Crown Prince Sells Medicine

Pew!

A deadly poison capsule detonated in his mouth.

Kusman’s eyes widened in shock.

‘… Gasp!’

This couldn’t be happening.

It shouldn’t be happening.

He desperately looked upward, questioning Raciel’s face with his eyes.

‘How? Impossible?’

Had Raciel truly anticipated his secret weapon? Did he somehow know all his plans and manage to block his mouth?

‘… Ku! Kuhuh!’

His tongue tingled with numbness. It swiftly transformed into excruciating pain, as if being relentlessly hammered.

His tongue grew rigid. The sensation within his mouth vanished. His lips froze, and saliva dribbled uncontrollably. Even his facial muscles twitched without his command.

‘Damn it! Damn it!’

A shiver raced down his spine.

The poison capsule was his specialty. No one understood its potency better than him.

Kusman reluctantly accepted his predicament.

The dreadful poison capsule had erupted in his mouth. If he remained idle, he would lose consciousness in less than three minutes. Within 30 minutes, he would cease to breathe. In other words, he had a mere three minutes to take action and survive.

Fortunately, he carried an antidote for the poison capsule, reserved for emergencies.

‘Quickly… quickly…!’

His hand quivered as he moved.

He reached into the pocket of his vest, aiming to retrieve his sole lifeline—the antidote.

Yet, at that very moment…

Thud!

An unexpected hand intervened, seizing his wrist and hindering his progress.

‘… Huh?’

He needed that antidote!

Kusman tried to shake off the restraining hand, but his arm lacked strength. The situation worsened when another hand emerged, delving straight into his vest pocket. And then, as if claiming its rightful possession, it seized the antidote bottle!

‘What?’

Kusman’s heart sank.

His gaze fixated on the antidote, now snatched away and drifting farther from him. It ascended, angling diagonally upwards, before coming to a halt in front of someone’s face.

It was Raciel’s face.

However, Raciel’s mouth was agape.

‘What? What?’

While Kusman remained in shock,

Raciel took hold of the antidote bottle with his open mouth, staring directly into Kusman’s eyes, almost tauntingly.

Pop!

After uncapping the antidote bottle,

He promptly consumed its contents.

Before Kusman had a chance to intervene, Raciel swallowed it in one gulp!

‘No…!’

Kusman screamed, struggling to curse through his stiffened lips.

‘This…son of a…devil…!’

His only hope,

The lifeline for his survival,

Had vanished into the depths of that man’s stomach.

There was no longer any glimmer of hope.

Kusman writhed in despair. As his face and throat numbed, he collapsed to the ground. Foam, saturated with hopelessness, oozed from his barely moving mouth.

Observing this, Raciel grimaced.

‘Ugh, it’s even more bitter than I expected.’

The antidote proved to be exceedingly bitter. Even as a former practitioner of Oriental medicine, accustomed to various levels of bitterness, Raciel’s expression remained sour since the moment he swallowed it. It felt as if his tongue had transformed into the sole of a foot.

Nevertheless, he did not expel the antidote.

To further mock the fading Kusman? Or to instill greater despair in Kusman?

Neither was the case.

There was a reason and purpose behind Raciel deliberately stealing and consuming the antidote.

‘I’ll utilize the ‘Medical Billing’ skill.’

By doing so, he could effectively gain a bonus life. That was the motive behind stealing and ingesting the antidote. Thanks to his knowledge of Kusman’s assassination technique, which he knew inside out, it all fell into place.

‘Kusman has used this technique several times in the novel.’

A poisonous capsule concealed in his mouth like a molar, an assassination method where he spits it out and triggers an explosion.

Raciel had known from the beginning.

He was aware that Kusman was feigning being hit and falling by the guards. He made his adversaries feel safe, preparing himself to expel the poison capsule.

And that was when Raciel timed it perfectly and blocked his mouth, causing the poison capsule to explode inside.

‘And I took the antidote.’

Kusman couldn’t be allowed to administer the antidote to himself. If he did, it would imply that Kusman self-treated, eliminating any chance to use Medical Billing.

Naturally, Raciel wouldn’t gain the bonus life.

But what if he stole the antidote from Kusman and administered it to him?

‘That calculation would also be complicated.’

Raciel shook his head internally. That method would hardly be recognized as him providing ‘treatment’ to Kusman.

