Crown Prince Sells Medicine

 I Next

“Hmm, it looks even better up close.”

The depth of the night had set in.

A wealthy tycoon in Anbouaz, Gunes, wore a look of admiration. It was inevitable. Just moments ago, a gigantic cage had been brought into the hotel basement. Anyone would marvel at the sight of the behemoth caged inside.

“Groooowl…”

A low, hefty sound came from within, like a wounded beast’s suppressed groan. A beast numbed with tranquilizers. It was a Minotaur.

Thump… Thump!

The Minotaur in the cage sensed his gaze. It lifted its drugged eyes and heaved a rough breath. A ruthless smile crept onto Gunes’s face.

“Indeed, it’s worth every penny spent. If only you could see the look on Prince Magentano’s face when this creature was taken from him.”

“Shall we begin the work immediately then?”

“Absolutely.”

The tycoon nodded, turning to look at the man who’d asked the question.

“That’s why I called you here in the first place. You’re the best taxidermist in Cremo.”

“I’m flattered. As long as you pay me well, I’m just grateful. May I ask what style of taxidermy you’d prefer?”

“Hmm, make it as majestic as possible.”

“Majestic?”

“Yes. This isn’t for my personal collection. It’s to be unveiled at the King’s birthday party.”

“Ah, so you want it to make a strong impression when revealed. Is that correct?”

“Hehehe, exactly. The gasps of surprise and awe from the party guests will surely multiply His Majesty’s pleasure. It will elevate my prestige as well.”

“I understand. I will do my best to meet your purpose. However…”

“Hmm? What else is on your mind?”

“It’s about the wizard I asked you to prepare in advance.”

“Oh, of course. I’ve arranged for one.”

Gunes grinned.

Naturally. All preparations were in place. The King’s birthday wasn’t far off. Considering the time it would take to create the taxidermy and transport it to the capital, there was little time to spare.

“But I’ve been curious since you first asked… why do we need a wizard to create a taxidermy?”

Gunes asked.

The taxidermist replied, “To cleanly kill the Minotaur.”

“Cleanly?”

“Yes.”

The taxidermist continued.

“As you may know, Minotaurs are notorious for their tenacity. Like other monsters, they often struggle for a long time before dying even when mortally wounded. So, if we clumsily try to kill it…”

“Try to kill it?”

“The Minotaur may go berserk, causing serious damage.”

“…I see, so it might damage the skin?”

“Yes. For a creature this size, we only keep the skin, horns, and teeth, discarding the rest because filling it with sawdust or similar materials wouldn’t maintain the shape.”

“I see.”

“We create a replica of the same size and shape and cover it with the skin. Therefore, the condition of the skin is more important than ever. If the skin is damaged, the value of the taxidermy decreases significantly.”

“What if we use poison?”

“It’s not much different. As they’re dying, they may scratch themselves all over, damaging their skin.”

“So, that’s why you said we needed a wizard?”

“Yes, exactly. We need to cast strong sleep and paralysis spells multiple times to handle it properly.”

“How do we proceed then?”

“From my experience, a vacuum spell is the cleanest.”

“Vacuum spell?”

“Yes. It’s a spell that thins the air within a certain range. They lose consciousness and slowly die as if falling asleep. This leaves no external injuries, which is ideal for creating taxidermy.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

Gunes nodded in satisfaction. He was glad he had called an expert. A little later, the summoned wizard arrived and received instructions from the taxidermist.

The taxidermy process soon began. Meanwhile, Gunes sat at a safe distance, observing the process.

“Hmm, hahaha.”

A tune naturally slipped from his lips.

The Minotaur was much larger than usual. The resulting taxidermy would be impressive. He grinned thinking about the delighted King receiving the taxidermy. The thought of flourishing business with the King’s support filled him with pride. The slaughter for taxidermy was underway.

“Hmm!”

The wizard began to weave complex signs. The placement of fingers and palms, the sequence and array, disruption and manipulation, with mana cunningly twisted within.

The artificially twisted balance of mana had created a contrived flow. The stem of mana moved along a calculated path, performing its purpose with precision. Sleep magic poured out toward the head of the Minotaur.

Whoooooosh…

“….Moo.”

