I Next
The tail.
Every werewolf possessed onea tag they carried throughout their lifeti, unable to be torn off. It was an undeniable expression of their emotions. When sad, it drooped; when happy or excited, it wagged vigorously. Like a dogs tail responding to the prospect of a walk or a treat.
Their inability to conceal their emotions made them vulnerable in human society. They were easy prey for cunning scamrs.
This weakness had accumulated over generations, giving rise to stereotypes about their kind. Werewolves were seen as easily deceived, unable to hide their inner feelings. Were there any other races as susceptible as them?
Haah.
Anise sighed.
She was no exception. Thanks to her tail, which exposed her emotions, she had ford strong bonds of friendship. But there were countless humans who sought to exploit this weakness.
During her ti as a rcenary, she had co close to death. It was not uncommon for mbers of her race to be deceived and used by humans, leading to their demise or severe injuries.
But can I stop this tail?
This botherso tail. This curse-like appendage. Was it possible to bring it to a halt? Could the rumored crown prince truly hold the solution?
It would be wonderful if it works.
Honestly, her expectations were not high. She couldnt help it. She had tried restraining it, even attempted severing it. But the tail remained stubbornly uncontrollable.
No matter how tightly she tied it, the tail would wriggle free on its own. Even cutting it to the base proved futile, as it would regenerate within a month. The dreadful experience of being unable to walk properly without her tail, as her legs lacked strength, was an added tornt.
But the crown prince claid to have found a way.
He had said so. He had asked her to wait and, surprisingly, he claid to have discovered a solution even before a day had passed. He instructed her to co to the consultation room without delay.
Silently, Anise made her way down the hallway. Piero Gardin, the middle-aged man accompanying her, guiding her, emitted an odd sound.
You must be quite nervous.
Well, its written all over your face.
You didnt check my tail, did you?
Um, well
I thought so.
I apologize.
Its fine. Im used to it.
By the way, I dont believe weve properly introduced ourselves. Im Gardin, Piero Gardin. I serve as the personal physician to the crown prince.
Im Anise. As the successor of Robo and the daughter of Hachinto, I hold responsibility for the Dalgureol tribe.
I see. But, Miss Anise, may I offer you a piece of advice?
Hmm?
Anise tilted her head. Advice? What did he want to say?
Please, go ahead.
She decided to hear him out.
Gardin smiled kindly.
Thank you. If I may be so bold as to advise you, whatever treatnt thod the crown prince suggests, please try not to be too surprised.
Why shouldnt I be surprised?
She furrowed her brow. Was he asking her to trust blindly? However, Gardin provided an unexpected answer.
Because theres a high probability that the mont you hear the treatnt thod, youll think the crown prince has gone mad.
Wasnt that a dangerous statent? But Gardin seed unconcerned.
It has always been that way. I, too, initially thought the sa. Our palace maids, servants, even the royal guards and special duty guards had similar thoughts.
You regarded the crown prince as a madman?
Yes.
To be honest, we genuinely believed so.
And now?
As you can see, I am leading Lady Anise to the crown princefor treatnt.
Anise remained silent. What kind of outrageous treatnt thods did this person known as the crown prince employ to prompt a physician to speak such words?
Of course, her doubts didnt linger for long. She soon arrived at the crown princes treatnt room. As she entered, she overheard the thod of treatnt proposed by the crown prince.
I will delicately prick your tail with this needle, targeting the nerves. Then, I will inject a controlled amount of poison through the needle.
Pretty cool, huh?
Cool, my ass. Is he out of his mind?
She couldnt help but think so. It was inevitable.
Paralyzing the tail by pricking it with a needle? And injecting poison too?
It was an unfamiliar treatnt thod, one that didnt inspire trust in the slightest. Anise briefly questioned if her journey to the imperial capital had been in vain. It was then that her gaze involuntarily shifted towards Gardin, who had accompanied her to the treatnt room.
He nodded subtly.
So thats why he had given her that advice earlier. Anise pondered for a mont, but the decision had already been made.
