Rebirth : The Alchemist's Path

Chapter 41: The Emperor's Dilemma and the Rise of New Powers

"Captain, what should we do now?"

Seeing that Sylvus and Meylan had closed the shop, one of the men from the Law Enforcement Hall asked cautiously.

"What should we do? Hurry up and take the Second Prince and everyone else back!"

Reggie snorted.

The members of the Law Enforcement Hall didn't dare to waste any time and quickly escorted Stan and his group away.

However, the news that the Second Prince had been crippled spread rapidly throughout the Holy City.

"Have you heard? The Second Prince was just crippled by the owner of a small shop."

"Is that true? Is there really someone with the guts to do that in the Holy City? Isn't that suicide?"

"I also heard that the Third Prince was attacked today and that he was also at that same shop. Do you think these two incidents are related?"

"I don't know, but I do know that shop won't last long. The Emperor's birthday is coming up, and security in the city has been tightened. Something like this happening now is outrageous."

The common folk were shocked by the news of the Second Prince being crippled, and it quickly became the talk of the town.

However, the officials of the Bork Empire were terrified. None of them dared to make the slightest mistake.

If they angered the Emperor, they could lose their positions and their heads.

Many bureaucrats also began to realize that the Second Prince had lost his chance at the throne. Those who had supported him were already looking for new masters.

After all, in their minds, a crippled prince had no chance of rising again.

---

In the royal palace.

Emperor Park-Boon sat with a grim expression as he looked at Reggie, the captain of the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Your Majesty, that's the situation," Reggie said nervously.

"A Nine-Star Saint ArchMage? Are you certain?" Boon asked, narrowing his eyes.

Moments earlier, Boon had learned that his son, Stan, had been crippled. All the bones in his body had been shattered, and Boon's rage had flared up immediately.

However, when Reggie explained that the person responsible was a Nine-Star Saint ArchMage, Boon calmed down.

The weight of a Nine-Star Saint ArchMage was not something to take lightly.

Even though Boon had the power to order a Mage Emperor to kill the culprit, he had to carefully weigh the costs.

"Your Majesty, I swear it's true. Moreover, the shop's owner is likely a Mage Emperor himself," Reggie said quickly.

A Mage Emperor!

Those words made Boon, who had already calmed down, even more cautious.

Dealing with a Saint ArchMage was troublesome but doable.

But trying to eliminate a Mage Emperor would be far more problematic.

Even if they managed to kill the Mage Emperor, such a powerful being could easily cast a forbidden spell that would destroy most of the Holy City.

"What about Stan's injuries? Is there any hope for recovery?"

Boon took a deep breath and asked.

"Your Majesty, Grandmaster Aubrey, a Ninth-Tier Alchemist, examined him. He said Stan's life can be saved, but he will likely be confined to bed for the rest of his life."

The more Reggie spoke, the quieter his voice became.

He was also worried that Boon, in his anger, might strike him dead.

"Confined to bed? Hmph, how is that any different from being dead!" Boon snorted.

With his birthday approaching, Boon had planned to celebrate his 50th birthday in joy. Now, such a disaster had occurred.

And the worst part was that he couldn't easily deal with it. The situation involved powerful Saint ArchMages and even a Mage Emperor.

"Your Majesty, before I left with the Second Prince, the shop's owner said that if you want Stan to recover, the pills in his shop can do it," Reggie added hurriedly.

"Pills? What are those? Could they be more effective than the remedies of a Ninth-Tier Alchemist?"

Boon frowned.

"Your Majesty, I must admit that I…"

Reggie quickly recounted his previous experience at the shop, emphasizing the miraculous effects of the pills. Boon, too, began to show some interest.

"Interesting. If they can really heal Stan, I might overlook this. But if they don't…"

A cold glint flashed in Boon's eyes as he spoke.

Everyone was waiting for his reaction. If he did nothing, where would his authority as Emperor stand?

"Send Nat in," Boon said as he sat down.

Reggie, feeling as though a great burden had been lifted, hurried out of the room.

Outside, he bowed to the First Prince, Nat.

"Your Highness, His Majesty is expecting you."

Nat nodded and strode into the room.

Reggie, still feeling uneasy, looked up at the darkening sky, a chill running down his spine.

"Boss, your business tactics are incredible. You even managed to trap the Second Prince. But it's causing me no end of trouble."

Reggie sighed before walking away.

"Greetings, Father. I—"

Nat began to kneel as he entered the room.

But he quickly noticed that aside from his father, there was also an old man present.

Boon, to Nat's surprise, was treating the man with great respect, even handing him a magic storage ring.

The old man glanced at Nat briefly before tearing open a spatial rift and disappearing.

---

Half an hour later, Nat left the palace with a complex expression.

Boon had just told him to go to Sylvus' shop the next day and use the shop's pills to heal his younger brother, Stan.

Naturally, Nat wanted to refuse.

After all, Stan's current condition was exactly what he wanted; with Stan out of the picture, he had one less competitor for the throne.

But he couldn't refuse, or he'd lose his qualifications to inherit the throne entirely.

