How to Live Comfortably as an Abandoned Prince-Chapter 1 : Chapter 1

Chapter 1. Troll's Heart
The Imperial Palace of the Cretian Empire.
The most secluded palace.
It was a palace that felt somewhat dark and cool even in the middle of the day, and someone was lying there, bleeding, on the hard stone floor of this cold palace.
Radel Silvert Credian.
He was the master of the 8th Prince’s Palace.
Radel knew why he was dying. Someone pushed his back, and he tumbled down the stairs. Before he could do anything, he instantly hit his head and lost consciousness.
Now that he had regained consciousness, he couldn't even move a single finger.
‘How much time has passed...?’
The feeling of blood slowly draining away.
‘It’s cold.’
His eyelids were heavy.
‘Is today the end?’
There was a loud noise when he fell, so there was no way a single attendant wouldn't have come to check.
He was abandoned.
To die here in this secluded palace without anyone knowing.
He was a Prince, but he was not born with the Ability that manifested in the Imperial family of the Cretian Empire.
That fact was once so agonizing. It was even more so because his twin brother, born of the same womb, was outstanding.
‘That bastard will be happy when I die.’
Since he was a guy who hated him to death, he would certainly be happy even at the news that his only full-blooded brother had died.
Dragon’s Blessing.
His younger brother, the 9th Prince, was someone who was born grasping a formidable Ability that had appeared only twice in the history of the Cretian Empire.
A genius who achieved Simultaneous Chanting—which only a high-ranking mage should be capable of—without a magic circle at the age of six, through endless Magic Power and precise magic control.
‘Compared to him, I...’
Radel had nothing.
No swordsmanship, no magic, no Ability, no expectations.
He had even thought it was fortunate sometimes.
He believed that since he had no power to sit on the throne, he would not be caught up in the fierce struggle for the succession.
‘No. I wanted to believe it.’
His consciousness blurred.
‘But.’
His head was getting increasingly foggy.
‘If I had an Ability too.’
His life might not have ended this way.
But what could he do now?
Radel closed his eyes and waited for death.
Until a sudden question popped into his mind amidst his fading consciousness.
‘...This must be at least a concussion, right?’
Concussion?
‘No, wait, with this much bleeding, it’s over. It’s at least a cerebral hemorrhage, and I’m definitely going to die.’
Cerebral hemorrhage?
Radel felt doubtful about the medical terms that came to mind in a situation that might be the end of his life.
Were these medical terms even used in this era?
‘The uncle next door also died from a cerebral hemorrhage. That was when a Gate opened in the apartment, and he was running away but tripped and that's how it happened.’
Memories that surfaced effortlessly.
‘I was happy when a Gate opened, and I awakened as a Hunter without even knowing about that. Ha... If I had known I'd live and die as a B-rank Hunter, I should have just lived as an ordinary person.’
Those were things Radel had never experienced in his life as a Prince.
‘If only I had gotten the Troll’s Heart sooner, I wouldn't have died like that.’
He was, surprisingly, a B-rank Hunter who had ended his life on Earth in his 30s.
Perhaps because of the massive impact from falling down the stairs, Radel was only able to recall his past life’s memories right before death.
He was a Hunter with the Status Effect Nullification Trait.
It neutralized all mental magic and curses, but since Heal and blessings didn’t work either, he had to constantly rely on Potions during combat.
Eventually, when he developed a resistance to Potions, he roamed through Dungeons looking for the Troll’s Heart, which was secretly passed down among Hunters.
It was said that obtaining it would grant him the Troll’s regeneration ability.
But as soon as he found it, he was immediately killed by a Dungeon Boss.
‘So that’s it. I ended up like this in my past life too.’
Radel felt a strong sense of futility.
And at the same time, he felt intense anger.
‘No, but I was born as a Prince this time, wasn’t I?’
He wasn't born with a gold spoon.
He was born with a platinum spoon!
‘But I’m going to die just like this?’
I was born holding a platinum spoon, and I’m going to die like this?
‘Are you crazy!’
It was the moment Radel, who had lived his entire life as a Prince, felt a very commoner-like burst of anger.
Simultaneously, a ding sound rang in his ears.
[Conditions have been met.]
[Would you like to inherit the Troll’s Heart? (Y/N)]
Something appeared before his blurred eyes.
It was unbelievable.
He thought he must be seeing things before he died.
However, Radel moved his finger without realizing it.
He clearly couldn’t move a single hand, but now only the thought of pressing that filled his head.
If he was given another chance.
He would not live as he had before.
Ding.
[Scanning user.]
[Status Check]
[Warning!]
A lightning-like pain instantly struck Radel’s head.
“Ugh...!”
[Overload detected on the physique.]
[Warning! The user’s Stats are too low to withstand the corresponding Trait.]
Radel barely recalled his past life's memory amidst the surging pain.
That was right. He seemed to remember hearing about side effects of the Troll’s Heart.
The immense pain that came when the body regenerated.
His body was already on the brink of death.
He was a Hunter in his past life, so perhaps bleeding from the head would have been tolerable, but not now!
Radel’s weak body could not endure a pain several times stronger than the shock he felt when he fell down the stairs.
‘I still have to endure it.’
So what if it hurts?
Should I just die quietly like this then?
For Radel, dying this way or that way was the same.
[The user’s will has been confirmed.]
[Trait is being adjusted to match the user’s physique.]
[Inheriting the Troll’s Heart.]
‘It’s done.’
Hearing the sound fade past his ears, Radel lost consciousness again.
***
At the same time, the Ability Management Bureau in the Imperial Palace of the Cretian Empire.
