"Jin, Industry Minister Delite says he wishes to meet with you."
Just before 3:00 PM, Princess Lieschen visited the guest quarters to deliver the news.
Delite Domus Hanks was the Industry Minister, the official overseeing the Klein Kingdom’s agricultural affairs.
"It's just about tea time, so let's all drink together!" Hanna chirped.
Jin nodded in agreement, and Elsa didn't seem to have any objections either.
"Oh, I see. Then please, come to my chambers."
Following the princess's lead, the group moved to her private living quarters. Industry Minister Delite was already waiting for them there.
"Ah, Lord Jin Nidou, I presume. I am Delite Domus Hanks, and I serve as the Industry Minister of this kingdom."
Delite appeared to be in his late forties, a man of average build and height.
"I'm Jin. Nice to meet you."
After Jin, Elsa and Hanna introduced themselves, and the party took their seats around a circular table.
"Prepare the tea," the princess commanded.
"Yes, Your Highness. It is ready."
At the princess's word, a maid began pouring a prepared herbal tea for everyone.
"Wow, it smells wonderful," Hanna noted.
To Jin, the aroma was reminiscent of citrus, specifically oranges. Being sensitive to hot drinks, he didn't reach for his cup immediately and instead turned his attention to the minister.
Minister Delite took a sip of his tea before opening the conversation. "I was hoping to inquire further about the practical applications of those desiccants."
"Ah, I see. Well, as for those..."
"Eek!"
Jin’s explanation was cut short by Hanna's sharp cry. The sound of a ceramic crash followed, sending a jolt of alarm through him.
"Wh-What’s wrong, Hanna?...Ah, oh dear."
While playing around with Princess Lieschen, Hanna had tried to offer a toast with her tea, but in her exuberance, she had accidentally smashed her cup.
Princess Lieschen’s cup was merely cracked, though most of its contents had spilled across the table. Hanna’s cup, however, had shattered completely, leaving a large, dark stain of herbal tea spreading across her skirt.
"Hanna-chan, Your Highness, stay still....'Dry'. 'Cleanup'."
Elsa set her own untouched cup down and immediately went to work. She used 'Dry' to pull the moisture from Hanna's skirt and the table, then followed up with 'Cleanup' to ensure no stains remained.
"Did you get burned?" Elsa asked softly.
"No, I’m okay! Thank you, Big Sister Elsa."
"Elsa, I am truly sorry for the trouble," the princess added.
"No, please don't worry about it."
Just as Elsa finished speaking...
"U-Ugh...!"
Minister Delite suddenly began to wheeze and groan in agony.
"Delite? What is the matter?"
The minister could only gasp and mouthed silently at the princess's question. He was unable to form words. Still, with a trembling hand, he managed to point toward his own mouth. The implication was terrifyingly clear.
"...Poison!?"
"Elsa!" Jin barked.
"On it!...'Entgiften'. 'Heilverfahren'."
Unsure of what specific toxin had been used, Elsa first performed a broad detoxification before following up with a healing process to repair the damage to his internal systems.
Thanks to her swift intervention, Minister Delite’s life was spared.
"...Th-thank... you. I... I was saved..."
Having recovered enough to at least speak, Delite’s first act was to offer his gratitude to Elsa.
While they were occupied, Jin performed an analysis on the remaining cups of tea.
"...An alkaloid?"
Jin couldn't determine anything more specific than that; chemistry wasn't his forte.
"Tia! Seize that maid at once!" Princess Lieschen shouted.
"Yes, Princess."
"Eh? What's happening?"
The maid, looking utterly bewildered and panicked, was quickly restrained by Tia.
"Jin! Was the poison in the tea?" the princess demanded.
"Yes!"
Princess Lieschen grabbed the tea caddy—the storage tin—that was kept in the room. "...I have never seen this container before," she muttered before handing it to Jin. "Could you examine this?"
Jin immediately cast 'Analyze' on the leaves inside.
"...It’s the same. The leaves in this tin are laced with poison."
It appeared that someone had mixed poisonous plant matter in with the tea.
"...I see. This is a grave incident. Guards!"
Lieschen summoned a soldier, briefly explained the situation, and ordered him to report the assassination attempt to the chancellor immediately. Once the soldier had hurried off, the princess turned back to the minister.
"...Delite, how do you feel?"
"I... still do not feel... very well..." the minister replied weakly. "But the numbness... seems to be... fading."
"I see. That is a relief. Elsa, you have my thanks."
Jin, meanwhile, was seething. He realized with a cold chill that this poison had been intended for all of them—himself, Elsa, Hanna, and Princess Lieschen.
He had only been spared because he was slow to drink hot liquids. Hanna and the princess had been spared by the sheer luck of an accidental spill. Elsa had been spared because she had been too busy cleaning up after Hanna.
It was nothing but a string of coincidences that had thwarted the culprit's plan. Under any other circumstances, they might all be dead.
"...I won't let this go."
An icy flame of anger burned in Jin's heart. He refused to let someone get away with an attack that targeted him, Elsa, Lies, and even the innocent Hanna.
"I-I don't know anything! I swear, it's the truth!!" the maid pleaded, sobbing as Tia held her.
Before the situation could escalate further, Prince Arthur, Chancellor Powell, and Jessica Norton—Captain of the Royal Female Ritter Corps—burst into the room accompanied by two female knights.
"Your Highness! We heard there was poison!?"
"Lies! Are you hurt? And our guests!?"
"Princess! Are you safe!?"
The three of them visibly relaxed upon seeing that Princess Lieschen, Jin, and Elsa were unharmed. Their expressions quickly darkened again when they saw Minister Delite lying on the floor.
"...Who could have done this?" Even the usually gentle Prince Arthur had his face twisted in fury.
"In a sense, we were fortunate that Delite was the first to drink," the chancellor noted somberly. It was a grim assessment, but true; because Elsa had been unaffected, she had been able to save the minister's life.
"...There are poisonous leaves mixed directly into the tea in this caddy," Jin explained, handing the tin to the chancellor. "Either it was tampered with later, or it was brought here specifically because it was poisoned."
"We shall have the contents examined with the utmost urgency."
"First, we will interrogate every maid and servant assigned to the Detached Palace," Prince Arthur added sternly. Jessica Norton nodded and immediately dispatched one of her knights to begin the process.
"But who... and for what purpose...?"
"It is almost certainly not the victim, Minister Delite," the chancellor mused. "Was the target Lies? Or perhaps Miss Elsa...?"
While the chancellor and the prince began their situational analysis to narrow down the suspects, Jin approached the sobbing maid held by Tia.
"When did you bring that tea caddy here?"
The maid, though hysterical with fear, managed to stammer out an answer. "Hic... I only used... the tea that was already... in the Princess's room..."
Her face was a mess of tears and snot. "A-Are... are they going to... execute me...?"
Attempting to poison royalty, a cabinet minister, and foreign guests was a capital crime. The maid's terror was palpable.
Despite his anger, Jin was not about to lose his cool. He asked Tia to move the maid to the corner of the room. Tia complied without question.
"U-Um... p-please..." The maid began to shake violently. "P-Please save me...!"
Jin reached into his pocket and pulled out a magi-crystal he kept for emergencies—a base material he could use to craft mana bombs or other tools at a moment's notice.
First, he cast a 'Solid Barrier' around the two of them. While the physical barrier carried a risk of suffocation if held too long, it had the immediate benefit of blocking all sound and vibration from leaving the area.
"Stay still....'Trans Info', Level 4, Mild."
Jin proceeded to read the maid's memories directly into the magi-crystal.