Chapter 229.2: Investigating Fuzzy Dice (Part 2)

The first way to get someone unconscious was through percussive force, like a strike on the back of the neck. It was basically using brute force to knock someone out cold.

That was clearly not the method Fuzzy Dice had used though, so it could be ruled out. Mira even wondered why he had brought up such a moot point in the first place, but before she could ask about it, the detective had already started explaining that. It was important to keep that in mind in the case that no sleeping drug or compound was found in those affected.

「I've tried many times to figure out what it is that puts us to sleep, so we have tried taking various tests.」

But no matter how much they tried, they could not identify any substance like that. It was like a poison that left no traces, and was completely gone from one's system after causing all the symptoms. But according to the one in charge of the medical team, there was no plant or monster with such a toxin.

「In other words, this means that the second method of drugging someone to put them to sleep is also unlikely.」

Saori, someone from the Fifty Bells, had used sleeping drugs within smoke before. They could be made through various methods, including alchemy.

Depending on how strong the components were, the target's body would gradually break them down and expel them, until they woke up again.

In those cases, examining one's blood or urine could identify the decayed toxins, making it possible to identify it.

But when the detective got tested, even right after waking up, there was nothing that showed up. So that method could also be ruled out.

That only left the third method. Sleep induced by some spell, basically a status effect. The detective mentioned it with extra emphasis.

「There's some literature I bought to investigate this case. It's a book printed by that famous research facility known as the Silver Linked Towers, in the country of spellcasters.」

Saying that, the detective produced a book from the bag he carried under his arm. The book was quite thick, or maybe sturdy was a better word, as it looked so bulky it could almost be used as a weapon. The title read 「Analysis of Status Effects Spells, Definitive Edition.」

「It really was an incredible book. Everything was explained and detailed in a way that even someone who isn't a spellcaster like me could understand, and they included all the research they conducted to reach their conclusions. Calling it a goldmine of information would be an understatement. Three million Rils was a tough price to swallow at first, but it certainly lived up to it.」

Then he added 「Thanks to that I ended up getting curious about their other books.」 As it turned out, he had already ordered a second book from the Silver Linked Towers, and its price was obviously in the millions of Rils too.

(...Just what kind of books are those? Three million Ril..?)

Mira stared at the book with a complex look. Analysis of status effects spells was also something Mira had helped with many times in the past, taking part in various experiments.

Spells were incredibly varied, some inducing paralysis, drowsiness, confusion, and many others. There were secondary effects as well, like burn or lacerating damage from other spells.

And while the title only mentioned spells, it included attacks used by monsters, wild beasts, spirits, sacred beasts, and even devils. It truly was an all-encompassing collection.

On top of that, since she had helped research that many times in the past, Mira also began to wonder if she could go claim royalties from the book sales.

While she reminisced about the past, she also understood what the detective was getting at.

「If I remember correctly, toxins produced through spells are just different forms of mana, and once enough time passes or if extracted, they just dissipate back into neutral mana again, yes?」

Mira slowly said that, retracing her memories. She already had a general idea of how spells like that worked, thanks to her experience helping with those experiments. Recalling that would allow her to get to the heart of the matter faster, and omit some of the detective's roundabout way of talking.

Mira's ploy was successful, leaving the detective slightly dumbfounded for a while, realizing that she had already skipped past half his explanation, but he quickly recovered and regained his confident voice.

「Yes, that's precisely it. Have you actually read this book before, Mira?」

The detective's eyes were beaming with expectation, believing he had found a kindred spirit. Mira could feel the weight of that question, but she gave a vague 「I had a quick look at it before.」 That was not exactly a lie, though she was still unsure of how being a reader and being involved in the writing of the book were related.

「Ohh, amazing. But yes, as you just mentioned, toxins produced through spells decompose into mana. That's why whenever I was tested after waking up, nothing would show up. Even if they tried to examine me while I was sleeping, the toxins would dissipate outside my body.」

He stressed that point again, completing his explanations. Considering the situation, the only way to explain that white fog that put people to sleep was a spell. Mira agreed with that conclusion as well.

She had also taken part in some experiments related to that back in the game.

While there were many different things classified as status effects, their nature and duration varied greatly depending on the source, which also changed the components that produced said status effect.

In broad terms, there were two different types of toxins, natural ones, and magical ones.

Natural toxins were produced within the bodies of animals, monsters, and even plants. Once applied to a victim, their efficacy and duration would vary depending on the victim's overall health and immune system. In the worst cases, they could lead to an instant death.

There were various ways to treat such infections too, like antivenoms or certain healing spells, but some types of toxins could only be treated by very specific antidotes, making them rather dangerous. The lethal venom from the Viper King living in the Razewood Forest being one of the deadliest ones.

On the other hand, magic toxins were produced through spells or magic. Their main difference was that the target's health and immune system had no effect on them. But that did not make them all-powerful, as it was still possible to raise one's magic resistance, which dampened the effect of incoming spells.

High magic resistance would turn the incoming toxins back into neutral mana almost instantly. Though if the toxins were twice as powerful as one's resistance, then their effect would be applied right away.

Then again, having a high resistance to magic also shortened the duration of magic toxins, and all of them could be cleansed with holy magic.

Magic toxins reacted and lingered in response to the mana of all living things, which meant that it would not remain in dead bodies.

The key to unraveling the mystery lay in discerning between which type of toxin was used, one of natural origin that affected the physical body, or a magic toxin that altered one's mana.

But more importantly, while natural toxins could be harvested from all sorts of creatures or mixed up through alchemy, there was no class superior to Forbidden Arts when it came to magic toxins.