Crown Prince Sells Medicine

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‘This is it.’

Raciel’s hand clenched instinctively. Ideas flowed into his mind like a rushing river.

At the center of it all was Botox.

Botox.

A term known to anyone living in the modern 21st century. The moment you notice crow’s feet forming around your once-smooth eyes. The moment smile lines start to etch themselves onto your once-youthful face. It’s the injection that crosses everyone’s mind at least once.

‘Botox injection. I could use that.’

Raciel’s thoughts raced. What happens when Botox is injected into muscles? The muscles relax. Wrinkles smooth out.

Or when calf muscles are too large for your liking? You can reduce their size by paralyzing parts of the muscle through injection. It’s similar to how muscles atrophy after being in a cast for a few months. The same principle can create slimmer legs. Sometimes, it’s even used to reduce the muscles of a square jawline to create a V-line.

And the secret?

Its incredible toxicity.

‘In fact, Botox is an incredibly potent paralyzing poison.’

Botox.

Its full name is Botulinum toxin. It’s not just any toxic substance; it’s undeniably the most toxic substance ever discovered or developed by mankind.

The venom of a cobra or a black mamba? They’re like a mild broth compared to the nuclear hot chicken that is Botulinum toxin. The deadly venom of a pufferfish? It’s like a novice boxer trying to challenge Mike Tyson.

‘Compared to Botulinum toxin, pufferfish venom is at least 10,000 times weaker.’

The median lethal dose (LD50) of Botulinum toxin? If inhaled, it’s around 10 nanograms per kilogram. So, for a 60-kilogram adult? Only 600 nanograms. 0.6 micrograms. In other words, inhaling just 0.0006 grams is enough to earn a spot in the career counseling classroom of the king of hell.

‘In fact, that’s an overestimate. When inhaled through the mucous membrane, the quantity required to kill an adult male is about 0.0000005 grams.’

It’s an astonishingly small amount.

‘Pufferfish venom, on the other hand, requires about 0.15 grams to have the same effect. That famous and dreaded radioactive tea? You’d need at least 0.01 grams to kill a person.’

So, in a simple calculation, if you have around 400 grams of pure concentrated Botulinum toxin? That’s enough to wipe out all of humanity. That’s how deadly Botulinum toxin is.

‘But humans use it for cosmetic purposes like reducing wrinkles. Where is the limit of mankind?’

Thinking about it made Raciel feel slightly dizzy. He shook his head.

‘Anyway, it’s time to apply the principles of Botox injection. I can do it. Even if it’s not as potent as Botox, if I use a substance that causes muscle paralysis through a similar mechanism, and apply it through acupuncture…’

It’s plausible.

The unruly tail of the werewolf clan that caused so many issues on its own. He should be able to induce a localized paralysis effect on the tail’s muscles. It would fulfill 100% of Anise’s requirements.

‘I happen to have the perfect poison for it.’

Raciel lifted his head.

He addressed Gardin.

“I just remembered something. I need you to fetch something for me.”

“Yes? What do you need?”

“Kusman’s lethal capsules.”

“…Ah, do you mean the promoter we arrested during our last raid on the underground arena?”

“Yes. The lethal capsules we confiscated during that arrest. Are they still securely stored in the safe?”

“Yes. Of course, Your Highness.”

Gardin nodded.

That was a relief.

“Then bring them. Immediately.”

“Yes? If I may ask, what are you planning to use such dangerous capsules for…”

“I’m going to use them for a good cause.”

Gardin, concerned for Raciel’s safety, worried that he might be endangering himself with the poison. He seemed genuinely concerned.

But Raciel gave him a meaningful look. Eventually, Gardin reluctantly left and returned with 30 lethal capsules. Meanwhile, Raciel organized his plan.

‘Now that I have the idea, I need to utilize the paralyzing poison in Kusman’s capsules. Inject it into the muscles to induce localized paralysis. But to do that…’

There were two problems that needed solving.

‘The first issue is the injection site.’

He couldn’t just inject the poison anywhere.

Where should he inject it to ensure the paralyzing poison had the desired effect? And how could he avoid potential side effects? He had to consider these factors thoroughly. Therefore, Raciel called for Anise.

“What’s happening in the middle of the night, Your Highness?”

Anise, who had been resting in the guest quarters, was summoned. Her voice held a slight tension. Raciel spoke casually as if it was nothing.

“I seem to have found a way to meet the requirements you mentioned earlier. So I need to examine the injection site.”

“…What?”

“Just sit down and stay still.”

“…”

He made her sit down and placed his palm on her back. Her shoulders flinched for a moment, but he paid no attention. He activated the Asrahan Core Technique.

‘Just like when I treated the brain seizures.’

Kiiing-!

He fully activated the technique. The mana circle surrounding his heart spun fiercely. His senses became extraordinarily sharp. His ability to perceive mana became more precise.

He focused that heightened sensitivity onto the area of Anise’s back where his hand rested. He could feel the warmth of her body through her back, the tension of her skin and muscles under her clothes, and even the flow of blood within her. He began to understand it all.

And thus, he activated his unique Asrahan precision diagnostic method, akin to an MRI.

‘Good. I can see it.’

The Asrahan Core Technique specialized in absorbing and processing mana, granting it exceptional detection capabilities. Mana was naturally embedded in the body of a living creature.

Skin and muscles.

Blood vessels and nerves.

Fascia and skeleton.

Even the deepest parts, like the bone marrow.

