532 Resurrection Medicine, and the Previous Dragon Emperor

「Thi-this is...! No way... no way! Ah, what an incredible...!」

Huh, what's with this atmosphere...?

We had arrived in the Orfan Dragon Kingdom, gone through the formal greetings, explained the guidelines and rules for joining the World Alliance, and presented one hundred of the golden magical recovery potions to His Majesty the Hōtei, as per the request.

At that time, we also talked about how the material Moonlight Tree Drops could be harvested in this country, and that by trading with other nations using it, they could manufacture recovery potions locally, too.

Then we provided several mass-produced smartphones and gave a tutorial on how to use them to His Majesty the Hōtei and the country’s high officials. Once all that was done, I remembered the souvenir we'd brought and decided to hand it over.

To make it look more valuable, we had gone out of our way to put it in a paulownia wood box. The moment His Majesty the Hōtei opened it, he dropped the lid and suddenly became distraught.

In place of the Hōtei, who was now completely stunned, a middle-aged prime minister in blue formalwear, also excited, interrupted.

「Y-Your Majesty, the Prince! Could this perhaps be... the tail of the Hō (phoenix)!?」

"Uh, in our place, we call it a Phoenix, but I think it's probably the same species..."

According to Kougyoku, it’s technically different, but the material’s effect is the same. Still, if it were to turn into, "How dare you disrespect our revered Hō!", we’re totally ready to insist, “This is a Phoenix! Completely different thing!”

"This... with this, we can make a resurrection medicine...! We can save Tatsuma-sama!"

"Your Majesty! Resurrection medicine is an extremely rare item! It cannot be used so casually—!"

"What nonsense! With this, we can save Tatsuma-sama! I won’t let the Hō family do as they please!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Among the Ryū clan, starting with Tatsuya-sama, there are still candidates for the next era! We can’t waste such a precious medicine!"

"Waste!? You dare say such a thing!?"

Apparently, we weren’t getting caught in the crossfire, but things were getting out of control between the people in red formalwear and those in blue—likely members of the Hō and Ryū clans, respectively.

As for His Majesty the Hōtei, he had even begun to shed tears. Yeah, this is something we need to calm down immediately.

"Uhh... 【Silence】"

When I activated the silence spell, all the noise instantly disappeared.

The people of Dragon Kingdom were visibly panicking at the sudden loss of sound, mouths opening and closing, trying to say something to me.

"Let’s all calm down for a moment. If you can explain the situation, maybe we can help?"

We hadn’t muted ourselves, so they should have heard me.

Eventually, His Majesty the Hōtei nodded earnestly, and I released the【Silence】spell.

"...Please forgive us. We showed a disgraceful scene in front of our guests... I sincerely apologize."

His Majesty lightly bowed his head.

Well, it’s not like I mind, but I’d rather not be the cause of a civil war over a gift, so it would help if they could explain what’s going on.

"Indeed. The story goes back fifteen years..."

According to His Majesty the Hōtei, the previous Dragon Emperor, i.e., the Ryūtei, was a man named Tatsuma. He was a wise emperor, and the young Hōtei regarded him as an older brother.

While the Ryū and Hō clans have untouchable spheres, they were not enemies. Tatsuma, the then Ryūtei, and Hōka—current Hōtei and once the next Hōtei—were as close as siblings.

Their paths diverged fifteen years ago. The incident occurred at the Ryūhōden, the Dragon Emperor’s castle.

Tatsuma died in an accident—crushed under a heavy altar that suddenly collapsed.

"I was in front of the altar at that time. Tatsuma-sama noticed it quickly and pushed me away. Thanks to him, I was saved. But in return... Tatsuma-sama lost his life..."

There once existed resurrection medicine in the Dragon Kingdom, but none has been made for over a thousand years due to the extreme rarity of its ingredients.

Still clinging to a faint hope, His Majesty preserved Tatsuma's body.

"I can use what you would call non-attribute magic. I call it【Sealing World】—a power to stop time for an object and store it. Though it only works on small items..."

Whoa. So, His Majesty can use something like【Storage】.

On the western continent, there are magic tools like storage cards to keep golems or such, but they can't stop time.

Just like【Storage】,his【Sealing World】can't store living beings. However, a corpse is no longer living, so it can be stored just fine.