Moreover, from another perspective, this could be a test from his father.

If he handled it well, his chances of succeeding to the throne would increase significantly.

"It seems I'll need to bring an alchemist with me tomorrow. If the pills cause any problems and Stan dies, it won't matter, but I could be implicated."

With that thought, Nat walked off.

The next morning, just as Sylvus opened the shop, a large group arrived. Leading them was none other than the First Prince, Nat.

Along with him were hundreds of people crowded into the alley.

Most of them were carrying stretchers.

Lying on the stretchers were the soldiers Meylan had crippled the day before, including the Second Prince, Stan.

"Isn't that the First Prince? I didn't expect him to come personally. This is going to be interesting."

"Strange, there don't seem to be any powerful people with them, and they're carrying injured people. Could they not be here to arrest the two from the shop?"

The arrival of the First Prince naturally attracted a lot of attention from the citizens of the Holy City.

After all, the events of the previous day were still fresh in everyone's minds, and many people had gathered nearby to see how the royal family would respond.

"Master Lace, this is the place. Please examine the pills and see what they're made of and whether they can really heal my brother and the soldiers."

Nat said to the elderly man beside him.

The man was Cornelius Lace, an Eighth-Tier Alchemy Master.

Nat had originally wanted to bring a Ninth-Tier Alchemist, but he didn't have enough influence.

Ninth-Tier Alchemists were respected even by Mage Emperors.

So, he had to settle for an Eighth-Tier Alchemist.

In his mind, an Eighth-Tier Alchemist would be more than enough for the situation.

Moreover, if anything went wrong, he could simply blame Lace. After all, he was only there to verify the pills.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. I will do my utmost."

Lace nodded, unaware that he was being set up to take the fall.

With Lace's reassurance, Nat felt more at ease and turned his gaze toward Sylvus and Meylan inside the shop.

But when his eyes landed on Meylan, Nat froze.

Isn't that the old man whom even my father treated with respect last night?

Indeed, Meylan had visited Emperor Boon of the Bork Empire the previous night.

Their conversation had been brief, and Meylan had only said three things:

First: "It was I who crippled your son."

Second: "My boss is a Ruler Mage."

Third: "I'm short on money lately, so bring me some."

While Meylan acted humble in front of Sylvus, Boon had recognized Meylan's true identity.

He was the only Nine-Star Saint ArchMage in all the land who specialized in spatial magic, known as the "Spatial Slayer."

Back when Meylan was only a nine-Star Saint ArchMage, he had single-handedly fought a One-Star Mage Emperor.

Most thought Meylan would die, but he used his bizarre and powerful spatial magic to not only escape but also gravely injure the Mage Emperor.

That incident had made Meylan famous across the continent.

However, he had disappeared soon after, only to reappear now, standing before Nat.

And when Meylan had mentioned that his boss was a Ruler Mage, Boon immediately abandoned any thoughts of revenge.

What kind of situation was this?

Not only had the "Spatial Slayer" crippled his son, but Meylan's boss was apparently a Ruler Mage!

Although Boon wasn't sure if there really were any Ruler Mages left in the world, he couldn't think of anyone else who could command the loyalty of such a proud and powerful figure like Meylan.

That was why Boon had shown such deference to Meylan, which Nat had witnessed upon entering the room.

"Your Highness, I am Parker Nat, the First Prince of the Bork Empire. I have come today to seek treatment for my younger brother and the injured soldiers."

Nat bowed respectfully.

"Yesterday, my brother offended you both. I hope you don't take it to heart. I have heard that the pills in your shop are miraculous, so I have brought my brother and the others here."

"Are you just here to buy pills? Then why are you wasting so much time talking?"

Meylan, growing impatient with Nat's excessive politeness, interrupted.

Nat's smile froze.

If anyone else had spoken to him like that, his princely temper would have flared.

But this was the man whom even his father had treated with great respect.

He didn't dare lose his temper. If he ended up crippled like his brother, where would he seek justice?

"You are right, Senior. I am indeed here to buy pills. May I ask which pills could heal my brother and the soldiers?"

Nat asked quickly.

Meylan remained silent, glancing at Sylvus. After receiving a nod, Meylan spoke.

"Healing them is simple. We have a Seventh-Tier Pill called the Guangyun Bone Rebinding Pill. One pill costs one million magic crystals. Dissolve it in water, and within an hour, their bones will heal."

Meylan explained.

"One million magic crystals per pill?"

Nat frowned. The price wasn't outrageous.

After all, Stan and the soldiers had their bones completely shattered, and only Ninth-Tier potions could barely heal them.

A Ninth-Tier potion would cost tens of millions of magic crystals and come with significant side effects.

Compared to that, one million magic crystals for a full recovery was a bargain.

But there were over a hundred people here.

If each one required a pill, it would cost over a hundred million magic crystals.

"Guangyun Bone Rebinding Pill? Although I am not the most knowledgeable, I have never heard of such a pill. Could you explain its ingredients?"

Lace, standing beside Nat, spoke up, raising his concerns.

…