Chapter 233: Drinking Wine With The City Lord | 100 PS Bonus

The guards opened the latches and slid the lids aside, allowing them to fall onto the stone floor with a heavy thud. They straightened, prepared to reveal whatever Elias had brought, but their expressions quickly shifted from apprehension to confusion.

Inside each box lay a straw doll roughly the size of an adult human.

The dolls were crudely shaped, with straw packed tightly beneath their bindings and simple cloth wrapped around their bodies. They had no faces, no clothing worth mentioning, and nothing that suggested they were valuable in any way.

Berlic stared at them for a moment before turning his gaze toward Elias.

"What is this tomfoolery?" he asked, his voice edged with irritation.

Elias smiled slightly.

"Were you not desperately searching for something that could help you pass your time?" he asked. "These can help you quite a lot, do you not think?"

Berlic’s brows drew together.

"What nonsense," he muttered, his voice carrying a trace of contempt and anger.

"Now, now. Why are you getting so angry?" Elias asked, spreading his hands as though he were the one being treated unfairly. "I was only trying to be a good nephew."

The word nephew seemed to irritate Berlic more than the straw dolls themselves. His lips twitched each time Elias used it, and the muscles around his jaw tightened as he struggled to maintain his composure.

Elias glanced at the dolls before continuing.

"I brought them so you would have something to practice with. Is it wrong for a nephew to save his uncle?"

Berlic’s expression darkened further. He turned away from the boxes and looked back at Elias, his eyes narrowing.

"And what are you saving me from?"

"From getting fat," Elias answered immediately.

The hall fell silent.

The guards standing near the boxes stiffened, while the knights exchanged brief, uncertain glances. Even the servants seemed unable to decide whether they had heard him correctly. Their expressions gradually darkened as they realized Elias had not misspoken.

A vein throbbed at Berlic’s forehead, and confusion briefly mixed with his anger.

He tilted his head slightly.

"What?"

Elias smiled faintly and gestured toward the straw dolls.

"If you practice with them, you will not spend all your time sitting on your throne doing nothing. That should help keep you from getting fat."

The guards stared at him as though he had announced his intention to challenge every person in the mansion at once. Some lowered their eyes, unwilling to meet Berlic’s gaze, while others held their breath.

’Does he truly want to die?’ one of them seemed to wonder.

Berlic remained motionless for several seconds, his eyes fixed on Elias. Then, unexpectedly, he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

The sound echoed through the grand hall, but there was no warmth in it. His purple eyes remained utterly cold, and the smile stretching across his face carried none of the amusement his laughter suggested.

Elias, however, appeared entirely unconcerned.

"I also brought you a wine," he said.

He reached into his Inventory and retrieved a bottle, holding it up for Berlic to see. The bottle was elegant, with a smooth glass body and a sealed neck, and its contents shimmered faintly beneath the light.

Berlic’s laughter gradually subsided.

"Wine?" he asked, looking from the bottle to Elias.

"Haha! Then let us drink it together," Berlic said, stepping closer and patting Elias on the back.

The gesture looked friendly enough, but his hand landed heavily against Elias’s shoulder. Elias accepted it without reacting, maintaining the same relaxed smile.

Berlic snapped his fingers.

"Take away these boxes, bring a table and chairs, and then leave all of you."

The guards immediately bowed.

"As you command, My Lord."

They moved at once, lifting the boxes before carrying them out of the hall. The knights followed, while the servants hurried to prepare the table. No one dared linger, and soon the grand hall was left with only Elias and Berlic.

A table was placed between them, and chairs were arranged at opposite ends. A maid entered carrying a tray with two empty wine glasses and carefully set it down.

Her hands trembled slightly as she adjusted the glasses.

Elias glanced at her and smiled.

"You may leave. I will pour the wine for my uncle myself."

The maid hesitated and looked toward Berlic, uncertain whether she should obey Elias’s instruction.

Berlic gave a small nod.

The maid bowed to him, then glanced once more at Elias before leaving the hall. The doors closed behind her, leaving the two men alone with the wine bottle and the empty glasses.

Elias picked up one of the glasses and opened the bottle. The seal broke with a soft sound, and he tilted the bottle carefully, allowing the wine to flow into the glass.

Its color was a rich golden orange, catching the light as it swirled.

He filled the first glass, then took the second, rose from his chair, and carried it to Berlic.

He poured the wine in it.

"It is a famous wine from the Ruler’s Cradle," Elias said as he placed it before him. "I bought it from a merchant."

Berlic watched him without reaching for the glass.

The false affection he had worn earlier had disappeared from his face. His expression was now composed and severe, and his gaze followed Elias as he returned to his seat.

"How long are you going to continue this act?" Berlic asked.

Elias paused, then frowned as though he genuinely did not understand.

"Act?"

"Do not pretend you do not know what I mean."

Elias shook his head, letting out a quiet laugh as he settled into his chair.

"Ah, you think all of this is an act?"

He lifted his wine glass and looked at Berlic over its rim.

"I really care about you, Uncle."

Another vein throbbed at Berlic’s forehead.

Elias seemed not to notice. He raised his glass slightly, his expression turning solemn in an exaggerated show of respect.

"In the name of the sword."

He brought the glass to his lips and took a sip.

The wine passed down his throat without any unusual sensation. Elias lowered the glass and studied its contents, allowing a curious look to appear on his face.

"It has a distinctive flavor I have never tasted before," he said. "Although, I have not drunk much wine either. What is your opinion, Uncle?"

Berlic glanced at his own glass.

For a brief moment, he seemed to consider the drink, then lifted it from the table. His eyes remained on Elias as he raised it toward his lips.

"In the name of the sword," he muttered.

He took a sip.

The moment the wine passed down his throat, a burning warmth spread through his body. It surged from his chest into his limbs, growing stronger with every passing second until it felt as though something hot had been poured directly into his veins.

Berlic’s expression changed.

"Ugh!"

His fingers loosened, and the wine glass slipped from his hand. It struck the stone floor and shattered, scattering fragments across the hall as the remaining wine splashed against the ground.

Berlic clutched his throat and stared at Elias with wide eyes.

"P-Poison?" he mumbled. "How?"

Elias shook his head.

"You think too lowly of me."

He placed his own glass on the table and rose from his chair.

"It is worse than poison," he said calmly. "A potion."

Berlic’s eyes widened further as the burning sensation spread through his body. His breath caught, and he struggled to understand what Elias had done.

Elias walked around the table, his footsteps measured and unhurried.

While moving toward Berlic, he had already replaced the original wine bottle with another one from his Inventory. The second bottle had contained the same golden-orange wine, but a single drop of the Potion of Desire had been mixed into it.

The potion was not meant to kill.

It was meant to remove the restraints that kept a person from expressing what they truly wanted.

Elias stopped beside Berlic’s chair and leaned forward, placing both hands on the table. The smile had vanished from his face, and the carefree expression he had worn since entering the mansion was gone.

His black eyes settled on Berlic.

"Let’s hear what you truly desire."

The words reached Berlic, and something inside him seemed to loosen.

His expression shifted abruptly. The pain and confusion faded beneath a strange, widening grin, and he began to laugh.

"Hahahahaha!"

His laughter grew louder, spilling through the hall without restraint. His purple eyes became foggy, and the look in them turned distant, as though he were no longer fully aware of the room around him.

Elias remained beside him, watching closely as Berlic continued to laugh.