"I simply couldn't let go. I wanted to see Tatsuma-sama's smile again. I must have admired him deeply as a child. I’ve spent the last fifteen years as Hōtei trying to live in a way that would not shame Tatsuma-sama, devoting myself to the Dragon Kingdom. At the same time, I sent envoys far and wide to gather the rare materials piece by piece. But no matter how I tried, I couldn’t obtain the final one—the Phoenix’s Tail. And now… now it’s here…!"

I see. So that’s what those tears were for. The savior he adored like an older brother might be brought back to life. No wonder he cried.

Sniffle—I heard someone sniffing, and when I looked, Elna was bawling her eyes out. What!?

"Your Majesty... I'm so happy for you…!"

Uh, Elna-san? He hasn’t been brought back yet, you know?

"There, there, Elna. Wipe your tears..."

Her mother, Elze, wiped Elna’s face with a handkerchief. I could tell that Elze herself was on the verge of tears, too, barely holding it together. Like mother, like daughter.

Meanwhile, on the other side of me, the other mother-daughter duo...

"I see. So, His Majesty the Hōtei, and the Ryū clan, intend to use the resurrection medicine on the late Emperor Tatsuma-sama?"

"Hmm. It seems the Hō clan wishes to reserve this rare medicine in case something serious happens in the future."

Yumina and Kuon calmly analyzed the situation. Another like-mother-like-daughter pair... Hmph, come on, you two could show a bit more 'dad-sentiment' too, you know?

"If Tatsuma-sama hadn’t saved me back then, I would have died. Now it’s my turn to save Tatsuma-sama."

"But, Your Majesty…! Thinking about the future, using the medicine now might be—!"

A close aide in a red ceremonial robe interrupted Your Majesty Hōtei. Since he is also of the Hō (Phoenix) clan, he’s likely thinking about what would happen if something were to happen to Your Majesty Hōtei.

Hm? Is there actually a chance that something could happen?

As I was pondering that question, Yumina glanced over at me.

“Touya-san.”

“Hm? Ah, I know.”

I took out a small vial from my [Storage]. It was filled with a clear blue liquid.

“What is… this?”

“It’s a magical resurrection potion.”

“What!?”

Everyone from the Dragon Country focused their eyes on the small bottle placed on the table. Well, of course they did—this is the finished product made from the materials I gave them.

“Here, you may have it.”

“Eh!? I-Is that really okay!?”

“Yes. It's a benefit of joining the World Alliance. It's just one bottle, though. We're distributing them to other countries as well, so please don't hesitate.”

“Ah, thank you so much…!”

Your Majesty Hōtei hugged the small bottle to their chest and bowed deeply with tears in their eyes.

Ideally, I would have liked to wait a little longer before handing it over. But Yumina had already confirmed things with her magic eye, so she must’ve prompted me. Judging by appearances, he doesn’t seem like a bad person.

“Your majesty, Duke of Brunhilde, we sincerely apologize for the imposition, especially after all the consideration you’ve shown, but… would you kindly assist with Tatsuma-sama’s resurrection? We’ve heard that Your Majesty is capable of using healing magic. We would like to heal Tatsuma-sama’s body before proceeding with the resurrection ritual.”

“Eh? Well, I don’t mind…”

As I accepted Your Majesty Hōtei’s request, the whole room suddenly burst into activity. Especially the members of the dragon clan in blue ceremonial robes, who started moving around in a hurry.

“We don’t know what could happen. Call the medical practitioners and herbalists! And the barrier specialist too!”

“Send a runner to Ryūhōden! Bring back Tatsuya-sama!”

“Clear out the Red Wing Hall! Don’t let anyone near it until the ritual is complete!”

Amid the escalating commotion, we were led to another room. Looks like we’re to wait here until preparations are complete.

While relaxing and sipping the tea that had been brought to us in the waiting room, a minister from the dragon clan came in and bowed deeply once again.

“Thank you so very much…! On behalf of Tatsuya-sama and the entire dragon clan, we express our deepest gratitude…!”

“Ah, um, we haven’t succeeded yet, so if you go that far it’s a bit…”

Honestly, thinking about the possibility of the resurrection failing, the pressure is overwhelming. I wish they’d stop doing that.

As I was struggling, I felt a gentle tug on my sleeve from Elna, who looked worried.

“Is it possible that the resurrection potion might not work?”

