Crown Prince Sells Medicine
Chapter 38

Restlessness consumed court magician Zanetis as his pupils bounced anxiously.

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

“…Why?”

Zanetis was astounded. The sudden intrusion of the Crown Prince into his quarters in the middle of the night was absurd enough, but the favor he was asking for…

‘He wants me to use lightning magic to zap his back?’

Why?

For what purpose?

No matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t fathom the reason. Instead, more question marks filled his mind, along with memories of his conversation with the Emperor the previous day.

‘Raciel, that boy has been acting peculiar lately. It’s strange what he’s up to.’

He remembered the grumbling voice of the Emperor. The Emperor added something like this.

‘He’s doing all sorts of things. After the royal festival, who knows what strange things he’ll do next.’

The Emperor’s sigh at the end of his words lingered in Zanetis’ thoughts. Certainly, those words were filled with complaints and lamentations, but something felt off. Despite the complaints and sighs, the corner of the Emperor’s mouth was subtly raised.

As someone who had served the Emperor his entire life, Zanetis understood the Emperor’s moods quite well.

‘He must have been satisfied, despite his grumbling,’ Zanetis thought.

The Emperor was proud of the Crown Prince. He took pride in his son, and the ruler of the empire could barely contain his desire to boast, [My child has changed.]

‘Yes, all parents become like that when they have a child. But Your Majesty, you said the Crown Prince has changed. But is this what you meant by change…?’

Zanetis raised his head, replaceing Crown Prince Raciel standing before him. Tears welled up in Zanetis’ eyes at the sight.

“Why would I have to hurt you, Your Highness?”

“Huh?”

“Did you need my life that you came in the middle of the night?”

“Oh, no, that’s not it.”

“Then—”

“Wait a moment. There seems to be a misunderstanding. When I asked you to zap my back with magic, I didn’t mean I want to die. And I definitely don’t want to be roasted to a crisp.”

“Then what is it?”

Zanetis asked with a bewildered expression. Raciel smiled faintly.

“It’s not a strange request, so don’t worry, Zanetis. What I mean is, can you provide me with a consistently gentle electrical stimulation, similar to static, for at least three hours?”

“…Pardon?”

“Do you think you can do it?”

Zanetis remained speechless.

Electric magic was typically a highly destructive offensive magic. It was challenging to cast, but if successful, it could decimate the surrounding area without much difficulty. Particularly when wielded by a high-ranking magician like himself, electric magic became a small-scale disaster in its own right.

Yet now he was being asked to diminish it to the level of static electricity and sustain it consistently for three hours.

“Your Highness?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you realize how incredibly difficult what you just asked for is?”

“Yes. That’s why I came to you, didn’t I?”

Raciel responded as if it were obvious. And indeed, it was obvious.

“It’s difficult. Very difficult. Controlling inherently destructive magic, reducing its power, maintaining it for an extended period—it’s truly challenging.”

It demanded exceptional precision in mana control.

“For instance, consider Hellfire magic that reaches temperatures close to 5000 degrees Celsius. Firing ten blasts of that Hellfire versus adjusting the flame to a mere 40 degrees Celsius and firing one shot—the latter is overwhelmingly more difficult.”

If one were to compare it to everyday life…

It might be akin to driving a vehicle.

Pressing the accelerator all the way was easy. But dividing the acceleration into 10 or 20 levels and maintaining the RPM as intended was relatively more challenging. This was the principle that brought Crown Prince Raciel to seek court magician Zanetis today.

“Zanetis, you are the most renowned wizard in the empire. That’s why I came to you. It’s not easy to replace someone who can perform such delicate and stable mana control. It’s a task I can only entrust to someone like you.”

“…,” Zanetis remained silent.

“What do you think? Have your concerns eased a bit?”

“Ahem, yes, Your Highness. However, may I inquire why you are making such a request of me?”

“No.”

“…”

“I’m not trying to do anything harmful. I’m doing this to save a life. So, will you do it or not?”

Raciel asked, and Zanetis stroked his pure white beard with a puzzled expression.

“Ahem! Ahem! To be honest… I am starting to feel intrigued by the challenge, Your Highness. However…”

“However?”

“Just in case…”

“What if something goes wrong with me?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Zanetis expressed his unease.

Raciel chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry. I won’t hold you responsible.”

“…Pardon?”

“Even if I get hurt, it won’t be your fault. Oh, if my words still make you anxious, we can have these palace guards as witnesses.”

“…!”

The palace guards’ eyes widened.

They all had the same thought.

‘Me?’

They wondered, looking at the back of Raciel’s head.

‘Why?’

But they couldn’t voice their question. Meanwhile, court magician Zanetis nodded.

“Hmm, if Your Highness insists, I understand. I will give it a try.”

“Good. That’s the right decision.”

“Then, when should I do as you have asked?”

“Now.”

“Pardon?”

“There’s no need to delay. And now is better. When the sun rises, more people will interfere.”

That was true.

Proceeding would become difficult once daylight arrived. Despite the reduced power, the court magician would still be “frying” the crown prince with electric magic(?). More people would come and bother them than the squids sold at the dawn fish market.

“So, right now. Right here.”

“…Ah, I understand.”

Zanetis took a deep breath. Raciel also prepared himself and sat on the floor.

