The Youngest Prince Returned as a Heavenly Demon - Chapter 10

I immediately ran to the abandoned training ground, which I used as my practice spot. There, I set up a simple formation to conceal my presence, just like I did earlier when I was meditating in the room.

I couldn’t handle every situation perfectly with this, but still, I was now feeling too anxious to do nothing.

I began to channel my heart’s mana—

Whuum— Whuum— Whuum—

“It seems… I was right.”

I could clearly feel the flow of mana circulating within my heart along different paths.

I wasn’t sure how a circle could form inside the heart, but this was definitely the second circle.

Tsszzz—!

As I closed my eyes and concentrated, a colorless light began to appear in the surrounding air.

It was the first-circle magic, Magic Missile, and it definitely felt more stable than before.

‘Oh, this feels good.’

I should try using second-circle magic now.

The next spell I cast was ‘Shield.’

Woooo—

Mana surged from my entire body, spreading widely and forming a faint barrier of colorless mana.

‘Ugh, this is harder than Magic Missile.’

But, well, there’s no choice.

I’ll just have to practice and research more.

I believe in using what I have to its fullest.

In terms of that, there was another mysterious power I needed to research.

‘…It’s definitely fascinating.’

When I reflected on what I’d observed over the past few days, this strange body of mine could regenerate any wound instantly.

Whether it was from a knife wound, a burn, or a broken bone—

Swish—

When I channeled the mana from my heart, my body would heal on its own.

Minor wounds disappeared almost as soon as they occurred, and even if I sustained a major injury, after some time, it would return to its original state completely.

There were no aftereffects or decreases in my stats either.

However, the pain from the injury remained, so testing this ability was incredibly, incredibly, incredibly painful.

Sigh Still, I have to do it.

Especially today’s test, which was more intense and hardcore than any I’d done before.

Honestly, I really didn’t want to, but if I wanted to fully understand my abilities, I had to.

Shhhh….

Under the cold moonlight, the shining blade of a shortsword rested on the tip of my left pinky.

To be precise, it was on the last joint.

What I was about to do was clear.

I was going to test the regenerative ability on ‘amputation.’

‘…Could it really work?’

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

I was a bit nervous.

After all, I was about to cut off part of my own body.

Just in case it didn’t work, I had a healing potion ready.

If it doesn’t go well, I’ll just reconnect and use the potion immediately.

‘Here goes…!’

Schlick.

The blade cut off the last joint of my left pinky.

Sssshhhh—

“Ugh…!”

Blood splattered, and a groan of pain escaped from my lips.

The red river began to flow down my wrist and forearm from the severed area, and I channeled the mana from my heart.

Swish—

The wound began to heal while maintaining the severed edges.

What was amazing was that not only the wound on my left hand healed, but the joint that had been cut off and fallen was also regenerating.

Even though it had completely detached, I still felt the sensation as if it was connected.

‘Could it be… I can move it?’

Wiggle! Wiggle!

……

I moved it without thinking, and it actually worked.

Before I knew it, the bleeding had stopped, and there was no more pain.

‘Ha, haha… This can’t be a dream, right?’

I felt so dumbfounded that I went numb.

How is this even possible?

……

No matter how much I tried to understand, I just couldn’t.

‘For the severed part to reconnect, do I need to physically attach it?’

I thought maybe the severed joint would fly back and reconnect on its own, but that wasn’t possible.

I had imagined new joints sprouting from the cut surface, but it wasn’t the case.

‘If that were to happen, it might be too monstrous…’

Though I am already quite a monster, anyway.

I picked up the severed finger joint and placed it against the cut. It automatically aligned itself, and the bone and flesh reconnected, causing the joint to stick to the severed area.

Wiggle. Wiggle.

‘…This body is really insane.’

When I moved, there was no discomfort, and no scars were left—everything was clean.

I couldn’t help but marvel.

I could probably recover in the same way even if my arms or legs were severely cut.

However, now even more questions were flooding my mind.

That night, I felt strangely uneasy.

I swung my sword for hours.

The blade gleamed under the moonlight, and despite my efforts to shake off the turmoil in my heart, it wasn’t easy.

Only when the day began to break and the dawn arrived did I stop practicing.

After that, I spent several days organizing my thoughts about various questions.

First, the abilities of “super regeneration.”

Would I survive if my waist was severed and reattached?

Would I survive if my neck was severed as long as my brain remained intact?

What would happen if my heart or brain were destroyed?

If recovery is possible in such a state…

Does this body mean I am “immortal”?

‘How far can this go?’

I was curious, but I wasn’t willing to conduct the experiment myself…

I decided it was best not to know and to avoid any situation where that might occur.

The next consideration was how “super regeneration” manifested.

‘No matter how I think about it… it seems to be related to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, right?’

In fact, when the Heavenly Demon Divine Art reaches its sixth level, one of its abilities is known as:

「Heavenly Demon Immortal Body」

Its effect is exactly the same as the super regeneration ability.

However, there was a definite difference, so I couldn’t be sure.

The super regeneration ability seemed to manifest through the mana of the heart, not the Heavenly Demon Qi (though I wasn’t sure of the exact mechanism).