“Yeah, it’s not zero. First off, if the condition of the body isn’t perfect. Even if it looks unharmed on the outside, if there’s severe internal damage, the resurrection won’t work. To be exact, it would resurrect only for the person to die immediately again. Next, if the person has already been resurrected once before. Even if it’s called a resurrection potion, it’s not something you can use again and again. And then, the most likely reason—it’s when, for whatever reason, the soul is no longer staying with the body. Without a soul, the potion does nothing. So, there are several possible scenarios like that.”

While explaining to Elna, I also made sure the minister understood these potential issues.

If the resurrection fails, I’m going to feel incredibly guilty…

In theory, healing magic should completely restore any injuries or damage to the organs. It sounds like they used storage magic immediately after Tatsuma-sama died in an accident, so I don’t think the soul would’ve slipped away.

Unless the late Dragon had already been resurrected once before, there shouldn’t be a problem with bringing him back.

Actually, there’s another condition where resurrection might fail—that is, if the deceased died with resentment or grudges.

When someone dies with hatred or strong negative feelings, their soul can leave their body and turn into a wraith. In that case, resurrection is impossible. After all, the crucial soul has already gone elsewhere—probably to haunt the person they resented most.

Tatsuma-sama died trying to save Your Majesty Hōtei, so I don’t think he held any grudges. But sometimes even unresolved regrets can cause the soul to leave…

That’s how easily the soul detaches from the body when one dies. If the separation is clean, the soul passes on peacefully. But if part of the soul clings to the body while harboring resentment, the body turns into a zombie, and the soul becomes a wraith or a specter.

“By the way, I’ve been wondering—who is this Tatsuya-sama they mentioned earlier?”

While sipping her tea, Kuon asked the minister. Ah, I’d been wondering that too. His name came up several times in conversation.

“Tatsuya-sama is the younger brother of the late Dragon Tatsuma-sama, and one of the candidates for the next Dragon.”

The younger brother of the former Dragon Emperor, huh. Well, it makes sense they’d contact him right away.

Hearing the explanation, Elze tilted her head.

“So, if he’s just a candidate, that means the next Dragon hasn’t been decided yet?”

“That is correct. The Dragon Emperor is selected from the ten noble houses of the dragon and phoenix clans combined. But to our shame, the five houses of the dragon clan have not been able to unite… However, if Tatsuma-sama returns, we wish for him to ascend the throne once more. In that case, I believe none of the five houses would object.”

Tatsuma-sama must have been a truly wise and admirable emperor. For not just Your Majesty Hōtei, but even the retainers to speak of him with such respect…

“But what happens to Your Majesty Hōtei if Tatsuma-sama returns to the throne?”

“Your Majesty Hōtei assumed the throne out of guilt over Tatsuma-sama’s death. If that burden is lifted, he has long stated that he would step down and return the throne to Tatsuma-sama.”

Ah, I see. So, Your Majesty Hōtei has always planned to abdicate…

That kind of makes the earlier behavior of those phoenix aides seem suspicious.

Maybe they hesitated to use the resurrection potion because they didn’t want Tatsuma-sama to return and force Your Majesty Hōtei to step down… I can’t help but wonder.

…Well, I shouldn’t doubt people so easily. Maybe they were just genuinely worried about Your Majesty Hōtei’s safety.

As I sipped my tea and reflected on that, the door to the room opened, and the man in the red ceremonial robe stepped in.

“Preparations are complete. Please come this way. I will guide you.”

It seemed the preparations for revival were complete. Alright, then… let’s go. Hmm, what should we do about the children?

“Yumina, Elze. Could you two wait here with the children?”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to let the kids see a corpse. And there was always the possibility that the revival might fail. I didn’t want the people of the Dragon Country to witness such a shocking, despair-inducing scene.

“Understood. We’ll wait here,”“Be careful, okay?”

The two of them understood what I was thinking and agreed to stay behind. Alright then, let’s do this.

I took only Kougyoku with me and followed the guide. We passed through a corridor lined with red pillars and went deeper and deeper inside, eventually arriving in a refined, elegantly constructed room.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Your Majesty, Duke Brunhilde. All preparations are complete.”

The Your Majesty Hōtei, who was inside the room, bowed his head. On the bed placed in front of him, a young man lay silently. So, this was the former Dragon.

He looked to be in his mid-twenties. He wore a luxurious blue robe and had long black hair tied back. He was tall and had a well-defined face, but from the side of his forehead, there was still a fresh-looking wound oozing with blood. Was that the cause of death? Maybe he was crushed under the altar and suffered a fatal blow to the head?