‘Let’s start with a test.’

After all, he was about to receive electrical stimulation. The stimulation would be processed and delivered to the micro-neurology of a child.

He couldn’t just try it recklessly. He needed to test it first. Some level of safety had to be ensured. With such determination, he assumed his position. Slowly, he activated the Asrahan Core Technique.

Kiiiiing…

The circle slowly rotated, preparing to receive mana and stimulation from the outside. Then, Zanetis spoke.

“Your Highness, are you ready?”

Instead of answering, Raciel nodded. Zanetis’s expression turned serious.

“Then, I will release it.”

With those words, Zanetis crossed his hands in front of his chest. His palms and fingers intertwined and then released. He made complex gestures, rearranging the flow of mana, bundling it, and forming a rule with knots.

And then…

…Fzzt!

A small spark emerged in the air. Without time to react, it shot towards Raciel.

Fzzt!

‘…Ouch!’

Raciel’s shoulders twitched involuntarily.

It stung.

It was about five times the sting of full-powered static electricity created by a sweater that had not received the blessing(?) of fabric softener in midwinter. But it wasn’t deadly.

‘Good. Perfect. I knew it would be like this.’

Zanetis was the court magician of the Empire, a position not earned through luck. It was a testament to being the officially strongest magician in the country.

‘I knew you could handle a request like this with ease.’

In the novel Devil Sword Emperor, it was mentioned that Zanetis’s mastery of mana control was exceptional. Believing in that description, Raciel pushed forward with the experiment.

And the result was a success.

‘Now it’s my turn.’

Zanetis had lived up to expectations, and now it was Raciel’s turn to exert himself. Raciel increased the absorption power of his mana circle.

Kiiiiing-!

The rotation speed of the circle increased.

The tingling sensation from the electric magic became duller as more current was absorbed and settled into the circle.

‘I shouldn’t just absorb it. The next step is processing.’

He created a small chunk of mana at the center of the circle, initially no bigger than a grain of rice. He filled it with the energy of the electric magic.

But it wasn’t just filling it; he engraved electrical signals within the chunk, creating patterns like a graph or a programmed code. He shaped the chunk of mana to emit electric stimulation in a specific pattern around it.

He shaped, trimmed, and added functions.

And then he observed.

Pafzzt pafzzt!

Like a heartbeat, the completed chunk of mana began emitting a faint electrical signal, perfectly following the intended pattern.

‘This Asrahan Core Technique, it’s a complete cheat.’

Raciel was surprised by his own achievement.

He hadn’t expected it to work on the first try. He had anticipated days of practice. But when he actually attempted it, it was easier than he had imagined.

This should work.

Raciel raised his head, feeling the tingling of electric magic throughout his body. He spoke as his body twitched continuously.

“…St…stop…stop…!”

Court magician Zanetis looked at him with a puzzled expression. He couldn’t understand what Raciel was saying.

Raciel cried out again.

“Stop it!”

“Do you mean… stop shooting?”

“Ye… Yes! Sto… Stop!”

Zanetis was startled, realizing what was being said. He immediately interrupted the magic casting. The successful experiment had come to an end.

Now, it was time for the actual treatment.

♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣

When Raciel returned to the Star Palace, it was dusk, and morning was approaching.

“So, from now on, it might sting a bit.”

“Sting?”

“Yes.”

Raciel nodded.

Perhaps due to the strange atmosphere of the Star Palace, George’s expression showed a hint of tension.

“I won’t tell you not to be nervous. Medicines are bitter, and treatments can sting. I won’t sugarcoat it.”

“Is it… very… stingy?”

“Hmm, just a little?”

“How much?”

“Like a playful pinch.”

“Uh, I don’t like being pinched.”

“Have you been pinched a lot?”

“By Lily.”

“A friend?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“My girlfriend.”

“…”

Raciel suddenly felt a twinge of sadness.

“Hoo. Betrayal.”

“Pardon?”

“Uh, nothing. Should we lie down first?”

He gently laid the child down.

He retrieved Kozumi.

“Kozumi, sorry for disturbing you this morning. Can you give me just one white spine?”

“Kooo!”

Pop!

He received a pure white spine. George, the child, stared wide-eyed at the sight of the spine.

“That…”

“It’s okay. You won’t cry just from a little prick with this, right?”

“It looks painful…”

“If you cry, I’ll tell Lily.”

“…”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“…”

“And you were already pricked.”

“Pardon?”

“Just now, you were pricked. Didn’t you notice?”

Raciel grinned. It wasn’t that the needle wasn’t there; it had already been discreetly placed in the child’s neck, targeting the “RenYing” acupoint while they were chatting.

“See? I told you it doesn’t hurt.”

Initially flustered, the child finally felt reassured. Raciel shifted his gaze and saw Court Magician Zanetis there.

“Now. Let’s begin.”

He signaled.

Zanetis nodded. The electric magic he had prepared was released in Raciel’s direction.

Pafzzt!

A tingling sensation traveled down Raciel’s spine.

Simultaneously, he activated the Asrahan Core Technique.

However, even then, Raciel had no knowledge of what was to come. He had no idea that the micro-nerve stimulation surgery he performed on the child that day would lead to an unexpected achievement.