Crown Prince Sells Medicine

 I Next

“……Huh?”

Raciel’s eyes widened in disbelief. It was unavoidable. The woman at the gate, engaged in an argument with the guard who questioned her, appeared entirely ordinary.

“Just a human?”

No matter how he observed her.

No matter how he pondered.

It defied comprehension.

“What in the world? She looks completely average. Clearly in her mid-twenties.”

Could she be an elf? Yet her ears lacked the characteristic pointiness.

‘Not an elf either, then.’

Perhaps a dwarf? Unlikely, considering her body proportions.

‘What on earth is she?’

Raciel was bewildered. Just then, Demian, standing beside him, suddenly spoke up.

“That woman is a werewolf.”

“A werewolf?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How so?”

Raciel tilted his head, further perplexed. The novel, Devil Sword Emperor, did mention the existence of the werewolf race.

‘But didn’t it state that even in human form, they possess long and bushy tails?’

The woman displayed no visible tail. Demian pointed at her pants.

“It’s because she’s wearing trousers of that particular shape.”

“……”

Indeed, it was as he said.

The woman’s pants were peculiar. Not extremely baggy, but puffy from the buttocks to the thighs, resembling a pot. From the knees down to the calves and ankles, the fit became tight. A truly unique design.

Demian continued with his explanation.

“I don’t know the specifics, but werewolves are highly reluctant to reveal their tails. Hence, they intentionally wear pants shaped like that to conceal them.”

“Is that… so?”

“Yes. At some point, werewolves started adopting such trousers, and people began avoiding them to prevent being mistaken for werewolves.”

“As a result, those pants became associated with werewolves, naturally.”

“Indeed, Your Highness.”

“Hmm.”

This was a detail not even mentioned in Devil Sword Emperor. The novel merely touched upon the werewolves’ ability to transform, their tremendous physical strength, and their dog-like sense of smell.

So…

‘Wait.’

Raciel paused, revisiting a thought that had unconsciously crossed his mind.

‘Hold on. This… The robust physique, the keen sense of smell… They are ideal qualities for a nurse working at an Oriental medicine clinic.’

His brain suddenly kicked into overdrive. Neurons fired rapidly as he engaged in radical speculation.

‘Robust physique? That means she won’t tire easily while nursing. Nursing is an arduous profession. It’s extremely demanding. It’s not just about caring for a single patient. In South Korea, on average, a nurse attends to 15 to 20 patients.’

Constantly monitoring patients without respite, and not all of them are calm individuals.

There’s a diverse range of people. Additionally, there’s the responsibility of tending to the patients’ families. These duties are performed almost every day, across three shifts.

D-shift starts at 7:30 am and ends at 3:30 pm. E-shift is from 2:30 pm to 10:30 pm. N-shift spans from 9:30 pm to 8:30 am the next day.

Although technically an 8-hour shift, in reality, there’s an additional 1 to 2 hours for handover. It’s an incredibly demanding schedule and workload.

‘Hospitals couldn’t function without nurses. They are the unsung heroes, the backbone of the healthcare system.’

Nursing is that rigorous and exacting. That’s why possessing physical strength is crucial. And what about a werewolf? Wouldn’t they possess strength that could rival professional athletes?

‘She would excel based on her physical strength alone. Moreover, her exceptional sense of smell…’

She quite literally possessed the olfactory acuity of a dog.

The condition of the medicinal herbs for the decoction, the quality of the mugwort used for moxibustion—both could be determined with a single sniff. Moreover, while simmering the decoction, she would be able to gauge the perfect moment to adjust the heat using her acute sense of smell.

‘Not only that, but while caring for patients, she could detect changes in their condition in real-time through the bodily smells she senses.’

The more Raciel pondered, the more astounding it seemed. The more he considered it, the more she appeared as a captivating talent.

‘Now, what about her character?’

Raciel took a decisive step forward, approaching the gate where the ongoing altercation between the werewolf woman and the palace guard ensued.

“Why is it such a big issue if I’m not human? I can speak the same language, walk, think, reason, and act. So why am I being denied the opportunity to take the test?”

“Here, it clearly states in the recruitment guidelines. Only ‘people’ residing in the imperial domain are eligible to apply.”

“But I am also a person.”

“No. You’re a werewolf.”

“I am a citizen protected by the laws of the empire.”

“But you sometimes transform into a beast-like form.”

“The transformation only alters my outward appearance.”

“Don’t you lose control and kill chickens at the poultry farm?”

“That’s a stereotype. It never happens, absolutely.”

“You don’t lose control?”

“No. I am the same as I am now.”

“But you’re glaring at me with furious eyes as if you’re about to bite me any moment.”

“That’s because of your current…”

“Provocation? You claim not to lose control. Then you should remain patient now.”

“……”

The woman’s lips trembled, while a smug smile appeared on the guard’s face. Raciel couldn’t bear to witness this any longer.

“Enough. That’s sufficient.”

His words caused both the woman and the guard to startle. Their gazes simultaneously shifted towards him. The woman appeared surprised, while the guard turned pale.

“Prince… Your Highness?”

The guard’s expression froze with astonishment. His face resembled that of a private encountering a three-star general while half asleep. Where had his smug smile from earlier disappeared to?

A classic case of being strong against the weak and weak against the strong.

His attitude only served to further irritate Raciel.

“What is your rank and name?”

“……Your Highness, it’s an honor to meet you! I am on duty, and everything is in order!”

“There seems to be a problem. I asked for your rank and name.”

“Um… I’m Blint, a senior infantryman assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 12th Regiment of the Royal Guard, Your Highness!”

