The Unlucky Villain [ON HOLD]

Chapter 11: Inconspicuous Apple

Apparently self-destructing and having an existential crisis was mentally taxing.

Who would've thought? Definitely not me, Calvin grumbled sarcastically.

He paused, flipping through one of the books Dalia had found on brewing poison, before letting out a weary sigh. Per usual, Dalia had been a great help when he needed books from Kieran's father's study, she hadn't questioned why he required a book on poison, nor had she mentioned the clear aftermath portrayed on his face indicating that something had clearly happened at school. She just nodded before leaving and then eventually returned with a hot cup of tea and a book.

Why is she so compliant?

Covering his eyes with his hands, he sighed again, mind wandering back to what had happened in the classroom.

Why had he lashed out like that? In hindsight it wasn't even worth it. All he had done was activate one of the many death flags and thus, set the story in motion.

At least that is what he believed.

Why else would Ailín follow him out of the classroom? None of it made any sense!

Screw it, at least I now have a reason for giving him a thank-you of some sort. Plus, I found out he likes apples. Cal looked down at the book and suppressed a tired laugh. The title of the current chapter was 'Malum Venenum', or 'Apple Venom' when translated out of Latin, which could be procured using apple cores. In otherworldly vocabulary, Calvin was trying to figure out how to extract cyanide from apple seeds.

How had he found this page?

Well, for the first time in his life, he was grateful that his parents had forced him through a Latin language course in hopes he would become a doctor. Even if it only aided him now, when he was about to commit a crime, it was still useful.

Conscious about time, Cal looked at the clock before shifting in his chair and directing his attention at the makeshift chemistry equipment he had found while searching through Kieran's closet.

Was it normal to keep the equipment hidden away in one of the bottom drawers of a closet?

Probably not.

But then again Cal didn't really care, all that mattered to him was that he now had the means of extracting the cyanide even if he had zero experience whatsoever.

What is the probability that I die while attempting to do this? He pondered while mindlessly flipping through the old pages of the chapter, before pushing the depressing thought aside. Trying to remain positive, he decided, worst case I no longer have to worry about a gruesome death and can just get some sleep.

He paused, could that even be classified as positive?

Deciding it wasn't worth the worry he pushed the thought away, it was a positive for him.

All he had to do for now was extract the poison while also preparing the antidote, which he would start with due to moral reasoning.

While he was willing to commit a crime, he wasn't willing to commit a murder.

According to the book, the effects of Malum Venenum could be cured with a remedy made by magic. All one had to do was condense mana within their palm, while occasionally threading in some energy from their own body. It was a difficult and dangerous process, but somehow he managed to finish within two hours.

Cal smiled, thankfully math can simplify any problem when given enough thought.

He had translated some of the steps into mathematical formulas, allowing his movements and actions to be as precise as they could be given his inexperience. He had also calculated the standard error, assessing to what extent he could mess up without invalidating the results.