The Support Ate it All - Chapter 580: The Poison That ??? Does ???

Dang Ilbi narrowed his eyes.

“For you to do something you never do—what’s gotten into you?”

“They’re guests. And they’re my sister’s guests.”

Dang Eunbi answered smoothly.

As a faint tea fragrance brushed my nose, something flickered in Dang Hanbi’s eyes.

He lightly inspected the cups and said,

“This is quite good tea. You brought something even we rarely get to see.”

“I asked the head of the Medicine Hall to do me a special favor.”

She’d said she was working at the Medicine Hall now, hadn’t she?

If it was someone like the head there, their skill and status wouldn’t be ordinary—so they’d have plenty of good tea leaves.

And since they cared for Dang Eunbi, they must’ve handed them over without hesitation.

Even so, the Twin Heroes of the Dang Family didn’t want to touch the tray with so much as a fingertip.

“You know your behavior is extremely suspicious.”

She’d tried to poison me twice yesterday alone—there was no rule saying she couldn’t do it a third time.

And not just anything, but a drink—perfect for slipping poison into.

There was no way they could drink it without hesitation.

Maybe she’d expected this reaction, because Dang Eunbi lifted the tray slightly and made a proposal.

“That’s why I brought my own cup too. You pick first, and I’ll drink whatever’s left.”

If you hand the other side the choice, it becomes harder to pull tricks.

And in a case like Dang Eunbi’s—where she was targeting just one person—that was even more true.

Of course, there were countless ways to deliver poison.

You couldn’t rule out the possibility that all six cups contained poison.

It didn’t seem like she’d go that far… but still.

Normally, if it’s even a little suspicious, you back out.

No matter the odds, there was no reason to put your life on the table.

The twins seemed to reach a similar conclusion and were about to send Dang Eunbi away, but I casually reached for the tray and picked up a teacup.

Then, in a pure Kim Ho tone, I said,

“If she’s going that far, I want to try trusting her once.”

“…Are you sure?”

What that question meant wasn’t “Do you really trust her?”

It was closer to, “Can you endure it?”

I nodded easily in reply, and starting with Seo Ye-in, everyone else picked up a cup as well.

Now there was only one left on the tray.

Dang Eunbi moved to take it—

And I placed the cup I was holding back onto the tray and said,

“Sorry, but can we swap?”

“…Ah, yes. Go ahead.”

Dang Eunbi flinched for an instant, but immediately managed her expression and nodded.

If she said no here, she might ruin something that was already done.

In a slightly complicated atmosphere, everyone took a sip.

The Dang twins, releasing admiring sounds, spoke in turns.

“Truly, it’s good tea.”

“It compares to the Dangjin of the Jegal household.”

“Perhaps we should ask the head of the Medicine Hall as well.”

“They might share a little.”

As we chased off the winter chill with warm tea—

“…Huh?”

Dang Eunbi’s eyes widened.

She slipped a hand into her sleeve and pocket, then patted around her body.

Then she even opened her Inventory for a quick look and rummaged through it, but it seemed she couldn’t find what she was looking for.

Of course, I saw it.

Dang Eunbi’s shadow wriggled up along her leg, then snatched a few small glass bottles out of her chest with a quick motion.

A former Thief Club president’s handiwork.

As his little sister kept fidgeting, Dang Ilbi, feeling something was off, asked,

“What is it? Why are you so flustered?”

“Well… something’s missing.”

“Didn’t you leave it somewhere?”

“No, I’m not an idiot. Who walks around leaving an antid— Hup!”

Dang Eunbi clapped a hand over her mouth in a panic, but it was already too late.

The Dang twins’ expressions hardened instantly.

“So that’s why it felt suspicious.”

“Preparing an antidote means you used poison.”

“Have you ever seen such a thoughtless brat?”

“After swearing yesterday—”

“You couldn’t even endure that long before you did it again?”

They immediately took out a few silver needles and dipped each one into everyone’s cups.

The most basic method of checking whether poison was present.

As a result, everyone else’s cups were fine—

But the silver needles dipped into mine and Dang Eunbi’s turned bluish-green.

Dang Hanbi thrust the evidence forward and said,

“Don’t think of denying it. Confess. What poison did you use?”

“Poison-Assist Powder and….”

“What? Poison-Assist Powder?”

Not only the twins—Dang Gyu-young lifted an eyebrow too.

Perhaps assuming outsiders wouldn’t recognize it, the twins added an explanation.

“It’s a material that strengthens a poison’s ability to penetrate. Something used when you intend to poison the target without fail… for it to show up here is unexpected.”

Dang Hanbi looked back at the youngest sibling, his tone even harsher.

“Where did you get Poison-Assist Powder? Don’t tell me you stole it from the Medicine Hall.”

“N-no! Actually, the Elder Council—”

“The Elder Council. So it was them.”

The Dang twins’ eyes sharpened.

Looking at us, they explained in turns.

“They’d be the ones most displeased by this situation.”

“Above all, they’re the ones who value discipline and tradition the most.”

Dang Gyu-young was an existence that directly contradicted that discipline and tradition.

They were direct family, yet they’d thrown everything aside, left, and carved out a life of their own.

“It was a foregone conclusion they’d make a move, but it feels earlier than expected.”

“Either they feel pressed, or they believe the timing aligns.”

While the twins looked worried, I nonchalantly lifted my teacup.

“It’s fine. This was something we were prepared for from the start. If anything, we got to show them again.”

As I said that, I turned my head and flicked my eyes toward the distance.

Ever since we’d arrived at the training grounds, I’d felt subtle gazes.

Nine times out of ten, just as the twins said, it was the Elder Council’s side.

