Chapter 3

When I returned to this body, I was worried that perhaps all the mana, holy power, and spirit mana might have vanished.

Even though I was familiar with the techniques and usage of magic, without the raw material of mana, it would be useless.

Fortunately, most of my power had successfully anchored itself in this body.

The problem was that it had solidified like stone, and it would take a considerable amount of time to use it all.

I clearly heard that it would take quite some time to loosen up this hardened state.

"Move."

I chanted the incantation of a basic holy magic, manifesting my will strongly.

"Restore."

But there was still no change.

"Move."

By this point, it should have started to respond, even if only in small amounts, but it was being stubborn.

Once it started to flow, it would accelerate and the holy power would awaken on its own, but the start was not easy.

They say that starting is half the battle, but honestly, it would be a lie to say it wasn't difficult.

If they were going to be stubborn, there was nothing I could do.

The counter to stubbornness is shameless persistence.

I continued to plead silently.

"Move."

I manifested my will strongly once more, and it felt like the hardened holy power twitched ever so slightly.

Though very faint, I wouldn't let it slip away.

Suppressing a hollow laugh, I tried again.

I politely pleaded with the stubborn holy power.

"Move before you burst?"

Rumble!!!

Crack!!

A sound of something splitting came from inside my body.

At the same time, my eyes snapped open.

I couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.

"Restore!"

Chanting the incantation forcefully, the faintly moving holy power finally began to move definitively.

A warm, white aura slowly seeped out from the solidified lump of holy power, enveloping my body.

Having successfully moved the holy power, I couldn't help but cheer.

"Nice!"

If anyone saw me, I would look like a madman lying in bed and muttering to myself, but who cares?

There's no one to see me anyway.

The Restore spell, which enveloped my body like a warm blanket, is a basic holy magic used to heal internal injuries, one of the simplest in the healing category.

Its structure is simple, and most priests who have accepted a fair amount of holy power can perform it.

Of course, if you underestimate it, you might not see much effect.

A unique feature of holy magic is that it can enhance the effects of lower-level spells.

The difference between a high-ranking priest's Restore and a novice's is due to this.

"Ugh..."

But there's the law of equivalent exchange.

Considering that a significant amount of stamina is drained to boost the healing power, it can't be called a completely unfair magic.

Using stamina to boost healing can be a dangerous act for a patient like me, potentially turning into a poison.

But I didn't stop.

Rumble... Rumble!

As the white light gradually subsided, the sensation in my legs, which had been almost numb, slowly returned.

When it was completely gone, I was satisfied that my toes could move.

First, the toes. Then the ankles, and finally the knees.

Very slowly, without overexerting myself, I began to rise.

I felt extremely unstable, as if I would fall over if I didn't hold onto something.

"Restore."

Of course, I'm not the type to give up easily.

With the mindset of making an investment, I cast Restore again, and now even my empty stomach was being addressed.

If I increased the amount of intravenous nutrition arbitrarily, my body could be in serious trouble.

The effect of Restore was excellent, visibly healing my body.

Slowly, very slowly, as I rose, a strange sense of joy began to well up.

It must feel like this for parents watching their baby take its first steps!

Though it's my own body.

Supporting myself with one hand on the wall, my field of vision, which had been lowered, slowly rose.

"Hmm, the air up here is indeed better."

I made a pointless comment and moved gently.

Then I looked out the window.

There was no sign of anyone, but the sun in the sky was shining brightly, proudly displaying its presence.

"Ah, I've always wanted to do this."

Saying that, I stood straight with my legs together.

Then I raised my hands to the sky at a 45-degree angle, palms open.

It looked like the letter Y.

"Sun..."

Reverently!

"Long live the sun!!"

Click.

Crash!

At the same time, the sound of the door opening and glass breaking came from behind.

"Ah?!"

"Ah."

The timing was impeccable.

Turning my head slowly, still stiff, I saw a young girl with a shocked expression.

