Just a question: In the ruthless route, why did Nikandros call upon and make a sacrifice to the Asterion-made shrine? He summoned a divine being and offered vitality of his own to get the bulk of the 'potion' he'd trick the master with-- but is this even necessary?
In that route, he'd used the black color (reminiscent of divine ichor, maybe even real ichor) to hide the poisonous sap. Why not just give the master a dose of the poison sap? He'd be none the wiser. Did he want to trick but not lie to the Master? This makes sense if the ichor-colored fluid did have the effect he promised, just that he purposefully omitted the smidgen of poison that's included in the vial (haha). If so, why go the trouble? Wasn't he already resolute in offing the Master anyway?