Li Yao jolted upright, his eyes flaring wide as if he'd just seen a ghost. A sharp gasp escaped his lips, and his spine arched instinctively.
"W-what happened.." He mumbled, trying to get himself together to access the situation.
He stared into his palms and found them spotless, no cuts, no blood, no trace of the injuries he was certain had been there moments ago before he lost consciousness.
It was as if they had been healed by a magical force.
And yet, the air around him was still. No energy stirred, no mana lingered.
Whatever healed him, it left no sign behind.
Thus, such assumptions became highly unlikely.
"How am I healed?"
"He's inside, please be quick, his injuries are severe."
A voice cut through the silence, and without thinking, Li Yao laid back into bed.
He was in a foreign place and didn't know who he could trust.
The door swung open, and three people walked in, a middle-aged man with a ponytail, a woman dressed like a maid, and an old man with white hair and a long, white beard.
"Prince Kaiser! You're awake!" The maid hurried to his side, her footsteps light but quick with urgency.
"Prince Kaiser! Please forgive me, I didn't anticipate those bastards would track us down so quickly when I was away."
The middle-aged man dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the floor as he pleaded earnestly.
"This is Doctor scott Ethan, he'll tend to your injuries."
The maid spoke softly as the old man stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back, and his eyes calmly scanning every inch of Li Yao's body with a quiet intensity.
"Ethan Kaiser, one of the princes of the Suzana Empire, the first son of King Klaus the first. Am I correct?"
Li Yao's eyes shot open for a brief moment before settling back to normal. That name, it stirred something in his memory. He was sure he had heard it somewhere before.
'That's right! Now I remember, King Klaus was the king of the Suzana Empire in that novel. Now I get it, I didn't just transmigrate, I transmigrated into that novel I loved so much back then, An Extra's Path to greatness.'
"Yes that's right."
But there was one problem.
'The king's first son was Klaus, and, I don't recall the character Ethan Kaiser ever mentioned in the story... No, I think he was, that's why I don't have my name, I transmigrated as a character that isn't relevant to the story?'
"How odd." The doctor finally spoke, his voice calm and measured as he finished his examination.
"What's the problem doctor!?" The middle-aged man rose to his feet in a flash, his eyes filled with anticipation, eager to hear the results of the old man's examination.
"I thought you said his injuries were severe? It's the opposite, his body is in perfect condition."
"What?"
Both the maid and the middle-aged man leaned in for a closer look at Li Yao.
They found him at the base of the mountain, his body covered in countless cuts and scars after a long and desperate search.
But now, every wound had vanished like they had never existed at all.
"Impossible... He was severely injured, I'm sure of it, and he hasn't assimilated with a Talent Stone, so he has no techniques to heal himself."
The doctor gently took Li Yao's hand, placed two fingers against his wrist, and quietly checked his pulse.
"Quite the contrary, he isn't, his core which was permanently blocked, is now active at an extraordinary rate. It's almost as if his body has been reborn."
The room fell into stunned silence, eyes wide with disbelief.
No one could believe what they were hearing, no one, that is, except Li Yao, who laid there quietly, having little to no idea what they were all so shocked about.
"Doctor... What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm saying is, Ethan Kaiser, your body somehow restored itself and is now in the perfect condition... Even to assimilate with a Talent Stone."
'To assimilate with a talent stone!? Wait, does that mean I transmigrated into the body of a talentless brat?'
A smile tugged at Li Yao's lips as a quiet chuckle escaped him.
There was no doubt about it, it was certainly the power of the Heavenly Divine Pearl.
'Would you look at that, the Heavenly Divine Pearl did serve it's purpose after all."
"What!?" The middle-aged man shouted at the top of his lungs, unable to contain his excitement.
To them, the doctor's examination results felt like a dream, so unbelievable.
Yet undeniably real.
"I'm sorry doctor, I didn't hear you correctly." The maid spoke, her voice trembling, not out of uncertainty, but out of refusal. She couldn't believe his words.
No… she refused to believe them.
The old man gently placed his right hand on her shoulder, and a faint smile slowly crept across his lips. "Ma'am, prince Kaiser is now more than fit to assimilate with a Talent Stone, despite his recovery, I might have to prescribe some herbs for him."
Tears welled up in the maid's eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
Overcome with emotion, she rushed forward and embraced Li Yao as he laid on the bed, holding him tightly as if afraid he might disappear. "He can assimilate with a talent stone... Reginald my son can assimilate with a Talent Stone!"
'Wait what!? Son!? This maid is my mother? I thought I was the supposed first prince of the Suzana Empire?'
The middle-aged man, Reginald, placed a steady hand on her shoulder, his grip firm yet gentle.
He fought to keep his composure, blinking rapidly as a single tear threatened to slip from the corner of his eye.
"The heavens are with us."
The doctor turned without a word, quietly gathering his equipment. Once everything was in place, he made his way to the door.
"You're already leaving doctor? Let me escort you out." Reginald spoke up, his voice steady as he followed behind the physician.
"No need to trouble yourself with that, this looks like a family moment, I'll excuse myself for now."
The doctor replied, his tone calm and composed.
Though shock and disbelief lingered beneath the surface, he maintained a professional demeanor, refusing to let it show.
"Alright, thank you very much for your help Doctor Scott." Reginald bowed, folding his left fist into his right palm, displaying a traditional gesture of respect and gratitude.
The doctor stepped out of the room and gently closed the door behind him.
For a moment, he stood still, his gaze drifting over the grounds of the inn, lost in thought as the weight of what he had just witnessed settled over him.
'Impossible... How did that illegitimate bastard heal from that beating and wounds inflicted on him? Moreover how did his body heal so fast to the extent he is now in the perfect condition to assimilate with a Talent Stone?'
Despite his role as a medic, he harbored deep resentment toward Ethan Kaiser. As the doctor to the royal family, he used his position as a double agent to carefully monitor Ethan's movements.
It was through this knowledge that he was able to pinpoint the exact moments Ethan was away from Reginald, giving his assailants the opportunity to strike.
"Only the king has the ability to restore even the most severe of all injuries, is there a reason he chose to help him now? I don't know what's going on, but I have to inform Prince Donald immediately."