Even without this, the Minotaur had been steeped in tranquilizers. As it was hit helplessly by the sleep magic, its eyes began to close. Then, paralysis magic was added to the mix. Finally, vacuum magic was deployed.

Wooooooosh…!

A sound like wind escaping filled the air loudly. The air inside the Minotaur’s cage became thin. The pressure dropped dramatically, even lower than the highest highlands, nearly as thin as at an altitude of 50 kilometers in the stratosphere.

As a result, the oxygen also thinned out drastically.

“….Moo.”

The Minotaur quickly fell into hypoxia. The supply of oxygen transported to the brain was dramatically reduced. This led to a deeper state of unconsciousness, and extreme stress took over the Minotaur.

Its massive body reacted, squirming. Months of confinement, days of forced feeding while lying down steeped in tranquilizers had made it oversized. Fat stuck to its veins, inflammation spread. All this time, countless stresses, despair, and rage had accumulated.

All of these things blocked the coronary arteries surrounding the heart. The flow of blood to the heart was obstructed, causing severe chest pain in the Minotaur.

Even with sleep magic.

Even with paralysis magic.

The Minotaur was suddenly overwhelmed by the pain of angina pectoris that couldn’t be fully removed.

“Moo…”

It writhes as a last-ditch effort, but inevitably whimpers weakly. Like a fledgling dying in its nest.

“…Moo.”

Is it because it’s nearing death? Or is it because of the unresolved grudge it has been carrying? Suddenly, flashes of memory pierced its retina like a dagger.

They were old memories. Yes, It was the king of the Minotaurs, roaring across the mountain ranges.

Were those days happy?

Green fields and hills abounded. Leading the herd, living in peace. Grazing on grass, protecting the territory at times. Embracing the calves, as innocent as newborns.

Then came intruders in those happy days.

Humans.

Many humans.

Greedy humans.

At first, It was just on guard. But that caution turned out to be in vain. The humans did nothing. They were considerate, mindful of their presence, seemingly peaceful. They continued like this for three months.

Perhaps it was because of their demeanor, its guard was lowered. Not all humans are deceitful, there are exceptions like these, it thought.

It was a mistake. It was a fool to have let its guard down. The peaceful facade of the humans was manipulative.

The newborn calf, a baby whose black eyes sparkled especially when it suckled its mother. When it realized its 56th child was taken by these humans, it regretted its naive complacency to the bone.

Blinded by rage, it pursued them. It scoured mountains, streams, and hills until it finally found traces of them.

A canyon.

A narrow canyon.

Its baby was in the deepest part of it. Fortunately, it was unharmed, no injuries. It thanked the gods of sky and field. Holding the baby, it hurried to escape the canyon.

But then…

A rain of rocks fell from the sky above the canyon. Dozens, hundreds, innumerable rocks, falling, falling endlessly. It was the brutal force of gravity. The sky above the canyon was no longer visible. Or rather, through the gaps between the numerous falling rocks, the top of the canyon was fleetingly visible.

The humans were there.

The ones who pretended peace, the ones who took its calf. They were relentlessly dropping rocks. They laughed and jeered at their helpless flailing.

At the sight of them, its vision blurred. But there was nothing it could do. Normally, it could have broken through such a rain of stones, even getting injured here and there, it could have escaped the canyon.

But that day was different. It held its suckling baby. It had to protect the baby. It roared, it rampaged. But it wasn’t enough. It couldn’t escape the canyon.

When the last rock fell, it had already lost everything. The baby in the arms was dead. It no longer sparkled its black eyes. Its arms that held the baby, the legs, all were crushed.

Then, the humans descended through the dense dust of despair. They laughed and celebrated their successful capture. Tears of blood flowed. It roared in madness. But all it could do with its crushed and broken limbs was to roar.

And so, it became the possession of humans.

Months passed.

Time went by.

Its physical wounds healed, but the shame of that day never faded. And today, it was dying powerlessly, squirming like an insect.

It found this too unjust.

“…Mooooooooo!”

King Minotaur, Uruus, snapped open his eyes. A rage was stirring deep within his chest. The agonizing pain of encroaching heart disease, a characteristic trait of the Minotaur species. The destructive instinct that kicks in when facing death.

