Chapter 5: Fresh Prince

It was around that time of year that Jethro was going to need new supplies. He walked to his desk, opened the second drawer and pulled out an old quill and a notepad, taking his time to think about what he needed to restock. If he was lucky, he could have them all written before-

"Dr. Jethro!"

Too late. A squeaky voice called from the other side of the door and Jethro looked up to see a young lady walk in. She gave a simple smile and Jethro stumbled, falling off his chair and frightening her.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

The ring of fire that circled her eyes exuded curiosity and confusion. Jethro woke up, composed himself and sighed.

"You tend to forget you're not only half human."

"Aah, gotcha. Sorry about that."

Evadelyne Awarfurthkopsek Sufra was her full name. Evadelyne to those who couldn't be bothered with her second name. Eva to those who were even lazier than that. It wasn't rare to see one born of dragons and humans these days but even in the silver age, the blood fairies kept to themselves. Eva shot out her left arm and Jethro searched for a special syringe in his mind, summoning it as soon as he remembered where he kept it. It had a purple-green liquid that bubbled up occasionally with light pop sounds coming out of the syringe. He found a vein and drained the contents into her skin. The next few minutes had her struggling to adjust, fighting animal-like urges and growling in pain. She was on the floor, clawing at it with sharp blood-red claws and the intensity of the ring of flame lit the room with bright and warm tones. One minute passed and she collapsed in exhaustion.

"That was easier than the last time," Jethro commented, summoning a patient's chart and noting it down, before forming a summoning seal and sending the contents to the royal medic. That was the main reason fairies and humans did not have children. Their offspring rarely absorbed the affinities of both races with ease. Many would simply die as children and those that survived only did so under heavy supervision and medication of curated mana that stabilised them every year. For this reason, the nobles were the only ones who were brave enough to experiment. The children that made it to adulthood were placed under the supervision of Medical Knights, just like Eva was under Jethro. She called it employment. He called it imprisonment.

Eva woke up and immediately felt the shame of her actions. She was on her feet and out of the door before Jethro could say another word. At least she was done for the day. Jethro felt burdened looking at those eyes.The eyes that once held him in eternal peace. He had done a great job of avoiding her without much conflict. But today was the type of day she was most likely going to meet him more than once. He could handle it. His hand rummaged through his hair and he noticed another grey hair coming out. This time around, the grey wasn't an aesthetic. He really was growing old. He went back to noting the ingredients he needed and was absorbed in the activity for a while before a knock on the door disturbed him. It was Eva. She looked disturbed.

"I'm already making a list, Eva. You don't need to-"

"You have a patient."

"Not exactly a surprising thing."

"And I think I'm in love with him."

That came out of nowhere. But it still didn't seem too out of pocket.

"Love is not exactly a surprising thing either. I believe you're human enough to-"

"Jethro, it's not a natural cause. I feel..compelled to love him."

"Aah."

****************

There might have been one more thing Eva forgot to mention. Seated before Jethro was a young man with midnight black hair and streaks of gold, owing to mana so potent that some of it needed to be sealed on his hair. There were few people in the kingdom who had that reputation. In fact, depending on how much gold hair one had, one could tell how much mana they had in reserves. As powerful as Jethro was, he had none. King Xionus Khionmar had almost all of his hair sealed in mana, thus it was more accurate to say that his was gold with streaks of white. In theory, the king himself could form a mana barrier over his entire kingdom for months if he wanted to. The man was dressed in rags but clearly, they were not his official wear. More than likely this was a Light construct of some sort. His eyes had a distinct hue that looked brown to the ordinary folk but to a more experienced mana user, was actually a maroon that betrayed one family in specific. The Khionmars.

"Your Majesty," Jethro began, "with all due respect, have you lost your mind? What are you doing in the War Zones?"

"Relax. I'm here on official business."

"There are none that require you to be here during war times."

"You've been with nobles for long enough that you feel like you understand everything we do. But make no mistake, dear knight, a prince is always where he wants to be on official business. If I say it's necessary, then that's what it becomes."

Jethro had no answer to that. At the end of the day, a prince does what they want to do. Jethro began asking questions. Prince Qaribel Khionmar had very short answers to all of them. But from what Jethro could gather, Qaribel seemed to have gotten himself jinxed with a potion he himself made to prove love potions couldn't exist. Jethro asked for a sample of the mixture and Qaribel immediately and proudly produced it. Jethro rushed to his lab and inspected it. The mixture was expertly made. Qaribel didn't seem to look for simple shrubs for his test. Isolating the known compounds revealed he got access to rare plants that couldn't be found in Cathogary. This was no mere experiment. But surely, this wasn't a big deal. After all, even if it wasn't permanent, Qaribel's status meant that what he achieved with the potion wasn't all that far off from how people treated him without it. After all, Qaribel wasn't wrong. Jethro wasn't looking at a love potion. This was more akin to a compelling spell, one that could extract true feelings from a person and make them more honest. Feelings of admiration could be multiplied to adoration, maybe even obsession in the wrong hands. Those who didn't like Qaribel would never be affected. He returned to his office.

"You have a future as a chemist, maybe even a medic."