I may not have much faith in it, but lets give it a try.
She didnt hold high hopes for success. However, she felt that there was significance in attempting it, no matter how slim the chances might be.
If, by so chance, it truly works, our tribe wont have to suffer because of our tails. Even if its a bit unconventional I should face the danger first.
For the sake of her tribe. For those who trusted her. Anise was prepared to endure any sacrifice and pain.
Understood. Lets proceed.
Anise nodded, following the instructions of the Crown Prince. Gardin left the room, and three maids hurriedly entered in his place.
As the Crown Prince turned away, inspecting the wall, Anise undressed with the maids assistance and lay down on the bed. They covered her with a large white cloth that had a hole for her tail, concealing everything except that appendage. Finally, the Crown Prince turned back to face her.
Now, lets begin.
As she was about to undergo the procedure, a sudden anxiety washed over Anise. Her entire body tensed visibly. However, Raciel paid no mind. The more anxious the patient, the calr he needed to be.
I must remain composed for the patients sake.
Raciel took a deep breath and activated the Asrahan Core Technique.
Kiing-!
The mana circle surrounding his heart spun vigorously, amplifying the mana within his body. Simultaneously, he beca acutely aware of the mana surrounding him. Raciel focused most of his sensory ability on his fingertips as he touched Anises waist, as if feeling her pulse.
This was the Asrahan precision diagnosis thod.
And then, he felt it.
I can see it.
As his hand made contact with her waist, concentric circles of mana radiated outward. He sensed the flow of mana coursing through Anises body, following the path of these expanding circles. It was as if he were scanning, observing the visible, detectable movents of mana.
The ridians of the human body They truly exist and function as they are ant to.
Raciel scrutinized Anises body ridians with renewed fascination and a sense of mystery. In his days studying Oriental dicine, he had morized the ridians, familiarizing himself with their arrangent and harmony through practice. However, they couldnt be seen with the naked eye or observed through modern dical equipnt like X-rays or CT scans. The existence of ridians was inferred based on centuries of experiential knowledge.
Honestly, that was the most regrettable aspect.
He believed in the existence of ridians, dedicating his studies to them. But he couldnt see them, nor could they be empirically observed. The only foundation supporting their existence was millennia of accumulated experience, which he found disappointing. It frustrated him that the precise principles and chanisms behind acupunctures effects on the human body hadnt been clearly established.
It was undeniably effective, but the reasons and principles remain unexplained. It was simply a treatnt carried out based on the accumulated success of many cases over thousands of years.
While the positive outcos were evident, the chanisms behind them were not. It was a situation similar to modern dical treatnts like deep brain stimulation for epilepsy, where the positive effects were observed, yet the exact workings remained unclear.
Thus, he occasionally harbored doubts about the existence of ridians. Was it truly real? The lack of certainty bothered him.
But now?
Things were different.
I can see it. I can feel it.
Thanks to the precise diagnostic thod using the Asrahan Core Technique, he could now detect the ridians through the movent of mana. He had gained a small asure of certainty.
I wasnt mistaken in my studies.
His knowledge was correct, and the ti he had devoted to it had not been in vain. Moreover, he could now perform procedures while monitoring the real-ti response of the ridians, just like he was about to do.
Swish.
He held a thin white acupuncture needle, aiming for the first ridianSuspended Pivot Point, the central pillar of the Governor Vessel, located in the hollow area below the first lumbar spine.
Thud!
He precisely tid Anises inhalation, lightly inserting the needle to a depth of 5 milliters. Simultaneously, he activated the circular slot.
Whirr!
[Activating emission function of slot 1.]
[Please set the emission volu.]
0.01 milliliters.
[Releasing 0.01 milliliters of muscle paralysis poison from the circular slot.]
Prick!
With a gentle press, the minuscule amount of paralytic poison was released. It traveled through the circle slot, coursing through Raciels fingers and into Anises Suspended Pivot Point.
Um.