It seemed even better than the Heavenly Demon Immortal Body, as it could even recover completely severed body parts.

‘Perhaps dimensional travel influenced it in some way.’

This possibility was very plausible.

When I traveled to the martial world before, I went through a “transformation.”

Of course, it’s also possible that this body was inherently special or that I learned some magic…

‘But I’ve been growing up as a commoner, so magic is out of the question.’

The special constitution… I’d have to observe more.

For now, this was the conclusion I reached.

Three days later.

People from the imperial palace and the magic tower arrived.

They came to the nearest territory with a Warp Gate, and from there, they traveled by carriage.

Since there is no Warp Gate in the Verdine Marquisate.

The Marquis, along with his household, personally came out to greet them.

“Thank you for the long journey.”

“Haha! It’s been so long, Marquis.”

The person sent by the imperial palace was Klein Luke.

Though he wasn’t as large as Harbor, his strong physique and the aura emanating from him were extraordinary. His face was noble, handsome, and gave off a gentle impression.

‘…They really sent an impressive person.’

He was one of only three dukes in the empire, and like the Marquis, he was one of the “Five Swords of Asron.”

Moreover, he was a renowned Sword Master.

A true leader of the emperor’s faction.

For Duke Luke to come in person, it was clear that the emperor’s interest was undeniable.

Additionally, the person sent from the magic tower was no less impressive.

“Thank you for the warm welcome.”

“Not at all. I hope you have a pleasant and comfortable stay in Verdine.”

Yandel Cleverd.

This middle-aged man, dressed in the typical robes of a mage, was a 6th-circle mage, one of fewer than a hundred in the empire.

“Please follow me. This way.”

“Ah, before that… I need to ask for your understanding on something.”

The Marquis was about to move with these two key figures.

However, the last person descending with Duke Luke caught everyone’s attention.

“…Duke Luke?”

Everyone from the Marquisate, including the Marquis himself, was taken aback.

The one who appeared was a girl around my age.

“My name is Ainsera Luke. I thought this would be a great opportunity to expand my horizons, so I took the liberty of coming.”

The girl who got off the carriage bowed slightly in respect. However, the people of the Verdine Marquisate were all left with the expression of, “What on earth is going on here?”

“Cough… she’s my daughter. She insisted on coming to Verdine, so I brought her along, but I’m sorry I didn’t mention it earlier.”

Duke Luke, feeling a little awkward, added an excuse. The Marquis quickly regained his composure and responded naturally.

“Hmmm, it’s fine. The young lady still looks quite young, but she’s very mature.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Marquis Verdine.”

“Oh…”

I had heard that she was the same age as me, but based on her gaze, actions, and speech, I couldn’t help but wonder if she was really just a child.

Ainseira Luke.

I already knew her.

‘She was an impressive woman in many ways.’

Back when we were both at Hebron Academy during the time of the third prince, she was a well-known figure.

She was beautiful, of course, but she also had exceptional natural talent, always ranking first in the Department of Magic.

However, she had no real connection to me, as I was in the Department of Swordsmanship.

Even after returning to the past, this was our first meeting.

But why did she keep staring at me like that?

She smiled at me, making eye contact.

Hmm… Could it be that this perfect face is her type?

It was a little uncomfortable, but I had to greet her anyway.

“I am Evan Verdine, the third son. I hope the glory of Aslon is with you, and I sincerely welcome you to our territory.”

“Oh…?”

The three people I greeted had different expressions.

Duke Luke, a Swordmaster, seemed very intrigued, as if he sensed something. Yandel looked surprised by my manners.

Well, considering they probably thought I was the illegitimate child of a commoner until a few months ago, I could understand their reaction.

Maybe that’s why?

Ainseira’s face showed a meaningful smile as she looked at me.

As the guests entered the castle, lunch followed immediately.

The attendants were led to the dining hall, and the Marquis’ table seated six people.

“Marquis Verdine, you’ve heard that we’ve scheduled a ten-day stay, haven’t you?”

“Yes. That’s why we’ve arranged the schedule for receiving the guests.”

I pretended to focus on my food while listening to the adults’ conversation.

I hoped I could follow along with their plans whenever there was an event.

But someone kept distracting me.

“Oh my, Lord Evan, you exude such elegance even while eating!”

“…I’ve worked hard ever since I entered the castle. It’s all thanks to my father and those who taught me.”

“Wow~ That’s amazing! Learning manners must have been quite difficult.”

“Uh… well…”

Ainseira Luke!

Why does this little girl keep bothering me?

But considering the influence of the Luke family, I couldn’t show that I was annoyed.

So, I tried my best to be as polite as possible…

Zzzing.

Why is Duke Luke glaring at me?

Did I fail at managing my expression?

“Umm… Marquis Verdine.”

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, Ainseira spoke to the Marquis.

With her unexpected call, the Marquis looked a bit surprised.

Although he didn’t show it, he seemed as uneasy as I was.

“I’d like to take a look around the lord’s castle. Would that be alright?”

“Hmmm, in that case, after we finish our meal…”

“No.”

It seemed that Ainseira wasn’t actually interested in the castle.

“I would like to ask Lord Evan for something right now.”