Magus Reborn

90. Surgery

Kai hadn’t anticipated the public spectacle of his refusal. It was supposed to be a private affair where he would diplomatically decline and be on his way. Now, with a handful of pairs of noble eyes glued to him, the depth of his words grew heavier by the second.

With the nobles who clearly sided with Eldric right behind him, the entire situation became a matter of face and respect.

Eldric’s face, moments before a picture of charming authority— the facade of a prospect for the future crown, had morphed into a thundercloud. The prince’s jaw clenched tight, a muscle in his temple twitching like a trapped critter.

The nobles behind him looked at him like he had just unravelled his plan to kidnap the king in front of them.

Kai looked to his left. Leopold stood straight, clearly finding amusement in the situation. He seemed to be stopping himself from smirking.

When he noticed Kai’s gaze, he widened his eyes, a silent question passing between them as if he was asking "What the hell did you just say?".

If Kai could, he’d shrug his shoulders at that— though, time was of the essence.

He needed to defuse the situation before Eldric unleashed his royal fury on an unsuspecting ballroom. Easily, Kai could become the next big thing that the entire kingdom talked about. And he didn’t want that. Not yet, at least.

Stepping forward, Kai cleared his throat, the sound echoing through the sudden hush that had fallen over the crowd nearby. Though the music and the chatters from the ladies on the side were unbothered at what was going on with the prince.

"Your Highness, I understand your concern for the well-being of the kingdom, and I commend your initiative." He paused.

Eldric remained silent, his gaze unwavering, daring Kai to continue. If gazes could throw daggers, Kai would be fighting for his life.

"However," Kai continued, pushing forward, "I believe I’m not well suited to work with you on this initiative and fulfil the demands of the entire kingdom. We could discuss other ventures later and I would find you to discuss more about the beast wave and its logistics. For now, I would like to take my leave and discuss a few matters with Leopold here."

He threw a glance at Leopold, hoping he would catch on and Eldric wouldn’t try to make an issue out of his rejection here. From the look of things, he was trying to portray an image of a calm and collected ruler and lashing out won’t help it, no matter what the reason might be.

As if on cue, Leopold stepped forward. "Yes, your highness. We will take our leave."

With that, Leopold took a step back, a silent invitation. Kai, seizing the opportunity, took it with a grateful smile after giving a respectful nod to Eldric.

The prince didn’t seem to have expected him to walk away like this and was too stumped to say much.

Soon, they strode away from the stunned group of nobles, leaving Eldric fuming behind.

As Kai walked away with Leopold, thoughts churned with a conflicting mix of adrenaline and tension. He had just rejected the prince in front of his lackeys and rumours were bound to spike up about it. He was also pretty sure that he won’t get much out of the kingdom in aid and in their next meeting, Eldric might not be amiable.

He doubted the prince was going to do anything questionable straightaway. At most, he would wish for his territory to be razed down by the beast.

Kai suddenly met eyes on him and as he looked sideways, Leopold met his gaze with a slow grin. "I wonder if you are crazy or brave?" he chuckled. His voice tone itself spoke volumes to say that he was in admiration. "To say that to a prince?"

"Perhaps a bit of both. This political arena is like a battlefield and I believe I just provoked a rather strong warrior."

Leopold couldn’t help but smile. "At least you have the guts for it. That’s always important in battlefields."

Out of the corner of his eye, Kai caught a glimpse of Eldric, still fuming amidst the chattering nobles. Whenever he spoke to someone, his jaw ticked while he threw daggers at the side where Kai was.

A sigh escaped his lips.

This little rebellion wouldn’t come without consequences and he had broken all bridges with him. But he doubted the prince was ever on his side if his theory on the whole beast wave situation is true.

"I need some air," he muttered, gesturing towards the balcony. "Before the prince decides to stage a public execution."

Leopold’s grin widened. "Excellent idea. And speaking of executions... I wouldn’t miss your duel with Count Chase’s son tomorrow. I have seen a few of his duels and he’s good. I really wonder how your skills would stand in front of him."

"You already know of it?" Kai asked.

"Most nobles do. Reyk is going around inviting everyone to make it a spectacle of sorts. I don’t know what happened between you two, but he clearly hates you."

"I don’t know about that myself."

Kai shrugged, wondering how Reyk was going to react when he would lose in the duel in front of the nobles he had personally invited.

Although the duel had come out of nowhere, it was also a way for him to show himself off to the kingdom elite and a turning point in forming his public image.

His thoughts died down as he felt another piercing gaze on his back.

He shook it off and walked towards the balcony doors where guards stood on the sides. He gave a brief nod at one of them who stared at him.

Pushing them open and stepping out into the cool night air, he felt a sense of relief wash over him.

