Village Head's Debauchery
Chapter 1147: A Fatal Meal

Chapter 1147: A Fatal Meal

Suddenly, Gaverick's expression turned stunned before twisting into rage.

"What is the meaning of this? If the meal wasn't to your satisfaction, was there any need to waste it by throwing it away?!" Gaverick demanded, his voice tinged with immense anger.

The expressions of those around them also twist in anger and disapproval at Brane's actions. Brane snorted at their reactions.

"Are you going to pretend you didn't know the meal was poisoned?" Brane asked, his tone deadly serious.

Hearing Brane's accusation, Gaverick's expression turned to shock.

"Poison?!" Gaverick exclaimed, his voice steady as he shook his head. "The fruits were picked from one of our finest orchards as a feast for your arrival. There's no way it's poisoned. Are you certain you haven't mistaken, great warrior?" His eyes locked onto Brane, but he couldn't see through his composed mask.

On the inside, Gaverick's heart raced with fear. 'He uncovered the poison... but how?' His thoughts raced wildly.

Brane clicked his tongue in thought. They were even more thick-skinned than he had anticipated. Nonetheless, he wasn't new to this game and decided to play along.

"If you don't believe me, verify it yourself," Brane said, lifting the basket into the air with Celestial energy. The basket vanished instantly and reappeared on the opposite side of the table, right before Gaverick and the others.

The scene left everyone in the room stunned. They had seen the bowl lift from the table but couldn't keep up with its movement as it traversed the distance and reappeared before them.

A shiver ran down their spines.

Gaverick quickly composed himself, his expression darkening into a frown. He picked a fruit from the basket, scrutinized it briefly, and then signalled to one of the guards.

The guard standing beside one of the four stony, thick pillars in the hall swiftly approached the large rectangular table and stopped before them.

Gaverick handed him the fruit. "Eat it," he ordered.

The guard hesitated for a moment before bringing the fruit to his mouth. He bit into it, chewed, and swallowed.

Brane, Zara, Gaverick, the two Queens, the high advisors-everyone in the room-watched closely, waiting to see what would happen.

After five minutes, the guard's body trembled violently, and he collapsed onto the ground. His eyes rolled back, turning white, and his body continued to convulse before falling unconscious.

Two guards immediately rushed forward and knelt beside him to check his condition. "He's unconscious, nearly in a death-like state," one of the guards reported, his voice trembling as he looked at Gaverick and the others' solemn expressions.

"Take him to one of the Stronghold's healers for treatment," Gaverick commanded.

The guard nodded, lifted the unconscious man with the help of his companion, and quickly exited the room.

A sudden silence blanketed the hall.

Suddenly...

BANG!

A loud fist slamming against the wooden table resonated across the hall. "It's those ungrateful nymphs! After all we've done for them, how do they choose to repay us? Poisoning our esteemed guest?!" exclaimed a tall, fair-skinned woman with long, silky black hair in an ankle-length blue gown. Beneath her dress, she wore an armour forged from Vylkr alloy.

Her name was Cora, the second-seat high advisor.

Her face twisted with rage, her teeth clenched tightly.

"We need to make them regret this treachery," Cora continued, her fierce gaze on Gaverick.

"I agree! We can't let this slide or allow them to trample on our name!" said a tall, grim-faced man with a shaved head and thick beard. "If our guest hadn't detected the poison, the consequences would've been disastrous."

His name was Raydon, the fourth-seat high advisor.

He wore a light brown shirt paired with black trousers, and, like the others, a Vylkr alloy armour was concealed beneath.

Gaverick stayed silent momentarily, his face contemplating, before finally nodding. "You're all right. We need to punish them appropriately and ensure they regret their actions," he said.

Then, he turned his gaze toward a long blonde-haired woman seated to his right-one of the two Queens beside him.

"Will you be able to handle this task, Leri?" Gaverick asked.

"I will do my best not to disappoint you, Emperor," Leri responded with a firm nod, her tone and expression grave.

Gaverick nodded in return, then shifted his gaze toward Brane and Zara.

"Once we have apprehended the criminals responsible, we will hand them over to you so you may decide their fate," Gaverick said. Then, with a curious expression, he added, "May I ask how you detected that your meal was poisoned? I'm simply curious. If you choose not to answer, that's fine." He shook his head slightly, hoping their performance had been

convincing.

Watching the drama unfold, Brane shook his head in disappointment, wondering how they had sunk to such a disgraceful level.

'How despicable,' Zara thought, her expression solemn.

"Husband, I don't think there's any need to bring them to Paradise. We shouldn't risk infecting it with their corruption. This place suits them well. We should gather only the nymphs and take them to Anara, where she can provide them with proper care," Zara said, her emotions drastically rising as she mentioned them.

"We don't have to judge them all the same way. I believe many deserve to be freed from this pocket dimension," Brane responded. Then, his gaze sharpened. "Regardless, I agree that we should focus on the nymphs while we filter through the others."

Their conversation was concealed behind the masks they wore.

Upon hearing Gaverick's question, Brane nodded. "My wife was the one who sensed the poison hidden in the meal. I can confidently say that nothing escapes her senses," he said,

gesturing toward Zara.

Gaverick's gaze flickered toward Zara, the woman wearing a half-pink and fiery red mask coloured horizontally with numerous tendril-like designs engraved on its surface, similar to

Brane's.

'It seems this 'Paradise' has far deeper and more terrifying roots than I imagined,' Gaverick thought, his mind racing.

Despite not underestimating Paradise after what he had heard from Knight Darian-Brane's and Zara's terrifying display of skill-it still felt he had significantly underestimated them. "That's a truly fascinating ability. I wonder if you could lend us a hand while interrogating the criminals responsible for this to help us identify the one responsible more quickly," Gaverick suggested.