Crown Prince Sells Medicine

 I Next

Raciel witnessed a sight he had seen many times before.

The shattered bedroom wall filled with thick dust revealed the eyes of the Minotaur, and a strange sense of familiarity washed over him. Was he going crazy, or did he simply have an exceptionally good memory?

‘That look, in Korea…’

He had encountered it in the past.

A suppressed memory surged to the surface, taking him back to the first year since he had opened his clinic. There was an elderly patient, a grandmother in her eighties, suffering from neuralgia. She had visited numerous hospitals seeking relief, but none could identify the cause of her pain, let alone provide proper treatment.

‘When that grandmother first came to my clinic… That’s when…’

Her expression mirrored that of the Minotaur’s – the look of someone in excruciating pain with nowhere to turn, a desperation born from utter helplessness.

‘But why does the Minotaur have that look?’

A question arose, but a more fundamental inquiry took its place.

‘Why is the Minotaur here?’

Raciel’s curiosity was piqued. What was happening? He was barely conscious, weighed down by exhaustion after several days of journeying, feeling as though he were groaning from illness.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, chaos erupted as the bedroom wall shattered. The Minotaur thrust its massive head inside, its eyes burning with overwhelming anger and desperation.

“Huff!”

The King Minotaur, Uruus, huffed heavily, questioning his own presence here. He had been pursuing a skinny old man who had attempted to deceive him.

His mind was clouded with pain and rage, but a vague memory resurfaced – the moments between his near-death experience and the commencement of his rampage. Fragments of the events that occurred right after swirled in his mind.

“Huff! Huf…huff!”

He had sworn to kill all the humans before him, and in that moment, his eyes changed. The chains that bound him broke, and the cage enclosing him shattered. Humans screamed, but one figure stood out among them – the old human who had bought him and messed around with him. The man called a tycoon among humans. He wanted to kill him first.

He charged forward with a roar, but the old man fled early, and the guards obstructed his path. Uruus dispatched them effortlessly and pursued the tycoon relentlessly. The old man mounted a horse and rode off, heading towards the most heavily guarded and fortified building in the city.

Uruus continued his pursuit and rampaged through the garden of the largest building, where the man had sought shelter. But, in the end, he lost him, fueling his anger further. Determined to destroy everything, he charged at the nearby building’s side.

And there, he encountered another target besides the old man he had vowed to kill.

“Huff!”

The intensity in the Minotaur’s eyes as he stared at Raciel heightened. Gazing at the young human reminded him of an earlier encounter at the auction. This was the same human who had vied with the old man to buy him and had expressed regret over losing the bid. In Uruus’ eyes, he was no different from the old tycoon – another human who needed to be eliminated.

“Moooooo!”

Uruus’ voice boomed.

With a mighty swing of his fist, he aimed to strike Raciel, just like the one he had attacked earlier. The punch was enormous, akin to a gym ball’s weight, wielded by a 7-meter-tall monster – the size of a two-story building. Raciel knew he couldn’t take the blow head-on.

‘Do you think I’m going to die here?!’

Realizing the threat to his life, Raciel frantically attempted to dodge, but the Minotaur’s punch was swift and overwhelming. He couldn’t avoid it in time.

‘I’m screwed.’

The realization hit him. He braced himself for the impact, fearing multiple fractures or internal organ damage. In his panicked state, he had a fleeting, nonsensical thought – ‘Would a fly feel this way while being hit by a swatter?’

But just before the colossal fist could strike him, something forcefully pushed Raciel aside.

Thump!

“Augh!”

He felt his body twist in a painful reverse-S shape, and he suspected that his left rib might be broken. The shock sent him flying sideways.

And then…

Whoosh!

The Minotaur’s colossal fist sliced through the air, just missing Raciel by a hair’s breadth. It was akin to witnessing a high-speed train zooming past, leaving him in awe of the monster’s power.

Beyond the flying fist, Raciel caught sight of Demian with one leg raised, as if he had executed a side kick. In that moment, the realization dawned on him – it was Demian who had kicked him to safety.

“Ugh!”

He hit the ground hard, but he couldn’t afford to dwell on the pain.

“Roll!”

Demian’s urgent command rang out, and Raciel instinctively rolled away. Moments later, the Minotaur’s fist crashed down, right where he had been lying a moment ago.

‘Why is it targeting me?’ Raciel wondered, feeling like the Minotaur had singled him out.

Paying no heed to the sharp ache from Demian’s kick, he swiftly got back on his feet and dashed towards the bedroom entrance. But a fierce roar erupted from behind.

“Lie downnnnn!”

The thunderous sound of something massive hurtling through the air spurred Raciel to glance back. A rock the size of his torso was hurtling straight towards him.

“Ah, seriously!” he exclaimed, hurriedly dropping and rolling again. The whistling wind of the flying rock grazed past his head with an eerie sound.

Crash!

The rock smashed into the door, causing the wall to crumble, and the exit was now blocked by debris.

“Really?” Raciel grumbled in disbelief. Had the Minotaur thrown the rock to trap them?