“Very well. Senior Infantryman Blint, do you understand what you did wrong?”

“……”

The guard’s face turned ashen. Raciel recalled having seen this individual a few times before. He was stationed at the remote palace. However, Raciel couldn’t simply overlook flagrant rule-breaking happening right in front of him.

“When I held the nursing contest, I explicitly stated in the recruitment guidelines that anyone residing in the Empire could participate. Therefore, doesn’t a werewolf residing in the Empire fall under that category?”

“That is…”

“I am aware that werewolves have their civil rights legally protected.”

“I apologize…”

“You should apologize to this woman for your impoliteness, not to me.”

“…….”

The guard’s shoulders slumped. Raciel shifted his gaze from the guard to the werewolf woman.

“I overheard everything as I approached. On behalf of our soldier’s rudeness, I apologize.”

“I am Anise, daughter of Hashinto. It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”

The werewolf woman, introduced as Anise, bowed. However, her face still remained flushed, perhaps due to her lingering anger.

Of course, anyone would be infuriated in her place. Now, it was time to allow her to vent her anger through the test.

“So, you wish to apply for the nursing test?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Good. Let us commence the test immediately.”

“……Pardon?”

Anise seemed taken aback by the sudden prospect of being tested on the spot. A faint smile crept onto Raciel’s face.

“As a werewolf, you should possess ample physical strength. However, I have yet to witness it firsthand. Furthermore, the test must be fair for all other candidates. How about a running competition with this individual?”

As Raciel said ‘this individual,’ he raised his hand, pointing at the guard who had been arguing with Anise just moments ago.

“……Your Highness?”

The guard’s gaze reflected surprise. Anise, too, shared the same expression. Raciel addressed her.

“Despite being a werewolf and confident in your strength, our guards are among the finest in the empire. It will be a fair match. Do you see the large fountain in the inner garden near the gate?”

She nodded.

“That distance is approximately 400 meters. Run to the fountain and back. If you return before our guard, you pass the physical test.”

“Understood.”

Anise nodded swiftly. The guard hesitated, seeking cues.

“What are you waiting for? Get on the starting line.”

Only upon hearing this, the guard hastily dropped his sword and removed his helmet. Soon, Anise and the guard stood side by side at the gate. Anise stole a sideways glance.

“… …”

The same guard who had insulted her earlier. She made a silent vow to surpass him with flying colors. As she steeled herself, the Crown Prince gave the signal.

“Start!”

She burst forward, her feet pounding against the ground. Swift acceleration, reminiscent of the ancestral spirits running through open fields. Racing onward, she carried on the legacy of her revered ancestor who once served as an aide to Emperor Calidus.

The surroundings blurred past her. The rushing wind roared in her ears. There was only one destination.

‘That fountain!’

Anise’s gaze remained fixed on the fountain, not wavering for a moment.

As she drew nearer to the fountain, she did not slow down. Instead, she leaped.

She propelled her entire body upward, reaching for the top of the fountain and grasping it tightly, filled with the momentum.

Her body traced a wide arc around the hand clutching the fountain’s edge. Centrifugal force wrapped around her, surging through her body. With a release, she soared through the air, propelled in the opposite direction toward the gate where the Crown Prince awaited.

Executing a flawless 180-degree turn without losing speed, she landed firmly and pounded against the ground once more.

With unyielding determination, she accelerated once again. And in that moment, she noticed a sluggish figure approaching from ahead.

“…Huff! Hoo! Hook!”

It was the guard who had mocked her earlier, still making his way towards the fountain. He ran with all his might, refusing to fall behind. Among humans, he was indeed swift.

‘So slow.’

She couldn’t help but chuckle at his false sense of superiority.

‘I’ve won.’

Anise planned to breeze past the guard, leaving him in her dust. But then…

“…Huh?”

Was it mere coincidence? Or had his desperation to keep up with her caused him to lose his footing? The guard’s sprint became entangled, and he stumbled over his own feet. His balance faltered, and he tumbled forcefully to the ground. In that moment, Anise surged past him.

“Uh…!”

The guard looked up at her, struggling to rise. But his movements were peculiar. Anise didn’t pay it much attention. She continued running, leaving the human who had scorned her in defeat.

She raced onward, the gate drawing closer. Yet, the closer she got, the more unsettled she felt. The strange movements of the guard, his struggles to get up, lingered in her mind.

‘It seemed like his shoulder dislocated when he fell.’

The more she dwelled on it, the more uneasy she became.

“Damn it.”

Anise cursed. It didn’t feel right to continue running like this. If she completed the race in this manner, rumors would surely circulate. She sensed that the guard might use his dislocated shoulder as an excuse.

She didn’t want that. She wanted to utterly crush him with her abilities, leaving no room for excuses. And so…

She halted her sprint.

Merely 10 meters from the gate, she abruptly turned around, cursing under her breath, and retraced her steps toward the guard. In a way, it was a small opportunity for revenge (?). Fixing a glare upon the guard, she spoke.

“Weak human, daring to challenge me. Stay still.”

“…Huh?”

The guard, who had been struggling to relocate his dislocated shoulder, gazed up with a vacant expression. In that instant, Anise’s forceful hand grabbed hold of his shoulder and arm.

With a sharp motion, she realigned his dislocated joint.

“Arrgghhh!”

The guard let out a cry of intense pain. Raciel, who had been observing from the gate, murmured to himself.

“…Wow.”

In the next moment, the pass necklace in Anise’s hand glimmered and shimmered.

(To be Continued)

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