Crown Prince Sells Medicine

Moxibustion

Moxibustion involves the application of a moxa stick to specific points on the body, which is then burned to provide thermal stimulation.

This therapy offers various benefits, including raising body temperature, promoting blood circulation, and stimulating the corresponding blood vessels, organs, and endocrine glands in the targeted area. These effects can boost immunity.

Moreover, Moxibustion can help alleviate pain, paralysis, and spasms by calming overexcited nerves. Essentially, it acts as a concentrated thermal pack applied to a localized area, commonly used for relieving muscle pain.

In the case of Demian and his glossopharyngeal neuralgia, moxibustion proves to be the perfect solution.

Raciel smiled subtly as he prepared a moxa stick for the session. However, his intention went beyond treating the neuralgia alone.

‘I need to break the curse embedded in that brand.’

As he laid eyes on the brand engraved on Demian’s back, its shape reminded him of the illustration from the novel, ‘Devil Sword Emperor.’

Suddenly, the novel’s content resurfaced in Raciel’s mind.

‘The brand is a symbol of the gladiator’s contract with a promoter, signifying their affiliation. But in reality, it’s a malicious control method used on the gladiators.’

The brand was more than just a mark indicating the gladiator’s affiliation; it concealed a small magic circle.

Embedded within the magic circle was a curse. When the branded person’s blood circulation became active, the curse would be triggered after an hour, causing excruciating pain.

In essence, after a fierce battle, they were destined to endure unbearable suffering.

‘Not just Demian, but all the other gladiators too.’

However, no one realized that the brand was the source of their agony. They couldn’t fathom it, attributing the pain to mere battle aftereffects and relying on painkillers to cope.

Living in deception.

Dying in deception.

Everyone remained oblivious.

Their hard-earned money was squandered on painkillers or handed over to the promoter, plunging them further into debt.

Every day, they fought and fought.

They earned money, yes.

But instead of saving, they accrued debts.

‘Sigh. It’s just like my own experience of working hard but only accumulating debt in my account.’

Recalling his painful memories from South Korea, Raciel momentarily succumbed to self-loathing before delving deeper into the novel’s intricacies.

‘Nevertheless, the brand is the crux of the issue.’

According to the novel’s contents, harming the brand proved futile. Even if they peeled off the skin bearing the brand, it made no difference.

‘That makes sense. They’re gladiators, constantly sustaining injuries. If the brand could be rendered useless by a simple sword scratch, it would lose its purpose in less than a month.’

The more he pondered, the more sinister it seemed.

The brand reflected the promoter’s intention to exploit the gladiators until their demise. Yet, removing it wasn’t entirely impossible.

‘Burning it with intense heat.’

Both the brand and the curse were engraved with heat.

Thus, they could be eradicated by subjecting them to the same intensity of heat. In fact, it was the only viable method.

But what about Raciel himself?

Scalding the human body with heat was a familiar practice for Raciel. No, it was more than familiarity.

‘I do it every day.’

That was moxibustion.

“Alright, don’t be afraid. Just relax.”

As Demian lay face down, Raciel positioned the moxa stick on the back, precisely on the brand etched in the left scapula region. The moxa stick had a rounded cone shape, significantly larger than the standard size, ensuring a powerful effect.

Demian winced as he felt a sensation on his back.

“What’s happening?”

“Don’t worry, it won’t kill you.”

“….”

“Are you afraid?”

“Of course not. But-“

“But?”

“I still have my doubts about the effectiveness of such a peculiar treatment.”

“Do I appear to be a fraud to you?”

“Naturally.”

Demian curled the corners of his mouth.

“The object you placed on my back looks like a bunch of crushed, dried grass. I doubt if placing such a thing on my back will ease my pain.”

“Ah, I see. Satisfy your curiosity through your own experience.”

Raciel chuckled mischievously as he lifted the candle from the table. He brought the flickering flame in contact with the top of the moxa stick.

“Alright, here we go. Here we go. Here we go.”

“Huh?”

Chiieek-!

The flame transferred to the top of the moxa stick. Demian, who was observing, widened his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“This is how it’s done.”

“Remove it immediately.”

“But then the treatment won’t be effective.”

“….”

“I told you to relax. Don’t raise your head. Don’t complain. Just try to be comfortable. Yes, like that. Don’t tense your shoulders.”

“Hey, I am-“

“If you have even a shred of trust in your heart, believe in people at times like this, okay? It’s going to start getting hot soon. Endure it.”

“What?”

And then…

Phwooosh-!

The heat from the moxibustion stick began to spread downwards. It rapidly enveloped Demian’s back like wildfire.

“….Ugh?”

Demian, lying face down and glancing back, grimaced.

“It, it’s hot.”

“It’s really hot, isn’t it?”

“….What is this?”

“It’s okay. It’s part of the treatment process.”

“How can such a bizarre act be a treatment….”

“In the place where I come from, even children receive this, you know?”

“….What?”

“Tsk tsk. Being the undefeated champion of the underground arena and all. If people found out that you can’t endure a treatment that even children bravely undergo, it would be quite a mess.”

“….”

“Don’t worry. If you endure it well from now on, I won’t spread any rumors.”

“….”

Demian’s gaze towards Raciel grew fiercer. Raciel suppressed his smirk. The fact that even children underwent such treatment was, of course, a lie.

‘Moxibustion, it’s genuinely hot. Moreover, we’re doing it with direct fire, which makes it even hotter.’

In reality, there were mainly two methods of applying Moxibustion.

The indirect method and the direct method.

The indirect method involved using rings or stands as tools placed on the skin, and the moxa stick was then burned on top of these tools. This method resulted in less pain and a lower level of heat. The intense heat from the therapy stick was mitigated by the tool placed in between.

This made it more popular and accessible.

