The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella-Chapter 93

Of course, she had been referring to the fur blanket she had prepared for Long-Long so he could stay warm during winter.

Beastfolk didn’t hibernate like animals, after all.

But with Squirrel absent, the misunderstanding only deepened.

Eisen, arms crossed, silently watched the ridiculous scene before muttering under his breath.

"Are all kids like this these days...?"

Just then, a black eagle swiftly flew in and landed on his shoulder.

Eagles, who had been searching everywhere for his suddenly missing lord, had finally found him.

"Screee, screeek— (Lady Bluewood is set to return soon after graduating from the academy.)"

"Is that so? Then we can expect a bloodbath soon."

But Elodie # Nоvеlight # had no interest in the growing commotion.

All her attention was on Karon.

"You don’t have to run or hide from your poison anymore!"

She shouted, yanking him back by the collar just as he tried to turn and flee.

"Karon. Your poison mutates and strengthens endlessly, so you can’t completely get rid of it."

"...I never wanted that anyway."

"But no matter how much stronger it gets—even a hundred times stronger—I can make sure it never harms you."

"What?"

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

Karon scowled, as if hearing something utterly absurd.

Elodie, however, met his gaze head-on and declared confidently:

"Not only will it not harm you, but one day, you’ll be able to control the poison that tormented you. You could even use it as a weapon."

Wouldn’t that make Long-Long the strongest in the world?

Still half-thinking of Karon as a pet snake, Elodie grinned proudly to herself.

He should start preparing to reach Absolute Poison Immunity.

But the moment those words left her mouth, Karon’s red eyes wavered.

The idea was so dreamlike—so far beyond anything he had ever dared to hope for—that it felt more painful than the certainty of his own death.

“You were born defective. You will suffer for your entire life until you are devoured by your own poison.”

That was the truth—unquestioned, undisputed.

Even Karon had accepted it as fact.

That had always been his future.

No... not the future anymore.

It had already become his reality.

Until just moments ago, he had been preparing to throw away his short remaining life in pursuit of revenge—severing the Ratson curse once and for all.

He had already accepted the fate that awaited him.

"Why are you saying this?"

"Huh?"

"I know better than anyone that it’s impossible, so why...?"

Still unable to pull away from Elodie's grasp, Karon covered his face, his breathing growing unsteady.

"...Of course, you wouldn’t know."

She couldn’t know.

Because he had never told her.

"What don’t I know?"

Karon realized then—he had no choice but to shatter her foolish hopes.

To crush them completely.

"A body immune to all poisons might exist, sure. But even then—my poison is the exception."

It had to be.

Because, because—

"I am an experiment created in the Basilisk research facility."

His lips, bitten so hard they bled, barely formed the words.

"...A failed experiment."

Finally, he admitted it himself.

"This poison—it was artificially made. It’s something that shouldn’t exist in this world. It’s not a poison that could occur naturally, nor is it something a living body should even be able to contain."

If he didn’t make her understand the impossibility of it—

She would keep clinging to this hopeless dream.

He thought that saying this much would finally make her give up.

But instead—

For a brief moment, Elodie’s expression twisted in sorrow.

And then, just as quickly, she wiped it away and stated, with unwavering conviction—

"It’s not an exception."

"......."

"If your poison truly was an exception, then how do you explain the fact that I absorbed all of it and am still fine?"

"......."

"I’m telling you, I am Absolute Poison Immunity."

"......."

"And I can promise you—I’ll make your body the same way."

"...You absorbed my poison?"

Karon, however, latched onto a different part of her words.

"Are you telling me you absorbed my poison just to test an uncertain treatment method?"

Having lived in a world that fed his self-loathing, the boy instinctively twisted the situation into blame.

"Karon."

Before he could spiral further, Elodie seized his hand—the one hanging limply in shock.

And when he weakly tried to pull away, she gripped it even tighter.

"The fact that a Ratson like me survived means that your poison, too, exists under the influence of divinity."

"No... that’s impossible. They said that those who are not creations of the divine can never receive divine protection..."

"Karon, we can figure out why later."

That wasn’t what mattered right now.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"No matter what your origins are—you are alive. You are a living being created by the divine, and you are under divine protection."

You are the same as me.

The same as everyone else.

"I don’t know who dared to call you a failure, but no one has the right to say that about you."

And she was proving it—

By standing here, perfectly unharmed after absorbing his poison.

By showing no signs of suffering.

"One day, when you are completely free from your poison, let’s see if they still dare to run their mouths."

Elodie grinned, baring her white teeth.

The chandelier’s light scattered in golden rays over her head—so brilliant that it seemed to cleanse even his polluted body and soul.

"Perhaps someone will appear—someone who can extend a hand of salvation to the child that even the gods have overlooked."

Karon held his breath for a long time.

The light in her eyes stung.

His heart pounded so fast it hurt.

His throat burned—hot and prickling.

"Come out of the secluded palace. Live in the main palace with me."

"......."

"You like flowers, don’t you? Every time you start gaining control over your poison, you always end up in the garden. And I saw you secretly touching the red poisonous flower I planted in the secluded palace."

The only flower that didn’t crumble to dust under his touch.

She could still vividly remember him crouching beside it, nudging its petals as if testing it, and smiling ever so faintly.

"Once you’re completely healed, let’s go to the garden together next spring and eat walnut pie."

"......."

"Sera will probably like you too. You don’t know this, but... well, let’s just say we were destined to meet either way."

Elodie spoke words he couldn’t quite understand as she pulled out a vial of potion from inside her coat.

A healing potion for external wounds.

"Let’s do everything you couldn’t before."

Karon kept his lips pressed tightly together.

But the way his eyes wavered—like he was on the verge of breaking—spoke far louder than words.

"Does this all sound like ridiculous nonsense to you?"

"......."

"Does it feel like I’m just giving you false hope and making things harder for you?"

Elodie asked, watching him quietly.

"Am I really...?"

"Yes."

Karon couldn’t finish his sentence.

But Elodie answered as if she already understood everything he wanted to say.

"If you drink this, that means you’re ready to start."

To Elodie, Karon drinking the potion meant he was accepting her proposal—allowing her to turn him into someone immune to all poisons.

For a moment, he simply stared at the bottle in his hands.

The liquid inside shimmered brilliantly, its golden hue reflecting the radiant sunlight.

"You..."

She made it look so inviting, so tempting—like even if it were the deadliest poison in the world, he would still want to drink it.

And yet, she pretended to give him a choice.

But even if this was all just some cruel joke—what choice did he have?

Silently, Karon uncorked the bottle.

And willingly, he swallowed the light.

* * *

With only her final exams left before graduation, Sera was busier than ever.

But no matter how hectic her days were, she always made time to open Elodie’s letters the moment they arrived—and she always sent a reply right away.

That had been her plan today as well.

Until—

"So, that snake Long-Long I kept mentioning in my letters? Turns out, he’s Karon. And from now on, he’s going to be living in the main palace with me."

"Since he used to sleep in my room in his snake form, I guess he still feels most comfortable there even now that he’s human."

Sera crushed Elodie’s letter in her hands without hesitation.