Chapter Eighteen: The Illusion of Healing

I made my way west, heading toward the Dashin Empire.

The book never left my hands. I read in alleys, in shadows, always away from prying eyes.

You never know who's watching.

The first chapters were useless—history, theory, philosophy. Who cares how illusion magic was created? I needed practicality, not meaningless words.

Then, finally—spells.

They started off basic, barely worth my time, but as I flipped through the pages, they grew more intricate. More powerful.

And then, I found it—

Health Mirage.

A spell that could make someone appear completely healthy—walking, talking, moving as if they were untouched by sickness.

For 24 hours.

One part of my quest was done.

Now, I needed the ingredients.

And the second part—a healing potion strong enough to fool the queen into thinking she was actually recovering.

Then the gold would be mine.

With gold, I'd have the resources to hunt down the one responsible for the fire.

But then I noticed something.

The spell required an insane amount of mana.

And the hardest ingredient to find?

Orc's blood.

Orcs were immune to sickness, making their blood essential for the spell.

The problem?

They've been extinct for the past four millennia.

Hard to come by.

I made a decision—if I was going to do this, I needed to risk everything. Even my own life.

I went from tavern to tavern, stealing from drunken scholars, careless wizards, and traveling alchemists.

I got caught sometimes. But that's the thing about men— they're easy to fool. A smile, a little charm, a few whispered lies, and they let things slide.

I learned everything I could—alchemy, sigils, enchantments.

Over many towns, many moons, I became what some might call a novice wizard.

I found myself drawn to ice magic.

It felt... soothing.

A contrast to the fire that haunted my mind.

But still—no sign of a potion strong enough. No sign of orc's blood.

I kept moving.

Through old roads, forgotten villages, until I stepped into a new town.

I walked past a crossroads, stepping onto the cobbled streets just as I saw it—

A man being crowned king.

Something felt wrong.

I knew every royal family. I studied them under my mother's lessons, memorized their lineages, their faces, their names.

But I had never seen this man before.

Never heard his name.

And yet—

Everyone acted as if he was royalty.