His ferocity was triggered.

The sleep magic was broken.

The paralysis spell shattered.

Crack!

As if to mock the humans who had underestimated and toyed with him, the magical chains that had bound Uruus’s limbs were severed in a single breath.

♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣

Thud!

Raciel was tired.

He was utterly exhausted.

‘Ugh, I feel sick.’

Raciel gritted his teeth in his sleep. Despite the comfortable setting of the mayor residence’s bedroom, with its soft bed, sheets, and pillows, he was in pain, to the point where it woke him from his sleep.

‘Did I overdo it…….’

Half-asleep, Raciel grumbled. Indeed, this body was the problem. The slightest exertion always led to a physical breakdown.

His poor stamina was at a critical level. Not only that, but every part of his body was constantly screaming in real-time.

Ding dong!

[Your organs are condemning your overworking schedule.]

[Heart: Hey, why are you pushing yourself so hard? Aren’t you resting? Do you have infinite stamina? Are you Superman? Can’t you see your lung is taking a hit because of you?]

[Lung: Sigh…I can’t…]

[Large intestine: If you keep this up, we won’t stand for it either.]

[Liver: Big bro intestine, let’s just collapse on the bed. Fully.]

[Stomach: I’m tired! Give me a late-night snack!]

“…….”

This is real.

Who would socially bury themselves like this? Without realizing it, Raciel clenched his abdominal muscles. But even amidst all this, a smile found its way to his lips.

‘I’m tired. A little movement throws everything out of whack. But still…it’s better than not knowing when I could die before.’

Little by little, he will improve.

If he continue to gain bonus lifespan, extending his life bit by bit, gradually, slowly, one step at a time, he will surely get better. Just like when he was earnestly living in Korea and dreaming of the future.

‘I wish I had Tylenol or something.’

Should he get up for a moment and apply a hot pack? As he was thinking about this…

Knock Knock Knock Knock!

Suddenly, someone was knocking on the bedroom door.

“…….”

What’s going on?

Before he could even ask, someone outside shouted.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince! Wake up immediately! There’s a crisis!”

Whoosh!

The two mayor residence guards hurriedly opened the door and ran in. Raciel grimaced as he sat up. Demian placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and asked.

“What’s all the fuss about?”

“It’s not a fuss, Your Highness! You need to find a safe place to hide!”

“A safe place?”

Demian frowned. The guard spoke urgently, but his outcry was drowned out by a sudden loud noise that pounded against the bedroom wall.

Boom!

“……!”

Would it sound like this if a siege weapon hit the wall? Or if a dump truck rammed into a building?

One side of the bedroom wall was shattered. The bricks flew out like shards. Simultaneously, Demian moved like the wind, blocking the view. He drew his sword. What followed was a flurry of flashes, no, sword lights.

Swoosh!

The incoming fragments and bricks were swept away and crushed by the sword light. Then, a storm-like dust came swirling in. Demian turned his gaze toward Raciel through the dust.

“Your Highness! Retreat to the back……”

Thump!

The huge fist that suddenly flew in was the one that struck Demian, and it all happened in an instant.

Crash!

Demian was sent flying and crashed into the wall a few meters away. He collapsed. But there was no time to watch him. The space where the ferocious fist swung through, the storm-like momentum dispersing the dust, a giant head emerged from it.

“…….”

A head resembling a buffalo. Explosive exhales. Bloodshot eyes. Raciel locked eyes with the colossal creature.

‘…A Minotaur?’

For certain. It was the same Minotaur that had slipped through his hands at the auction house earlier that day.

Gulp.

Without realizing it, Raciel’s throat clenched.

Was it because his body froze in fear when their eyes met? Or was it because he was tense due to the unexpectedly alarming situation?

None of these.

The Minotaur, who had suddenly invaded his bedroom and was rampaging in a fit of rage. The moment he locked eyes with the beast, he subconsciously felt something. The eyes looked familiar. As if he had seen them many times before.

But where?

In Korea.

At the clinic.

So that look in its eyes…

‘Is it the same as the patients who walk into my clinic in pain, not knowing what to do…?’

(To be Continued)

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