Crown Prince Sells Medicine
Chapter 71

 I Next

“….Muuu?”

Uruus, the king Minotaur, felt something he had never experienced before – a surge of intense emotions, a warm sensation he never imagined coming from a human.

“Gasp….Huu!”

Raciel staggered back from Uruus. Surprisingly, Uruus did not attack him; instead, he looked at him with an unfamiliar wavering gaze.

‘Muuu….’

Not long ago, Uruus had harbored a desperate desire to kill this human. He knew that Raciel was the leader of the city, and by killing him, he could drive away the rest of the humans and destroy the city, letting out his anger.

That was his firm intention – to kill that human. But what actually happened?

‘Muuu….’

His pained chest, which had felt like it was being crushed by a massive iron lump, now felt cleansed. The intense pain vanished completely. How? He couldn’t comprehend it. However, it was evident that the pain disappeared after that human pierced him with a huge thorn.

It was that human who had healed him. He helped and alleviated his suffering. That human… was his benefactor.

“Pufff! Muuu, Muuu….!”

Uruus’s enormous nostrils quivered. His large, black pupils began to glisten with moisture.

He felt gratitude and remorse. He had wanted to kill Raciel, but despite that, the human took hits to help him.

Then it happened. Raciel gazed at him with contented eyes, despite sweating profusely and breathing heavily.

“Hu, Huu…! Has your chest pain subsided? That’s a relief.”

Raciel said, his bright smile acting like an emotional railgun, striking Uruus’s heart directly.

“Mu…. Muuuu!”

Thump!

Uruus kneeled. Raciel’s smile grew even brighter. He had no choice. He was overwhelmed by the flood of relief.

‘…Ah, I survived!’

Inside, Raciel felt relief. It was the Minotaur who had gone berserk. Raciel had risked his life to calm him down, using acupuncture.

And the result?

It seemed to be a tremendous success.

‘What a relief. His excitement has subsided, and the angina pectoris pain stopped at just the right time.’

Thanks to the Meridian Scanning option, Raciel could see the Minotaur’s chest and the coronary arteries around his heart. The blood flow that was tangled up had returned to normal. But in reality, the disappearance of the angina pectoris pain was not solely due to acupuncture.

It was just a coincidence.

It was luck.

The angina pectoris pain happened to subside when the acupuncture ended.

‘That’s the nature of stable angina.’

The pain could be intense and then disappear. When someone is rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, the pain often subsides by the time they meet the doctor.

‘But that’s precisely why stable angina is dangerous.’

People tend to think they are fine once the pain disappears. They miss the right timing for examination and diagnosis.

And it seemed that was what happened with Uruus.

‘Anyway… Fortunately, due to the timing of his angina pectoris pain subsiding, he mistakenly believes that I treated him.’

Judging by Uruus’s behavior, it appeared so. In a way, it was fortunate.

‘But still… I’m exhausted! Huu, huu!’

Raciel tried to calm his labored breaths, but wrestling with a giant Minotaur had its aftereffects. He could even hear wheezing from his throat, possibly indicating an asthma flare-up after a long time.

Ding Dong!

[Your Five Viscera and Six Bowels are in turmoil due to the drastic change in your condition.]

[Heart: What is happening? What did you consume to grow so large? The blood circulation and breathing seem abnormal. You might faint soon.]

[Lung: Huu….hah…]

[Large Intestine: As your body grew bigger, the feces I held also increased in size.]

[Liver: That’s not relevant now!]

[Stomach: I’ve… become grand….]

“….”

Chaos reigned.

The remaining time for the giantization was barely enough. He had something important to convey to Demian and the others.

“Gulp… Huck! I have something to say….”

He tried to speak to his comrades.

“As soon as I return to my original size in a moment….”

Then it happened.

Ding Dong!

[Current remaining giantization time: 0 minutes 0 seconds]

A clear notification echoed in his mind. A message appeared before his eyes, resolute and unyielding.

[Giantization time has ended.]

[The Red Sunflower Seed you took is intended for Phantom Beasts, not humans.]

[As the giantization ends, severe side effects occur in your body.]

[For the next 120 hours (5 days), you will fall into a coma.]

[Goodnight-?]

‘…!’

That was it. The moment the final message appeared before his eyes, his vision rapidly darkened, narrowing until his eyes closed.

‘It’s too late……’

There were still things to say. He needed to explain that he would be in a coma for five days, that there was no need to worry, and that the Minotaur was now calm.

‘I must tell them all.’

But he couldn’t. His mouth refused to obey his commands. His eyes shut involuntarily. He reached out, but he couldn’t feel where his hand was going.

…Crash!

A sound of impact, or perhaps a distant echo reverberating in his head. Was he falling? Was this how he fell asleep?

That was the last thing he experienced.

“Drool, pheeew…”

Returning suddenly to his original size, Raciel sprawled out on the deck. Before anyone could say anything, he began snoring loudly.

“……”

An eerie silence engulfed the deck.

Everyone who had fought alongside Raciel, including Demian, who had swung his sword in harmony, Kozumi, who had been diligently removing thorns to throw, Anise, who had just regained consciousness after being knocked out, the guards tending to their wounds, the special duty guards supporting them, and the rest of the crew.

