The Legendary Healer

Chapter 5

The general wiped the blood off his hands and turned to Kevin, with a bow.

“Thank you!” The once looks of disdain that had been targeted towards Kevin was now filled with so much reverence. 

“Now that we are free, what exactly do you intend to do?" he asked.

 Images of Elias standing on platforms while crowds cheered his name, images of Chloe wrapped in someone else's arms with that satisfied smirk on her lips, flashed through his eyes almost in an instant.

His hands clenched into fists not minding the pain that made his blood to boil.

"I intend to reveal the truth about who Elias actually is," Kevin said with his voice hardening into a dark and cold resolve. 

"And I am going to get back everything that rightfully belongs to me and beat him in his dirty game.”

The general raised nodded.

"He isn't the maker of all those things that they think he did," Kevin continued, his jaw tightening. "The medicines, the cures, the war strategies, the defensive layouts, none of it belongs to him."

His eyes flashed with rage.

"Every single thing that made this city survive came from my hands. Every breakthrough that saved lives, every formation that held back the beast attacks, every cure that stopped the plagues, all of it was mine before he stole it."

"And because he doesn't actually understand how any of it works, he is definitely going to flop soon. He only has the final results, not the knowledge behind them. When something goes wrong or when he needs to create something new, he won't know what to do."

The general stared at him for a moment.

"That's a bold plan for someone who just escaped from a death sentence," he said.

Kevin's face turned icy cold.

"Which is exactly why I need to move fast," he responded. "I know something that nobody else knows right now, and I am going to use it, I'm going to beat him in his on game!”

“Do you need protection?” The general asked but Kevin shook his head. “It would only complicate this!”

The general nodded. “You need need my help, just send a letter to the King of death and you will find me!” Kevin nodded gratefully. 

Meanwhile, in the grand imperial palace, the atmosphere was thick with tension and expectation.

The King, wanting to show his power and desperation to the entire continent, had invited experts from every kingdom and major force to witness what he hoped would be his greatest triumph.

The Emperor's only daughter, the Princess, had suddenly fallen into a deep sleep three years ago and would not wake up. She lay in her chambers like a living corpse, breathing softly but never opening her eyes. No medicine worked, no spell worked, no ritual worked.

Different doctors, physicians, priests and sorcerers had tried everything they knew, but nothing worked at all.

It had become the Emperor's biggest shame and his deepest pain.

Elias had assured the Emperor that he had a cure prepared, that he would wake the Princess without fail. This was their chance to milk the Emperor dry and put him completely on their dry.

The massive room was filled with powerful people, rulers and representatives from across the continent who had traveled far to witness this moment.

However, the Emperor's attention was focused on one man standing in the center of the hall, Elias.

He wore pure white robes and held a crystal vial filled with glowing liquid in his hands. His face was calm and confident, like someone who had already won.

"Are you absolutely sure this medicine will work?" the Emperor asked, his voice was heavy with exhaustion and fright "So many have tried before you. Different doctors, physicians, and even royal sorcerers have attempted to wake her. Nothing has worked at all."

Elias stepped forward, his chest puffed up with pride.

"Your Majesty, please do not worry about such things," Elias said, his voice smooth and arrogant. "For someone of my abilities, curing this condition is nothing but a walk in the park."

A broad smirk cut through his face as he looked around the room at the other experts who had gathered.

"To be completely honest, Your Majesty, those people do not even hold a candle to me," he added, not bothering to hide his contempt. "Their methods were outdated and their knowledge was limited. I am not just another healer. I am the future of medicine on this continent."

The nobles and officials who had come to witness immediately started singing his praises, their voices filling the hall with worship.

"Lord Elias saved our entire city from collapse!"

"He built our defensive systems from nothing!"

"He created medicines that cured the eastern plague!"

"There is no mind greater than Lord Elias in the entire world!"

"He is truly our god sent savior!"

Their praises poured out like water, and Elias absorbed every word of it. His smirk got even darker and his eyes flashed with satisfaction.

However, the group of royal doctors and physicians that had come with the Emperor stood at the side with anger flickering through their faces. Their hands clenched into fists and their jaws tightened, but they said nothing.

They had failed the Emperor for three years. They had to watch as an outsider was being praised in the hall that they had once controlled. The humiliation burned in their chests, but Elias's current status was too high for any of them to challenge him openly.

One of the older physicians, a man with gray hair and deep scars on his hands from years of dangerous experiments, stepped forward slightly.

"Lord Elias," he said, his voice carefully controlled, "with all due respect, the Princess's condition is unlike anything we have seen before. Are you certain that your approach will not cause any adverse reactions?"

Elias turned his head toward the man, and the look in his eyes was like someone looking at an insect.

"Old man," Elias said, his voice dripping with disdain, "I understand that accepting your own limitations might be difficult, but please do not project your failures onto me."

The physician's face turned red with rage, but before he could respond, Elias continued.

"I have studied this condition more thoroughly than anyone in this room. While you were fumbling around with ancient methods and outdated theories, I was developing real solutions."

He held up the crystal vial, letting the light catch the glowing liquid inside.

"This medicine represents years of advanced research that none of you could even begin to understand. So please, step back and let someone competent handle this."

The insult hit every physician in the room like a slap to the face. Their eyes flashed with murderous rage, but the political situation left them powerless to respond.

The Emperor leaned forward on his throne, his fingers gripping the armrests tightly.

"Then proceed," he said. "If you are as confident as you claim to be, wake my daughter."

Elias bowed slightly, that arrogant smirk never leaving his face.

"It will be my honor, Your Majesty."

He began walking toward the crystal bed where the Princess lay, her pale face peaceful but lifeless. The entire hall fell silent with hundreds of eyes watching every of his movement.

Just then, the massive doors at the far end of the hall burst open with a loud crash.

The sound echoed through the entire room like thunder, and every head turned at once.

Guards reached for their weapons, nobles gasped in shock. The Emperor's eyes narrowed dangerously.

A figure walked through the open doors, his clothes still stained with prison dust, his wrists marked with rope burns, but his back straight and his gaze steady, KEVIN.

He had used the secret maintenance route that he had designed himself years ago, one that connected the lower levels to the side entrance of the main hall. It was meant for discrete supply movements and had been hidden from most eyes.

Right now, he walked straight to the center of the room.

Gasps and whispers broke out across the entire hall as people recognized his face.

"Is that not the traitor from the border city?"

"How did he escape from prison?"

"How did he get past the guards?"

Elias's face turned monstrous the instant he saw Kevin. His jaw clenched and his eyes flashed with pure hatred, but he quickly tried to control his expression, not wanting the Emperor to see his panic.

Kevin walked until he was standing in the middle of the hall, right between the Emperor and Elias, right in front of every powerful person on the continent.

"If the Princess takes that medicine," Kevin declared, his eyes fixed on the Emperor, "she will die.”