It seemed that there was a sedative in the magical device, causing Rein to feel extremely sleepy. However, he still tried hard to stay awake.
After a few minutes of silence to make sure Elie had really left, Rein got out of bed and quickly left the room.
"Phew." Rein breathed a sigh of relief and his eyes no longer felt so heavy.
He felt along the wall to go to his study. The location of "that thing" could only be found at night. That's why he didn't take it earlier.
Actually, Rein suspected it was the result of Reinhart's research hidden there and discovered by the protagonist. If that's true, Reinhart is truly a genius and dangerous.
Upon reaching the door to the study, he took the key he had been keeping. He had previously asked Elie for it, and since the study belonged to him, it was only natural for him to have the key.
Rein entered with bated breath. The lighting was dim from the aromatherapy candles on his desk. Strangely, the candles didn't go out and didn't burn down.
Rein's magenta eyes scanned the area for some kind of hidden mechanism. He crawled on the floor, searching every corner and under the desk.
"Where is it?" he muttered after circling around and still not finding the opening mechanism.
He took the books one by one from the shelf and stacked them on the floor. Finally, he spotted some kind of mechanism from one of the books.
Behind the book was a hidden magical device shaped like a palm sensor. Rein tried placing his right hand on it, but nothing happened.
"Huh?" He pulled his hand back in confusion, recalling how the protagonist had easily obtained it through this mechanism.
"This isn't right. The protagonist destroyed it immediately because he was so strong. However, Reinhart wouldn't create something he couldn't open himself."
Rein paced around the room, holding an aromatherapy candle to illuminate the area, perhaps he had missed something. He shone the light on the back of the book and finally noticed a dark stain resembling a liquid residue.
'Is this blood? Reinhart is crazy!'
Rein realised he had underestimated the madness of the original owner of this body. He didn't have a knife or anything to cut his hand until it bled. Should he bite his finger?
Fortunately, the special medicine from the imperial doctor had reduced his pain receptors. So, Rein didn't hesitate for too long and immediately bit his thumb until it bled.
He smeared it on the protective mechanism. A few seconds later, a red-blood-coloured light flowed from the mechanism to the floor and spread throughout the room.
Rein's eyes widened in shock.
"Is this a magic circle?" He had seen it in Reinhart's research book. It turned out it was used for this purpose.
Once the beam of light was fully connected, the bookshelf on the left swung open like a sliding door, and the wall behind it vanished as if it had been an illusion all along.
'Reinhart shouldn't have magical power—where did he get the magical energy to create this?!'
Rein grew increasingly afraid as he learned more about the original owner.
'I have to get it before Elie comes back!'
Rein realised that he had spent a lot of time here. He hurried into the secret room.
Inside, there was only one thing he was looking for. It glowed in the darkness from inside a glass box, a beautiful blue-black colour and shaped like a crystal fragment.
There was a piece of paper next to the object that seemed to describe its function. Rein took the glass box containing the object along with the letter and exited.
Breathing heavily, Rein tried to return all the books to the shelves and clean the blood off the mechanism book.
The illusionary wall appeared, and the bookshelves shifted back to their original positions. Rein looked at the time on the magical bell device. It seemed like fifteen minutes had passed. Elie might be returning soon.
Rein opened the glass box and took the letter left by Reinhart. With the soft light of an aromatherapy candle, he could barely make out the words.
===
[ || Helio Fragment || ]
Personal Note: If the body and soul are separated, it will form something terrifying.
Usage: Use it while sleeping, and your soul will leave your body and be unrestricted. There are no physical weaknesses or barriers that can stop you. Only the people you want to see you or certain individuals who can sense your presence will be able to do so.
Deactivation method: Remove the fragment from your body.
Side effects: You might go mad!
===
Rein's eyes fixated on the side effects. Is this the item that caused Reinhart to go mad?
However, why isn't the protagonist's friend who used it affected at all? Is it because of the protagonist's protection?
"Should I try it tonight? If the emperor finds out tomorrow that I'm not his son, maybe I won't be killed immediately, but imprisoned. Then, I can find a way out first with this thing."
The object seemed designed to be tied to the body, could be made into a necklace or bracelet, and its shape changed according to the user's desire. Rein chose to make it a bracelet and hid it under his long sleeve.
