The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away-Chapter 40: The Princess and the Personal Physician (1)
“Asella.”
A cold voice rang in Asella’s ears as she walked from the waiting room toward the arena.
The guards and handmaidens took a step back.
Click, clack.
Camilla approached Asella with the sharp sound of her heels echoing through the corridor.
Asella looked at her without responding.
“So now you don’t even bother greeting me. Where did you learn such insolence? Are you just completely giving up on appearances now?”
“It’s time for me to present myself before His Majesty. Would you kindly not get in my way?”
“Hah! The way you talk! Do you think you can impress His Majesty with some magic you practiced without me? My personal disciples already finished their demonstrations! They showed Fourth-Tier magic!”
Reaching the Fourth Tier meant one had already achieved greatness as a mage.
Camilla had indeed proven her competence by taking such individuals as her disciples.
Those who failed to gain entrance into the Mage Tower often sought her out just for the chance to train under her.
Of course, very few lasted long under Camilla’s harsh temperament.
Only three mages had participated in today’s contest.
And the Imperial Palace already had a Sage.
In truth, it wasn’t enough to shift power dynamics in favor of Moonlight Palace.
But on a special occasion like today, things were different.
Camilla had handed over mages who could have supported Asella’s performance—straight to Georg.
Asella couldn’t help but feel disappointed by that.
Camilla didn’t trust her as a daughter.
She was merely a tool to seize imperial power.
So far, she had been the most manageable option—nothing more. If that changed, Camilla would simply switch to her backup plan: Georg.
That was all Asella ever was to her.
“Mother, I have one question.”
“You think you have the right to ask me anything?”
“Why do you need the Emperor? Don’t you already enjoy power as the Empress?”
At Asella’s question, Camilla let out a short laugh through her nose.
“A brat like you wouldn’t understand! I need the Emperor’s power to finally realize my noble ideals.”
The current Emperor, though aged, still possessed sharp judgment.
He had taken Camilla as Empress only to forge a weapon named Asella—and now, she was all but abandoned in the remote Moonlight Palace.
Perhaps Camilla thought that if she became the true power behind the Emperor, she could finally reign supreme.
Asella could only marvel at how simplistic that thinking was.
“Georg, that boy is useful. He’s ambitious and has a natural talent for succession. He’s so full of pride that he won’t eliminate a threat unless it directly harms his interests.”
Camilla’s voice grew stronger with conviction.
“Asella, I raised you as a mother. Didn’t you also dream of ascending the throne? What foolish obsession has possessed you that you’d act so recklessly?!”
As Camilla shouted, Asella blinked once.
Her hand unconsciously tightened around her staff.
It was a reflex—a result of the special training she had received.
...The dream of becoming Emperor...
Was only ever your dream.
“...Hoo.”
Asella steadied her breathing.
She recalled the advice of her personal physician.
Breathing rate was crucial.
It helped regulate the heartbeat and eased tension.
...And indeed, even in Camilla’s presence, she now felt a surprising sense of calm.
With her eyes open, Asella concealed her emotions behind a blank face and stated evenly:
“Watch my magic, Mother.”
Leaving the fuming Camilla behind, Asella walked down the corridor.
“Next up, representing Moonlight Palace in the magical exhibition! None other than Her Highness, the Third Princess, Asella von Württempelt!”
Following the announcer’s voice, Asella stepped into the center of the arena.
The terrain used for the group match had already been cleared, leaving behind a clean stage.
Asella recalled the magic circle she had learned from Seymour and raised her staff.
―Psh!
The magic activated.
The formula in Asella’s mind was channeled through her staff and constructed into a smooth, stable form.
Her golden mana shimmered brilliantly, forming a flawless circle without the slightest distortion.
“Oho, that’s sharp.”
“They say the Sage has been teaching Her Highness Asella, haven’t they?”
The Emperor’s siblings murmured their observations as they watched.
Asella finished drawing the full array and moved into the casting phase.
As mana flowed into the three drawn circles, they began to spin with a thunderous sound.
As they interlocked to form a triangular prism-shaped space, particles of light gathered at the center and began to coalesce.
It was a statue of the Emperor, depicted in a majestic pose.
“Bringer. That’s a transportation spell.”
“Isn’t that the spell that conveniently summons objects from afar? I heard it’s a fairly difficult Third-Tier magic.”
“Hoho, seems Her Highness Asella learned quite a bit from the Sage, wouldn’t you say, Brother?”
At the Emperor’s brother’s praise, the Emperor silently stroked his chin.
Indeed, the magic Asella had shown was brilliant, especially for her age—it was undeniably genius.
“But she’s not the only one.”
They said even the Sage Seymour had reached the Fourth Tier ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) by the age of ten.
As though it were only natural to compare her to a once-in-two-centuries prodigy, the Emperor withheld his admiration.
Just as he had sneered at Georg’s knights during the group match—his standards were uncompromising.
