Chapter 56

Chapter 56 I Next

The tail.

Every werewolf possessed onea tag they carried throughout their lifetime, 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 scammers.

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 formed strong bonds of friendship. But there were countless humans who sought to exploit this weakness.

During her time as a mercenary, she had come close to death. It was not uncommon for members of her race to be deceived and used by humans, leading to their demise or severe injuries.

But can I stop this tail?

This bothersome 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 torment.

But the crown prince claimed to have found a way.

He had said so. He had asked her to wait and, surprisingly, he claimed to have discovered a solution even before a day had passed. He instructed her to come 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 treatment method 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 moment you hear the treatment method, youll think the crown prince has gone mad.

Wasnt that a dangerous statement? But Gardin seemed unconcerned.

It has always been that way. I, too, initially thought the same. 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 treatment.

Anise remained silent. What kind of outrageous treatment methods 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 treatment room. As she entered, she overheard the method of treatment proposed by the crown prince.

[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 meridians.

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, meandering erratically. Raciel decided to guide it.

Next are Mingmen and Yaoyangguan.

He focused on two acupoints along the spine, situated below the spinal acupoints. With precise breathing and Bosa techniques, he performed 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 emerged 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 became inactive, specifically those responsible for tail movement.

At that moment.

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 formed 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, something 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 mere exaggeration. Anises body had swiftly detected the changes in her nervous system, triggering its inherent self-repair mechanism. The precise diagnostic method clearly indicated this through mana flow.

Yet Raciel remained steadfast. He had anticipated this development. 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 movement, 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 moment,

Fidget, fidget.

In place of the immobilized tail, the left little toe began to stir. It twitched and fidgeted, resembling the movements of a tail. The instant Raciel confirmed 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 moment of magical success for the ingenious neural interference pseudo-procedure.

(To be Continued)

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