The Princess and Her Physician (2)
“Asella's personal physician, was it? Got something?”
Georg openly ignored me, sneering with exaggerated flair. I responded with a bright, sunny smile.
“It's Gotberg. I'd appreciate it if you remembered that from now on.”
“So, what were you thinking, daring to interrupt the viewing without being called over? Can't Asella even train her underlings properly?”
I clasped my hands behind my back and posed a question to him.
“You watched Her Highness's magic demonstration. Do you have any idea what the problem was just now?”
“What? Well...”
Georg furrowed his brow. He had no real understanding of magic, so he'd probably just been gauging the emperor's reaction and going along with whatever seemed popular.
“There are several types of spatial magic,” said First Princess Heike, who had been silent until now, her voice low and measured.
“For instance, Bringer can't retrieve objects owned by others, and Summon only calls forth contracted spirits. What Asella showed us was something entirely new.”
Heike fixed me with a sharp glare.
“Physician, do you understand what's dangerous about that spell?”
I hit the nail on the head in my reply.
“It's a spell that can instantly bring any living creature to the caster's side. The key point is that it's not objects—it's living beings.”
“A fine grasp of the subject, as expected from the chief physician.”
Heike nodded.
“Imagine if that magic became widespread. An enemy nation could kidnap His Majesty the Emperor at any moment, putting the throne in peril.”
Only then did Rauga nod as if she finally understood Heike's explanation.
Heike continued. “And she summoned a hatchling death dragon—one that only inhabits the Interworld. The range must be enormous.”
Heike shot me a resolute glare. Emboldened, Georg ran a hand through his hair and puffed up with bravado.
“Exactly what I was saying. What do you think would happen if Asella betrayed the Empire?”
“Her Highness is a member of the imperial family. The only ones she would betray...”
I emphasized my words.
“...are brainless thugs who blather on without a shred of knowledge.”
“Pfft.”
Rauga burst into laughter at my jab. Georg, not getting it, glanced around nervously.
“What're you talking about?”
“You, Your Highness. Her Highness is always scolding you to watch that frivolous attitude of yours. But tell me, Your Highness...”
I stepped forward, closing the distance until I was right in Georg's face. My voice was low enough for only Asella's siblings to hear.
“...do you really think that's okay? There's no guarantee Lord Palkenhain will always be at your side if you suffer a fatal injury.”
Finally grasping my intent, Georg's face hardened. Cold fury flashed in his eyes.
“Did the imperial physician just threaten me?”
“What are you saying? It was merely a physician's concern for Your Highness's safety—a humble admonition.”
I smirked, drilling it into him. Asella and I aren't at a level where you get to mock us.
“If our princess uses her new magic on you, Your Highness, you'd vanish without a trace. Don't you wonder why the other Highnesses are holding their tongues?”
“What...”
A flicker of fear crossed Georg's forehead. Asella's Recall spell. With it, she could summon any human on the continent—instantly, no matter their guards—and assassinate them on the spot.
Georg was a bit rattled, but not enough to back down. If anything, it fanned the flames of his temper.
“Insolent cur! Physician, I'll have your head for this.”
“Me? I don't recall saying or doing anything disrespectful to Your Highness.”
“You just did! Daring to threaten the life of an imperial prince?”
“Oh, did I? Princess Rauga, would you care to testify if I said anything disrespectful?”
Rauga, giggling nonstop at our spat, replied, “Hmm, no idea what you're talking about~?”
“What...? No, there were others who heard!”
Georg looked around, grinding his teeth. The only ones who'd heard me were the other heirs—all his rivals. None had any reason to back him up.
“You... you...!”
He pointed at me, veins bulging in his neck, but he was powerless. Right in the heart of enemy territory, it was a bizarre situation where attacking an enemy would only hurt him more.
Time to tamp down that bulldog temper of his.
The Empire's downfall bad ending stems from Asella's hatred of the imperial palace.
I needed to remove the most obvious irritants from her sight.
“Birds of a feather...! Hah, Asella's that witch's daughter anyway. Betting on her becoming the next emperor? Fat chance—even if the heavens turned upside down!”
Wow, tell me how you really feel.
“Soon enough, the price of that implanted talent will devour her! When Moonlight Palace crumbles, I'll have your head too, physician!”
That caught my attention. Come to think of it, Georg knew about the second magical talent implanted in Asella.
“Hmm, you mean the price Her Highness paid?”
“That's right! That witch's curse. She's doomed to self-destruct without anyone lifting a finger! You idiot.”
This bears digging into. I was pondering how to draw out more details when—
—Fwoosh!!
The sky darkened. A massive shadow engulfed us.
“What...?”
Georg looked up in panic. Trumpet blasts rang out alongside frantic shouts.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!”
The spectator stands erupted into chaos in an instant. Escort knights rushed in to evacuate the princes and princesses, regular knights assumed combat stances, and physicians and attendants stumbled over each other in the pandemonium.
Perfect timing.
“Your Highness, it's dangerous! Get to safety!”
“Gah?!”
