"This is Her Majesty's room."

When Princess Lucia’s maid knocked on the door, it opened slightly, and someone inside spoke softly.

"Please, come in."

Once the door was fully open, I followed Princess Lucia into the room.

The room was spacious. Inside were two maids attending to the queen and one man.

"Your Majesty the King."

The man was King himself. Hastily, I bowed my head.

"Be at ease."
"Yes, sir."
"I’ve heard of your deeds. You played a major role in calming the Blackface Plague, it seems."

It seemed the story about the Red Dragon wouldn’t be brought up here.

"I must have been fortunate to receive a blessing."
"Would you tell me about that blessing?"
"After treating Her Majesty, if it pleases Your Majesty."
"Indeed, you are right, Lucia. Right now, your mother’s treatment takes precedence."
"Of course. Please, do all that you can."
"I will give it my all."

The queen lay on the bed, her breaths shallow.

"I’ll use magic now."
"Do it. We are counting on you."

After receiving permission from the King, I activated Analyze.

A band of light enveloped the queen's body.

"..."

Poison.

"Her condition has been poor for a long time, hasn’t it?"
"Yes, for more than half a year now," Princess Lucia replied.

Questions began swirling in my head.

The queen had been poisoned for about a year. For poison to be administered over such a long period, it must have been someone with constant, close access to her.

Moreover, Princess Lucia mentioned that even the High Priest had examined her. With his abilities, he should have been able to detoxify her.

The queen’s eyes opened, gazing vaguely in my direction. Her focus was unclear. Slowly, she closed her eyelids again.

Had it been a few days later, the queen might not have survived.

"Sir Sai, will my mother recover?"

I turned to face the King and Princess Lucia, speaking with deliberation.

"The queen is not ill."
"What do you mean?"
"The queen’s body is being eaten away by poison."
"What?!"

The King and Princess Lucia were stunned, as were the maids. This indicated that even these two maids were unaware of the poisoning.

"Can you prove it?"
"Yes, I can."
"Then do so."
"Understood. May I take a strand of the queen’s hair and borrow one of the small fish from that tank over there?"
"If that will suffice, you may proceed."

One of the maids retrieved a strand of the queen’s hair. Following my instructions, she finely cut it and placed it into the water tank.

"What?!"
"Oh my!"

Within a minute, the small fish floated belly-up at the water’s surface.

Both the King and Princess Lucia exclaimed in surprise at the sight. The poison had accumulated in the queen’s hair, and as soon as it was cut and added to the water, the fish succumbed to the toxins.

"Small fish are especially vulnerable to toxins, even in minute amounts," I explained.

"To think it was poison…"
"This particular poison works slowly over time. The queen has likely been exposed for over a year, becoming bedridden roughly six months ago."
"Can she be cured?"
"I will detoxify her now."
"Please do it."
"I will do everything I can."

—Detoxify.

The poison was neutralized.

—Cure.

The damaged parts of her body were purified.

—Regenerate.

Her cells were repaired and restored.

The queen’s body was now healthy again.

"The treatment is complete. She will be fine now."
"Mother!"

Lucia-sama wept tears of joy. The King lowered his gaze, his emotions restrained but evident.

At that moment, the queen’s eyelids fluttered open. Her gaze shifted between Princess Lucia and the King.

"Why are you crying, Lucia?"

Her voice was soft yet vibrant.

"Mother!"

Lucia-sama embraced her mother tightly. I felt a wave of relief. Princess Lucia wouldn’t have to endure the sorrow I once faced.

"I’ll take my leave now."

As I moved to exit, the King called me back, guiding me to the corner of the room.

"I cannot thank you enough for saving the queen. Be assured, your deeds will not go unrewarded."
"I only did what was necessary. Please, don’t trouble yourself over it."
"That won’t do. But there is something else I must confirm."
"...What is it?"

The King’s gaze sharpened.

"The matter of the poison."

As I suspected.

"You said the queen had been poisoned for a year, didn’t you?"
"Yes."
"Who could have done it?"

"The first condition is that they must have had direct or indirect access to the queen for over a year."
"Go on."
"The second is that they would need opportunities to handle her food, drinks, or anything else she ingests."

The King nodded gravely.

"The third is the knowledge or skill to identify such a poison."
"…So, you believe it could be a physician?"

Indeed, any competent physician should have recognized the symptoms. If they didn’t, they were incompetent.

"It might not be only the physicians."

There were others involved in her care, too.

"...I understand your reasoning, Sai. You’ve done well. Rest until the ceremony in two days."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The King refrained from questioning me further. He couldn’t—acknowledging it might mean an irrevocable break between the kingdom and the Church.