IQBSA 22

Chapter 22

In the original work, the female lead Ramona woke the Crown Prince with true love’s kiss.

『But that was only possible because Ramona Silodian was a saintess.』

The Silodian Ducal House, the female lead’s family, had passed down holy power through the female line for generations.

After a long hiatus, the holy power had been revived in this generation after several hundred years—and the chosen successor was Ramona.

In other words, strictly speaking, what woke the Crown Prince after he collapsed from the potent poison wasn’t the power of love, but the holy power.

『I have no connection to holy power whatsoever, and I don’t love the Crown Prince either.』

It would be good to try every possible method, but getting branded as a molester was out of the question.

Besides, setting aside whether it would work or not, a true love’s kiss was something the female lead was supposed to do in the story’s progression.

I gave up on even considering that method and shook my head, at which the watching physician spoke to me.

“What’s wrong? Did you think of something?”

“…No. Not at all.”

I saw the physician’s shoulders, which had risen with expectation, droop again.

“Physician, have you conducted a toxicology test?”

“Of course, that was the first thing I did. But nothing was detected. It’s possible they used a poison below the detection threshold, but with that alone…”

“It wouldn’t be enough to harm His Highness.”

“Exactly. Above all, since no other abnormalities appear in his body, it doesn’t seem to be a simple poison. Rather, I’m suspecting more sophisticated methods—such as black magic or potion use.”

The physician gazed at the lying Crown Prince with a grim expression and continued.

“If I knew the exact cause, I could administer the appropriate treatment, but I have no clue whatsoever, so I can’t act rashly… By any chance, do you know of any potion that produces symptoms like those of His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Potions were a closed field, accessible only to a small number of mages.

One had to graduate from the Magic Academy and meet the stringent qualification requirements—including passing high-level examinations—to become a potion maker, and even that wasn’t the end of it.

There was no systematically integrated manufacturing manual, so it was common practice to pick up and use scattered recipes floating around.

Even skilled potion makers often lost their way outside their specialty, so it would be even harder for an outsider to research it.

“Could you give me a moment to think?”

“Of course.”

Unfortunately, the original work only stated that the Empress Dowager used a potent poison, but never specified exactly what it was. So I had no choice but to mobilize all of Serpine’s knowledge and make an educated guess.

『I don’t have the slightest clue…』

Feeling like I was solving a riddle, I recalled a passage from the original novel—the part where the Crown Prince fell into an “eternal sleep.”

—

*Crown Prince Rirenzo Aldrate falls into an eternal sleep due to the potent poison secretly administered by Empress Dowager Dahlia.*

—

Before coming to this world, I had thought “eternal sleep” referred to death.

It’s common to liken death to an eternal sleep, an eternal rest.

But even in this world, where magic and holy power existed, there was something absolutely impossible.

And that was reviving the dead.

『Why did the author use that particular expression?』

Re-examining the wording, the Crown Prince truly appeared to be in a deep sleep. It seemed the novel’s title, *How to Wake the One Under a Spell*, wasn’t chosen for nothing.

『The author must have been deeply impressed by *Sleeping Beauty*.』

As I pondered whether I could glean some hint from the fairy tale that served as the motif, something suddenly flashed through my mind.

“……!”

Aside from the romance line between the male and female leads in *How to Wake the One Under a Spell*, there was one more story in this world with a plot similar to *Sleeping Beauty*.

That was the legend surrounding the Empire’s first Emperor, Axion Aldrate.

『Why didn’t I think of this sooner?』

That legend was known to every citizen of the Empire.

The life story of Axion, the hero who ended the chaotic era overrun with monsters and established a great human empire, was practically common knowledge in this world.

So, even without seeking it out, I had a general grasp of the overall content just from snippets I’d picked up in passing.

『It’s such a mythical story that it’s unclear where the truth ends and the fiction begins, but…』

Broadly summarizing the plot, it went like this:

When the entire continent was devastated by monsters and everyone was crying out in despair, a knight named Axion Aldrate appeared like a comet. He gathered an army, formed a subjugation force, and fought against the monsters.

The subjugation force, which had saved countless lives and restored peace wherever it went, finally headed to its last destination—Baldeas.

『The monsters’ stronghold, and the lair of the top-tier monster, the Black Dragon.』

The Black Dragon, dwelling deep in the caves of Baldeas, was infamous for its savage temper and was called the “Mad Dragon.”

