After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 126
The fire, which had suddenly engulfed the forest, fortunately only scorched the back of the mansion before it was put out. After capturing the culprit, Dehart couldn’t contain his fury.
“You crazy bastard!”
The information he extracted from the delirious Henkit was absurd. Henkit, after entering the Nightmare Forest ahead of others, had learned of the situation inside and gathered the necessary items.
Not camping sets like those collected by people at the general store, but talismans that could destroy illusions and curses.
“Duke, ah, Duke! I came to save you! These filthy bastards—how dare they stay so close to you!”
Henkit’s eyes were completely wild. He looked at the empty seat next to him, searching for Dehart, but instead, he cursed the real Dehart, calling him the villain.
“You heartless devil. Do you think you can capture Duke Inverness and get away with it!”
“Ha, unbelievable.”
Dehart ran his hand through his hair and let out a cold laugh. Despite escaping the Nightmare Forest, Henkit remained in a delusional state, unable to snap out of it. It was due to the fake talisman he had used.
“He followed me with this pathetic garbage?”
The talisman Henkit had gotten from the alley behind Suffredi couldn’t have been a proper item. Claude rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes tightly.
“I thought he was just another clueless scholar chasing me, but this was my mistake.”
Claude groaned in pain.
“I’ll have to shut the forest down completely for the time being.”
It would have been a relief if it were just a useless piece of paper. The half-made talisman had distorted the illusion within the barrier and showed Henkit ‘the scene he wanted to see.’
“Don’t worry, Duke. I’ve sent a signal to the base. People will be here soon. But remember, I’m the only one who came to save you… Aaagh!”
“If I had to be saved by the likes of you, I’d have been rolling in hell a long time ago.”
Dehart snarled and kicked him in the chest. This madman had used a shabby magical scroll, setting the forest on fire. Not only that, but he had nearly turned the mansion into ash as well.
Srring—
Dehart drew his sword. Claude, startled by the chilling sound, opened his eyes in shock. His eyes filled with disbelief. The sword was the one Dehart had secretly hidden the day he was brought to the research facility.
“When did you get that?”
“I had it brought to me after I threatened the doctor.”
Claude let out a groan. The threat had been just an excuse. Watts wasn’t someone who would give in to threats. On the surface, it didn’t show, but even he must have been furious.
“Well, considering the herb storage has been completely destroyed…”
The storage room held precious herbs that Watts had collected over the years. These weren’t just materials for medicinal recipes, but also crucial research materials. Losing them would likely cause a deep, unfathomable grudge from Watts.
“Hide behind me, Duke! You damn bastard, you won’t lay a hand on my master’s body! Henkit won’t let you off… Aaaaah!”
The sound of blood splattering and bones breaking echoed through the underground lab. Henkit was left unable to wield a sword for the rest of his life.
Moments later, Dehart opened the door to the lab and spoke to Claude.
“I’ll leave the rest to the doctor.”
“…….”
“I don’t care whether he lives or dies.”
It was a statement entrusting someone else with the life or death of a loyal retainer. Despite the severity of the situation, there had been no casualties, but it was still a harsh decision. Claude merely stared at him quietly, not opposing him. He understood why Dehart had made this choice.
The door shut behind them. As Dehart ascended the shadowed stairs, he let out a painful groan.
“Damn…”
Each step was agonizing. It wasn’t even ten steps to the top, but to him, it felt like a thousand-mile journey. When his foot finally landed on the last step, he felt as if his heart sank.
“Right now, it’s impossible to make the medicine she used to take. I guess for now, we’ll have to rely on ready-made products…”
He heard Watts’ voice from afar. His tone, filled with frustration, carried deep disappointment in himself and anger toward Henkit.
The destruction of the herb storage meant that the final stages of Sebelia’s treatment were now interrupted.
* * *
The thornbush disease was a common illness in the Lockwood region. Although not many people contracted it, a fair number of patients still existed, and as a result, treatment methods were known.
“The problem is that this troublesome disease requires equally troublesome herbs.”
Watts’ voice resonated through the forest. He and Dehart were sifting through the still-intact forest, looking for usable herbs.
“If Lockwood wasn’t so isolated, we wouldn’t have a problem sourcing the materials.”
Watts spoke with a rueful tone and rubbed his eyes.
If the patient had been from Lockwood, there wouldn’t have been much of a problem. The herbs they needed were common in Lockwood.
But this was the Belkram Empire, beyond the Frost Forest, deep within the mountains of Suffredi, a place famously known for its minimal trade with other areas.
“Are they that difficult to get? The general climate is different, but I thought we could still find them.”
