CHAPTER 29: TOXIC NERTHALIS

Wina tried to remember, but she was just a servant. Bloodlines and Talents were rarely discussed among servants.

"I don’t know Lady Vita’s Bloodline or Talent exactly," Wina said.

"But I do know she was powerful. She could move parts of a tree to attack or defend. As for typical traits I’ve heard druids never get lost in a forest, no matter how deep or dense it is.

Animals and plants also feel calmer around them. I’m sure the herb plants you’ve been planting since childhood have always grown so well because of your druid blood."

His biological mother seemed very powerful, but that made sense, least she was the guardian of the Tree of Life.

Anyway, his druid traits likely wouldn’t be used for the time being as he didn’t live in forest. But that was fine, he wasn’t the type of person who liked to demand a lot

Wina gave Gara a warm look and handed him a sesame ball.

Gara had never tried the snack before, but he’d seen it being fried in black oil. He figured it probably wasn’t good for someone pregnant to eat too much greasy food.

So, he politely declined and reached for the shredded coconut balls instead. And changed the topic,

"Mom, I started planting herbs outside just to kill time but I honestly don’t know what they’re used for. Do you know what they do?"

His first plan was to create a remedy, a pill or potion made from herbs that could act as a substitute for regional anesthesia.

Before she could answered, he rushed into his room. He returned carrying a sheet of yellowish paper, scribbled with herb names and their effects, along with a piece of charcoal chalk.

"I’m going to develop a herb-based remedy that can numb pain during childbirth," he declared before she could get a word in.

Hearing his bold claim, Wina tried to recall everything she had learned about herbs during her years as a servant in Wasyah Forest. She even listed several plants that might produce similar effects.

"The problem is, these herbs all have high toxicity levels," she warned. "The toxins go straight into the bloodstream. If you use them during labor, it’s not just the mother’s life at risk, the baby could die too."

Just as Gara had suspected. There were herbs capable of dulling pain but no one had study them deeply. After all, who would intentionally open wounds when healing magic or Talents could close them instantly?

Besides, druids—especially male druids—had extremely low birth rates and even lower libido. Why would they bother researching remedies for childbirth when healing spells did the job just fine? Female druids gave birth naturally, and that was that.

But Gara was different.

And now, a glimmer of hope lit up in his eyes. He was going to make this work.

That afternoon, while Wina returned to her field to tend her herbs, Gara studied the list of potential candidates for his experiment. On the paper, he circled five names: Aconite, Poppy, Belladonna, Nerthalis, and Thimvine— the poisonous plants that killed him yesterday.

All five were toxic, though Poppy and Nerthalis were slightly milder than the rest.

Because of their danger, Wina insisted on handling their cultivation herself. Even for experimentation, she refused to let Gara get involved.

Gara had nodded obediently at the time.

But deep down, he knew, he was going to do it himself.

Among the five, only Nerthalis had been planted in their garden. And even then, just one.

Nerthalis had a shimmering blue-gray flower that sparkled under sunlight. Gara first saw it growing in a villager’s herb plot on the mountain, and the dazzling shimmer had captivated him instantly.

He begged Wina for days to let him plant one at home. In the end, she reluctantly agreed.

Nerthalis was known for its association with Liner which had ice-based Talents. When touched, the flower released a liquid that would slowly freeze the hand. One drop was enough to send freezing energy crawling through the skins. Only those with ice Talents could resist its effects.

Within ten minutes, the victim would be encased in ice. Ten minutes later, the ice would melt but by then, the toxin would have already seeped into the pores. Without the antidote taken within a week, the result was death. Many had died from just one drop.

And this was considered the least dangerous.

Handling Nerthalis required extreme caution. Until now, Gara had only been allowed to water the plant. Harvesting the flower? That was Wina’s job and always with the right protective gear.

Years ago, Gara had admired the flower’s beauty.

Now he just wanted it gone. But then—

"Ah!" He jerked upright, startled. A lost memory suddenly snapped back into place.

One week before he entered this body, the original Gara had come into contact with Nerthalis.

And now, Gara remembered exactly what had happened during that missing week.

The original owner had wanted to get rid of the Nerthalis plant. He cut its stem carefully, wearing special gloves and avoiding bending too close, just in case it splashed.

What he didn’t expect was that the blue-petaled Nerthalis flower, with a round center filled with poisonous liquid, would roll down and touch his toe.

He instinctively jerked his foot back, but within seconds, his leg began to freeze. Panicking, he tried to run to the mountain to find his mother, but he collapsed just as he reached the low gate, his body already stiffening.

And just like that, his entire body froze in ten minutes. He was nearly out of breath before the ice finally melted away.

Since he felt fine and showed no symptoms afterward, he decided not to go to the mountain. He didn’t tell his mother either.

He didn’t feel pain or discomfort in the following days, and besides, he didn’t want to get scolded.

he knew his mother would definitely lecture him if she found out he’d come into contact with a poisonous flower.

...