The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away-Chapter 41: The Princess and the Personal Physician (2)

“Wasn’t he Asella’s personal physician? Gor... what was it?”

Georg spoke with deliberate disrespect, sneering as he did.

I gave him a fresh, pleasant smile and replied:

“Gotberg. I’d appreciate it if Your Highness could remember it from now on.”

“So then, why did you dare interrupt the viewing and speak without being called? Can’t Asella even manage her own subordinates properly?”

I clasped my hands behind my back and asked him a question.

“You witnessed Her Highness’s magic demonstration, didn’t you? Do you understand what the issue was just now?”

“What? That is...”

Georg furrowed his brow.

He didn’t understand magic—he’d just gauged his reaction based on the Emperor’s expression.

“There are several types of spatial magic.”

First Princess Heike, who had remained quiet until now, spoke in a low voice.

“For example, Bringer can’t retrieve someone else’s belongings, and Summon only calls contracted spirits. What Asella showed was an entirely new spell.”

Heike narrowed her eyes at me, sharp as a blade.

“Physician, do you know what part of that magic is dangerous?”

I answered, hitting the core.

“It’s a spell that can instantly bring any living being to the caster’s side. The key is not the object—but that it summons a creature.”

“You’re quite educated for a physician.”

Heike nodded.

“Imagine if that spell became widespread. What if the enemy used it to kidnap His Majesty the Emperor? It would be a direct threat to the throne.”

Only then did Lauga nod as if she understood. Heike continued explaining.

“She summoned a red dragon hatchling. That’s a monster that only inhabits the Midrealm. The range of that spell must be enormous.”

Her eyes were firm, uncompromising.

Emboldened by her backing, Georg smugly swept back his hair.

“Exactly! That’s what I’ve been saying. What if Asella betrays the Empire—what would happen then?”

“Her Highness is a member of the royal family. If she were to betray anyone...”

I spoke with deliberate emphasis.

“...it would only be the kind of vulgar, ignorant scoundrel who spouts nonsense without understanding a thing.”

“Pfft.”

At my jab, Lauga burst into laughter. Georg looked around, not quite getting it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I was talking about myself. Her Highness is always scolding me for my crude manners. But, Prince Georg...”

I took a step closer.

Close enough that only his siblings would hear me.

“Are you sure you should be behaving this way? If you were to suffer a critical injury, there’s no guarantee Sir Falkenhein would be there to save you.”

Only then did Georg realize my intent.

His face stiffened completely. Cold fury flickered in his eyes.

“Are you threatening me, court physician?”

“Heavens, no. I merely voiced my concern as a physician, worried about Your Highness’s wellbeing.”

I grinned slyly, letting it sink in.

Neither Asella nor I are people you can just mock without consequence.

“If our Princess casts her new magic again, you could vanish without a trace. Have you not noticed why the other royals are choosing to keep their mouths shut?”

“...What?”

A flicker of fear passed over Georg’s brow.

Asella’s Recall spell.

With it, a person could be summoned from anywhere on the continent, no matter what protection they had.

Georg was clearly rattled—but he didn’t back down completely.

Instead, he fanned the flames.

“Treason. Physician, I will have your head struck off at once.”

“Mine? I don’t recall saying or doing anything treasonous.”

“You just did! You threatened the life of a Prince of the Empire!”

“Oh, did I? Lauga, would you be willing to testify that I made a treasonous remark?”

Lauga giggled as she watched us bicker.

“Mmm... I’m not really sure~?”

“What...! Someone else must’ve heard!”

Georg gritted his teeth and looked around.

But the only ones who had heard my words were other succession contenders—all enemies of his.

None had any reason to help him.

“You... you—!”

Georg jabbed a finger at me, veins bulging in his neck—but there was nothing else he could do.

We were in enemy territory. In a twisted way, this was a rare chance to attack an enemy safely.

Georg’s rabid dog temperament needed to be reined in a bit.

The Fall of the Empire bad ending happens because of the hatred Asella holds toward the Imperial Palace.

Anything that’s in her way needs to be swept aside.

“Like mother, like daughter... Hah! She’s the witch’s child, after all! You’re betting everything on Asella becoming the next emperor, but it’ll never happen—not even if the world flips upside down!”

Oh? Is that so.

“Sooner or later, the price of that inserted magic talent will devour her! When Moonlight Palace collapses, I’ll personally take your head too, physician!”

Something caught my attention.

Come to think of it—Georg seemed to know about the second magical talent implanted into Asella.

“Ah, the price, you say?”

“That’s right! It’s the witch’s curse. She’s fated to self-destruct without anyone lifting a finger! You fool!”

Now this I wanted to hear more about.

I was just wondering how to coax more out of him when—

―WHOOOSH!!

The sky darkened.

A massive shadow fell over us.

“What...?”

Georg looked up in alarm.

A trumpet blared, followed by frantic shouting.

“Enemy attack! We’re under attack!!”

The stands exploded into chaos.

Guards rushed in to escort the princes and princesses to safety, knights prepared for battle, and personal attendants—including me—got swept into the confusion.

I didn’t know the full situation, but this was my chance.

“Your Highness! It’s dangerous! Take cover!”

“Urgh?!”

Before the guards could reach us, I lunged at Georg.

Feigning protection, I tackled him to the ground.

―THUD!

“Ow!”

[Diagnosis activated]

[Injury status: Bruising]

[Injury location: Back of head]

Oops. I accidentally tackled him too hard. He slammed the back of his head against the floor.

I’ll rub some ointment on him later.

