Who fed the scary princess some tonic without knowing better?
Returning to her own carriage, Evelyn sat there in a daze, like someone whose soul had fled her body.
"……It's so stuffy."
"Pardon?"
"Open the window wide."
At Evelyn's command, the coachman hurriedly flung the window open. Cool night air rushed in, but it did nothing to cool her feverish head. Through the window, she could see the sunset blazing red. Staring at that crimson glow, the golden afterimage she'd just witnessed overlapped in her vision.
What the hell did I just see?
Her mind was a jumbled mess. Kasian del Parne. The wastrel second son of the Parne family. But everything he'd shown so far contradicted his reputation completely.
Overwhelming technical prowess that mocked the established magical framework. A bottomless vessel of mana capable of flipping an entire village upside down. And now, the mysterious power she'd just witnessed—reconstructing his own flesh.
Is that even possible…… for a human?
No way. Which left only one answer.
He was something wearing human skin.
Evelyn's gaze fixed on the setting sun. Suddenly, a passage from an ancient tome she'd read in the deepest recesses of the imperial library flashed through her mind.
Beings that wield primordial mana, take on forms, yet their essence is nature itself.
Immense magical prowess. A colossal mana reservoir. And the golden aura protecting him, so noble it bordered on majestic.
Evelyn's lips trembled as she mouthed the words. Only one hypothesis explained all these impossibilities.
"……No way?"
Horror and awe flickered in her eyes simultaneously.
"……."
Evelyn clenched her trembling fists. Her heart refused to calm. The scattered puzzle pieces in her mind snapped into place, drawn like magnets.
"That's it."
"Pardon, Your Highness? What……?"
"Be quiet."
Evelyn cut off her maid and pressed on with her revelation. Conviction blazed in her eyes.
I was judging him by human standards—that's why everything was a contradiction.
Now that she thought about it, the oddities piled up. From their first meeting, he'd never been intimidated by her, a princess. He'd been openly annoyed. As if respect for royalty didn't apply to him.
It wasn't rudeness. He was just…… on a different level.
Swoosh…… The wind from the window tousled her hair. Evelyn swallowed dryly.
That overwhelming mana. That radical interpretive skill mocking conventional magic. And the mysterious power reconstructing flesh she'd just seen.
If he'd only recently awakened from a long slumber? If trivial human etiquette and power structures felt insignificant to him?
It all fit.
"……Oh my god."
A sigh escaped Evelyn's lips. Her heart pounded like it might burst. She realized she'd just witnessed a page from the empire's history—no, its mythology.
Evelyn shuddered, staring at the red sunset outside.
"How dare I……."
I misunderstood him.
As a mage, she first thrilled at encountering a mythical being. But then……
What do I do?
Immediately after, a flood of her past misdeeds toward Kasian del Parne hit her.
"Haaah."
She wanted to drag her past self here and beg her not to do it.
* * *
"Mm."
I opened my eyes. My head wasn't just refreshed—it was crystal clear, like I'd taken it out, scrubbed it in ice water, and slotted it back in.
To shake off the lingering stiffness, I stretched and sat up.
"Up we go…… Whoa?"
Wobble!
"Wha—?"
My body shot up on its own. I'd just put strength into my waist like usual, but my upper body sprang like a coil, nearly pitching me forward face-first.
I flailed and barely caught my balance.
"What the hell?"
Even my bewildered voice sounded unfamiliar. Too clear, too pure—no trace of that usual rasp. Hearing the improvement made me realize how gravelly it had been.
And……
"……No lights on?"
All the tent flaps were down, so the carriage should be pitch black. But I could see. Not perfectly, but the outlines of the seats and interior were dimly visible.
"No clue what's going on."
I tilted my head and stood. Clatter.
"Ow, shit."
My foot hit the floor, and my body lurched again. My legs didn't feel like mine. Like gravity had halved—too light, too full of power, impossible to control.
"Doesn't hurt anywhere, though."
