Starting Life in Another World Below Zero

"Surely you're not planning to lead the knights out again to try to eat Lady Ignite's Inner Core?"

Maybe it was because the words were so absurd.

It took me twice as long as usual to process that sentence.

As if unaware of my devastated state, a cheerful fanfare rang in my ears.

[New Content: Zero? NONO! Starting Life in Another World Below Zero]

{Starting from 0 Affection was too easy for you, wasn't it? So we prepared this!}

{Try winning over NPCs who hold negative feelings toward the protagonist.}

[Perk: The Prince's Past Records]

This perk activated immediately, without needing to be opened.

Time suddenly stopped, and my vision went dark.

-Click

A screen appeared in the black void like a movie theater, and a cinematic began to play.

A knight order, and at its center, a splendid golden-haired young man.

From the noble bearing that set him apart from the others, I could tell he was the Empire's Third Prince, Leoport Sean.

Facing off against the knight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠order from the opposite side was a beastfolk with massive flame wings who practically screamed, "I'm a phoenix"—Ignite.

The past me launched an attack, and the knights charged.

Then, in an instant, a fiery tornado erupted and wiped out the knight order in moments.

Smoke rose from every direction.

The prince, the only one without a single scorch mark, was collapsed on the ground.

The screen transitioned with a close-up of his damp trousers, woefully insufficient for putting out a fire.

The camera was filming a procession with no end in sight.

The procession of beastfolk departing for the forest, with Ignite at the head.

After that, various other pieces of information entered my view, but none were as shocking as those first two scenes.

"How the hell am I supposed to clear this?"

Ignite was a Mythical Beast who received treatment akin to royalty in the beastfolk world.

She was a source of pride for the beastfolk and a symbol of their people.

And the past me had tried to hunt such a sacred being just to grow stronger by eating her Inner Core.

Hunters who tried to hunt beastfolk were already a headache within the Empire as it was.

And rather than resolving the issue, that prince went and acted like a hunter himself.

Since he was royalty, they couldn't punish him, so the beastfolk left the Empire in fury, and all exchange between the two races was severed.

To summarize the current situation:

The beastfolk who could supply potion ingredients considered me the enemy of their race,

and Ignite, who could provide the material for the only antidote, wanted my head.

On top of that, I was terminally ill, so there was even a time limit hanging over me.

"Developers? I think the game's difficulty is a little off."

[The Potion Forest DLC is Hell Mode for veterans, and you only have one life.]

The developers scored another win with their cold, hard facts.

Was this really made to be cleared?

A game so difficult that you might not clear it even after dozens of attempts.

And now I was playing it with my one and only life on the line.

Son of a bitch.

It was a desperate situation.

A truly desperate situation, but I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no intention of giving up.

"I just picked up a diamond spoon, and you think I'd give up? Not a chance. Whether the spoon gets dirt on it or poison on it, I'm never letting go."

As soon as I finished my resolution, as if on cue, the perk ended and time began flowing again.

Before my eyes, my personal maid was glaring at me with narrowed eyes.

Was her name 'Ira'?

"Why are you suddenly asking about Lady Ignite's whereabouts?"

"Because I want to apologize."

"As if you would."

No one believed the boy who cried wolf—no, the boy who cried Ignite.

Ira shot me a cold look and reported the upcoming schedule.

"In thirty minutes, a priest will be visiting for your treatment. Do not do anything, and just stay lying in bed."

Meaning: don't try to get up and fall over, don't be a nuisance, just stay quiet.

It was a somewhat insolent attitude for a maid to show her master.

But considering what Leoport had done and his reputation, it was an understandable reaction.

Prince, my ass—I was lucky just to be treated like a person.

Ira left without making a sound.

"Tch, I was hoping for an affectionate maid."

Not one who could cast a spell to make food taste better, just a kind maid who would at least say, "Enjoy your meal."

Is a pretty face all that matters?

Hmm... a pretty face really is all that matters, though.

