[Storybook] Tale of Jang Daeseung

Chapter 4: Clues to the Case

Mongryong took out a book from his robe.

"Here, I have the preliminary autopsy report of the late king!! I'm sure you know what this means, don't you, Prime Minister! Before death, his symptoms were cold sweats, vomiting, and convulsions. His body lay black as soot. All signs of wolfsbane poisoning. But the Chief Royal Physician suspected a mere incorrect prescription."

"So?"

"The last person to have an audience with His Majesty before he passed away was... You, was it not, Prime Minister? And while delivering a meal, no less!"

"Even if the food was laced with wolfsbane, it couldn't be the cause! Wolfsbane... is extremely lethal! It's known to kill rapidly after ingestion! But... His Majesty passed away four whole hours after the said meeting!"

Jang Daeseung NPC Knowledge smirked, almost as if he had anticipated this. But the traveler and Mongryong were one step ahead of him.

"Yes. If it was just wolfsbane, your analysis is correct. However, there was another poison present. We have intel that Lee Duksoo NPC Knowledge, the Prime Minister's lapdog, processed swellfish Knowledge Item poison in the town of Bukpo."

As Mongryong's deduction unfolded, Jang Daeseung's expression began to sour. Mongryong, as if making a decision in that moment, exchanged glances with the traveler and took out two bottles from his robe.

"This is wolfsbane, and this is swellfish poison! Either one alone will kill you almost instantly. But, when taken simultaneously..."
"Secretary! Don't!"

Mongryong then drank both poisons! He seemed disoriented for a moment... but then stood up, perfectly fine.

"I am not dead. Yet. The special mixture of the two allows for a slower spread of the poison. After several hours, I will die and my body will turn black as soot. This is the truth behind the late king's poisoning!"

Storybook