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The royal palace of Rotaringia. Since the founding of the kingdom and the establishment of the current royal capital in the Bennatoria region, the historic Iron Throne has been passed down through generations, standing firm in its place.

It was late morning, still an hour or two before noon, when the wagon carrying Sophia and Conra arrived at the palace.

Greeting the two as they stepped out of the wagon was the chamberlain, who had been informed in advance.

“Welcome to the palace of the rightful ruler of Rotaringia, who has dedicated seven cities to the supreme Celestial Gods, the capital of a civilized nation adorned with nine noble jewels, the court of the most magnificent king, and the castle where the glorious Iron Throne resides.”

In the past, such a grand and lengthy greeting would have been a display of pride, but now it sounded like nothing more than hollow pomp. This was the thought that naturally came to Conra’s mind as he listened to the chamberlain’s greeting upon stepping out of the wagon.

It was hard not to think that way.

The king’s palace, which should have been bustling with officials and nobles, was now eerily quiet and desolate. The servants and maids were still at their posts, going about their duties, but the absence of those who once frequented the court inevitably brought to mind the decline of an era.

Perhaps this desolation in the palace would continue until the current king either woke up and rose from his seat or, conversely, met his end, and a new ruler was decided.

In the midst of this unnaturally quiet palace scene, Conra felt a strange sense of melancholy.

As vast as the palace was, its paths and corridors were complex. Following the chamberlain’s guidance, Sophia and Conra moved for quite some time before finally standing before the door to the king’s bedroom.

The chamberlain opened the door and took a few steps back.

“Please, go in.”

“Then…”

Sophia and Conra exchanged glances, nodded slightly, and stepped through the open door into the room.

Though it was called the king’s bedroom, there was nothing particularly special about the room’s appearance. It was simply larger than the bedrooms of typical noble mansions, with a bed surrounded by grand and majestic curtains.

At first glance, the room seemed perfectly normal. It was neatly arranged and appeared to be kept clean. Perhaps the servants in charge of the king’s bedroom had been periodically tending to both the room and the king’s body? If so, it would have been a fortunate thing for the king.

However, as the two approached the bed, they couldn’t help but frown. The impression of tidiness they had felt when they were far from the bed vanished the moment they got closer.

“Ugh, Master, this smell…”

“Yes, it’s foul.”

A foul stench emanated from the king’s bed. It was an unbearably putrid and unclean smell, unlike anything that should come from a living body or the bed it lay on. It mingled with a strong, pungent scent, creating a horrifying blend.

“It seems they were trying to mask the foul smell with a strong fragrance.”

Sophia turned to the chamberlain, who had followed them in, and asked. The chamberlain responded with a bitter smile.

“We had no choice. One day, a strange smell started coming from the king’s body. No matter how much we cleaned him or washed his clothes and bedding, the smell wouldn’t go away.”

Over time, servants began resigning and leaving the palace, and the officials who worked there also gradually left to seek their own fortunes. As a result, the palace’s budget for operations was no longer properly allocated, the chamberlain confessed.

“At least we had plenty of sachets in the storeroom, so we managed to cover the smell until now, but even those are running out.”

At the chamberlain’s confession, Sophia and Conra’s brows furrowed simultaneously. Sophia, who normally wouldn’t care a whit about the authority of secular rulers, couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable seeing the pitiful end of someone who once held such power.

Tsk, Sophia clicked her tongue and unfolded her spellbook, composing a new spell in the empty spell slot in her mind.

After memorizing the spell and putting the spellbook away, she flicked her finger. With that as the trigger, the newly stored spell was unleashed. A flash of light spread from her fingertips, covering the bed. The chamberlain was shocked.

“What, what are you doing!?”

“Calm down and watch.”

“How can I calm down!? You’re casting a spell on His Majesty’s body out of nowhere! Is this why you came!?”

“The Master has no intention of harming the king. Why don’t you just trust us and watch?”

Conra, who was calming the chamberlain down, thought that perhaps he didn’t even need to do so. After all, it was just a flash of light that spread out, and when it disappeared, the bed and the king lying on it were completely unharmed. Anyone would realize something strange was going on.

“What, what did you do?”

“Just a little cleaning.”

“Huh?”

“Take a whiff.”

At Sophia’s casual remark, the chamberlain reflexively sniffed the air. Sure enough, the foul stench that had been permeating the air was now completely gone.