They would have watched our sparring—and even watched that poison mixed with Poison-Assist Powder still didn’t work.

Of course, we’d shown it openly.

The hidden watcher seemed to realize that fact only now, because their presence vanished.

The Dang brothers let out hollow chuckles.

“Your nerve isn’t ordinary.”

“It must be confidence, too.”

“But this brat’s ‘prank’ is a separate matter.”

“We’ll have to scold her properly.”

Back to “this brat,” they pressed Dang Eunbi again.

“Poison-Assist Powder, and what poison did you mix with it?”

“It was something I blended myself… a poison that makes your inner thoughts leak out.”

So it was basically a truth serum.

No wonder she’d blurted out the fatal word “antidote,” and no wonder she was answering her brothers’ interrogation so smoothly.

Dang Hanbi frowned and asked another question.

“Why use a poison like that?”

“Because I was curious, obviously. About him.”

Dang Eunbi continued, pointing at me and Dang Gyu-young.

“They look like they get along, but you don’t really know how much they like each other and care about each other.”

Dang Gyu-young’s expression turned interested, and they brought their teacup to my lips.

“Hey. Let ‘that’ out for a second.”

“It doesn’t have an on/off switch.”

“How much do you care about me?”

“Obviously, you’re number one.”

“Heh. That’s how you should be.”

Dang Gyu-young giggled.

Then Seo Ye-in tugged on my sleeve.

“…Disappointed.”

“You know you’re number one too, right?”

“Shared first place?”

“Exactly.”

“…Less disappointed.”

This time, Dang Gyu-young’s lips stuck out in a pout.

I decided I’d deal with that later, and turned my attention back to the three Dang siblings.

Dang Ilbi was asking the next question.

“I don’t understand. Why are you so harsh only on him?”

“Because I didn’t like him from the start. The bad guy who stole my sister.”

Dang Eunbi answered, glaring at me.

Even for a truth serum, wasn’t that way too unfiltered?

Maybe she’d reached the point of, Whatever happens, happens, and was saying everything she wanted.

On either side of me, Dang Gyu-young and Seo Ye-in each added a line, as if they agreed.

“Bad guy.”

“Bad guy.”

And Dang Eunbi’s trash talk didn’t end there.

“And his eyes are too scary. I bet his personality is filthy too.”

“……”

Everyone in the place exchanged looks.

Even Dang Ilbi and Dang Hanbi.

An unspoken consensus seemed to form—Honestly, that’s true.

Dang Gyu-young coughed to hold back laughter and defended me.

“Ahem. If you keep looking, his eyes are kind of cute. And his personality… you get used to it later.”

“You’re supposed to say it’s not true. Look at you, taking the chance to insult him sideways.”

“Pff—well, it’s not wrong.”

Dang Gyu-young giggled and hooked an arm through mine.

At the natural skinship, Dang Eunbi made a face like her insides were collapsing.

It looked like more trash talk was about to burst out, so this time I asked the question.

“How did you deliver the poison?”

“…I used a device.”

If she’d sprinkled poison the way she did yesterday, it would’ve been obvious even if it had been the head of the Elder Council doing it.

Everyone’s eyes were sharp, and their vigilance had risen.

So, according to Dang Eunbi, she’d installed poison and a device on the underside of the cups and the tray, then manipulated it the instant I picked one up.

But I’d seen through that, and by swapping the cup I first grabbed with the last remaining one, both Dang Eunbi and I ended up drinking poisoned tea.

She must’ve thought she could just drink first and then use the antidote—but Dang Gyu-young had quietly taken it, and that was how things turned into this.

I looked Dang Eunbi straight in the eye and asked,

“What are you going to do now? Three tries, and all three failed.”

“I’ll keep going until it works. Five times, ten times.”

Her eyes were still burning with fighting spirit.

Even after this humiliating confession session in front of everyone.

That was Dang family tenacity—or maybe the obsession you’d expect from next year’s Dragonslayer Academy freshman.

I smiled faintly.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Just you wait!”

Dang Eunbi tossed out a third-rate villain line and ran off.

At the same time, the Twin Heroes of the Dang Family rubbed at their faces.

“This is driving me insane.”

“How are we supposed to scold that brat?”

It clearly wasn’t their first time dealing with this.

After letting out a deep sigh, they collected themselves.

“Shall we finish the sparring? Is it all right?”

“Of course. Just wait a moment.”

After asking for their understanding, I took Dang Gyu-young to one side of the training grounds.

“[Austerity] is off cooldown.”

“Perfect. I was itching anyway.”

After fighting their cousin-brothers fiercely, it seemed their desire to improve had been provoked.

“And I’m seeing a weakness too, so there’s a good [N O V E L I G H T] chance the quest will come out in that direction.”

“Even better.”

Right now, Dang Gyu-young’s weakness was that the Gyu-Shadow Undead burned out fast.

Even the Lab Director and the Dark-Shadow Commander—both selected A-ranks—were like that.

If they filled two more slots, they could rotate four summons, but that wouldn’t solve the root problem.

Against stronger enemies, or larger numbers, the same situation would happen again.

The best choice was to use the Austerity quest to learn or strengthen skills/Traits and patch the build.

Then I added, as if it were an offhand comment,

“There’s a more reliable way.”

“More than Austerity?”

“Yes. The problem is… it’s pretty hard.”

“Say it. Don’t keep making me curious.”

At Dang Gyu-young’s urging, I reached into my Inventory.

Then I pulled out a booklet stained with an ominous blood-red hue.

The Challenge Book I used every sub-quest.

As long as a quest was attached, it could be used anywhere.

“Let’s do a Challenge Austerity quest.”