Chapter 359: Stay with You, Until… Forever
Beneath the laboratory’s white fluorescent lights, two petri dishes sat side by side.
One held Poppy’s blood. The other held Ophelia’s.
On the surface, there was little difference between them. But upon closer inspection, subtle distinctions emerged.
Poppy’s blood was a dark red tinged with faint purple, displaying strong reactive activity within the dish.
Ophelia’s blood showed no significant difference in color, yet it radiated an unmistakable chill across its surface. A fine white frost had even condensed along the inner walls of the dish, tiny ice crystals glinting faintly under the light.
Clearly, the latter’s strength surpassed the former by a considerable margin.
If Pandora had to venture an opinion, Ophelia’s ascension to Rank-4 was all but guaranteed.
As for Poppy… she still required considerable effort.
But that was their concern. It had nothing to do with Pandora.
Her attention was fixed on another matter entirely.
With focused precision, Pandora picked up the experimental potion once more—the very one that had caused her own blood to “wither.”
The dropper descended.
Two droplets of murky liquid fell, one into each petri dish.
But—
Silence.
Neither blood sample reacted at all.
They did not, as Pandora’s blood had done, devour the potion only to wither abruptly afterward. Nor did they show any sign of hyper-activity, nor any loss of vitality from toxic effects.
At most, a minute ripple stirred. The blood film quivered faintly, then returned to stillness.
For the primary objective of this study, such a ripple was entirely negligible.
Unconvinced, Pandora tried again.
The dropper drew up the liquid once more and released it again.
The result was identical.
Both blood samples from the Corpse-Plague Acolytes showed virtually no reaction to this potion.
This outcome indicated…
“This is a toxin… specifically targeting Witch’s blood?”
Pandora’s gaze darkened. Thoughts surged through her mind in rapid succession.
Her blood had withered and died upon contact with this potion, while Poppy’s and Ophelia’s blood had shown no response whatsoever.
The core difference between the three was that her body had integrated a Witch’s bloodline.
The logical chain seemed straightforward enough.
But she immediately dismissed the notion.
“No. I can’t simply conclude that the Witch’s bloodline in my own blood is what triggered the potion’s toxicity.”
Her rigorous mind quickly identified the flaw in that reasoning.
Too many other possibilities existed.
For instance, her own constitution as a Wizard. She was not merely a carrier of the Witch’s bloodline—she was also a Wizard.
A Wizard’s constitution was inherently different from that of ordinary people. Could some component unique to a Wizard’s physiology have reacted with the potion?
Or perhaps residues from other potions ingested prior. Had she consumed some particular potion before this, whose lingering traces in her bloodstream had produced an unforeseen chemical reaction with this experimental mixture?
Too many variables. Too few control groups.
The data at hand could not support a definitive conclusion. Further study was required.
“My Lady…”
Aisha, who had been standing by her side all this time, had witnessed every moment.
Others might not know that Pandora, beyond being a Wizard, had also fused a Witch’s bloodline into her body. But Aisha could not possibly be unaware.
She spent every waking moment in Pandora’s company. No one understood Pandora’s physical condition better than she did—save for Pandora herself.
Given the depth of Aisha’s concern, even though she had remained silent until now, the worry in those delicate eyes was nearly overflowing.
This was the first time she had ever seen something that appeared to target the Witch’s bloodline with such specificity.
If this substance were to fall into enemy hands…
If someone were to specifically target My Lady…
For Aisha, who regarded Pandora as her entire world, nothing could unsettle her more than “something that could possibly threaten My Lady.”
Her fingers unconsciously clenched. Ripples stirred in her eyes.
But at that moment, Pandora turned her head.
Meeting Aisha’s gaze, she deliberately lightened her tone.
“Don’t worry too much, Aisha.”
“In a way, this is actually a good thing.”
Aisha blinked, startled.
A good thing?
“At the very least, this has reminded me that the Witch’s bloodline’s toxin resistance is not absolute.”
“There still exist poisons in this void worthy of my caution.”
“Discovering this potential toxicity now, in the course of my own experimental research, is far preferable to discovering it in the midst of combat.”
“At least this is controllable. And I have ample time to study it.”
Pandora spoke calmly.
The nature of events was never absolute.
She had never assumed the Witch’s bloodline was so uniquely exceptional that it could neutralize every poison in existence.
Not to mention, her Witch’s bloodline was incomplete to begin with.
She was no true Witch. The bloodline had only fused into her body through an accident.
Was it any surprise that some toxins could breach the defenses of her poison resistance?
Not in the slightest.
On the contrary—to discover a potential problem, to study it thoroughly and understand it completely, as a professional potion-maker, that was precisely how one could best neutralize it, or even…
Turn it to one’s advantage.
Poison and medicine were two sides of the same coin.
Today’s poison could very well become tomorrow’s remedy.
And at this explanation, the worry in Aisha’s eyes slowly began to ease.
Her tightly furrowed brow relaxed somewhat. Her clenched fingers loosened.
“The only real inconvenience is…”
Pandora glanced at the densely packed schedule in her experiment logbook and let out a somewhat resigned sigh.
“…that my list of planned tasks has just grown by one more entry.”
The schedule was already filled to the brim.
Optimization of Cloud Crested Currant cultivation. Research into substituting Anomalous materials in potion-making. The Ashen Echo Draught project for the Witch’s bloodline. Wizardry studies. Routine cleanup squad duties…
Every single item demanded time and energy.
And now, she had to add “Research into Witch’s Bloodline-Specific Toxins.”
Though her words carried a note of resignation, the expression on Pandora’s face was undoubtedly one of relaxed amusement.
Aisha looked at Pandora. The last wisp of shadow in her gaze dissolved as well.
The two exchanged a smile.
“Do not worry, My Lady. Aisha will always stay by your side.”
Aisha spoke softly. Her voice was very quiet, yet utterly unwavering.
It was a simple statement.
Like saying “the sun will rise tomorrow”—it required no embellishment or emphasis.
Pandora nodded. She withdrew her gaze and began writing a new entry in her logbook.
The nib scratched softly across the paper. A new line of neat script appeared at the very end of the schedule.
And behind her, Aisha stood in silence. Her eyes never once strayed from that slender figure.
The white fluorescent light fell upon Pandora’s profile, tracing the contours of her pale, focused features.
In her heart, Aisha continued the silent vow, in a voice only she could hear:
Aisha will stay with My Lady, until…
Forever…