"I'd consider it. There's a lot of things we don't know. Mana as a whole is so extraordinary, Jethro. Do you know there's a civilization not far from here that is only inhabited by spirits? I hear their mana is so great that a whole new magic exists. So fascinating!"

Qaribel's irises would glow a bright yellow as he kept talking. And suddenly, Jethro understood.

"That's why this potion troubles you greatly. Your true love is science and exploration."

Qaribel nodded simply.

"I have no time for love, honoured knight. It asks too much from me and gives too little to deter me from my exploits. The world is out there, calling me to discover it. Love might be special to many, but to be it is a burden. I value the feelings of those who desire my heart but-"

The sound of shattering glass interrupted them. Jethro reached for one of his pens and activated a mana shield. Qaribel's eyes glowed to a strong gold shade and the mana shield instantly had inscriptions added to it, making it even sturdier.

"Show-off. I have a feeling you know what is on the other side."

"The known side effect of the drug is that those who get rejected…let's just say that love is not the only amplified feeling one has to worry about."

Jethro formed a communication seal.

"Eva, set up the first trap."

"Yes, sir."

The call ended and Jethro turned to his watch. That was worth about a few seconds of mana cost. He waited for the time to elapse in silence.

"Summon: Wood Chipper."

There was no need to get something stronger with a royal involved. Turning back to Jethro, he was surprised to see Qaribel's attention locked on to his small surgical knife.

"I expected the Wood Chipper to be a lot bigger."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"But summoning it so easily, does that mean-"

"We can go over that some other time. Save your compliments until we get your fans to leave."

"I must ask, what is the trap you have placed for those ladies? They are citizens, after all."

"Don't worry. It's a simple, harmless spell that takes that into consideration. Summon: Stupor. It disorients anyone trying to get in by summoning them several steps back right as they get close to the entrance. As long as it's running on a steady supply, it can keep going forever."

"Fascinating. That's not a spell I found when studying about Hypocreta, though."

"You're not the only one fascinated with what mana can do."

The doors of the entrance burst open and a group of angry ladies got in. Eva tried to set up another trap but she was a bit exhausted. Using the mana cost of her fairy self would instantly cause physical strain. All she could do was set up a barrier and hope that Jethro could handle things. Jethro and Qaribel got to the reception area and Jethro gave a stern look to Eva before turning his attention to the ladies. Their veins were bulging with mana they could not control. Qaribel stepped in to engage but Jethro held up a hand.

"Your mana levels could kill them. There's a reason we don't allow royals on the battlefield."

Jethro took a step forward towards them. They were probably running on adrenaline and basic instincts so he knew he had one shot to be heard.

"You want Qaribel? You'll have to kill me first."

"What?"

Jethro simply raised the mana blade and Qaribel understood. The ladies pounced on him, ripping apart his limbs. Bones were crushed. Muscles were torn. And Jethro withstood all of it. Qaribel had to look away at some point and the screams of Jethro's pain rang across the room. He covered his ears a little while later, ashamed at how his little experiment could lead to all this suffering. It wasn't completely real, Qaribel knew, but Jethro was always going to remember the pain. Having the blade and using it so casually meant that Jethro held within himself the pain of several shreddings like this one. Wielding Wood Chipper was having a body that carried death sentences while never truly having the grace to die in peace. How many times had Jethro thrown himself in such encounters with such ease? Qaribel's breath hitched on his throat and for a moment, he felt queasy and left breathless. A violent cough escaped and he felt bile edging at his tongue.

"It's okay, Qaribel. I wouldn't put myself through this if I wasn't able to hold out."

Qaribel turned to see Jethro attempt to heal him. He tried to activate his own reserve mana but his mind was too unfocused to do so.

"I'm the medic here, Your Majesty. Relax."

The feeling of uneasiness left Qaribel as the healing was done. Jethro and Eva ushered the ladies into his office and it was shut for a few minutes. The ladies then walked out and wouldn't dare to have their eyes meet Qaribel as they walked out. This was probably the most embarrassing moment of their lives. Qaribel found his voice and decided to give them comfort.

"Great maidens of Cathogary, I ask for your forgiveness."

One of them squealed and the others remained in shock.

"No, my prince. We can't have you calling us great, let alone ask for our forgiveness. We're the ones who are sorry. I don't know what came over me like that."

"A strong feeling. One I also have for the pursuit of science. But I fear my search has put people in harm's way. While I most certainly cannot return any of your interests, will you all honour me with an upcoming festival? I promise to bring cousins who are as handsome and courteous. Maybe you'll walk home fulfilled."

One of the ladies was disappointed.

"My prince, while you seem to know of love, you seem to also think of it as malleable. Would you easily part with your love for science for money or something equivalent? Your cousins are great, I'm sure, but I loved you personally. Your honesty is enough for me."

"Speak for yourself, Deitras," another said with just as much conviction. "You want to give my hand to a handsome man, give me a date and time and an invitation. I won't let you down."

The prince nodded and left them with details. The most disappointed left first and the most enthusiastic remained for a bit, hoping to change the prince's mind. Finally, Qaribel was left with Eva.

"I must have been a bit sheltered. There's more to human feelings that I could explore with as much vigour as science."

"You won't find anything of substance, Your Majesty. Trust me."

"Were you also among those affected by my spell perhaps?"

That was Eva's cue to run away.