The young prince clenched his fists as he processed his options. While the people loved and cared about him greatly, the imperial family, nobility and academies viewed him as next-to-nonexistent. This made it especially hard for him to even become an academic scholar, which even a normal person could become. On top of that, as a prince, he was supposed to receive an allowance per month, but his was discontinued upon being deemed worthless by his father, Emperor Valinor himself. If he said no to Seran now, it's almost certain that no matter what he did, he'd amount to nothing in the end.
The white-haired demigod was very patient, and he could read the prince's thoughts just from his expression. In an attempt to give him another nudge, Seran spoke again, "I swear on the heavens themselves that my words are true, and should I go back on my word, all of the deities whose powers I bear shall destroy my existence."
Despite his reluctance, even now, to accept Seran's words as true, at this moment, Rexus could not help but speak up, "My prince, I think that, maybe, it's time for you to do something for yourself."
The old Water Sage cut in, a mild grin on his face, "For your information, Seran has never failed to do what he said he would, nor has he ever reneged on his word. If he says he will do it, he will. If my word isn't enough, all of the guildmasters, retired and active, can attest to his capabilities. He's singlehandedly killed an Elder Lich, an S-Grade Calamity, tamed and blessed the Alpha Chimera Calamity from two years ago, and given the Hydra in Savicche the gift of speech." When the prince and his guard nearly gave themselves whiplash from quickly looking at the old guildmaster, he chuckled, "It was confirmed just yesterday, and we were going to officially announce his accomplishments and rank. Oh, and don't forget, he also single-handedly brought the extinct Golden Crows back to life, and he has at least four S-rank contracted beasts. Do you really think he needs to tell lies to you?"
Prince Andrew, with a look of new determination and affirmation, stared Seran in the eyes fiercely, "If you can do as you say, I will even honor you as my master, ceremony and all."
"Your highness..." Rexus wanted to speak up, reflexively due to his training and personality, but, of all people, he knew Andrew's treatment better than anyone, no matter their status. Despite this vow the young prince spoke, for his life to be fully changed, it would be worth it.
"Good. Since you have said those words, I must respond in kind. Upon becoming your master, I will teach you as a master should." With a small grin, Seran began to channel his immeasurable power and drew forth the energy of life and magic, causing a pair of phantoms to form behind him, one of which was Demeter.
The second was a slender, silver blonde-haired woman clad in ghostly robes of iridescent silk that floated with her body, as she levitated half a meter above the floor. With a rainbow opal set in the middle of her forehead, and ever-changing eye colors, the Goddess of Magic, Hecate, held a crystal ball in one hand and a long mithril staff in the other.
"Perfect phantoms!" The prince, the guard and even the guildmaster exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this. While the first two were clearly more affected, Johann eventually grunted with a smirk, chalking it up to the demigod's overwhelming abilities.
Taking Andrew's wrist, Seran began to pour his fused energies into the prince's body. The abundant powers of life purified the toxins and revitalized his flesh and bone, while the mysterious and enigmatic power of magic devoured the sealing magic that had fused with the young prince's body and reinvigorated his crippled physical and magical abilities. Just one arm took 15 minutes to fully cleanse and restore, and nearly 10,000 mana was required to do so. Anyone other than Seran would likely collapse of overuse of mana, but this did not stop Seran, who stubbornly persevered.
Cleansing and restoring Andrew's limbs was the easiest step, but those alone needed an hour and 40,000 mana to complete. Seran gave Andrew a small grin, looking slightly pale from the drain in his mental strength, "Your limbs are now how they should have been. Next up is your head, and it'll take much longer since it is so critically important. How are you doing so far?"
Prince Andrew experimentally shifted his other arm, immediately noticing a difference compared to before. It was much more smooth and natural, instead of the previous stiffness in his muscles and bones. "Wow... I can... Is this really my arm?"
"Of course it is. It's just been completely reconstructed, per se, after I cleansed the toxins and devoured the sealing magic. Now then, I need you to stay very still and keep your mind empty. If your mind jumps unexpectedly, I could screw this all up and you'll be a vegetable." Seran gave Andrew a serious look, which the prince immediately nodded to before attempting to calm himself.
Another half-an-hour passed as Seran carefully controlled his power to restore and revitalize Prince Andrew's head, his mind included. This took twice the time of the limbs, but it required 10,000 more mana than the entire four limbs combined due to the precise control needed to operate without damaging any part of the brain. Once it was done, however, the young prince could feel an even more significant change compared to his limbs. Before, it was like he was sealed in a dark cell waist-deep in water, and he could only move so fast no matter what he did. Now, his mind felt like a bird in the sky, free and unfettered. The feeling of being unshackled felt so wonderful after a life of permanent 'imprisonment' caused him to tear up unintentionally.
Seeing his 'patient' crying from the new sensations he'd never had before, Seran smiled wider than before, "Not to interrupt your happy moment, Prince Andrew, but we're almost done. Another half-hour and you'll be right as rain..." True to his words, Seran finished his operation after another half hour, and another 50,000 mana was consumed to finish the operation. His face now white as snow, the young demigod stumbled backward and collapsed into a chair, his mental strength having been almost entirely exhausted. "There... all done... I need a nap now... wake me up in a bit..." With that, young Seran just... fell asleep, at the drop of a hat.
Johann, who rolled his eyes at the unchanged behavior of the little demigod, chuckled as he saw the prince crying with joy, and Rexus being stuck between excitement at Andrew's revitalization and worry at Seran's current status. "Don't worry about Seran, Rexus. He's fine. Give him an hour and he'll be back to his usual self. For now, just accompany your young prince. I think he deserves to experience the world with new senses."
Rexus nodded, "Yes, I think so too." He lightly placed a hand on Andrew's shoulder, startling him just a bit, "Your Highness, before you break into uncontrollable sobbing, how about we go and experience the city the way you should have been able to before? We'll come back later and talk with Seran again." After a brief moment of thought, Andrew, wiping his tears and sniffling a bit, agreed, making sure to tell Johann to thank Seran, who waved it off and told him to give his thanks to the demigod himself, before taking his first steps into a familiar world with unfamiliar senses.