“I’ve already cleaned up the mess with the spell, so get rid of all these sachets right away. They’ll just get in the way of the examination.”

“Spells… can do that too?”

“Huh? Of course not. It’s only possible because it’s me.”

The Cleaning Clear spell Sophia had just used was one that couldn’t be achieved with ordinary spellcasting. Normally, using a spell to remove dirt would raise questions about what counts as dirt and what doesn’t, leading to all sorts of practical complications.

However, this was based on the general spellcasting system, which operates on a highly objective and precise mechanism. The ‘mantra’ Sophia had referenced when creating the Cleaning Clear spell followed a completely different principle.

Understanding and realizing ambiguous entities through thoroughly subjective channels was the driving principle of the mantra. By successfully transplanting this principle into the spellcasting system, Sophia was able to realize spells like the Cleaning Clear spell, which had ambiguous targets.

“Conra, I need your help.”

“Yes, Master!”

At Sophia’s request, Conra stepped forward and tapped the end of the Ash Tree Staff he had brought instead of a spear on the floor. An unprecedented flow was created in the room. The flow that started from the tip of Conra’s staff soon spread throughout the room, circulating the stagnant energy that had hardened within.

Along with that, the two finished their preparations by spraying sterilizing solution around the room using a sprayer.

Drawing on the vast medical knowledge she had acquired in her past life as a foundation for restoring ancient secrets, Sophia began examining the king’s body with her eyes and hands.

The king’s body, lying on the bed, was as dry as a mummy, barely maintaining a faint breath. Her eyes, glowing with a blue light, pierced through the king’s body like a precision diagnostic machine. Conra, meanwhile, conducted his own examination using the techniques of a Druid and Alchemist.

Soon, Sophia and Conra began recording the king’s condition on a prepared human body diagram as they shared their findings. The results were roughly as follows.

“It seems that the Maggot (Evil Parasite Worm) has taken control of the king’s brain, specifically the area connecting the brain to the medulla oblongata.”

The fact that the king was still breathing meant that he was at least not brain-dead, nor was he suffering from complete paralysis due to issues with the medulla or spinal cord. So, based on symptoms alone, he would be in a vegetative state or at least a minimal conscious state.

The cause of this condition seemed to be a grotesque-looking worm coiled in the area connecting the brain to the medulla oblongata.

“But that’s not the only problem, is it?”

“You’re right. The issue isn’t just his state of consciousness. His entire body is a complete mess. His internal organs are all stiff and non-functional, and he has diabetes and kidney failure. His digestive system is constricted, making it impossible for him to eat, and only his cardiopulmonary functions are barely holding on.”

As Sophia continued, the chamberlain’s face grew paler. Hearing that the king’s condition was bad was one thing, but hearing the objective state from an expert was a completely different level of shock.

“If this continues, even if he regains consciousness, he’ll die soon. It might be better for him to remain as he is, controlled by the Maggot. At least the parasite will prevent the host from dying too quickly.”

As Sophia spoke, the chamberlain, who had been clinging to a thread of hope, sank further into despair. Seeing this, Sophia concluded that this man might truly be a loyal servant of the king.

“Wow, it’s like a full-blown hospital ward. How is he even alive?”

“It must be because of the Maggot. But even so, this is something I can fix.”

“I thought so. It’s impossible for ordinary people, but that doesn’t apply to you, Master.”

As the master and disciple continued their conversation, the chamberlain, who had finally regained his composure, urgently asked.

“W-wait. So, you’re saying it’s possible to treat him!?”

“Well, yes. I don’t make a habit of saying impossible things are possible. It’s going to be a big job, though.”

At Sophia’s calm response, tears welled up in the chamberlain’s eyes. He collapsed to the floor, prostrating himself and crying out.

“Please, please save His Majesty!”

“Don’t do that. That’s why we came. But there’s something you need to do to save your king, so listen carefully.”

“Anything! I’ll do anything I can!”

As the chamberlain eagerly awaited Sophia’s instructions, she hesitated for a moment, wondering if this was the right thing to do, but then laid out her request.

“When word gets out that we’re here to treat the king, there will surely be people who come. You must strictly control who enters and ensure no one disrupts the treatment. Understood?”

“How could I refuse? I’ll do it even if it costs me my life.”

“No need to go that far. Anyway, I trust you.”

After sending off the resolute chamberlain, Sophia and Conra immediately began preparing for the treatment. The day was short, and there was much to do. Before the wheels could turn, a lot of preparation was needed.

 

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