Rein burned the note with a candle and cleaned up the ashes before rushing back to her bedroom.
Fortunately, Elie hadn't returned from the emperor's palace yet. Rein gripped his left hand where the bracelet was. A sudden, piercing cold sensation spread throughout his body from the bracelet.
Rein felt all his energy being sucked out of him, and his consciousness immediately fell into darkness as soon as he was in his bedroom.
"Ugh!" Rein groaned loudly before realising there was someone else beside him. He turned his head only to find his body there.
His body fell to the floor before he could reach the bed.
"Am I in spirit form?"
Rein touched himself and felt solid, unlike the spirit he had imagined would be translucent. It felt more like having two bodies.
Rein touched his lying body and it didn't pass through like he had thought. That was good because he didn't know how to explain it to Elie if he looked like he was lying on the floor.
Rein carried his body to the bed, pulled the blanket over him, and listened to his body's breathing. It was still alive even though his soul had left. It felt very strange.
'What does Reinhart plan to do with this terrifying power?'
Rein wanted to test it first; he dared not leave the palace carelessly. He would only go to the gathering place of the guards and servants where he couldn't normally see them.
He wanted to know if they truly couldn't see him.
Rein turned to open the door but stopped. He decided to push through the wall, and his solid spirit-like form became like a liquid that could penetrate the wall.
"This is amazing!" Rein pulled his hand back and tried it again.
He suddenly had a strange idea to run through walls. Something he had never considered before. An extraordinary sense of ecstasy filled his heart.
His vision was not obstructed by the darkness; he could see everything clearly. The frustration he felt from having Reinhart's weak body was now compensated by the satisfaction of this strange power.
However, for some reason, something felt off. Rein tilted his head briefly before dismissing the concern.
Rein tried the crazy idea in his mind and not only ran, but even jumped out of his bedroom window and descended from the third floor. He fell like a feather, silently.
With a sense of wonder as if he had found a very interesting toy, Rein looked at his bedroom window, then at the dark sky and the clouds covering the moonlight.
There was no trace of fatigue. Instead, there was always a sense of joy and excitement, making Rein want to laugh.
He ran to several places before finally finding the residence of the palace guards. There were crystal lamps glowing there, and a warm atmosphere from the people gathered.
There were five people on night watch duty, wearing the palace guards' uniforms.
"I heard Prince Reinhart's health is getting worse. We're not even allowed within his line of sight. Isn't Prince Reinhart's life truly pitiful?" One of the guards brought up the topic while wiping his spear.
"Besides his personal servant, the imperial doctor, and His Majesty the Emperor himself, the prince isn't allowed to speak to anyone else. What's the difference between this and being imprisoned? Why is His Majesty the Emperor so cruel to his own son?" Another guard chimed in, his expression heavy.
"I also heard that Prince Reinhart has actually gone mad. It's not surprising. What normal person could remain sane after being imprisoned like that for the rest of their life? His former personal servant even resigned because of his madness." The female guard sitting in the corner added to the gossip.
"Shut up! You don't know anything, so just do your jobs." The senior guard stopped the discussion before it went too far.
The three who started the gossip had only recently been assigned to the palace due to a guard rotation. So, they didn't know the truth.
"You don't know how much the emperor loves Prince Reinhart. This is all for the prince's health." Another senior guard explained what he knew.
"Back when the prince wasn't isolated here, he was always by His Majesty the Emperor's side, and I was there as his guard. I saw for myself how much the little prince was loved, but his health gradually deteriorated. The prince began to be unable to tolerate meeting other people and would become increasingly ill. So, His Majesty the Emperor built this palace specifically for him to maintain his health," the senior guard continued.
"That's not true. If the prince was truly loved, why was he left alone with only his personal guard?" The female guard expressed her suspicion.
"It seems that His Majesty the Emperor's decision did hurt Prince Reinhart's feelings, so the prince refused to meet with His Majesty the Emperor to hear his explanation." The senior wiped the sweat from his forehead as if he also felt that this situation was very unfortunate.
Their discussion suddenly stopped, and silence fell. They felt sorry for Prince Reinhart's situation, but they couldn't blame the emperor.
In another corner, Rein, in his spirit form, listened to their chatter with a blank expression. His arms were crossed over his chest as he kept repeating this sentence in his mind,
"The Emperor loves Prince Reinhart."
***