‘If this were a game, it would be the easy mode for beginners.’

On the other hand, what about the direct method that Demian was undergoing?

There were no tools in between.

The moxa stick was placed directly on the skin, fully exposed to the raw heat. It was hardcore therapy for the brave.

‘Of course, it’s extremely hot. It’s continuously searing the skin with a burning object.’

And particularly for Demian?

He would feel it even hotter.

There were numerous reasons for that.

Demian possessed almost all the conditions that would make the therapy feel hotter when undergoing it.

‘In general, individuals with high levels of nervous energy tend to experience it as hotter. Demian? He’s witnessed bloodshed and faced death on a daily basis in the arena. He’s likely a PTSD patient. Naturally, he’s always on edge, so he will perceive the heat as extremely intense.’

But that wasn’t all.

Raciel spoke with a hint of sympathy(?).

“Even though it will be quite hot and challenging to endure, what can we do? Typically, physically robust people feel it as hotter.”

“……Gruuk.”

“Usually, men feel it hotter than women.”

“……Hoo.”

“And the younger, the hotter. Especially around the age of twenty. It’s at its worst within this age range.”

“……Hoo, Huuk.”

“And you’ve just had a fight, so you’re slightly tired, right? Unfortunate. It tends to feel the hottest when you’re a bit fatigued.”

“……”

“The weather doesn’t help either. On a cloudy day like today, the therapy feels even hotter.”

“……Damn.”

“Oh, right! Additionally, it’s hotter in the afternoon than in the morning, and it’s even hotter if you receive the therapy at night. Just like now, in the middle of the night.”

“……Please.”

“And, I’m sorry to say, when the therapy is applied precisely on the acupoints, it feels slightly less hot. But today, it’s being applied to an area that doesn’t directly correspond to the acupoints, so it will feel hotter. I apologize.”

“……Please, just shut up, you maniac.”

“But doesn’t it hurt less when I talk to you?”

“……Hell, no.”

“Is that so? Okay then.”

“……”

Raciel fell silent.

He simply smirked and watched as the moxa stick burned brightly. Meanwhile, Demian’s face became increasingly contorted. And finally, it happened.

“……So, you’re really not going to say anything?”

“……”

“Hey.”

“……”

“Hello?”

“……”

“Say something……”

“Do you want me to speak? See, it hurts more when I shut up.”

“……Tch.”

“But you should appreciate this. The therapy stick wasn’t made easily.”

“What?”

“It was made of mugwort. And not just any mugwort. We gathered those that grew by the sea, bathing in the sea breeze. Ideally, it should be aged for more than three years, but we didn’t have that much time.”

“……”

“We finely ground it with a mortar and filtered out impurities by pounding it with a pestle. We repeated this process around ten times, continuing until only the white fluff remained. Thanks to this, we produced a high-quality moxa stick, incorporating the perfect balance of moisture, protein nitrogenous compounds, fiber, fat, ash, flavonoid compounds, sesquiterpenes, alcohol, and more.”

“What……”

“This means we’re burning you with a meticulously crafted stick, made with exceptional ingredients.”

“……”

“It’s done. Just lie down a little longer.”

The moxa stick finally burned out.

Raciel carefully brushed away the ash from the burnt stick. The spot where the stick had been placed was now thoroughly reddened.

It was the mark left by the therapy.

‘Good. It’s perfectly cauterized.’

A warm smile, reminiscent of a top-tier steak chef, graced the corner of Raciel’s mouth. The skin had been cooked to perfection(?).

He had used an especially tightly packed moxa stick, one that burned hotter and longer than the standard variety. Perhaps an ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to withstand the heat.

But he had faith in Demian.

‘Just as expected of the novel’s protagonist.’

The protagonist’s resilience and exceptional strength of will. Raciel had pressed forward, placing his trust in those qualities, and Demian had lived up to those expectations flawlessly. It was thanks to this that they had achieved successful results.

Raciel, having tidied up the moxibustion site, spoke up.

“Now that it’s done, try getting up.”

“……”

Demian slowly raised his body.

Fortunately(?), he didn’t unleash his anger on Raciel. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed and furrowed his brow deeply.

“Hmm?”

Then, he turned to look at Raciel. His eyes were filled with disbelief, brimming with surprise.

“……How did you… my back… my head…”

“Don’t you feel better now? Is everything clear?”

Nod.

Demian nodded in affirmation.

He couldn’t help but feel incredulous.

The pain had truly vanished completely. The pulling sensation at the back of his head, the numbness that radiated through the entire area behind his ears, and the excruciating pain that made it feel like his eyeballs were about to burst out of their sockets.

It was all gone.

His head felt clear.

Even after taking painkillers, he had never felt this refreshed before. It was a first in many years.

‘How in the world?’

Demian gazed at Raciel.

He had initially thought Raciel was nothing more than a charlatan.

Even when he was instructed to lie down and treated with that peculiar clump of grass, he had held such a belief. Why was he being treated on his back, which had no apparent connection to the pain in the back of his head and face?

He couldn’t comprehend it at all. It seemed as if his bare skin had been subjected to a pointless treatment. Countless times, he had contemplated standing up and leaving.

‘But since Kusman sent him, I wanted to see the outcome.’

If the treatment yielded no results, he would break both of Raciel’s arms. He would ensure that Raciel couldn’t walk for a while.

He gritted his teeth and made a solemn vow.

Yet, an unexpected outcome emerged.

He truly hadn’t anticipated this.

He was no longer in pain.

Honestly, it was astonishing.

“……Who on earth, are you?”

In the world of the novel, a man known as the Devil Sword Emperor ruled the continent with his singular blade. But here, Demian had awakened to a new realm of moxibustion.

Unbeknownst to himself, for the first time, polite words flowed effortlessly from his lips.