She was probably in her mid-teens. Judging by her work as a maid, she was likely the daughter of a baron.

Though I'm in my mid-teens, she seemed a bit young to be a maid.

Perhaps due to the unexpected and awkward situation.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed, seeing the girl running towards me with a scream.

"Your Highness! Pull yourself together!"

Even in that moment, I couldn't lift my head, bowing deeply.

Blackmail is only possible if no one sees it...

'I want to die by burying my nose in a plate...'

* * *

"Hmm..."

The old man, who was examining my body with a doubtful look, stroked his beard.

The old man's name was Lambda. He was a court physician in the royal palace.

His role was to examine the king's health and prevent him from falling ill.

"There are some peculiarities, but your physical condition has improved remarkably. Is there any pain you haven't told me about?"

"Other than a bit of fatigue, I'm fine."

Answering calmly, he nodded in satisfaction.

In my previous life, I would never have spoken so informally to an old man.

But this life was different.

Though I didn't particularly like it, I knew my position.

David Ol Roun.

This was the full name given to me at birth.

The country I was in was the Kingdom of Roun, a common kingdom located in the eastern part of the continent.

If you noticed the significance, you would understand that those who bear the surname Roun in the Kingdom of Roun share a common trait.

They are all members of the royal family.

Among them, my position was the eldest son of the king.

Though it's awkward to say, my position was the first son of the king.

"Hmm... You have a tenacious life."

Lying in bed, I heard a sharp voice and instinctively looked up.

At the end of my gaze was a woman in elaborate attire with a cruel expression.

Behind her were two boys with mocking faces.

The current queen, Liness Barrietta.

And her sons, the second prince, Kalus, and the third prince, Benedikt.

"I didn't know my life was so tenacious."

"Did you see the traitor who shot the arrow at you?"

"I don't know. It was a blind arrow that came out of nowhere. Oh, did you catch him? He's a major criminal, after all."

"No."

Answering with a bone-chilling meaning, she opened her fan to cover half her face.

She was trying to hide her frown.

Queen Liness.

Before becoming queen, her name was Liness Barrietta, the eldest daughter of the Barrietta Duke.

"It's done. The basic treatment is complete. If you call a priest regularly for treatment, you should recover within a few years. Starting tomorrow morning, serve Prince David his meals. I'll send a separate menu for a liquid diet that won't burden his stomach."

"Yes."

"Thank you."

Answering calmly, Lambda, with a strict expression, bowed and stood up.

"Then I will take my leave."

As he left, the maid followed, leaving only Queen Liness, the second prince Kalus, and the third prince Benedikt in the room.

We weren't exactly on good terms, so the room was filled with silence.

"It would have been better if you had just died..."

"Are you disappointed that the thorn in your side has returned?"

"Hmph!"

At the light tone, Queen Liness's eyes twitched.

No matter what, I was a prince.

She was the queen.

Though we were supposed to be mother and son, it was a well-known fact that our relationship was not a comfortable one.

Click!

As Queen Liness left, Kalus and Benedikt, who had been smirking, quietly followed.

"The eldest prince being attacked and falling into a coma is a disgrace to the kingdom. Let's go, Benedikt."

With that provocation.

The room, which had been silent, remained so. It felt too quiet for someone who had been asleep for nearly six years, but I wasn't particularly sad.

It was a familiar scene even before I fell into a coma.

To be honest, this was better.

"Enjoying the disgrace to the kingdom, are you?"

Smirking, I closed my eyes and slowly circulated my holy power, feeling a warm aura envelop my body again.

Even though I was openly using holy magic, there was no one in this palace who could detect my mana, spirit mana, or holy power.

The difference in level made it difficult to perceive the essence of the other.

Thanks to my focus on recovery since I woke up, I would be able to move within a few days.

Once the holy power and mana started to flow, they would gradually accelerate and return to their original form.

The recovery speed would clearly increase.

* * *

After about two weeks of pretending to be unconscious in bed, time seemed to pass quickly due to my dedication to recovery.