Edgar was there to catch Elsa as she began to collapse.
Anticipating such an outcome, Jin had Reiko provide Elsa with some Hourai Island specialty Persica juice, which he had prepared specifically for this purpose. It was a special blend with an increased free ether content, specifically designed for mana recovery.
After Elsa managed to drink it all, she gradually regained her strength.
"……You did it, Elsa."
"That was magnificent!"
Jin and Reinhard both offered their praise.
"Yes. Thank you."
"So, how is he?" Jin asked.
They needed to know if the spell had worked.
"Wait a moment.……Diagnose."
After examining her father once more, Elsa’s face lit up. "The blood clot... it's gone."
"I see! Just as I suspected."
Jin had theorized that since the brain was suffering from internal bleeding, a surgical-type healing magic would be more effective than an internal-medicine-type one. His intuition had paid off.
Internal-medicine-type magic generally focused on activating the body's natural healing abilities. Surgical-type magic, however, offered supplementary effects beyond simple restoration—such as closing open wounds or realigning fractured bones.
Through those auxiliary effects, the blood clot had been decomposed and absorbed by the body. It was as if the internal bleeding had simply vanished. Since a blood clot is comprised of the body’s own biological material—or at least it had been—the decomposition and absorption occurred rapidly.
"In this state, I think it would be best to restore as much of the brain damage as possible."
"Yes, I understand.……Genesung."
Since Elsa's mana had been nearly replenished by the Persica juice, she was able to cast the advanced magic a second time without any trouble.
"……I think... that should do it."
It might have been Jin's imagination, but the viscount’s breathing seemed to have grown deeper and more rhythmic.
For the time being, they had done all they could. Now, they could only wait.
The group relocated to the reception room once more. This time, Moritz immediately bombarded Elsa with questions.
"Elsa, when did you learn to use such advanced healing magic?"
"What on earth was that juice you just drank?"
"The method you used for the treatment—what was the logic behind it?"
Jin and Elsa answered his questions one by one, though they kept the details regarding Hourai Island and Jin’s personal history intentionally vague.
"……I see. To think you had such talent. I failed to help you nurture it. I’m truly sorry."
Having heard the whole story, Moritz apologized on his father’s behalf for failing to recognize Elsa's potential and for the harsh, stifling education they had forced upon her.
"……It’s already in the past.……Now, please tell me about Marcus."
As per the flow of their conversation, it was now Moritz’s turn to speak.
"Right. Though, I never cared for the man, so I don't have many details."
With that disclaimer, Moritz began to recount what he knew of Marcus.
"He first came to our home…… twelve years ago. Elsa, you were still quite small. Do you remember him?"
Twelve years ago, Elsa would have been five. It was a borderline memory at best.
"How should I put it…… he was far too clever at schemes that skirted the edge of criminality. I could never bring myself to like him, though my father seemed quite fond of him."
"Where was he from?" Elsa asked.
"Well, I never heard. Father didn't seem to care much about his origins, either."
"When we met at the Technology Expo, I thought he was a different person."
"Ah, you might think so. His personality has changed drastically over this past year."
"Changed?"
According to Moritz, Marcus’s attitude had shifted significantly around the time Elsa had departed on her journey with Reinhard. The man who had once been reserved and modest began to assert himself, and his skills as a magi engineer improved remarkably.
"There is the possibility that his previous persona was merely a facade. In fact, I’m almost certain that’s the case."
"Then why would he do such a thing?" Jin interjected.
"Why? I don't know that either. I have a few theories, but……"
"Gathering information," Elsa said.
"Hmm?"
"Marcus said... he was gathering information."
"Information gathering, is it? If that’s true, then he was likely an agent for some country or organization."
Jin nodded silently at Moritz's deduction.
"In that case, his change in attitude might mean he had finished collecting data here and was moving on to gauging our reactions."
Jin suspected this deduction was correct. As expected of the man Elsa and Reinhard praised for his intellect, Moritz was able to reach a sound conclusion from very little data.
However, Jin and the others were now after hard evidence.
"I want to search Marcus's room," Elsa suggested.
Moritz nodded in agreement. "Very well. I see no harm in it. Come this way.……The rest of you as well."
Moritz offered a hand to help Elsa stand, then led the entire group to Marcus's room. It was not locked.
"This is Marcus's room. Feel free to search it as you please," Moritz told Jin and Reinhard. He remained by the door, watching them work.
Jin immediately began to investigate the room, with Reiko assisting him.
"Father, I found this," Reiko said, holding out a small container made of gold. It contained a fine gray powder.
"Analyze."
Jin examined the substance and was startled by the results.
"……It’s arsenic."
"What!?"
Elsa was the only other person who understood the danger of that word. The others looked on in confusion.
"Jin, what is 'arsenic'?" Reinhard asked.
Jin’s expression turned grim. "Simply put, it’s a poison. An incredibly lethal one."
"What!?"
Moritz’s face went pale at the mention of poison. However, finding poison in the room did not automatically prove a crime. They continued their search.
"What about this wine?" Jin asked.
On a shelf sat three carafes of wine in exquisitely crafted crystal bottles.
"Ah, that’s Marquis Theoderic's favorite vintage. It’s a very expensive southern brand. I believe we’ve delivered bottles of it to him several times."
The bottles were stopped with cork-like plugs and lacked a formal seal, meaning they could be opened and closed easily. If it was such an expensive wine, the Marquis would likely have kept it for himself rather than sharing it.
Acting on his suspicion, Jin used Analyze on the wine in front of everyone.
"Analyze.……This is!"
"Jin, don't tell me...?"
"……Yeah. I detected trace amounts of arsenic. If the Marquis has been drinking this, then this wine is the reason for his liver cirrhosis."
The revelation was a hammer blow.
Moritz looked ready to faint. If it became public knowledge that someone in his household had been poisoning the Marquis, the Randol family would surely be stripped of its title and dissolved. His father was already facing potential judgment for the previous incident; this added weight was almost too much for Moritz to bear.
However, Jin was preoccupied with a different concern.
……Does Marcus know about the properties of arsenic?
When Jin had explored the basement of the Predecessor's laboratory, he had found arsenic and nickel separated. Nickel had been noted as an additive for stainless steel, and the Predecessor had clearly known what arsenic was.
In the current era, however, that knowledge seemed to have been lost. It was safe to assume that the scientific understanding of arsenic had vanished during the Great Magic War.
Yet Marcus—who was likely a member of the demon race—knew exactly what it was. This implied that the demon race had not suffered the same technological regression as humanity after the war.
While it was dangerous to draw a definitive conclusion from a single piece of evidence, the possibility was significant.
The demon race likely possessed technology and culture far more advanced than those of current human civilization, Jin concluded.
"……I apologize, but I’ve suddenly started feeling quite ill. I must return to my room.……Elsa, I’ll leave the rest to you."
Likely overwhelmed by the thought of his family's ruin, a pale Moritz staggered out of the room.
"I understand how my brother feels. But right now... we have to find the truth."
Despite the weight of the situation, Elsa spoke with firm resolve and continued her search of the room.