My whole body brimmed with vitality, on the verge of exploding.
"Guess I'll step out for some air."
Stretching might help. Carefully, like walking on thin ice, I parted the tent flap.
*
Stepping down the wooden stairs, cool evening wind hit me. The sky blazed red.
"What? Did I not sleep long?"
Or over 24 hours? Nah. Smoke rose lazily from the village. No one had visited the carriage. If days had passed without food, folks from the two-and-a-half-dong area would've pitched tents or something nearby. But everything looked exactly as before I climbed in.
"Power nap with this effect? Items are the best."
I stood in the clearing's center and stretched my arms wide.
"Uuuuuum!"
Crack! Crunch!
"……?"
What was that joint-popping sound? Usually a quick pop, but this was a full-body chorus. No pain, though—rather, a thrilling rush like blocked channels unblocking, racing up my spine.
"Ahh. Feels killer."
Finishing the stretch and catching my breath, a hot surge bubbled up from deep inside.
"……Huh?"
What? Did someone boil me in my sleep? Like opening a furnace blast—overwhelming heat flooding my veins, tingling to fingertips and toes like electricity.
Instinctively, I focused my senses on the source. Not stomach…… not head……
"Chest? The heart?"
I pressed my left chest. Thump. Thump. Thump.
What the—why could I feel my heartbeat so vividly? Scary clear. And at its center, a massive energy swirled.
"What is this?"
I mumbled, rubbing my chest blankly.
"Did they really mod me or something?"
What even was this? I'd never touched or sensed mana in my life. But I instinctively knew this churning in my chest was mana. That heavy, hot sensation pulsing through my veins with each beat.
No doubt about it—pure mana.
"Side effect of the holy water too? Nah, can't be."
Saint Grade Potion or whatever was fuzzy, but potions existed in the original novel. That's how I'd distinguished alchemist potions from church ones.
But potions creating mana reservoirs? Never heard of it. If they did, everyone would chug 'em and become archmages.
"Can I get rid of it?"
Gut feeling said no. Something ominous—like Dad would exploit me till my marrow dried up. He already summoned me to the capital like, 'You're useful, right? You better be.'
Now a mana-spewing archmage? Dad's talent was bullshit detection. Three Problem Solver uses a day, and I could say 'Can't do it' sincerely. But now? It'd be 'Can't do it. Probably?' with that hedge.
"Ah, fucked."
Respect for Dad or whatever—lifelong servitude? No thanks. it'd kill any love or respect. My filial piety might veer off into patricide. Fuck my dad. Go nuts.
Clunk.
Then, a door opened nearby. I turned—the princess's carriage. Evelyn stepped down cautiously, spotted me, and froze.
……?
Her reaction puzzled me. She was peeking at me timidly.
Why's she acting like that? Still worried?
She approached with careful steps and spoke.
"Um…… Are you feeling alright?"
……What?
Why so polite? Where'd that sharp, haughty tone go? Sounded like a daughter-in-law with her mother-in-law. Creepy as hell.
Hiding my unease, I answered casually.
"Yeah, fine. Was gonna be after a short rest anyway. As you see, perfectly healthy."
I spun my arms demonstratively. She sighed in relief, patting her chest.
"Ah…… Good. Really good."
"……."
Uh, shit. Goosebumps for real. Not sarcasm—genuine relief, which was scarier. Why the sudden deference?
"……Why are you acting cautious around me?"
Truthfully, I wanted to ask, 'Why treat me like the superior?' We used formal speech out of noble-royal respect. But now her expression, tone—girl who'd seen me as an insolent underling suddenly treated me like a revered elder. Hands demurely clasped like facing in-law scrutiny.
Did she eat something weird?
At my blunt question, Evelyn panicked, eyes darting.
Wow.
Eyes rolling from nerves? She's lost it. Whatever she ate, she ate the wrong damn thing.
Who fed the scary princess some tonic without knowing better?