Wine and Poison Chapter 8 - A Strange Cohabitation

Before the arrowhead even moved, Dionysus could predict that it would pierce his neck. The flesh tingled more than the green poison.

 

“So why.”

 

Easily, with a wave of his hand, he calmed Thyrsus, who was about to move threateningly in response to his master’s crisis, and turned casually. 

 

The arrow came after him. Taking a quick step back, Dionysus held his hand out in front of him, as if to calm an agitated animal.

 

“That’s…”

 

He trailed off. The short old woman, arrow in hand, glared at him. Dionysus, who had felt relaxed in the face of the arrow’s threat, was suddenly dazed. 

 

An intense glint caught his eye, like a cascade of gold melting in a furnace.

 

‘I’ve heard of golden eyes.’ 

 

The eyes, which would have been remarkable merely for their golden color, were vibrant, as if on fire. They seemed to leap with flame, and they glowed like an endless river of gold cascading down an iron stream. 

 

It was frighteningly intense, and my hands felt as hot as a fire.

 

“A manipulator, or a fraud.”

 

“…”

 

“Usually they are. People who talk out of their asses.”

 

The husky voice snapped Dionysus out of his reverie. 

 

The golden splendor of the eyes had faded, and a dilapidated, dingy hut dominated his view. A tiny old woman stood in the center of it all.

 

“…An ugly hag.”

 

Like most gods, Dionysus was picky when it came to beauty. But even if his aesthetic had been ordinary, his impression would have been the same.

 

“I’m not a fraud.”

 

The old woman snorted.

 

“A crook goes around calling me a crook?”

 

Dionysus blinked at the sarcasm, mesmerized by her beautiful eyes, momentarily unable to see her ugly face.

 

They say the eyes are the windows to the heart. He could see into her soul through her golden eyes. It was an uncommonly beautiful soul, and as he gazed into it, he forgot that she was an ugly old woman. 

 

If she had had the slightest bit of an eye-catching appearance, if she had been younger, he would have had her right then and there.

 

“You must have crawled up here because you heard a rumor somewhere, so drink some cold water and recover.”

 

“…”

 

“You’re a weakling, and you shouldn’t be living off women. You’re right about the poison, but I don’t have any money.”

 

Dionysus’s expression turned puzzled when he heard the old woman’s little muttering.

 

Dionysus had never laughed at someone being so arrogant in his presence. He was unforgiving of the arrogant or those who wished to exploit him.

 

But perhaps it was the lingering shock of meeting the old woman’s eyes that made him think of what to do with her right now. It just seemed absurd and ridiculous.

 

So rather than punish the old woman for her insolence, he decided to continue the joke.

 

“I have plenty of money,” he said.

 

“Anyone with money can…”

 

“I’d rather give it to you.”

 

“…?”

 

“If you will take me as your disciple.”

 

The old woman’s eyes widened. Then she glared at him more fiercely than before.

 

“Trickster!”

 

“I said I didn’t want your money, but am I still a trickster?”

 

“If you’re talking nonsense, you’re a fraud. Or.”

 

“A charlatan?”

 

The old woman’s face contorted in bewilderment as she took back her words.

 

“If you say that my rumors are causing the city to be so vicious, why do you want me to take you on as a disciple?”

 

“There’s no reason why I want to be your disciple, because of course there are things I want to learn from you.”

 

“From me?”

 

“Herbalism, including poisonous herbs.”

 

“That doesn’t make sense either. If you wanted to learn herbalism, you’d go to one of Apollo’s acolyte priests, not me, who has a bad reputation.”

 

“They are not easy to come by, are they?”

 

The secret art of herbalism was originally taught by the god Apollo to his priests.

 

If you trace the lineage of herbalists in Greece back to their teachers, you’d find Apollo’s priests, so those interested in herbalism would seek out the temple of Apollo.

 

“You want to be a doctor, but I don’t know how to save people.”

 

“I know.”

 

“You know?”

 

“Yes. I don’t mind, in fact, I like it.”

 

Dionysus smiled thinly and whispered low.

 

“I’m more interested in killing people.”

 

“…”

 

“You’re quite skilled in that regard, so it’s wise to be your pupil rather than one of Apollo’s acolyte priests or a common herbalist.”

 

It was a statement that I could not find a logical loophole in, even if I still questioned it. 

 

If one wanted to learn how to kill people, it made sense to seek out a witch rather than a doctor. But the old woman looked at him in disbelief, then spat.

 

“What the hell do you think you know about my skills?”

 

Dionysus laughed in vain. This old woman probably doesn’t have a single friend. 

 

She probably doesn’t have a family, either, given that she lives alone in a place like this. Maybe she’s been abandoned by her children.

 

People who didn’t socialize were more likely to be isolated. They were more likely to be eccentric or have an unusual temper. This old woman fit the bill.