Anise involuntarily flinched, a reflexive reaction as her muscles responded. Raciel watched intently, observing the effects on the Suspended Pivot Point and the surrounding ridians.
And there it was. The carefully administered dose of poison disrupted the flow of mana along the spinal acupoints. Mana, which originally flowed in a unidirectional manner, now encountered a barrier, halting its progression.
Instinctively, mana sought an alternate path, andering erratically. Raciel decided to guide it.
Next are Mingn and Yaoyangguan.
He focused on two acupoints along the spine, situated below the spinal acupoints. With precise breathing and Bosa techniques, he perford acupuncture, simultaneously utilizing the circle slot. A minute amount of the appropriate poison was injected. Once again, he observed the alteration in the flow of the acupoints.
Tssrrrrt!
A new pathway erged for the mana that had struggled to bypass the spinal acupoints. It cascaded downward, following the spinal erector muscles on both sides. Along the way, certain spinal nerves beca inactive, specifically those responsible for tail movent.
At that mont.
Sssooooo..
Anises tail underwent a transformation. Once tense and rigid, it lost its strength and drooped. Subsequently, it remained motionlessa successful local paralysis.
Good. Its going as planned.
Unbeknownst to Raciel, beads of sweat ford on his forehead. Wiping them away, he refocused. The initial phase of tail paralysis had been successful.
However, this was just the beginning.
No, the real challenge starts now.
The crux of the procedure lay not only in paralyzing the tail but also in maintaining that paralysis for the remainder of the patients life. That was the true key.
And now, the next step is crucial.
The artificially manipulated flow of mana had to be controlled. Left unchecked, the effects of the procedure would gradually fade.
The body will detect the anomaly and attempt to restore the manipulated neural network. Its a natural healing response within the human body, simply following its course.
To counter this, Raciel had to deceive the body. He needed to make it believe that no paralysis had occurred, thus preventing the initiation of the natural healing response.
But how?
Like this.
Raciel reached for the final acupuncture needle. However, just as he was about to proceed, sothing unexpected happened.
Rrrrr!
Anises previously paralyzed tail began convulsing. Raciels eyebrows twitched.
A healing response? Already?
It was unforeseen. The speed of the bodys response was astonishing.
Truly a werewolf, unlike ordinary individuals.
The regenerative abilities were no re exaggeration. Anises body had swiftly detected the changes in her nervous system, triggering its inherent self-repair chanism. The precise diagnostic thod clearly indicated this through mana flow.
Yet Raciel remained steadfast. He had anticipated this developnt. Calmly and swiftly, he retrieved the acupuncture needle and pricked Anise.
Tuduk!
The needle pierced 1.5 cun on either side of the fifth lumbar spinous process, targeting the Yaoshu acupoint surrounding the spine on the left side. His hand continued to move.
Tuck!
The final needle was expertly inserted into the back of Anises head, precisely into the Brains Hollow acupoint on the right side of the occipital center. As the needle penetrated to a depth of 3 fen
Ah?
Anises left leg jerked, simultaneous with the convulsing tail. The nerves responsible for tail movent, which had been on the path to recovery, were once again quieted. A new neural pathway had been established, deviating the flow that should have reached the tail.
From the waist, traversing through the buttocks, it swept along the left femoral muscle, descending further downward. Progressing through the calf, it passed the ankle bone and the edge of the left foot, eventually reaching the little toe.
And at that mont,
Fidget, fidget.
In place of the immobilized tail, the left little toe began to stir. It twitched and fidgeted, resembling the movents of a tail. The instant Raciel confird this,
It worked!
He tightly clenched his fist.
By deceiving the spinal nerves, the little toe had been successfully recognized as the tail. It was a mont of magical success for the ingenious neural interference pseudo-procedure.
(To be Continued)
To read ahead
Patreon Subscription Tiers
$5/month5 chap ahead 5 chap/week$20/month10 chap ahead 5 chap/week$30/month20 chap ahead 6 chap/week I Next
Reviews
All reviews (0)