For now, lets move Sir Haven to his quarters.

At Seongjins words, one of the knights asked with an anxious face.

Shouldnt we wait as is until the plague doctor comes? What if we accidentally spread the disease?

Once the plague doctor starts drawing blood, Haven might actually die.

Seongjin shook his head, Its not the plague. Its a disease I know.

How can we believe you?

Another knight standing beside them, a young one with a long scar on his forehead, asked skeptically. Although Seongjin had gotten close to most of the resident knights recently, this young knight had always cast him sidelong glances.

If Your Highness says so but it turns out to be the plague, were the ones who will die, right?

As insolent as the young knights attitude was, he wasnt entirely wrong.

It would be strange to easily believe a young prince, notorious for being a good-for-nothing, when he claims, without any medical knowledge, that its not the plague.

Seongjin didnt answer and gently grasped Havens fallen arm.

Instantly, the surrounding knights gasped.

Regardless, Seongjin hoisted Havens arm over his shoulder and helped him sit up. Haven was rather small, and Seongjin had pumped Aura into his muscles, so lifting him wasnt much of a challenge even with his young body.

Seongjin then looked at the surrounding knights, Well, Ill take half the responsibility, you guys gamble on the other half. Hes a comrade, right?

The knights glanced at each other in silence.

Surprisingly, the first person to step forward was the young knight who had questioned him. The young knight silently grabbed Havens other arm and helped Seongjin lift him up.

The two of them started to move towards the knights quarters, supporting Haven between them.

I thought he was a hard-headed guy, but it seems he still knows the meaning of loyalty, Seongjin thought. He glanced over, and the young knight looked unhappy, his brow furrowed as he stared straight ahead.

What unit are you from? How long have you been stationed at the Pearl Palace?

Why? Will you remember if I tell you?

Whats this guys problem? Doesnt he know how to socialize?

The atmosphere grew tense, but fortunately, they didnt have far to go. Knight Kurt had come prepared with a carriage.

The young knight disappeared without even saying goodbye as soon as he handed Haven over to the doctor. Truly an unfriendly character.

Soon, Haven was quickly moved to the accommodation on the carriage.

Since when has he been in this condition? Ninnias, the doctor, asked. As always, his nose was red, as if hed just had a drink.

He was fine until yesterday afternoon, answered Kurt.

Ninnias promptly examined Haven. He checked his pulse, looked inside his mouth, and even flipped his eyelids.

Of course, Ninniass severe hypochondria made one doubt if he was checking the pulse accurately

Didnt this guy accuse the Lyora School of being traitors before?

Seongjin suddenly remembered that Ninnias didnt seem to like the Lyora School. His trust in the doctor rose dramatically!

Unaware of Seongjins thoughts, Ninnias, after a thorough examination, finally spoke to the group.

Indeed, as the Prince said, this does not look like a commonly known plague.

A plagueits not?

Sir Kurt asked, seemingly relieved.

Probably not. Most plagues initially come with a fever, but this one, on the other hand

His body temperature is dropping.

Of course, as time passes and the illness worsens, ones pulse weakens and body temperature drops like this, but it hasnt been long since the symptoms appeared in him.

So Doctor Ninnias, if its not a plague, what could be affecting him?

At Sir Kurts question, Doctor Ninnias wiped the sweat off his forehead with a somewhat troubled expression.

Its too early to say. Well have to keep an eye on his condition for now

And then he subtly glanced at Seongjin, who stood quietly with his arms crossed, listening to the conversation.

It seemed like he was curious to know how much medical knowledge Seongjin had as an apothecary, being the first to say it didnt look like a plague.

Sometimes, people show similar symptoms when stung by a bee. I remember a young man in my old neighborhood died after a bee sting; he broke out in hives, his face swelled, he struggled to breathe, and most notably, his body temperature dropped rapidly. Apparently, his father and grandfather also died from bee stings.