 

Dionysus, however, had never lost his gentle laugh. He had been a demigod before he became the lord of Olympus, and while he was no ordinary mortal, he was no stranger to flattery and pandering to mortals.

 

This is quite unusual compared to his half-brother, Hercules, who was also a demigod, who never bowed to humans, as he was not inclined to be direct. 

 

His cunning and soft-spoken demeanor proved to be just as effective when he cross-dressed Pentheus, a descendant of Cadmus, the king of Thebes, to his festive death.

 

“My lack of study prevents me from accurately gauging your skill, but you are capable of concocting potent poisons from ingredients of different compatibility.”

 

It wasn’t hard for him to ease the wariness of a lonely old woman deep in the mountains like this. A glass of wine would have made it easier.

 

“So, what do you know about…”

 

“The neurotoxin of a mole rat, the sap of a yellow toad, a small amount of hallucinogenic mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, and a hint of sweetness…”

 

Dionysus dipped his index finger into the arrowhead the old woman was holding and placed it on the tip of his tongue. 

 

The old woman flinched and looked at him with wide eyes. Dionysus licked his lips with his red tongue and nodded.

 

“I see you also used the juice of Belladonna’s fruit. Each ingredient is poisonous, but not lethal, and they complement each other well enough to keep for a long time. The main effects of the mixed poison are hallucinations and nerve paralysis. You didn’t really mean to kill me.”

 

“…”

 

“I am delighted. It’s good to know that my future master has a warm heart.”

 

“Ha, why do you say I didn’t mean to kill you? What I put on the arrowhead is a powerful poison.”

 

“But if you had intended to kill me, you would have used that.”

 

Dionysus pointed his finger at the material on the log wall of the hut. 

 

Surprise flashed across the old woman’s eyes as she realized he was pointing at a red mushroom that looked exactly like an antler.

 

Red Stag Antler Mushroom.

 

It was a poisonous mushroom that could take a person’s life in an instant, compared to the mushrooms that caused hallucinogenic symptoms.

 

“But I think if we add a mineral poison to it, it could have a more devastating effect… as long as it doesn’t kill, of course.”

 

“Why do you think so?”

 

Dionysus smiled inwardly. He still looked suspicious, but the mere fact that he was asking showed that his words had stung.

 

“Because it would hasten the manifestation of the poison. At best, I’ve infiltrated the poison through the weapon, and if the effect is delayed, wouldn’t that put me in danger?”

 

“Mineral poison, I hadn’t thought of that.”

 

The old woman muttered, “There aren’t any mines around here, we’d have to go all the way down to the city.” 

 

Dionysus watched her with half bewilderment, half interest, as she lost herself in her thoughts, having never been treated like this before.

 

She seemed to have forgotten the purpose of the mission, which was to kill the strange intruder. 

 

Such concentration was a trait that would have suited a priest of Hephaestus. Or a priest of Apollo, which he spat out at random.

 

A witch. I knew it was likely, but it was funny, because I didn’t detect the slightest hint of magic in her. 

 

Just a gleaming golden eye on an unusually ugly face that had been tacked on by people who were freaked out by her appearance.

 

The steam had cooled a bit, but Dionysus’s interest remained tenuous. It seemed like a good distraction while he waited for the fabled woman. 

 

What’s more, I don’t detect any magical aura, but the scent of divinity. Who could have touched this woman with the divine hand? 

 

A blessing or a curse? 

 

It’s more interesting than I thought.  It would be a shame to make her a lunatic, not after solving the mystery.

 

The corners of Dionysus’s mouth twitched upward, but then he relaxed.

 

“You are indeed remarkable. With such concentration, you must have been able to accomplish this much. I’m sure you can surpass even the poison of the poisonous hydra, Master.”

 

It was his specialty to break down the boundaries of his opponents with his intoxicating sweet voice. It was even more effective if the words were sweet.

 

One response was unexpected. The old woman’s golden eyes glittered.

 

‘What is it?’

 

He wondered what had stirred her.

 

Dionysus pondered, and then spoke, “The venom of the hydra is the ultimate goal of those who study poisons.”

 

Unlike earlier, the old woman didn’t react, but Dionysus was sure this was the key.

 

What it was, though, was hard to guess.

 

A hydra was the first thing that came to mind when the gods said ‘poison’.

 

After a moment of silence, the old woman spoke up.

 

“Do you know the poison of the hydra?”

 

“Of course.”

 

The old woman curled her hands into fists. Dionysus pursed his lips as he studied the old woman’s gaze, the way she held her gaze, the way her hands clenched, the way her shoulders tensed.

 

“I can’t tell you exactly what it is, but I have a vendetta I’m willing to risk my life for. The venom of the hydra would allow me to fulfill my wish.”

 

The old woman’s lips twitched briefly, then snapped shut, but Dionysus inwardly tugged at the corners of his mouth.

 

The answer.

 

It would not be too difficult to solve the old woman’s riddle.