‘Kusman is the one who created the antidote. Merely giving him the antidote he made probably won’t be acknowledged as treatment from me.’

Raciel most likely wouldn’t be able to use the Medical Billing skill.

And the bonus life?

Certainly, he wouldn’t acquire it.

That would be regrettable.

Hence, he stole Kusman’s antidote and swallowed it, storing it in the previously emptied circle slot.

[Storage in slot 1 completed.]

[Slot 1 Status]

[Maximum capacity: 10 liters]

[Current storage capacity: 0.01 liters]

Observing the circle slot now filled with the bitter antidote, he felt reassured.

‘Alright, let’s do this.’

Raciel glanced down at the fallen Kusman. Foam covered his mouth, and his eyes were rolled back. It seemed unlikely he would last half an hour in this state.

‘I can do it.’

The stage was set. Now it was time to save this man and gain the bonus life. Raciel flipped Kusman over as if he were flipping a pancake.

His hands moved swiftly.

He felt the man’s back.

Between the shoulder blades, below the spinous process of the 5th thoracic vertebra, he located a point 1.5 inches from the spine on both sides.

The Xinshu acupoint resided there. He applied firm pressure with the tip of his thumb, exerting all his strength.

“……Ahhhhhhhhhh!”

Kusman, who had been unconscious, arched his back like a bow. As the foam he had been holding in his mouth escaped like a breath, a resounding scream escaped his lips.

Raciel grinned with satisfaction.

‘I pressed it correctly.’

Pressing the Xinshu acupoint created quite a commotion. This indicated that the harmful ‘Chi’ from the heart had accumulated at the Xinshu acupoint.

‘Just like in the novel. Kusman’s poison not only paralyzes the face and nerves but also affects the heart. It was mentioned that the heartbeat becomes irregular and eventually stops.’

In other words, he deduced that Kusman’s poison contained an element that harmed the heart. Therefore, he targeted the Xinshu acupoint, where the stagnant energy of the heart mainly gathered.

The diagnosis was successful.

‘Now, let’s administer the antidote.’

[The material stored in the circle slot is being released.]

Whiiir!

The circle initiated a powerful rotation.

It compressed the antidote contained in the slot, amplifying its potency. The concentrated antidote traveled through mana, from the heart to the shoulder, down the arm, and finally reached Raciel’s fingertips. With careful precision, he steadily pushed it into Kusman’s Xinshu acupoint.

“……Grh! Ahhh!”

Kusman convulsed violently.

The antidote Raciel administered began to permeate the Xinshu acupoint, and through the Asrahan Core Technique, Raciel could sense the antidote gradually spreading throughout Kusman’s body.

Initially, the antidote gathered in the Xinshu acupoint like a well. Soon, under the intense pressure, it began to flow.

From the Xinshu acupoint, it extended to the center of the torso, soothing the diaphragm before reaching the small intestine. It then branched out, traveling to the throat, both eyes, and passing through the area of the lungs. It finally reached the deepest part of the armpit.

At the pinnacle of the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, there existed a point known as the Geukcheon acupoint (極泉穴), considered the most superior acupoint.

The antidote infiltrated the Geukcheon acupoint, spreading along the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian. It passed through the Small Sea Point (少海穴) in the elbow, crossed the Yin Cleft Point (陰郄穴) and the Shenmen Point (神門穴) in the wrist, until Raciel forcefully struck the Lesser Palace Point (少府穴) on the inside of the palm.

The shockwave reverberated through Kusman’s body, expanding broadly. It echoed, screamed, and returned. Finally, it settled in the heart, coursing through the blood vessels, reaching every corner of his body.

Simultaneously, Kusman’s convulsions subsided, and his face regained a serene expression.

‘He’s not dead, is he?’

Raciel quickly checked his breathing. Fortunately, Kusman was breathing steadily.

It was then.

Finally, the awaited message appeared.

Ding dong!

[You have successfully treated patient Kusman with the appropriate antidote. His severe poisoning symptoms have been eliminated, and he can make a complete recovery with adequate rest, without any side effects.]

[The Medical Billing (Lv.1) Skill has been activated.]

‘It worked!’

Raciel exclaimed in joy.

The plan unfolded flawlessly. With sparkling eyes, he read the following message.

