, Volk?” Cermin asked when the stopped while on the spiral staircase now.

“This note…..”

Then, everything went black for the both of them.

Volken cursed. “What in the Abyss—-“

And he was pushed by someone!

“Volk!” Cermin called out, but he can’t see anything as he reached out.

Because of him reaching out, Volken thought it was those outstretched hands that pushed him, as he tumbled down into the spiral staircase. Bones cracked and popped the further down he fell…..

And soon, he hit his head as well.