The Prince Wants to Retire

As Kariel left the old librarian behind and stepped out into the entrance of the palace library, he caught sight of Tarion waiting for him alongside a man he did not recognize.

“Your Majesty.”

“Is this him?” Kariel asked.

In response to Kariel’s question, the man standing beside him took a step forward and announced himself.

“I am Sir Toto, a knight of the palace.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Kariel replied.

As he greeted Toto, Kariel looked around at his surroundings, briefly nodding his head but biting his tongue as he noticed the palace guards who were watching him.

“Let’s head to the palace for now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Toto and Tarion answered, bowing their heads.

With that, the carriage set off, heading straight for the prince’s palace.

As the carriage moved slowly and steadily, the attendants, including Tarion and Toto, walked briskly behind, eager to keep up.

As Kariel left the old librarian behind and entered the palace library, he caught sight of Tarion waiting for him at the entrance with another man.

“Well, you think you know a lot about the flesh?” Kariel asked Toto, as he sat down on the bed after arriving at the palace.

“Yes, if it’s about the flesh, I know better than anyone in the empire,” Toto replied confidently, causing Tarion to raise an eyebrow in skepticism.

Tarion made a face as he watched Toto’s muscles twitching while he spoke, unable to hide his disgust. But Kariel was satisfied.

“Then tell me, what is my current state?”

“May I speak candidly?” Toto asked for permission from Kariel.

“Go ahead.”

“It’s the worst it could be,” Toto replied honestly with Kariel’s permission.

Kariel had no muscular definition, nor had he even developed the minimum amount of stamina necessary for exercise. And with raging inflammation, vigorous exercise was out of the question. On top of that, the drugs used to suppress the inflammation were having an adverse effect on his body.

“At the moment… there is no way to restore your body, Your Majesty,” Toto concluded with a grim expression.

“How could you just glance over it and say that…” Tarion began to get angry with Toto’s words, but Kariel raised a hand to stop him.

“Thank you for your honest opinion,” Kariel said, lifting his chin and staring intently at Toto. 

To him, Toto was no mere eccentric; he was truly an expert on the human body. 

“What a musclehead,” Kariel instinctively snickered as he looked at Toto, who was showing off his muscles. “I know as well as anyone that there is no way to restore my body in its current state.” Kariel let out a bitter laugh as he spoke.

It was a method he had worked tirelessly to discover in his past life but ultimately failed to find.

“But how about this?” Kariel asked, changing the subject.

Kariel saw Tarion waiting for him with a man at the entrance of the palace library, leaving the old librarian behind.

With these words, Kariel took out a piece of paper from his pocket. He carefully unfolded the neatly folded paper and handed it to Toto, who took it with both hands and read it calmly.

Observing Toto’s demeanor, Kariel added, “It’s the ancient werewolf’s mana utilization technique, known as Ganche-sul.”

Upon hearing Kariel’s words, Toto looked amazed and raised his head. “Amazing! A pure mana utilization technique that enhances the body…but its limitations are clear.”

Toto’s expression turned slightly disappointed as he said this. The ancient mana utilization techniques were impressive but that was all. Compared to the mana utilization techniques that had evolved over time, their efficiency was lacking.

“Compared to modern mana refinement methods, the efficiency may not even reach 1/5,” Toto said, and Kariel nodded with a smile.

Even with the mana maturation technique, which was less than half as efficient, the ancient technique would still be less efficient. 

But efficiency didn’t matter to Kariel.

“What if I were to apply it to myself?” he asked.

Toto was speechless at Kariel’s question. Wasting a lot of power was not a problem for Kariel. In fact, if he could waste it and release it outwardly, it would improve his physical condition even more. And if his body could be strengthened even a little during the process?

“It would be the best result for me, wouldn’t it?”

“…That’s probably true, but we don’t know what risks are involved,” Toto said, looking worried, and Tarion beside him was just as concerned.

Without mana refinement techniques, the risks were too great.

But Kariel was determined.

“It’s already decided. All you have to do is help me learn the technique, and then create an exercise plan based on it that will help me recover my stamina,” Kariel said firmly, causing Toto to make a worried expression before bowing his head heavily.

“I will do my best to create a training plan that suits you.”

“Good, I’m counting on it.”

Kariel nodded as he watched Toto leave, then smiled and looked back at the paper with the Ganche-sul technique written on it.

“Tarion.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Block anyone from coming here.”

Tarion hesitated for a moment at Kariel’s order, then opened his mouth with difficulty. “I will do my best, sir. No, I’ll do it alone.”

Tarion, who had learned the mana refinement technique, could not help much with the mana maturation technique. It was better to do it alone than to rely on him.

To cure his wretched body, Kariel had taken risks and tried various methods, from injecting drugs directly into his body to experimenting on his body to forcibly strengthen it.

“Compared to those times, mana maturation technique is nothing special,” Kariel thought, feeling the heat within him.

While most people needed years to feel the mana, Kariel had felt the existence of the heat since he was born. Considering that only 20% of the continent’s population had a talent for mana, Kariel was practically blessed. The problem was that excessive blessing became a curse.

“Ugh!”

Just attempting to control the heat caused the creatures within him to begin to glow and rampage.

From a young age, he had been together with the creature, and there had been times when he had tried to manipulate it to his own will. But every time he did, the creature would go wild and damage his body, and this time was no different.

“Cough!”

As blood spurted from his injuries, Kariel forced Tarion’s abandoned potion into his mouth. With a gulp, the sound of healing filled his ears. Once his injuries were healed to some extent, Kariel immediately moved to control the flames.

“Spread. Spread! Spread!”

He fervently wished for the flames to spread throughout his body.

Then, the flames that had been suppressed around his heart began to move slowly.

The flames that had been held back by drugs and magic suddenly spread throughout his body, causing the flames to sway.

The flames were wary, as if they couldn’t believe in Kariel.

Continuously trying to calm him down and spreading the flames gradually from his heart to his entire body, the flames soon tried to explode out of his body.

Thump! Thump!