“It seems, Your Majesty, we are trapped here,” Demian remarked, ready to defend their position with his sword drawn. He emitted an intense aura, staring down the raging Minotaur.

“Well, add one more Minotaur to the party,” Raciel quipped, attempting to inject humor into the dire situation. Otherwise, screams of fear might have escaped him.

As the reality of their predicament sank in, Raciel couldn’t help but wonder how they had ended up in this dangerous situation with no chance to escape. Trapped in a confined space, engaged in a deadly encounter with a rampaging Minotaur in the dead of night, his spine shivered with dread.

“Your Majesty, I have something to tell you,” Demian said, his tone serious. “If we survive this situation today-“

“Survive?”

“Please grant me a special allowance.”

“…What?”

“If we manage to survive this tense and dangerous situation, and I protect you. Don’t you think that reward is fair?”

“So, you want a special allowance?”

“Yes.”

“And if I don’t give it?”

“I’ll run away on my own.”

“…”

…Damn.

Raciel nearly swore, but Demian swiftly continued, laying out a plan.

“Listen carefully. When I count to three, I’ll attack the Minotaur, creating an opening for you to escape.”

“Escape? Where to?”

“Through the bedroom wall the Minotaur just smashed.”

Raciel glanced at the wall. Indeed, there was another way out. Beyond the broken bedroom wall, he could see the night sky, and below it…

“This is the second floor, isn’t it?”

“It doesn’t matter. Just jump.”

“What if I break my leg?”

“It’s better than lying here and dying.”

“……”

“Judging from the sounds outside, guards have gathered below the outer wall, attacking the Minotaur’s legs. Though it doesn’t seem to be having much effect.”

“…Even if I fell and broke my leg, they would save me and move me to a safe place?”

“It seems to be the only way out at the moment.”

“…..”

Demian smiled wryly as he looked at Raciel. The realization sank in, and Raciel understood that jumping out of the broken wall might be his only chance at survival. The Minotaur, wary of Demian’s attacks, was waiting for an opportunity to strike.

“…. Huff! Roar!”

With a loud crash and crack, the Minotaur leaned forward, causing part of the bedroom floor to collapse. Its massive arms reached out menacingly. In the midst of this tense moment, Demian shouted the count.

“One, two, three! Now!”

The count felt too rapid, leaving no time for objections. Raciel’s body instinctively responded to the perceived danger.

Tah!

Without hesitation, he followed Demian, who was leading the charge. Demian’s afterimage blurred as he moved at incredible speed.

Chatter chatter chatter chatter!

The afterimages dispersed to the left and right, and streaks of sword light illuminated the darkness. In the moonlight, dozens of sword strikes landed on the Minotaur’s forearm and wrist, leaving cuts and slashes. However, the Minotaur wasn’t passive either.

“…Roar!”

In pain and fury, it let out a ferocious roar, shaking its massive head. The menacing horns seemed poised to pierce Demian. Yet, Demian countered with his sword.

Crash!

Upon the collision of sword and horn, a powerful shockwave rippled in all directions, pushing Demian back several meters while jerking the Minotaur’s head backward.

‘Now’s the time!’

Raciel sensed the opportunity the moment he saw it. The Minotaur’s head was tilted, and its posture was disrupted – the ‘opening’ Demian had mentioned earlier.

Tah!

He ran, passing by the Minotaur. A gaping hole in the wall lay ahead – his escape route. He kicked off the ground, heading towards the only exit. He launched himself into the void, but at that moment…

“Huff!”

The Minotaur’s snorting sound reached his ears. It was trying to shake off the momentary dizziness. Abruptly, it vigorously shook its head, causing its torso and arms to tremble, obstructing Raciel’s view.

He couldn’t dodge anymore; he was already airborne from kicking off the ground.

‘Ugh!’

In a split second, he instinctively swung his hand and grasped the hair on the Minotaur’s arm. He ended up hugging the beast’s arm while it thrashed around in a frenzied rage.

“…Ugh!”

He considered letting go and jumping down immediately. Surely, the Minotaur wouldn’t interpret this as a friendly hug. But before he could release his grip in a hurry…

Ding dong!

An unexpected alert sound rang in his ears, and an even more unexpected message appeared before his eyes.

[You have made physical contact with an emergency patient.]

[The palpation skill you possess automatically responds to the patient’s vital signals.]

[Starting the palpation.]

‘…Huh?’

Emergency patient?

Performing a palpation on a Minotaur?

‘What?’

In this situation, the message seemed absurd. Nonetheless, the palpation skill activated automatically.

[Scanning.]

[3… 2… 1…]

[The palpation results are out.]

[Please check the <Comprehensive Examination Form> below.]

Soon, a comprehensive examination report of the Minotaur appeared, finally revealing the cause of this chaotic situation.

(To be Continued)

To read ahead 👇

Patreon Subscription Tiers

$5/month5 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$20/month10 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$30/month20 chap ahead + 6 chap/week I Next