Ninnias added, Of course, his condition isnt deteriorating that rapidly, but

Moreover, its difficult to guess why he lost consciousness before his pulse weakened. Its not typical symptoms of poisoning, but we should also consider the possibility of some new kind of toxin.

Seongjin examined Haven, who was lying unconscious on the bed.

The mans complexion was pale, almost to the point of appearing grey. His lips were drained of color, and sporadic red, swollen rashes appeared on his exposed skin, including his face and neck.

And below his chest, a portion of the skin had turned gray.

Could it be there?

[Yes, there is an egg of Lophellum in his chest. Its already dead.]

The Demon King whispered.

What effects would a Lopfern egg have on a human? Is it toxic?

[Who knows, Ive never laid an egg in a human.]

Seongjin lost himself in thought for a moment.

Even though he had lived a modern Earth life, Seongjin didnt have much medical knowledge. Before the Gate incident, he was just an ordinary office worker, and after the Gate incident, he was a superhuman hunter who had no worries about diseases.

However, even he knew that people could die suddenly from bee stings due to an anaphylactic shock caused by bee sting allergies.

The Lophellum egg cant parasitize in a human body; it just dies as time passes.

But what if that dead egg triggers an allergic reaction similar to anaphylactic shock? Or what if it keeps emitting something toxic?

If so, the condition wont improve unless the egg is removed.

The next step was clear. Remove the egg.

Doctor Ninnias, doesnt the skin tone over there look a bit off? It appears different to my eyes

At Seongjins words, the doctor examined the area on Havens chest that he was pointing to more closely. It probably hadnt caught his eye before due to the uneven rashes and pale complexion.

As Doctor Ninnias carefully unbuttoned Havens shirt, a palm-sized area of discolored skin became clearly visible. And in the center of that grey skin, there was a small wound covered in scab.

That wound must be where the Lophellum egg had burrowed in.

The physician touched the discolored chest area and slightly tilted his head.

Come to think of it, youre right. The color is different, and there is a wound. And the skin feels somewhat hard, doesnt it? Hmm?

He tapped the discolored skin with his fingers and gently brushed it. Then, he raised his head with a somewhat serious expression.

It feels like theres something strange inside?

Was it shallow enough to be felt from the outside? If so, this will simplify matters.

Seongjin suggested to the physician with a half-smile.

Shouldnt we remove that?

Huh?

I mean, a small incision might be enough to extract it.

What?

Both Ninnias the physician and Kurt the captain looked at Seongjin in utter astonishment.

Well, its not certain that its something strange. Its not that rare to sometimes feel a lump inside the body, you know

The physician seemed perplexed and rubbed his nose, which was already red, turning it an even deeper shade of red.

Wont cutting into an already sick person make the situation worse?

Sir Kurt discouraged Seongjin with a flustered expression. His face openly displayed his concern that the reckless prince might exacerbate Havens condition.

I guess trying to persuade them like this is pointless. Seongjin frowned.

However, help came from an unexpected place.

Arriving late at the knights quarters with Masain, Francis heard Seongjins words and supported him.

The energy doesnt feel like that of demonkind, but its still unsettling. I think it should be removed.

!

It was the opinion of someone who was no less than a deputy commander of the Saint Aurelion Paladin Order.

The physician hesitated for a moment, but soon gave in to Franciss determined look and began preparing for the incision.

The symptoms in the Academy students and this knight are the same.

Francis briefly explained the symptoms he had seen at the tribunal to Seongjin.

Pale complexion, cold body temperature, and rashes all over. More importantly, he had felt something strange near the students chest areas.

A weird energy that repels holy power.

It definitely wasnt a demonkind. If I were to find a similar feeling, maybe its like the strange lifeform in the Diggory Mansion?

He said that at the time, the aura was so weak that they passed it off simply as a plague.

But having heard Seongjins explanation, now he also suspected that maybe the Academy students symptoms were also caused by this strange energy.

If it repels holy power, is it like a curse from the demonkind?

Masain asked with a slightly pale face. Francis clicked his tongue lightly.