Mana flowed through every inch of a living being. Thanks to this, Raciel could meticulously grasp the flow of mana throughout Anise’s entire body.

‘I can see it, I can see.’

When he closed his eyes, a whole new world unfolded before him. Streams of light flowed within. It felt like looking down at the city of Seoul at night from the top of Namsan Mountain. He could see countless waves of light moving as if following a road. The roads were the blood vessels, and the flowing lights represented the mana.

In particular, Raciel paid attention to the flow around Anise’s waist, buttocks, legs, and tail.

‘As expected, the flow here is slightly different from humans.’

The tail was an organ that remained only as a vestige in humans. But for werewolves like Anise, it functioned just like a human’s arms and legs.

He anticipated that the composition of blood vessels around the tail would differ from humans. And upon examination, his assumption proved to be somewhat correct.

“But… it’s not as different as I expected?”

Perhaps because even humans possessed a vestigial tail, most of the blood vessel composition did not differ significantly from humans.

‘The position of the Governor Vessel is slightly different, though. Especially the Changqiang point and Yaoyu point in the buttocks are further apart vertically compared to humans. And between them… there’s a completely new blood vessel stretching towards the tail, which humans don’t have.’

The tail, absent in humans, possessed a unique blood vessel that Raciel had never seen before.

‘Still… the structure is simpler than I thought.’

After continued observation, he had a notion of where to insert the needle. But the examination wasn’t over.

“Now, can you transform?”

“What?”

“When you transform into a wolf, the position of the blood vessels will change. I need to examine and understand that as well.”

It was only natural.

Perhaps due to his earnest demeanor, Anise obediently nodded.

“Alright.”

Kududuk!

Under the moonlight streaming through the wide-open window, the transformation occurred in an instant. No longer an ordinary-looking woman, Anise stood in her place—a brown-furred werewolf wearing human clothes on two legs.

“Phew. Your size doesn’t really change, does it?”

“…”

“But you do resemble Jindol.”

“Kkueong?”

“Oh, it’s the name of a dog I used to have.”

“Urrrung.”

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“So, you can’t speak because the structure of your mouth changes? Now, give me your hand.”

Clap.

When Anise offered her hand, or rather, her forepaw, it shot up reflexively. She seemed to realize her own reaction a moment later.

“……Grrrrr!”

Her gaze became considerably fiercer as she glared at him. Raciel shrugged his shoulders with a laugh.

“Sorry. I was just curious to see if it would actually work.”

“Grrrr!”

“I apologize. Let’s continue the examination now.”

“……”

Anise nodded obediently. Raciel resumed examining her body, now in its transformed wolf form. This allowed him to understand the changes in her meridian configuration after the transformation.

After completing the examination, he sent her back. Alone in the bedroom, Raciel reviewed the results of the precise diagnosis.

‘It’s a relief. There aren’t many differences. The basic human-like body structure seems to have helped.’

He had determined where to apply the Botox acupuncture. However, there were still lingering problems.

‘I’ve solved the first task of determining the treatment area. But the second task is a bit tricky.’

Raciel found himself consumed by worries. The second task for Botox acupuncture was determining the appropriate amount of paralytic toxin to use.

‘This is just as crucial as determining the treatment area, if not more important.’

Indeed, it was.

This treatment involved using poison, not medicine, and required injecting a powerful toxin that caused muscle paralysis. A rough estimate of the amount could lead to dangerous side effects, something that must be avoided at all costs.

‘I need to fully understand it: the composition of this deadly poison created by Kusman and the safe and appropriate amount needed to induce a localized paralysis effect while minimizing side effects.’

It was a necessary process. But figuring out how to acquire this understanding proved daunting.

‘Should I ask Kusman, the one who made it? It shouldn’t be too difficult.’

Kusman, the promoter from the fighting arena, was imprisoned in the royal palace. He could simply approach him and ask. However, Raciel quickly dismissed the idea.

‘No. I can’t trust that guy.’

Kusman was never a trustworthy individual, to begin with. Moreover, he likely harbored animosity towards Raciel, making it difficult to expect a truthful answer.

‘He might deliberately provide incorrect information. That would be highly dangerous.’

Thus, questioning Kusman was not a viable option. Raciel furrowed his brow in thought.

‘Should I try it myself?’

He considered ingesting the poison and storing it within his mana circle. Then, he could experiment with the components by circulating an extremely small amount within his body. However, as soon as he entertained the idea, a loud message appeared before his eyes.

Ding dong!

[Your Five Viscera and Six Bowels are alarmed by your dangerous idea.]

[Heart: Did you all hear that? He wants to try the poison himself!]

[Liver: Oh… hahaha!]

[Lungs: Self-experimentation, is it? What a noble pursuit.]

[Spleen: If you consume it, I’ll have to detoxify and process it all ㅜㅜ Why don’t you feed it to a Phantom Beast instead? Are you crazy?]

The Five Viscera and Six Bowels made a commotion, voicing their complaints and adding some sharp words. Raciel rolled his eyes and addressed the most vocal of them, the spleen.

‘Feeding the poison to a Phantom Beast? Isn’t that a bit harsh? They’re not lab rats.’

Almost immediately, a rebuttal came.

[Spleen: There are Phantom Beasts specialized in testing poisonous ingredients, you know?]

“…What?”

A frown formed on Raciel’s forehead. At that moment, as if waiting for the opportunity, Spleen chimed in with an explanation.

(To be Continued)

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