Kai eyed the capsules with a tight frown. He recognized the faint hum of mana coming from them and he could guess what they did. At the same time, her condition wasn’t something medicines can help with. "They won’t work," he stated bluntly.

The maid’s hand froze mid-air. "What do you mean? These are the best available!"

"They might be for a normal illness, this... this is something different." He shook his head and looked at Amara. "Your Highness is suffering from a rupture in her mana heart. Her mana core, the very source of her magical power, is fractured. These pills are merely a temporary suppressant, a band-aid on a gaping wound."

Her eyes widened further in shock. Just as Kai thought the maid couldn’t be shocked further, he was proved wrong. Her hand slowly moved to place the vial filled with pills on the side table near the bed.

"How did your lordship know what she suffers from?" Her question came out in a suspicious tone.

"What can we do?" She whispered when Kai didn’t reply immediately, her voice trembling. "These pills are all we have..."

"We need a different way to heal her, at least temporarily." Kai nudged his chin towards the vial that was on the table. "As to answer your previous question, I’m a Mage. And I’ve seen the effects of Mana Heart rupture before. That’s how I know Her Highness’s disease. And well, I felt it when I was pushing mana into her earlier. Her heart is broken literally and it’s already a miracle that she’s still..."

He didn’t say more, but he didn’t have to.

"But... How can you help?" The maid asked. "Other than the pills, I know nothing that could help her."

Kai knelt beside the bed. "There’s a risky procedure I can perform. Can you trust me for a bit?"

"Lord Arzan, it’s the princess’ life we are talking about here."

"I know that, but trust me, if you feed her those pills, they would simply put her in a state of sleep and try to stabilise her broken core. Once she wakes up, she would again suffer from the same thing," he said, not wanting to explain further. "Just let me do what I can. I will take responsibility."

Taking a deep breath, Kai placed his hand gently on Amara’s chest. The coldness radiating from her body sent a shiver down his spine. Yet he pushed through it. He needed to focus, to channel his mana with utmost precision.

"This will be uncomfortable for the princess, but I need complete silence and stillness."

The maid nodded, her eyes glued to Amara’s face. She walked around the bed and sat on the other side of the bed, squeezing the princess’s hand.

Kai placed his hand gently on her chest, his fingers tracing a line over her sternum before forming a small, precise cut with the sharp edge of a mana blade.

Blood dripped from it to the neatly arranged fresh bedding, Kai couldn’t care less about it.

His eyes narrowed in concentration, and he pushed a steady stream of mana through the incision. The maid’s eyes widened, her face going pale at his actions. He met her eyes briefly, offering a reassuring nod before returning his focus to the task at hand.

This might be quick, but I’ve to be careful.

His mana flowed smoothly, like a river of light, finding its way around her mana core. The core itself was fractured, its seamless surface marred by deep fissures. Kai could sense the instability, the chaotic swirl of energy threatening to break free. He took a deep breath, channelling his mana with careful precision.

His own core pulsed in response, a steady rhythm that he used to guide his efforts. It was almost as if he could hear two heartbeats and feel two mana flows at the same time; one steady, the other— not so much.

He visualised his mana as threads of light, weaving them around Amara’s damaged core.

The threads intertwined, forming a resilient lattice.

He could feel the strain, the resistance of the core’s fractured state pushing back against his efforts. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he maintained his focus, knowing that any lapse could result in catastrophic failure.

The maid gasped, her body trembling slightly as the mana threads began to take hold.

Kai’s threads acted as a temporary scaffold, providing structure and stability where there had been none. He worked quickly, his mana threads knitting together the broken pieces of her core with meticulous care. Each knit was careful, his hands steady, breath coming in shallow gasps.

As the lattice took shape, the core’s chaotic energy began to settle. To top it off, he sent another thread of mana and crystallised it around the stitches, so they wouldn’t break.

Seconds passed by when he did the same procedure to the other side of the neatly done stitches.

One more stitch...

Kai let his mana threads complete the final stitch and turn it into a binding. A sigh escaped his lips when he was done.

He looked at the maid immediately. "It’s okay for now. Keep an eye on her. She should wake up in a few hours."

"Is she really okay?" The maid asked, her voice quivering as she looked at Amara who was now beginning to take steady breaths.

"Yes." He nodded, knowing that whatever he said, the maid would only completely believe him when the princess would wake up. "My method should keep her core intact."

But he knew this was only a temporary solution.

The stitches he had created were not a permanent fix— they would hold for now, giving the princess some time to find a permanent solution for the core.

Kai withdrew his hand slowly, the incision sealing itself with a faint shimmer. He felt the residual mana dissipate, leaving behind a faint tingle in his fingertips.