Before the escorts arrived, I charged at Georg, tackling him under the pretense of protection and sending us both sprawling.
—Thud!
“Oof!”
Injury Status: Bruise
Injury Location: Back of the head
An unintended tackle. Georg had smacked the back of his head hard on the ground. I'd patch him up later.
The crowd swallowed our forms from view. The escorts would find us soon, so time was short.
I pinned his flailing body with both arms—he couldn't budge. The guy was as physically frail as I was.
“Aargh! You mad bastard!”
“Your Highness, answer one question, and I'll put in a good word for you with Princess Asella.”
“What?! What question?!”
His quick bite suggested Asella scared him more than he'd admit. The chaos had his adrenaline pumping.
“How was the magical talent implanted into Her Highness?”
Georg's lips twisted into a sneer.
“Hahaha, you don't even know, physician? Asella was made into a magic weapon from the start. I saw it myself as a kid. That's why she's no emperor material!”
“How was she made?”
Adrenaline surging, Georg shouted excitedly.
“They shoved it in! Empress Camilla used black magic to stuff a great witch's soul right into her womb! That's how she inherited the talent—and the curse!”
So that's it. No wonder Georg mocked Asella so viciously; he'd witnessed that black magic ritual as a child and it terrified him. Hiding his fear, he still needed to stay on her good side now that she was stronger—hence the financial support for Moonlight Palace.
“Thank you for the answer. Please evacuate safely.”
I hauled him up by the collar.
“His Highness the Prince is safe here!”
I handed him off to the arriving escorts.
One mystery solved. Asella's magical talent wasn't entirely her own.
Black magic. Demon magic. That must be why even my Diagnosis couldn't detect the curse.
Details could wait. First, I needed to find Asella.
Having finished her magic demonstration, Asella bit her lower lip. Her hands tightened unconsciously on her staff.
...Ugh.
Pain flared at the same moment. In her lower left abdomen.
A 4th Hierarchy spell. Far too demanding in mana and focus for Asella to wield comfortably. Overuse like this always brought the talent's price crashing down on her.
Her thighs trembled from the pain so intense she could barely move.
...But if His Majesty gives me a high score.
It was worth enduring. Asella gazed at the emperor in the distant stands.
A man she'd never exchanged so much as a private word with—not even once a year, if she was lucky. A father she knew only in theory.
From the shape of his moving lips, she could easily read his impression.
—A monster.
The emperor shook his head and turned back to his conversation with the royal kin.
That's all?
Asella lowered her gaze. The stands with the other princes and princesses. Georg, Rauga, Heike, Kwunter. All of them feared her.
She'd thought unveiling a new spell would earn her at least some acknowledgment, if not outright praise. She'd practiced endlessly, refined it tirelessly, prepared flawlessly for today's tournament.
...It hurts.
Her stomach ached. Or rather...
She was furious at herself for daring to hope from the imperial family. Humiliation stabbed at her heart.
Asella finally acknowledged it.
The imperial family are enemies.
No siblings here. No relatives. Her mother... she'd table that for now. After all, the woman had borne and raised her.
If she became emperor, purging the imperial family for stable governance would be a given.
...No.
Maybe she just wanted the whole palace to vanish entirely.
The spreading pain from her abdomen fueled increasingly negative thoughts. Rage, hatred, injustice—they seeped deep into every brain cell.
As that sticky sensation began to dominate her—
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!”
Someone shouted, and a massive trumpet blared the emergency alert. Every knight in the Colosseum leaped up, swords drawn. The emperor's escorts shielded him and evacuated first.
What the—?
She quickly pieced it together. Before the knights could ready themselves, the sky blackened—
Fwoosh!
—a gale whipped up, and a colossal presence materialized above her.
“...Ah.”
Witnessing its majesty, Asella let out a short groan.
A dragon radiating death mana, black mana. A death dragon hovered over the Colosseum, beating its enormous wings.
“A dragon! A dragon's appeared!”
“Where'd it come from?!”
“The princess summoned it, has to be!”
The stands descended into pandemonium. Asella shook her head, her hair whipping in the death dragon's wind.
...No, not me.
She couldn't summon something that massive. Had someone seen her spell and mimicked it on the spot? But no archmage could comprehend the spell circle's structure from a single viewing.
Asella shook off the stray thoughts.
Focus on what's important now.
Analyzing and reacting would be too slow. Dragons craved mana-rich prey. With Seymour absent, she fit the bill perfectly.
And the most efficient attack against a dragon? Magic.
Me...!
Instinctively, Asella swung her staff, casting a spell. Her dwindling mana scorched her parched circuits, forming ice spears.
—Kaboom!!
The spears launched at the death dragon. But the shallow strikes only enraged it.
What the hell.
She had no idea why a dragon had appeared from the sky. Why her meticulously prepared tournament demonstration ended in such dismissal. Why showing frustration as a princess was taboo.
...Might as well let it all perish.
“Your Highness.”
A voice whispered in Asella's ear. One she heard every morning, noon, and night.
Asella called his name in turn.
“Ras.”
“Yes, it's me.”
Ras took hold of Asella's arm.