In other words, it was like a final boss.

The Baldeas expedition was launched to slay this Black Dragon, but those who felt fear before the dark cave refused to go together.

In the end, Axion Aldrate entered the cave alone and engaged in a fierce two-day battle with the Black Dragon.

He finally plunged his sword into the dragon’s head, but took a direct hit from the dragon’s final desperate breath—the Dragon’s Breath—and collapsed on the spot.

Axion was dying as poison spread through his entire body, and no one could detoxify the powerful poison laced with the dragon’s curse.

When everyone was deep in grief, the Saintess Letitia Silodian appeared and saved him.

『…She woke Axion Aldrate with a kiss.』

The saintess who woke the sleeping, dying hero with a kiss. Through this, they fell in love, and the ending saw her become his consort.

It wasn’t exactly the same story, but there were clear similarities.

『Out of all the countless noble houses in this Empire, why did it have to be Aldrate and Silodian again?』

The fact that the male and female leads’ houses matched those in the legend was also highly significant.

“Physician, this may sound out of the blue, but does Dragon’s Breath still exist in the world? I mean… is there any way to obtain Dragon’s Breath?”

“Are you perhaps… recalling the case of Emperor Axion?”

The physician seemed to have instantly grasped the intent behind my question.

“Yes. I was wondering if this might be a similar case.”

“Oh…”

The physician, who had been staring blankly as if struck on the head, continued speaking.

“However, the Mad Dragon that fell to Emperor Axion’s sword was the last dragon. Since it’s impossible to preserve, there’s virtually no way to access Dragon’s Breath.”

The physician pressed firmly on the Crown Prince’s arm, which lay neatly on the bed, and urged me to do the same.

I carefully reached out my hand.

First, I felt the warmth of his body temperature, followed by the firmness of his arm muscles.

“Do you know what characteristics that Mad Dragon’s Breath had? It spread throughout the body, paralyzing it, and caused a very slow, painful death. We can’t confirm whether His Highness is in pain, but since no paralytic symptoms are visible externally, wouldn’t you agree it’s difficult to see this as the same case?”

『So it’s similar, but not an exact match.』

I was surprised at how solid his arm was, but that was due to muscle—clearly different from paralytic symptoms, as the physician had said.

I removed my hand from the Crown Prince and spoke.

“There are differences in symptoms, but it seems premature to conclude they’re completely unrelated. That said, could we learn more details about Emperor Axion’s condition?”

Aside from the fact that the overlap was too great to be a coincidence, one should never lightly dismiss myths or legends that appear in a novel.

『There’s a high probability they contain important foreshadowing.』

“Hmm, if that’s the case…”

The physician stroked his beard with a serious expression, pondering, then spoke.

“I can point out a few reference books for you to read. No need to go far—they’re available in the Imperial Library.”

“Good. But if it’s the Imperial Library… I believe outsiders are not permitted entry.”

“I’ll request a pass for you.”

Things were progressing more smoothly than expected.

“Here you go.”

Charis handed me the library pass she had obtained at the physician’s request and asked.

“But why are you going to the library?”

“I need to look up some materials related to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Charis’s face brightened noticeably at the mention of the Crown Prince’s treatment.

“Just take the pass I gave you and show it to the guard at the entrance. Since the Tower Master already knows where it is, I don’t think I need to escort you. I’m busy with the eve-of-the-festival preparations, so I’ll be going now.”

Charis waved her hand and disappeared like the wind.

I shook the pass in my hand at Roakin, who was standing beside me, and said:

“Let’s go, Tower Master.”

“What about finding Ramona Silodian?”

Roakin tilted his head in confusion.

“I do need to find her, but honestly, I don’t know anything beyond the fact that she came to the palace. The palace is so vast I have no idea where to look… I’ll just read some books and wait—she’ll show up eventually.”

“For someone who said her life was on the line, you’re awfully calm.”

Thanks to Roakin sticking by my side more faithfully than I’d expected, I hadn’t felt as worried lately.

I’d been concerned that such an unpredictable person might disappear without a word, but that turned out to be an unfounded worry.

“A bodyguard, a guide… It’s not easy to use a premium asset like me so casually.”

“Yes. I consider it an honor.”

At my composed reply, Roakin looked exasperated but still led the way.

After walking in silence for a while, Roakin suddenly asked in a voice laced with discontent:

“Since when did you become so interested in Rirenzo Aldrate?”