This organization, which was directly under the Imperial family and generally handled all matters related to the Abilities of the Imperial family, was busy working today as well.
Flash!
But those who were working for the peace of the Imperial family and the Empire saw something unbelievable.
It was the pillar of light soaring up from the Prince’s Palace far away.
“Director, surely that’s!”
The surprised Agents looked back at their superior.
The Director, who had been looking at documents with a cool-headed expression, turned his eyes toward the pillar of light.
He took off his glasses and squinted.
That direction was where the 8th Prince’s Palace was located.
A pillar of light soaring up from the place where the 8th Prince, who had never manifested an Ability until now, had been living as if dead?
What that implied was clear.
‘The Imperial family is going to get noisy.’
Since the Princes and Princesses of this generation all possessed strong Abilities, the struggle for the succession was quite fierce beneath the surface.
No one knew what kind of ripple effect the 8th Prince, who had been virtually neglected due to having no power until now, would bring about.
“A new Ability has manifested.”
He gave instructions to the Agents and turned his eyes toward another task.
It was obviously overtime today.
***
“Your Highness, are you conscious?”
Radel lifted his heavy eyelids.
He didn't know where he was, but he was definitely lying on a bed.
He figured he hadn't died.
“This is the Imperial family’s exclusive Treatment Room. We brought Your Highness here two days ago when you collapsed.”
The Priest, seeing Radel had regained consciousness, explained the situation.
It was brief information: Radel had almost died, had been unconscious for two days, and yet his recovery was fast.
While listening to the words, Radel summoned the Status Window.
It was the basic Status Window that anyone who awakened as a Hunter could see.
‘It works.’
Name: Radel Silvert Credian
Age: 17
Title: 8th Prince of the Cretian Empire
Stats: Health 5, Magic Power 5, Strength 4, Agility 3, Intelligence 4
Overall Ability: F
Skill: Basic Swordsmanship (F)
Trait: Troll’s Heart (F), Status Effect Nullification (S)
‘I expected it, but it’s miserable.’
Moreover, it seemed that Status Effect Nullification had come along with the Troll’s Heart.
‘This is problematic.’
Nevertheless, his heart swelled when he saw the Troll’s Heart he had finally obtained.
Fortunately, considering that he had been close to death, his physical condition was decent.
Radel sat up and looked around the Treatment Room. It was a luxurious hospital room with even a reception area.
Since the Cretian Empire had many personnel working in the Imperial Palace, they operated a treatment center by gathering Priests dispatched from the Temple to the Imperial Palace.
‘The Troll’s Heart saved me.’
Radel felt relieved and checked the Status Window.
[Troll’s Heart (F)]
The ability to regenerate any wound.
However, it regenerates at a speed barely enough to keep the breath in the body. (Additional Ability Activation: Health 10)
Strong pain accompanies the activation of the Trait.
It was the first time he had seen an F attached to a Trait.
He remembered seeing that the Trait would be adjusted to match the user before he lost consciousness, and it seemed to have been nerfed to fit Radel’s current Stats.
‘F means it just barely lets me live, with my breath barely attached.’
The Additional Ability Activation also caught his eye.
It seemed to mean that if his Health reached 10, the Trait might change from F to E or another ability might be added.
Radel decided that he had to deal with that first.
The slow speed of regeneration meant that he had to feel the terrible pain for a longer time, and he never wanted to experience that again.
“Uh, I beg your pardon, but...”
“...?”
“For some reason, Heal doesn’t work on Your Highness. This might be a temporary symptom, so we will investigate the cause as soon as possible.”
It was Status Effect Nullification, no doubt about it. Status Effect Nullification was a problematic Trait because, more than anything else, it prevented Heal from working.
Radel was not surprised because he knew about it through the Status Window.
It was an S-rank Trait, after all, what could a mere Priest do?
In the Empire, most treatments relied on Healing Magic.
There was no need for surgical procedures either. The Priest’s Healing Magic solved everything.
Radel, who was born in the Cretian Empire and had lived his whole life taking that for granted, felt a strange sensation now that he had recalled his memories from Earth.
‘Here, Status Effect Nullification is on the level of an incurable disease.’
However, since Radel had the Troll’s Heart, it was not a big problem.
“I see.”
“Yes?”
The Priest was secretly surprised by the 8th Prince’s unexpectedly calm demeanor.
“It must have been hard because of me, you worked hard to treat me.”
From the appearance of the young man who instead said he had worked hard, a subtle dignity was even felt.
The Priest looked at Radel with a renewed eye.
The 8th Prince was hardly known to the outside world.
He was rumored to be the twin of the 9th Prince, a powerful candidate for the next Emperor. When he was first carried into the Treatment Room, the Priest had mistaken him for the 9th Prince.
‘Certainly, their faces are similar. However...’
Their personalities were worlds apart.
Of course, Radel was just sorry for the Priest who had made futile efforts trying to make the impossible happen. How bewildered he must have been that the treatment wasn't working even though it wasn't his fault.
‘That's just how office workers are... It’s a shame when it’s not even their fault.’
If something had gone wrong with Radel, the Priest’s head would have been on the line.
Radel, who had worked in a small to medium-sized guild in his past life, understood that feeling.
‘I understand. I definitely understand.’
Radel smiled a knowing smile, unaware of what the Priest was thinking.
The Priest was freshly shocked by that understanding smile.
‘How could this be! How could he have such a benevolent smile...!’
The inhuman Princes and Princesses he had met until now flashed through the Priest’s mind.
Compared to other members of the Imperial family who didn’t care about those of lower status than themselves, the 8th Prince was surprisingly decent.
And so, a huge misunderstanding began.