Come to think of it, if I ate while looking at that face, I probably wouldn't need any side dishes.

As Ira had instructed, I lay in bed and organized my thoughts.

The quests in Potion Forest were tangled together like a spiderweb.

Clear A to unlock B, clear B to unlock C—that sort of structure.

So even when speedrunning, you picked one ending and worked backward, tracing the required quests to plan your route.

"But I can't do that right now. Even if I clear a quest through great effort, if the owner of the next linked quest dislikes me, I can't even accept it."

Since their Affection toward me started below zero, even the answers considered correct might be different.

I had no choice but to spend time slowly building Affection....

Yeah, and I'm terminally ill.

Fuck.

Time was the damn problem.

Even after spending a whole year together, isn't there always one or two kids in class you're not close with?

But I had to raise the Affection of more people than a whole class, in less time.

'Isn't there some cheat item that maxes out Affection in one go?'

Even if such a cheat item existed, I'd need to recover my body first.

Even if a full cure was impossible, I should at least be able to walk.

In that regard, the priest's visit was intriguing.

Priests never appeared in the main story, so I didn't know much about their abilities.

But the words that came to mind with "priest" were healing and purification.

"Could a priest resolve a condition that even health recovery potions can't treat?"

It would be nice if so, but I didn't get my hopes up.

This game's difficulty was hell, after all.

The priest's first impression exceeded expectations.

I didn't yet know if her skills were outstanding, but her beauty certainly was.

She wore glasses with large lenses, which blended with her gentle, innocent eyes to create an incredibly soft impression.

If I had to compare her to an animal, maybe a puppy?

Maybe because of her shoulder-length brown hair, she also reminded me of a golden retriever.

She was a beauty with a different feel from Ira's sharp, cat-like features.

So many beautiful women around me.

The attempted murder of Ignite.

After the 'failed attempt,' as I'll call it, Leoport had been banished to a detached palace, and everyone around him had been replaced.

The vacancies were filled with people handpicked by the Emperor to ensure he could never scheme such a thing again.

And among them, there wasn't a single man.

Even Ira, standing expressionlessly beside me.

And the priestess with her impressive "holy-power pouches," too.

Even all the servants outside the door had been personally selected by the Emperor.

"Are there more female priests than male priests?"

"Huh? No, that's not the case."

Hmm....

Then what was it?

Was the Emperor telling me not to mess with beastfolk half-heartedly, and to live like the scoundrel I was, surrounded by women?

If so, I would follow his will diligently!

"Hey, big sis, how will the treatment work?"

"It will be done the same way as last time. There's no need to worry."

She seemed flustered for a moment, probably because of how I addressed her, but she composed herself professionally and answered.

Even though she said "last time," I didn't know what that meant.

The Past Records shown in the perk only displayed key fragments of important events.

A prince who just lay in bed, and a priest—not a nurse.

Wouldn't some special treatment, something spicy, happen?

"Excuse me for a moment."

As I lay staring at the ceiling, she gently lifted my clothes.

I got my hopes up a little, but she simply placed a white hand on my stomach.

Maybe because her hand was white as snow,

I expected a cold sensation, but her hand was warm, like a hot pack kept in a pocket.

Was this holy power?

That warm energy entered my body and slowly traveled through it.

When the holy power touched my toes, her previously serene expression twisted.

It must have been harder than expected, because a bead of sweat rolled down her jawline.

The priestess finished her examination and opened her eyes.

Her lips moved slightly, but she couldn't easily speak.

There was no need for her to say it—her grave expression alone told me the result.

"To explain the current situation, the stones that had only blocked your Mana Circuits are now spreading throughout your entire body. Right now, you're merely unable to walk, but as time passes, your arms may harden like your legs, or stones may form in your brain and cause memory problems."

Her diagnosis was accurate.

If the Petrification Disease worsened, it would happen exactly as she said.