They all questioned what they were witnessing. The crown prince, who had seemed on the verge of death, was pushed by the Minotaur, and inexplicably grew to the Minotaur’s size. He then wrestled with the Minotaur and managed to calm it down.

And now, he had lost consciousness and returned to his original size.

‘Is this… magic?’

Demian furrowed his brow. The crown prince had never displayed any proficiency in magic, and he had never heard of a growth magic capable of such a transformation.

‘It’s perplexing.’

However, there was no time for further contemplation. The Minotaur, which had been momentarily subdued, began moving again.

“……Mooo, Moooo!”

Uruus roared. Was it out of renewed anger? Remembrance of his vow to crush all humans?

None of that.

Uruus’ roar carried astonishment and concern. Specifically, he was worried about Raciel.

“Moooo, Moooo!”

The kind man who had been smiling brightly had suddenly shrunk and collapsed, losing consciousness. That alone was enough to cause grave concern.

To make matters worse…

Rumble! Crash, thump, thump!

An ominous sound emanated from beneath the ship. Seawater was flooding into the vessel, and desperate cries of sailors trapped in the cabin were audible to all.

“Pump the water out quickly! Faster! Hurry!”

“Uh, we’re doing our best, navigator!”

“Move quicker!”

“Huk, huk! How can we… move faster here?”

“Find a way, damn it! Over there! Try to block it more effectively!”

“We can’t do it here… The gap is too wide, whoof! Cough!”

“Navigator! The flooding is getting worse!”

“We can’t stop it!”

“We need to get to the deck fast! Otherwise, we’ll all drown here!”

“Hey! There’s a monster rampaging above us!”

“If we’re going to die, I’d rather die above water than become a drowned ghost!”

“Everyone, stay where you are! Can’t you hear me? Come down!”

……It was chaos.

In other words, the ship was sinking.

And it was all his fault.

‘Moooo……!’

Uruus let out a desperate breath. His rampage had caused the ship to sink, but on the sinking ship, the kind man had collapsed and lost consciousness. What would happen next?

‘Mo! Mooo!’

Every human he had encountered so far had been selfish and cruel. Would they take care of the unconscious kind man on a sinking ship?

No.

He didn’t think so.

They would prioritize their own survival. In the process, they would likely abandon his benefactor. Eventually, he would die, sinking into the sea with the rest of the ship.

He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t leave his benefactor to die. If no one else would save him, he would. He had a debt of gratitude to repay!

“Roaaar! Mooo!”

His decision was made. Uruus let out an even more intense roar. With a giant hand, he gently lifted the fallen Raciel.

The sight of the Minotaur holding the crown prince caused an uproar among the surrounding humans.

“His Highness, the Crown Prince-!”

“How dare he touch His Highness!”

“Stop him!”

Clang! Swoosh!

In an instant, humans surrounded them, each one wielding a weapon – swords, spears, or shields – and aiming at Uruus. His eyes grew wilder at the sight, bringing back painful memories.

“…Roar!”

It was just like when he had fallen into the hunter’s trap. The baby calf he had carried in his arms, hoping to save it. How desperately he had tried to protect those innocent black eyes. Yet, humans were so cruel.

He had failed to save the calf. He couldn’t escape the human trap.

“Roar…”

Somehow, today’s situation felt eerily similar to that day. His benefactor, now in his arms, struggling to breathe. Yet, humans were cunning, blocking him from repaying his debt of gratitude.

“Roar! Roar! Mooo!”

Today would be different.

He wouldn’t allow himself to be crushed like on that fateful day. No matter what, he would protect his benefactor. He made a vow and charged forward.

“Roar!”

Thump Thump Thump Thump!

He stormed across the deck, charging like a bull. No human dared to stand in his way.

“…Grrr!”

The swords and spears of the royal guards were shattered instantly. The shields of the special duty guards were broken, and their collarbones cracked. The last one to confront Uruus was Demian.

“Heugh!”

Whoosh!

Despite his injured leg, Demian moved like lightning, attempting a decisive sword strike at Uruus’s lower body. But it was too late. Uruus charged faster than expected.

Thud-!

“…!”

Uruus’s giant horn rushed past Demian, who barely managed to block the attack, and pushed him back.

“Gruh!”

Demian regained his stance, attempting to counterattack.

But he never got the chance. Uruus, breaking through the last line of defense, dashed past Demian.

“Roar!”

Thump thump thump thump!

Breaking through the human defense, Uruus charged for freedom, for the safety of his benefactor! He leaped into the sea with Raciel in his arms, displaying his impressive swimming skills. But Uruus didn’t sink; instead, he quickly floated back to the surface.

His broad, triangular body provided ample buoyancy. His dense fur, full of air bubbles, kept him afloat on the waves.

Thus, Uruus, who had jumped into the sea, began cutting through the water like a living log, no, like an aircraft carrier, with his powerful one-horsepower (?) strength.

“Roar! Mooo! Mooo!”

In case Raciel fell into the water. In case Raciel swallowed water. Uruus carefully placed him on his own head and swam earnestly through the waves. It was incredibly fast. He moved straight out to the open sea, without hesitation. He quickly made his escape, disappearing into the distance.

At that moment, everyone left on the ship had to realize. They had just witnessed the unprecedented event of the Crown Prince of the Magentano Dynasty being kidnapped by a Minotaur.

(To be Continued)

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