[Patient: Kusman has received an extended expected lifespan of 21 years and 2 months through your detoxification treatment. As a result, you are rewarded with a bonus lifespan equivalent to 1/2000 of 21 years and 2 months.]

[The calculated bonus lifespan amounts to 3.81 days.]

[The minimum unit for lifespan settlement is 1 day.]

[The calculated bonus lifespan is rounded up.]

[A total of 4 days of bonus lifespan have been awarded.]

……Chirang!

A refreshing sensation momentarily enveloped Raciel’s entire body. A confirming message followed.

[Expected lifespan: 118 days]

“…….”

It had increased.

The expected lifespan had genuinely increased by 4 full days.

‘…This is it!’

He had gained a bonus lifespan by treating someone else. Moreover, he had acquired it by afflicting a wrongdoer with an illness and then curing it. There was nothing more desirable than this.

‘And I have effectively eliminated a potential threat.’

Kusman, as depicted in the novel, was an exceptionally tenacious individual. He would cling to those who posed a danger to him until their dying breath.

But if Raciel had let him go today?

Kusman would have remained a bothersome presence for a long time.

“Take him away.”

The guards dragged the utterly exhausted Kusman away. As Raciel returned to the arena, the punitive operation was also nearing its conclusion. He passed numerous captives along the way.

And at that moment…

“Excuse me, Your Highness?”

Gardin, who had been silently trailing behind Raciel, finally spoke up.

“Um, I’m really curious about something.”

“Go ahead, ask.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Did you… plan everything that happened tonight?”

“Yes, I did.”

“…”

“Why do you ask?”

Gardin stumbled over his words, almost letting slip an expression of admiration.

‘Our prince… he’s like this.’

He had always seen Raciel as someone frail, in need of care and protection due to his constant illness. But tonight’s events proved him wrong.

‘How did he know about the basement of the restaurant?’

Even Gardin, a regular patron, was unaware of its existence.

So how did the crown prince find out?

He couldn’t even begin to guess.

‘Does being royalty give you access to certain means?’

Their access to information must differ in quantity and depth. Gardin found this idea somewhat plausible and couldn’t help but feel admiration.

‘Our prince… he has this side too.’

At some point, Raciel had begun to display his power. He frequently surprised people, evoking their admiration. And considering the outcome of tonight’s actions, Gardin’s admiration grew even stronger.

‘An underground organization was thriving in the heart of the capital, unbeknownst to the public. It was like a festering wound, disrupting public order and security. But the prince swiftly put an end to it.’

Thanks to that, peace and order were restored in the capital. They had managed to create a slightly fairer society.

‘He had a strategy in mind for that purpose.’ 

Gardin’s heart swelled with pride as he thought of this. Following behind Raciel, his eyes gleaming with admiration, Gardin couldn’t help but feel this way.

However, Raciel felt a sense of awkwardness.

‘Hmm, Gardin, I think I know what you’re thinking.’

He had an intuitive feeling.

Gardin was misunderstanding something. He was regarding Raciel’s intentions for tonight as something sacred and lofty.

‘But it’s not like that.’

A bitter smile crept onto Raciel’s face.

He headed toward the gladiator’s waiting room. The front of the room was in disarray, with around five guards unconscious on the floor. Dozens of other guards crowded the corridor.

Across from them stood Demian.

Behind Demian, the gladiators were visible. In other words, the guards and Demian were locked in a standoff.

“Tsk, I told you to wait quietly.”

Raciel intentionally raised his voice.

Could his words reach them?

Demian flinched. Soon, his gaze turned in Raciel’s direction. His eyes twitched and widened in surprise.

A smile naturally spread across Raciel’s face.

“Do you believe me now? That I’m the crown prince.”

“……”

Did Demian nod?

It seemed likely.

Demian, who had been pointing his sword at the guards, lowered it. His fierce demeanor melted away like snow. A smile formed on Raciel’s face once again.

‘Public interest? A just society?’

Perhaps this was the misconception that Gardin held. Raciel felt a tinge of embarrassment when he thought about it. In reality, he had no such lofty intentions. He had never aspired to a life of selfless dedication.

He couldn’t be that great of a person.

He didn’t even dare to hope for it.

‘I pushed for tonight’s events simply to prolong my own survival.’

Demian Cayenne, the protagonist of the novel.

The gladiators stood behind him.

Raciel directed a brisk smile, brimming with vitality, towards them—as if greeting his first patient.