Chapter 765: Turning Poison Into Cure
Chapter 764: Turning Poison Into Cure
13 Days To Go
Oscar stared at Sophia for a moment before a laugh escaped him.
"Luna," he said, still smiling, "that actually makes perfect sense."
Sophia felt her cheeks warm again at the title.
She really needed to get used to people calling her that. She cleared her throat awkwardly, her gaze dropping to the device on the table.
Oscar continued, seemingly unaware of her discomfort. "To be honest, I had the same question when I first examined the device. I couldn’t understand how the mechanism worked either. If the device was shaped like a lower molar and required pressure, then logically the upper molar should prevent the pin from extending toward the gum."
He paused, gathering his thoughts.
"The truth is, the pressure doesn’t have to come from the teeth. In this case, it comes from the gum."
Sophia’s brow furrowed. "Really?"
Oscar nodded. "I asked those at the medical facility if the man we found the device on had a missing tooth or something, and they told me he did. His upper molar was missing."
"Those who knew him said he lost it in a fight years ago, but that is the exact reason why the device could work well with him. His upper molar was gone, creating a gap that needed the device to do its work. And since the device was placed on the lower molar, when he bit down, the needle extended upward into the gap where the upper molar used to be. It pierced the gum directly."
Sophia stared at the device.
She hadn’t noticed.
Out of everything that had happened with Josiah, she had never once thought about whether he was missing a tooth.
"I didn’t notice," she admitted quietly.
Brynhild laughed softly.
"Neither did I."
Ronan folded his arms.
"To be fair, none of us were exactly checking Josiah’s teeth."
That earned a few quiet laughs.
Sophia rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"It makes sense now though."
She was quiet for a moment, her mind already racing with possibilities. Then she spoke up.
"Can you replicate this device?" she asked Oscar.
He blinked, clearly caught off guard. "I can."
Mary stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest. Her sharp eyes studied Sophia with curiosity.
"What are you getting at?"
Sophia turned to her, her expression thoughtful.
"The device was normally used for poison, right? Something that Victoria used to administer poison to her victims."
Mary nodded.
"Yes?"
Sophia’s gaze swept across the room, landing on each of them in turn.
"So what if we used it differently? What if we used it as a first line of healing? An emergency tool during the war."
Ronan was quiet for a moment, processing her words. Then his eyes widened.
"That’s actually quite brilliant."
Sophia nodded.
"Instead of poison, we’d use herbs. A quick-acting remedy that could be administered instantly on the battlefield. Something that could reduce pain, stop bleeding, or stabilize a wound until they could get to a healer."
Brynhild tilted her head, her eyes fixed on nothing.
"It’s a good idea. But it’ll be hard to implement."
She paused, her voice thoughtful.
"The upper molar has to be removed for this to work. That means every warrior who wants one of these devices would have to have their upper molar removed."
Sophia turned to Oscar, her expression hopeful.
"Can you make adjustments to the device? I’d hate to have our upper molars removed."
Oscar was quiet for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. Then he nodded slowly.
"I’ll try. I’ll work on it and see what I can come up with."
Mary sighed, the sound heavy with resignation.
"You’re giving us more work."
Sophia’s expression softened.
"I apologize. But I’d rather we have everything we can use at our disposal. I want to turn things that should have been used against us into something we can use."
Mary studied her for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"Fine. I’ll give Oscar a team to work with. We’ll see what we can do."
Oscar nodded eagerly.
"I won’t let you down."
Sophia turned to him, a warm smile spreading across her face.
"Thank you, Oscar. You did a good job."
Oscar’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson. He ducked his head, suddenly fascinated by the grain of the wooden table.
"I just did my job," he mumbled.
Sophia beamed.
"Even so, you did good."
Oscar blushed harder at that.
Ronan chuckled, the sound low and teasing.
"You’re going to give him a heart attack with that smile of yours, sis. You should stop it."
Sophia laughed, the sound light and genuine.
"I’ll try to control myself."
"Are you going back to the library?" he asked her.
Sophia shook her head.
"No. Tobias, Madam Tyler, Jarek, and Eldric can deal with the writings. There are other things to do. And since Orion is still asleep, I’m going to try to assist him."
Ronan smiled at that, a warmth spreading across his features.
"To be honest, I prefer working with you rather than with Orion. He would have looked for a way to run from work by now."
Sophia laughed again.
"He hasn’t run for a while now."
"That’s because things are hectic," Ronan said. "But just wait. Immediately after the war is over, you’ll see him running away."
"And you pursuing him," Brynhild said.
They laughed again.
"Oh, Ronan," Brynhild called out.
"Yes, sis?"
"You can pass the message to Annabeth. She can join us."
Ronan’s smile widened.
"I’ll do that."
Brynhild turned to Sophia, her gaze fixed on her.
"You know you’re training tomorrow, right?"
Sophia swallowed, a sudden tension settling into her shoulders.
"Against you?"
Brynhild smiled.
"Yes. I hope you give me a fight to remember."
She turned and walked out of the room, her footsteps steady and unhurried.
Sophia and Ronan followed behind her, the snow crunching beneath their boots. Ronan leaned toward Sophia, his voice low and amused.
"Good luck. You’ll need it."
Sophia shot him a look.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Ronan grinned.
"I aim to please."
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