We disappeared into the fray of bodies.

The guards would find us soon—there wasn’t much time.

I pinned him down, holding his arms. He wasn’t very strong, fortunately.

“Aagh! You insane—insane bastard!”

“Your Highness, just answer one question and I’ll put in a good word about you to Princess Asella.”

“What! What question?!”

He responded instantly—so deep down, he must’ve been afraid of her.

His adrenaline was through the roof.

“How was Her Highness’s magic talent implanted?”

At my question, Georg sneered wide.

“Hahaha! You’re her physician and you didn’t know? Asella was made as a magical weapon from the very beginning. I saw it myself when I was a child. That’s why she’ll never be fit to rule!”

“How was she made?”

His eyes wild with adrenaline, Georg shouted:

“They inserted it. Empress Camilla stuffed the soul of a Grand Witch into her womb with black magic! That’s how she inherited the talent—and the curse!”

So that was it.

No wonder Georg always mocked Asella. He must’ve been haunted by what he’d seen as a child.

He wanted to hide his fear, but couldn’t ignore how powerful she’d become—so he buttered up to her by funding Moonlight Palace.

“Thank you for the answer. Please evacuate safely.”

I grabbed Georg by the collar and pulled him to his feet.

“Prince Georg is here and unharmed!”

I handed him off to the royal guards.

One more mystery solved.

Asella’s magical talent wasn’t entirely her own.

Black magic, huh.

That meant demonic magic.

No wonder even my diagnosis couldn’t detect it.

Well—no time for side details now.

First, I had to find Asella.

***

After completing her magical demonstration, Asella bit down on her lower lip.

Her grip on the staff tightened unconsciously.

...Urgh.

A sharp pain pierced her side.

Lower left abdomen.

The advanced Fourth-Tier spell had demanded too much of her mana and concentration.

Whenever she used too much magic, the price of her talent would strike her like this.

Her thighs trembled from the pain, as if she might collapse at any moment.

...Still, if His Majesty gives a high score...

Then it would all be worth it.

Asella looked toward the Emperor seated in the distant royal box.

The man she had never once had a personal conversation with—not even a single one since childhood. frёewebηovel.cѳm

A father she knew only through formal titles and records.

She could tell what he was saying just from the way his lips moved.

—A monster.

Looking down at her, the Emperor shook his head and turned back to converse with the other princes.

Is that all?

Asella lowered her gaze.

Toward the section of the stands where the other royal children were seated.

Georg, Lauga, Heike, Gunther.

All of them feared her.

She had thought that if she presented a new spell—if she showed them something never seen before—even if they didn’t praise her, they would at least acknowledge her.

She had practiced so many times.

Repeated again and again, relentlessly, to prepare for this martial arts tournament.

...It hurts.

Her stomach ached.

No—more than that.

Her chest throbbed with shame and rage toward herself for having held out hope for approval from the imperial family.

Only now did Asella understand.

The Imperial Family is the enemy.

There were no siblings here.

No relatives.

And her mother... she decided to put on hold.

After all, Camilla had given birth to her, had raised her.

But if she were to become Emperor, a purge of the Imperial Family for the sake of national stability would be seen as only natural.

...No, that’s not it.

Maybe it wasn’t about reform.

Maybe what she really wanted... was to watch the entire palace burn.

The pain spreading from her abdomen fed into a growing vortex of dark thoughts.

Anger, hatred, injustice—all of it seeped into her mind like poison.

And just as those sticky emotions threatened to consume her—

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!”

Someone shouted, and the loud blare of an emergency trumpet rang out.

Every knight gathered in the coliseum stood at once, drawing their swords.

The Emperor’s royal guard moved in to escort him away first.

What...?

It didn’t take long for Asella to understand what was happening.

Before the knights could even fully assume battle stances, the sky went completely black.

—WHOOOSH!

A gale swept across the coliseum, and a massive figure loomed overhead, casting a shadow that swallowed her whole.

“...Ah.”

Asella let out a small gasp at the sight.

Death mana—black mana—radiated from the creature overhead.

A death dragon had spread its enormous wings wide above the coliseum.

“A dragon! A dragon just appeared!”

“Where did it come from?!”

“The Princess must’ve summoned it!”

Panic erupted across the audience.

Asella, her hair whipping in the wind created by the dragon’s wings, shook her head.

...No. It wasn’t me.

She couldn’t summon something that massive.

Could someone have mimicked her spell after seeing it just once?

But unless they were an archmage, there was no way anyone could comprehend the construction formula from a single observation.

She shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts.

What’s important now—

Trying to understand the situation first would be too slow.

Dragons loved prey saturated with mana.

With Seymour absent, Asella herself would be the most appetizing target in this place.

And ironically, the most effective weapon against a dragon—was also magic.

I have to...!

Acting on instinct, Asella swung her staff to cast a spell.

With her mana nearly depleted, she forcefully burned her dried-out mana circuits to generate a cluster of ice spears.

―KRAKAKAKANG!!

The lances of ice shot toward the death dragon.

But the shallow attack only enraged it.

What the hell is this?

She didn’t even know why the dragon had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Why she was being ignored and treated like nothing at the very tournament she had prepared so thoroughly for.

Why she had to suppress this boiling fury on her face just because she was a /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ princess.

...If this was how it was going to be—then maybe it would be better if everything just... perished.

“Your Highness.”

A voice reached her ear.

The same voice she heard every morning, every noon, every evening.

Asella called his name as well.

“Las.”

“Yes. It’s me.”

Las reached out and grabbed Asella’s arm.