TAMWSFB 31

Chapter 31 

 Licorice Candy Is Dangerous

Munch, munch.

As I sucked on the candy, I could feel the licorice’s components melting into my body, calming down the magic that had been swelling endlessly inside me.

My older brother was watching me anxiously, but since we already knew how the candy worked, he stayed by my side, worried yet composed.

Ah, even that slightly troubled look on his face is so handsome.

“What are you eating?”

Elvin looked curiously at my mouth.

Well, I did suddenly clutch my chest and pop a candy into my mouth, so of course he’d be curious.

“It’s a candy that helps ease magic overload symptoms.”

“Oh? Is it tasty?”

Seeing the eager look on Elvin’s face, I quickly warned him.
Because…

“It suppresses magic power, so if you eat it, Lord Elvin, you won’t be able to use magic for a while.”

Exactly.

Magic overload happens when too much magic power builds up inside your body at once, damaging it. Licorice works to suppress that magic surge.

So if someone with low magic took it, they’d end up with magic deficiency syndrome, and even people with normal levels wouldn’t be able to use magic for some time.

Elvin, being royalty, has more magic than most people, but even my brother—who’s so strong he becomes the final boss in the novel—lost the ability to use magic for a short while when he drank tea brewed from licorice. That’s how powerful this stuff is.

And that, exactly, is why we can’t publicly announce licorice’s effects yet.

Because—it nullifies magic power.

If someone were tricked into ingesting it and then attacked right afterward, they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves at all.

It does have a unique scent, like a faintly diluted lily, so you could recognize it if you knew—but spreading that awareness takes time.

And if, during that time, people started using it as poison instead of medicine, licorice’s reputation would be ruined. It would be branded a “dangerous plant,” and nobody would dare to cultivate it openly.

Apparently, that’s what Dr. Robert and Father are worrying about right now.

In the novel, it just went, “We found the cure! Yay! Everyone’s saved!” and ended there—but in real life, there are countless hurdles to clear before you can actually release a drug to the public.

I really hope we can make it a medicine soon.

“So that’s how it is?”

“Yes, best not to eat it,” my brother added.

Elvin’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Did you really want candy that badly?
Well, he is only eleven, so technically still a kid.

“Here, have this instead.”

I handed Elvin a caramel.

It’s a simple treat made with just sugar, milk, and butter—common enough in this world too. But the caramels our head chef makes are especially delicious.

They melt quickly, so you have to be careful, but thanks to our magic-stone-powered refrigerator, we can eat them anytime we like.

Ah, the perks of being in a duke’s family!

“Oh, caramel!”

“Your Highness, allow me to test it first—”

“There’s no need. No enemies can infiltrate this mansion.”

The guard, Ian, rushed forward from behind the adult attendants, but Elvin ignored him and popped the caramel into his mouth.

“Mmm, this is good. It’s been a while since I’ve had sweets.”

He looked so happy that I wondered why—until Ian explained: recently, one of the desserts prepared for Elvin had been poisoned. The patissier responsible was caught, but they still hadn’t identified who was behind it. So, for a while now, Elvin hadn’t been allowed to eat any sweets.

What!?

An attempted poisoning on the crown prince inside the royal palace!? That means the palace’s security isn’t doing its job at all!

Should I give him one of those “The enemy is outside” charms I made…?

Also, I’m honestly shocked that Elvin’s life is being targeted.

Because—there’s really no one who’d gain from killing him.

The current queen is his stepmother, sure, but she only has one daughter—and she dotes on Elvin like he’s her own son.

In this kingdom, the throne passes primarily to males. But if there are no male heirs within four degrees of kinship, it can go to a direct female descendant.

Among nobles, the rule’s a little looser—succession generally goes by birth order, but if there are no sons, a daughter can inherit.

Right now, the royal family has two children: Elvin, and Princess Fiona—the heroine of the novel.

But wait—wasn’t Fiona the one who became queen in the story?

Oh… maybe that’s because she married the Hero.

Or… could it be that by the end of the novel, Elvin’s cousin was already dead?

Killed by the Demon Lord’s army, perhaps…?

No way—don’t tell me Elvin was poisoned just like that!?