Chapter 15

What was that? Thiago had less than seven days to live?

Expression darkening, Claude growled, "Do you have any idea what you're saying, Cassian? Watch it! I won't go easy on you if you spew such nonsense again!"

"Silence!" Thiago snapped.

After giving Claude a glare, Thiago turned to Cassian and said, "Claude has a foul temper. Don't take it to heart. You said I have less than seven days to live. Does that mean you've figured out the cause of my ailment?"

"I have," Cassian confirmed with a nod.

"What is it?" Thiago asked.

He wondered if Cassian could really figure it out when so many renowned doctors had failed to identify his condition.

Cassian answered, "If I'm not mistaken, you're afflicted with an unusual poison, Lord Drakeford."

Thiago's expression shifted slightly.

Stunned, Claude couldn't resist exclaiming, "How did you figure that out, Cassian?"

"It's a rare and peculiar type of poison that is commonly found in the Mogerra territory. Most people call it parasitic poison."

Even Thiago couldn't sit still anymore.

"I was right to seek you out! None of the medical experts were able to identify my condition, but you detected the parasitic poison in my body after just a quick checkup. One should never underestimate the younger generation," Thiago remarked. "What else did you discover?"

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, Lord Drakeford. I hope you'll answer truthfully," Cassian said solemnly.

"Of course. Go ahead."

"When you were first infected with the poison, there were no symptoms at all. You only started experiencing them after half a year, correct?"

"That's right. I didn't feel anything at first, but six months later, I began having intense stomach pains during the day. I went to the hospital to see what was wrong, but they couldn't find anything."

Nodding, Cassian said, "Parasitic poisons aren't your everyday type of poison. They're actually a mysterious form of the mystic arts. In the Yargon Chronicles, there was a paragraph on how a tribe of people cultivated parasites to use as poison. The fiercely guarded technique that was never shared with outsiders.

"Moreover, parasitic poison usually hides within the blood, so it's impossible to detect them through ordinary medical techniques."

"You're absolutely right. None of the doctors at the many hospitals Claude brought me to could figure it out."

Cassian carried on with his questioning.

"The poison remained dormant for six months before the symptoms began. At first, you had intense abdominal pain during the day. Later on, the abdominal pain came at night, correct?"

"That's right."

"After some time, you became extremely sensitive to the cold. It felt as though you were constantly trapped in a freezer, am I right?"

"That's true!" Thiago exclaimed. "Even during the dead of summer, I had to have the heater on. I also needed to sleep with the thickest quilt I could find."

"That condition lasted three years, but after that, the opposite began happening. You became extremely afraid of heat, correct?"

"Correct!" Thiago said with a firm nod. "During the coldest days of winter with a heavy snowstorm outside, I'd still feel hot even when I was wearing something short-sleeved and had the fan on."

"After that, your body slowly started changing. One side of you turned cold, and the other side turned hot. This is the state you're in right now, and I'm guessing it hasn't been more than two weeks since this began. Am I right?"

"You are."

"From the first stomach pains until now, the symptoms have never stopped. Especially in the past year, they've been following a strict pattern. The pain will flare up at midnight and stop at precisely 6:00 am. When the pain comes, you feel as though a thousand ants are gnawing away at your heart. There's nothing you can do to stop the pain, correct?"

"You've been right about everything."

By now, Cassian was pretty certain he knew what kind of parasitic poison Thiago was afflicted with.

"Do you have any other questions, Cassian?" Thiago asked.

"No more questions, but I do have one little request that I hope you'll go along with," Cassian said.

"What is it?"

"Take your clothes off."

"Huh?"

Startled, Thiago eyed Cassian strangely. Seeing the look in Thiago's eyes, Cassian realized Thiago must've misunderstood him, so he quickly added, "Please don't take it the wrong way. I want you to undress so that I can confirm the type of parasitic poison you're afflicted with."

"Oh, I see!" Thiago said with a laugh before taking his shirt off.

Circling around, Cassian bent down to examine Thiago's back. After doing so, he gasped and mumbled, "It was just as I deduced."

The skin of Thiago's back was evenly split into two as well. One side was flushed red, as though it had been scalded with coals. The other side, however, was unusually pale, as if it had been left in the freezer. A purplish vein about an inch long protruded along the line where both sides met. It looked like two snakes coiled together, and it was giving off a chilling energy.

"What are you seeing, Cassian?" Claude couldn't resist asking.

With a grim expression, Cassian replied, "I am now 100% certain that Lord Drakeford is suffering from the Two-Fanged Venom!"

"You're even able to figure that out?" Thiago exclaimed in shock.

Over the years, countless doctors had examined Thiago, and many were highly celebrated for their skills. Yet, not a single one of them could detect the poison in him.

Meanwhile, not only did Cassian figure it out with a quick look, but he was even able to pinpoint the exact type of poison. Could it be that he was some kind of medical genius?

Thiago had no clue that Cassian only managed to sense his affliction and figure out what it was because of the knowledge he'd received from his ancestor. He'd been imbued with an incredible amount of profound information. Earlier on, he'd remained silent because he was going through the knowledge he received to find a record of the symptoms Thiago had.

Finally, he landed on the description about the Two-Fanged Venom.

Just to be safe, Cassian specifically asked Thiago a few more questions and even checked the condition of his back. With all that, he was able to confirm that it was indeed the Two-Fanged Venom that plagued Thiago.

The Two-Fanged Venom was a vicious parasitic poison. Its victim wouldn't die at once. Instead, it would appear as though everything was fine. Ordinarily, the symptoms only began after six months.

Then, the poison would slowly torment its victim.

After making its victim sensitive to cold and heat, it would then cause an imbalance in the body, making one side run hot while the other run cold. Moreover, the constant abdominal pain also made life a living hell.

It was impossible to imagine how Thiago managed to put up with such torture all these years. Feeling sympathetic, Cassian asked, "You must've suffered a lot the last few years."

"You're not wrong about that. It's been nine years. Every time the poison flares up, the pain in my abdomen is truly unbearable, and there's nothing I can do to treat it either. It genuinely feels like a pain worse than death," Thiago remarked with a grin. "Still, I've managed to hang in there, no matter how painful it gets."

"I am in awe of your willpower," Cassian said in admiration. "Any other person going through this probably wouldn't even last three years."

"I've undergone martial arts training ever since I was a kid, so I'm stronger than most. Cassian, since you can identify the poison in me, does that mean you can cure me?"

Thiago stared hopefully at Cassian.

Chuckling ruefully, Cassian replied, "You overestimate me. The Two-Fanged Venom is no ordinary poison. It is almost impossible to get rid of it."

"Is there really no way to do it?" Thiago asked, refusing to give up so quickly.

After thinking about it, Cassian said, "It's not completely impossible. If…"

"If what?"