I get why youre worried, but thats impossible. As long as His Majesty the Holy Emperor is here, no curse from the demonkind can prosper within the Delcross Empire.

And then they all fell silent and watched as Ninnias made an incision in Havens chest.

First, he disinfected the skin with a high-proof alcohol, then with a sweat-drenched face, he made the incision.

There wasnt much bleeding. The Lophellums egg had indeed been just below the skin.

Soon, Ninnias nervously extracted a dark grey egg about the size of a pinky fingernail.

Although the egg was partly cracked and soaked in blood during the incision, it was clearly not something that could naturally occur in a human body.

After carefully inspecting the incision area and disinfecting it again with alcohol, he brought a needle and thread to start stitching the wound.

For someone who seemed reluctant, his skills were surprisingly neat.

What school of pharmacists did Ninnias belong to? He seemed to want to keep it a secret, but Seongjin thought hed discreetly ask him later.

Seongjin and Francis then carefully handled the egg that the physician had brought out.

The dark gray semi-transparent egg looked elongated like a grain of rice.

Knowing this was a monsters egg, Seongjin could see tiny segments glowing faintly inside the egg. If it had survived and awakened, it would have become a larva.

This looks definitely like some kind of egg, doesnt it?

Francis was subtly sharp.

Nodding inwardly, Seongjin saw Francis turn towards the entrance of their quarters.

I will go to the tribunal, Your Highness. First, I have to tell the plague doctors to stop the students bloodletting treatment and to search for the egg.

They shouldnt have died from excessive bleeding yet.

Leaving behind these ominous words, Francis quickly left the room.

Soon after, Ninnias, having finished suturing the wound, began hastily pulling out various herbs. He finely grinded them into a powder and dropped it into Havens mouth.

Was it just his imagination? Although Haven was still unconscious, his complexion seemed to have slightly improved.

Seongjin watched this for a moment, then ordered that if anything happens with the egg, to inform him immediately and left with Masain.

That wound in the chest, it looked like someone artificially injected the egg into it

His mind was in turmoil.

Who exactly is doing this and what is their purpose?

Does the Emperor know about this situation? How far has the investigation gone, and what measures have been taken?

Your Highness.

Suddenly called from behind, he turned to see Masain looking at him with a rather stiff face.

I heard briefly about what happened at the training grounds from Maria. You helped the sick knight yourself?

Yes.

With a sigh, Masain continued his words.

You acted too hastily. You shouldve avoided that situation and heard about it later. Its fortunate this is likely not a plague, but if something like this happens again

Sir Masain.

Seongjin cut him off.

Im not a child in need of a nanny.

Masains eyes quivered at the unprecedented firm words.

But, Your Highness, I think you should make this clear.

If Masain decides to stay as the knight commander and not his brother, he will need to clarify his attitude.

I understand that youre concerned for my safety, but I also had my own convictions and assurance.

A sincere advice is always welcome. But dont mistake that for having the right to limit my thoughts and actions.

Seongjin stared straight into Masains confused face. Masain looked back for a moment, then bowed his head.

I overstepped my boundaries. My apologies, Your Highness.

Yes.

Seongjin nodded and began to walk again.

The two of them had lunch in silence and also safely finished their afternoon swordsmanship lessons.

Back in his room late in the evening after parting with a somewhat deflated Masain, Seongjin entered into early meditation.

He didnt feel great having been harsh on the man who was like a loyal dog.

Training is the way to go at times like this.

However, his meditation was cut short.

[Seongjin, its her.]

With the Demon Kings warning, Seongjin also sensed the faint but discernible presence sneaking in.

It was much easier to sense than yesterday.

Soon, a dark figure dropped from the 3rd-floor balcony into Seongjins window. It was Dasha, an elite agent of the Monkey Watchtower.

Opening the window and sneaking into the room, she found Seongjin sitting on the bed, staring straight at her.

How, Your Highness, how do you know I am coming?

She looked as if her pride had been wounded.