The Test Subject

“……”

“I didn’t come all this way just to deliver a letter, Shasha.”

Lucian’s words lingered in Shana’s ears.

“…You came here to be the test subject?”

Shana said it as she rose to her feet without realizing.

That was ridiculous.

A war hero who had eradicated the border monsters.

The sole heir of a grand ducal house. Why would someone like Lucian ever become a mere subject for drug experiments?

‘More than anything, I hate this!’

Six months.

How was she supposed to spend that long with Lucian? Observing his body during research, making him ingest trial concoctions, day after day.

“The princess didn’t force you into this, did she?”

“Of course not. I came completely of my own will.”

“Why would you do that?!”

Shana’s voice cracked with agitation.

Lucian responded calmly.

“Well, wouldn’t the ducal house also want to support the person most likely to become the next emperor?”

No matter how powerful the princess was, she couldn’t possibly force Lucian to become a test subject.

‘So he really volunteered?’

Thinking back, the ducal house had always been exceptionally loyal to the imperial family.

Despite being perfectly positioned to challenge the throne, they never did.

‘If it’s for the Empire, then of course.’

Hadn’t Lucian said something like that when he first became Captain of the Royal Guard?

“…Your patriotism really is something else.”

“Hm?”

Shana didn’t dwell on his response. There was a far bigger problem at hand.

‘Even if he volunteered, this still isn’t okay!’

Lucian was beloved by the people and heir to a grand ducal house. If she caused even a minor side effect, what then?

For example, something truly trivial… like hair loss.

Even if the risk of mana overload disappeared and his lifespan increased, was hair loss really such a big deal?

But she would absolutely be assassinated by his followers without a trace.

And beyond that, the idea of staying so close to him for months was uncomfortable just to imagine.

Shana chose denial.

“There has to be another candidate. No way there isn’t.”

“Well… I don’t think there is.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Lucian pulled something from his coat.

A scroll.

When he unfurled it, an imperial family tree appeared.

“Look, Shasha. See if there’s anyone here suitable for experimentation.”

Shana’s eyes swept quickly from the most distant collateral branches toward the direct line.

“Sir Frederick!”

“A seventy-eight-year-old man? His body’s far too weak to endure experimentation.”

She scanned the entire family tree again.

Why were there so few people? Collateral branches were supposed to multiply like rabbits.

Still, there had to be at least one viable subject.

“Tommy… is six years old.”

For a brief moment, Shana’s survival instinct tilted in an unethical direction.

‘…Six years old might—’

No.

Absolutely not.

Lucian waited patiently and asked,

“Shasha. Done checking?”

“…Yeah. You’re right.”

“Shasha?”

Shana began scribbling briskly on paper.

There was no way to stand against Lucian’s followers.

If so, she needed to secure her own survival from another angle.

“I’ll minimize anything harmful to your body.

But side effects are still possible. Sign this contract as well.”

Lucian read the document she handed him.

He probably wouldn’t fully understand it. He wasn’t part of the industry, after all.

If read properly, it bordered on shameless. An extremely Shana-favorable contract.

“…Shasha.

This says you bear zero responsibility for any side effects my body develops, and you’re exempt from all legal consequences.

This isn’t a standard test-subject contract, is it?”

‘He’s sharp.’

Was it because he was intelligent enough to parse this dense legal language?

She’d picked the wrong opponent.

‘But I can’t back down. What if the ducal house uses this as an excuse to execute me?’

Of course, she didn’t say that out loud.

“What are you talking about, Lucian?

This is extremely common wording. Disputes between apothecaries and test subjects happen all the time.”

“Really?”

Lucian blinked innocently with clear, beautiful eyes.

Most test subjects didn’t sign contracts like this, but what would Lucian know?

“I don’t expect severe side effects.

I’m a skilled apothecary, and I’ll control all dosages carefully. But misunderstandings can happen, and I don’t want to be punished unfairly.

This is just legal protection. You understand, right?”

Shana placed a hand on Lucian’s shoulder as she spoke.

Lucian covered her hand with his own and guided it back to the contract.

Without realizing it, Shana found herself pointing where he wanted.

“Shasha…When you say legal protection, you mean this clause, this one, and… these as well?”

“H-huh?”

The clauses he indicated eliminated all possibilities of objections, lawsuits, or appeals.

“So if you abandon me after I suffer side effects, I can’t do anything. I just have to accept it.”

Lucian gently brought her hand to the space between his cheek and neck.

She could feel the pulse beating beneath his skin.

“Whether you put medicine or poison into the cure, whether this pulse keeps beating or stops…it’s all up to you.”