"Honestly... it's not hopeful. The symptoms are worsening day by day, and I tried applying a blessing, but it had no effect—as if I were using a blessing on an inanimate object."

Petrification Disease didn't reduce health; it was an illness that converted health into stone, like a game of territorial conquest.

That ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was why neither health recovery potions nor a priest's healing blessings worked.

The priestess seemed to have steeled herself before delivering the grim news.

But I, the one hearing it, didn't think much of it.

I had expected the symptoms.

And since I hadn't expected anything from the treatment, I wasn't disappointed either.

The game was called "Potion Forest," so potions were the proper solution.

I closed my eyes and recalled the recipes of a few potions that could resolve this situation.

But perhaps the priestess took my expression to mean I'd given up on life.

She suddenly grabbed my hand with both of hers and said, on the verge of tears,

"You must not give up on life! I will find a way, somehow. Please, keep your spirits strong—."

I thought she only looked like a puppy.

But she acted like one too.

I used her grip on my hand to pull the priestess closer, meeting her gaze with a fierce determination to live.

"Don't worry. I'm not giving up."

A life where a lovely woman clasped her hands together and worried about me was waiting.

I had just picked up a diamond spoon.

Did she think I would give up?

I would absolutely, positively never give up.

I would struggle to the very end and enjoy this prince life to the fullest.

"Ah, now that I think about it, I feel like a kiss might make me all better."

"Excuse me?"

"If you'd come this way, please."

Before I could do anything foolish, Ira escorted the priest out of the room.

Unlike someone, her expression was indifferent, as if she couldn't care less whether I lived or died.

"There's something I want you to pass along."

"Priestesses aren't women you can lay hands on like that. Their holy power comes from their purity."

Ah..., what a shame.

No, wait—what do you take me for?!

I had no intention of spending time on sex until I was fully cured.

"Go to the head chef and ask her to make a soup using only the herbs I mention. You have to stress that only the ingredients I specify and water may go into it."

"Excuse me? The head chef is a married woman—."

"Apple Blossom, Blue-Veined Herb...... and Serga Leaf."

Ignoring Ira's reaction, which treated me like a lecher, I recited the ingredients from the recipe one by one.

I recited them all once more so she wouldn't forget.

She moved since she'd been ordered, but Ira kept eyeing me suspiciously until she left the room.

When it took longer than expected, I gradually began to worry.

Since my reputation and authority were scraping rock bottom, there was a chance my request would be ignored.

Because the Petrification Disease left me unable to even walk on my own, the cooperation of my personal maid, who would have to move like my arms and legs, was crucial.

Just as I was starting to imagine the worst, she came in pulling a cart.

When she lifted the silver cloche covering it, a wide soup plate filled with red liquid appeared.

She set the plate on the table beside the bed, then recited the herb names in order.

"Apple Blossom, Blue-Veined Herb...... Serga Leaf. They've all been added."

So she hadn't dismissed my words as nonsense and let them go in one ear and out the other.

Seeing as she remembered everything.

"There was no Serga Leaf in the pantry, so it took time to obtain some. Rest assured, the delay wasn't because I was spitting into it."

She said no MSG was added.

Unfortunately.

"For your information, if you're planning to force-feed this to someone else, I'll throw it away."

"Who would I give something this precious to? I'm eating all of it."

She looked at me strangely, as if watching someone mix rice into soup.

Well, if you didn't know it was a potion and looked at the ingredient list, it could certainly be called a bizarre soup.

Ira, who had been about to pull the cart back out, suddenly turned around as if something had just occurred to her.

"Ah, and the head chef asked me to pass this along. She said she boiled it using only the ingredients Your Highness ordered, but the color suddenly changed like this. If you throw it on the floor, she'll make another batch. What would you like to do?"

None of the herbs I had mentioned had a reddish tint.

Most were in the blue family, but the result was the complete opposite.

Which meant.

"Tell the head chef I'm satisfied."

The alchemy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had succeeded.