“If that’s all, I’m disappointed.”
The Emperor leaned his chin into his hand, his expression dull.
Asella was a magical weapon crafted by embracing the witch Camilla into the royal family.
She had not one, but two distinct magical talents.
The Emperor expected more than this.
“Hah, only a measly Third-Tier spell? Even the court mages who set up the stage for the group match could cast Bringer.”
Georg clenched his fist, sensing he had gained another step toward victory.
“If it’s a transportation spell, she should’ve shown Teleport instead of Bringer. Pathetic.”
Lauga scolded the excited Georg.
“Teleport is a large-scale Fifth-Tier spell. It needs tons of materials and multiple mages. Try making sense, will you?”
“Magic is for mages to play with. A ruler doesn’t have time for such trifles, Lauga.”
“You sound like a young boomer.”
Lauga waved her hand as if shooing away a foul smell. Georg folded his arms, hiding his annoyance.
Asella, seemingly unfazed by the lukewarm reactions of the crowd, didn’t pause—she immediately began drawing her next spell.
“She’s still going?”
Georg furrowed his brow in concentration.
This time, she drew four magic circles.
A Fourth-Tier spell.
“Wait—how did she just build that?”
Lauga, who had been watching Asella closely, suddenly tilted her head in confusion.
The structure of Asella’s magic circles was overlapping in a strange way—forming a geometric pattern that made no sense.
“What spell is that?”
“I have no idea. I’ve never seen that formation before...”
The Emperor’s siblings and children looked bewildered, unable to identify it.
Then—shrrrk.
Asella drew one more circle and threaded it through the center.
“Is that a Fifth-Tier spell?!”
“No—it’s not a direct connection. If we had to classify it, it’s more like an advanced Fourth-Tier... What kind of formula is that?”
“Wait—don’t tell me...”
One of the Emperor’s brothers, well-versed in magic, nodded with a tense expression.
“It’s a new spell. Her Highness Asella just invented a spell.”
The Emperor’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
With calm, measured breathing, Asella softly chanted:
“Recall.”
―KAGAGAK!!
Golden mana swirled in violent rotation.
From the structure shaped like a tesseract, particles began to materialize.
The effect was similar to teleportation.
When the spell completed, something appeared that had not been there before.
A spell to bring forth something that did not exist in this space.
And what Asella had summoned—
“A hatchling?!”
“W-what?!”
—was a dragon hatchling.
A palm-sized red lizard blinked around, seemingly its first time seeing a human.
With a flutter, it spread its tiny wings and perched on the statue of the Emperor.
Burp—it let out a hiccup of mana that expelled a small flame.
“My God, did Her Highness Asella just use a transportation spell on a living creature?!”
“Wasn’t that Teleport?!”
“Teleport is for moving the caster or opening a gate! There’s no known magic that moves other living beings!”
The stands erupted in chaos.
Asella, filled with pride at her success, allowed herself the faintest smile.
Seymour had told her she had a gift for spatial magic—Bringer, Teleport, Summon.
In broader terms: space-time.
Only those with a different perception of the world could achieve such things.
“Recall” was a spell she had invented for today’s exhibition.
A magic that existed nowhere else in the world—surely even the Emperor would reward such genius.
Or so Asella thought.
But—
“Your Majesty, you must silence everyone who witnessed that spell immediately.”
“Yes, if word of this spreads, it will cause massive upheaval.”
The Emperor’s siblings and children grew hysterical.
Even the Emperor was staring at Asella with a grave expression.
A cold gaze—as if weighing her value against fate.
Why?
Asella couldn’t quite understand the reaction.
Most of the knights, servants, and spectators were applauding her.
Only the higher-ranking nobles, the ones with deep knowledge of magic, looked disturbed.
...Ah.
Only then did Asella realize her mistake.
The Emperor nodded slowly.
“Indeed... that is a dangerous magic.”
***
“Why are they reacting like that?”
The head maid asked nervously.
I had been watching Asella’s exhibition from the succession seats.
“I can more or less guess.”
Asella’s performance had more than proven her competence.
So competent, in fact, that it was a problem.
“Hah. Asella. Just like her mother—so arrogant. I knew she’d screw up eventually. She should know her place. Who does that tiny brat think she is, aiming for the succession?”
Georg laughed gleefully, mocking Asella.
Honestly, that pissed me off a bit.
I knew how hard Asella worked in Seymour’s lessons.
It’s not like she did anything wrong by putting in the effort.
[No. 012: Fall of the Empire 52% → 92%]
She barely managed to pull off that spell she worked so hard on, and this is the reaction she gets? Anyone would want to throw the whole thing away.
I took a step forward.
“Doctor?”
The head maid called from behind.
“Prince Georg, I have a few words for you.”
“...What?”
Georg turned, frowning at me.
Looks like you’re the designated jackass of the imperial family.
Well, I used to be the village’s local jackass myself.