He spoke quietly.

It was a simple question, but Shana’s heart raced. She hid it and spoke quickly to reassure him.

“T-that won’t happen! If side effects appear, I’ll obviously treat you!”

“Hm. Then shouldn’t we add a clause like this?”

“What clause?”

“If side effects occur, you won’t be punished.

I’ll guarantee that. But in return, the client will use every possible means to treat them, to the fullest extent.”

Lucian emphasized the words “every possible means.”

“Ah… sure. That much is fine.”

Honestly, she would have done that even without the clause.

Even if he was a friend who’d cut ties with her when she became poor, she had no intention of leaving him with lasting harm.

Lucian brushed the inside of her wrist lightly, then let go.

Thinking she’d just secured an obvious right, Shana added the clause.

“That should do it, right?”

“Yeah. Looks good.”

Lucian quietly picked up the pen.

It was his turn to sign. He leaned in close behind her, close enough to cover her shoulders.

It made sense.

She was standing in front of the desk. Still, the proximity made her shrink her neck slightly. If she’d asked, he would have stepped back.

When he laughed softly, his breath brushed the back of her neck.

“Um—”

She was about to ask him to move, but he was faster.

“Here, Shasha.”

The signed contract was placed in her hand.

“Anything else you need?”

Lucian stood in front of her, smiling. His gaze was playful, yet serious.

“…Not right now.”

***

Something felt strange. Lying in bed, Shana thought.

The walls of the apothecary still bore signs reading 〈Let’s make money!〉 and 〈No credit〉, and just that morning she’d been complaining about Erilot and expenses.

Yet suddenly, everything was resolved.

‘Resolved… is that really the word?’

She had accepted a request to cure an imperial incurable disease. And to conduct experiments with Lucian.

‘This might be a poisoned chalice…’

Shana sighed inwardly.

Still, now that she’d accepted, the only answer was to do it properly.

Lucian’s changed attitude and sudden proposal were deeply confusing.

‘For now, I’ll treat this as a professional relationship.’

She got up and gathered books on mana and Mana Rejection Syndrome.

Lucian would provide additional research materials, but reviewing her old notes first would speed things up.

She’d been interested in the topic for a long time, after all.

‘But how am I supposed to make the reagent?’

She’d considered gradually administering mana, but Lucian had pointed out how dangerous that was.

‘Then provoking a new stimulus might work…’

The problem was that there were very few stimuli that weren’t harmful to the human body.

The easiest method was… sexual arousal.

‘No. Absolutely not.

That would mean feeding Lucian reagents that induce sexual arousal and observing the reaction. For six months?’

Just imagining it made her feel indescribably unsettled.

He wasn’t the boy from back then anymore. He was a full-grown man.

She needed to find another direction.

As she sifted through her old research, there was a knock at the door.

When she looked up, the morning sun had already risen. She expected to hear Erilot’s voice.

“Can I come in, Shasha?”

Instead, a low male voice answered.

‘Lucian?’

“…Come in.”

Lucian teleported into the room.

Come to think of it, he had the infuriating ability to enter without opening doors.

“Good morning, Shasha.”

‘Why does he look so happy?’

Lucian was smiling brightly. His already handsome face looked like it was in full bloom.

Ignoring the smile, Shana said,

“It should still take time to travel from the capital. You’re here awfully fast.”

“Yeah. Teleportation makes it quick.”

“…Mana privilege, huh.”

Shana sighed lightly. It already felt like she was being chased.

She spoke casually, as if offhand.

“I didn’t expect you to come this soon. You only needed to show up once the reagents were ready—”

“No. I should help however I can.”

As he spoke, Lucian pulled tea leaves from his bag.

“I’ll make tea first.”

“…Alright. Thanks.”

It was clearly expensive tea. No reason to refuse. She watched Lucian, who seemed oddly familiar with her kitchen.

‘But all I have right now are old materials. Is my understanding of Mana Rejection Syndrome even accurate?’

At that moment, the perfect reference material presented itself.

And a test subject who brewed excellent tea.

Shana stood in front of the examination table and picked up her pen.

“Lucian. You said you’d help however you can, right?”

He straightened, eyes bright with anticipation.

“Of course. What do you need?”

“Well, I’ll need ingredients and research data, but those will take time to arrive.

So let’s start with what we can check right now.”

“Okay.

Should I help organize the data? Or carry things?”

He didn’t hesitate at all.

Shana turned to him with a calm smile.

“No. That’s fine.”

“…Then?”

She met his gaze directly and said, clearly,

“Take it off.”