Having been released from Your Majesty Hōtei [Sealing Realm], time was already flowing for him once more. There was no time to waste. Time to begin the procedure.

First, I used “Divine Eye” to check whether the soul was still where it should be in the body.

Around the chest area, I saw a round, brilliantly glowing object. It was swaying slightly, as if it was about to leave the body, but there were no cracks or missing parts. The soul was intact.

Phew. That was the biggest concern, so I felt relieved.

“Alright then.【Come, O Light, Goddess’s Healing, Mega Heal】”

“Oooh…!”

Gasps of astonishment rose from those around me. Tatsuma-sama’s body was wrapped in light, emitting a phosphorescent glow. The wound on the side of his head healed rapidly before everyone’s eyes. His bodily injuries were completely mended.

“The wound disappeared…!”

“With this, his physical damage is healed. Now we just need to use the revival potion to anchor his soul back into the body.”

“Yes…!”

Yoru Majesty Hōtei gently raised Tatsuma-sama’s head slightly and opened the lid of a small vial containing the revival potion.

“Please come back to us… Tatsuma-sama…”

Tatsuma-sama’s lips were slowly fed the potion. As long as the potion entered the body, it didn’t need to be swallowed. It would still be effective even if it were poured through the nose.

The revival potion should immediately start working inside the body, anchoring the soul and awakening the flesh… at least, that’s what it’s supposed to do. This was my first time seeing someone revived with this potion, so I had no idea how long it would take.

According to Flora from the Alchemy Tower, it shouldn’t take that long…

“Tatsuma-sama…! Please…”

Your Majesty Hōtei and the others around him held their breath as they watched the young man on the bed. I was just as anxious, wondering if it might fail. If he’s going to come back, please hurry up already! The pressure is insane!

“Look! Tatsuma-sama’s complexion…!”

Eventually, the pale face of Tatsuma-sama began to regain some color. His eyelids twitched slightly.

"Tatsuma-sama…!"

Your Majesty Hōtei gently laid down the head he had been supporting and watched over quietly.

"Kofu…!""Ohh!"

With a small cough-like motion, Tetsuma-sama’s whole body stirred. After coughing a few more times, Tatsuma-sama’s eyes slowly opened.

"…Where is this? When did I end up in a place like this…?"

The moment Tatsuma-sama spoke, an explosive cheer erupted inside the room. Both the Ryū clan and the Hō clan were weeping with joy. He must have been deeply loved...

"Tatsuma-sama!"

Overcome with emotion, Your Majesty Hōtei threw himself over the lying Tatsuma-sama, embracing him.

"Wha!? W-Wait a moment! Who are you!?"

At Tatsuma-sama’s words, his face flushing red, the previously boisterous room fell completely silent. Could it be... he lost his memory!?

"It’s me! Hōka!"

"Hōka... Hōka? Don’t be ridiculous. Hōka is a girl, not even ten years old!"

At those words, the people around them let out a collective sigh of relief and began to laugh. It had already been fifteen years since he passed. That’s more than enough time for a child to grow up. No wonder he didn’t recognize her immediately.

"That’s right, what about Hōka!? I remember the altar collapsing…!"

"That’s what I’m saying! I am Hōka! Tatsuma-sama died protecting me, and now, fifteen years later, you’ve been resurrected with the Resurrection Potion!"

"What nonsense... Wait, you there... don’t tell me, are you Ryūzan? Why do you look so old?"

Tatsuma-sama turned his gaze toward the Chancellor standing next to Your Majesty Hōtei, eyes wide in disbelief.

The Chancellor looked to be just over forty. If Tatsuma-sama had died when he was still alive, the man would’ve been in his late twenties. Once someone becomes an adult, they don’t change that drastically with age.

"Well, fifteen years have passed since then, so of course I’ve aged. I never thought Your Majesty, who was once the same age as I, would become my junior... Hahaha, I feel like I’ve aged even more just now."

The Chancellor laughed as tears ran down his cheeks. So, they were the same age. Were they friends, perhaps?

"It can’t be… fifteen years later… is that really true?"

"We will explain everything properly from now on. So please, calm yourself."

"...I understand."

The resurrected Dragon Emperor nodded slightly, his expression solemn.

Phew. Somehow, the resurrection ritual ended without issue. From here on, it’s a matter for the Dragon Kingdom. I suppose I can leave the rest to them.