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Chapter 026……………………….
I swallowed my saliva hard, my throat tightening.
What was he about to say? That we should just kill them?
Even though I knew that wasn’t likely, I couldn’t help but feel tense.
He slowly reached out and tucked my hair—fluttering wildly in all directions—behind my ear.
My heart thudded loudly.
“Because we can just win them over.”
“My goodness.”
“I’m confident.”
Cedric smiled seductively.
It was extremely effective.
* * *
After meeting Cedric in the garden last night, I couldn’t sleep a wink.
Maybe Cedric really was a spy sent by Tinte. Maybe his goal was to make me fail the exam due to lack of sleep.
‘But if everyone’s suspicious, is it really okay to tell me all this?’
‘Well… will it work?’
Cedric’s shameless attitude made me end up laughing too.
The atmosphere relaxed in an instant, and we ended up strolling and chatting about trivial things afterward, but ever since then, I couldn’t focus at all.
Maybe I’d been enchanted by that beauty mark under his eye.
Now that I think about it, it was kind of funny. I was walking around, talking and laughing with people as if I had no worries at all, living my “daily life.”
Maybe it was because my environment had changed and I had people around me, but these past few days I had been living like a completely ordinary person—laughing and talking freely. Yet in my dreams, I was still wandering around that old shack.
“Come to think of it, there’s been no news from the kingdom.”
Of course, even if something had happened, there was no way for me to know.
I thought blankly for a moment, then dismissed the thought.
That wasn’t important right now.
Rolling an empty potion bottle in my hand calmed my mind.
As I yawned repeatedly until my mouth nearly split open, Harun—who had been quietly guiding me—finally spoke.
“Yaaawn.”
“Did you not sleep properly?”
I nodded.
But Cedric probably slept well.
Last night, even in the middle of all that chaos, I had slipped a special potion into Cedric’s pocket. It was one I had made earlier.
As long as at least one person slept well, that was enough…
“Harun.”
“Yes.”
“Why does His Grace, the Grand Duke… no, Cedric look like that?”
Such a troubling beauty. The phrase “a face that brings ruin to nations” existed for a reason.
I had to struggle to shake Cedric’s lingering image from my mind. If I failed the exam, it was all Cedric’s fault.
Surprisingly, Harun responded seriously.
“Well, yes. If he had stayed in the empire, he would’ve dominated high society and been called ‘Flower of the Year.’”
“That disgusting title—what even is that? It sounds awful.”
“It is the most honorable position in imperial high society. Surprisingly.”
Harun admitted the naming sense was terrible, joking lightly.
“I heard he was once the crown prince.”
“He was. Not anymore. He completely renounced his succession rights.”
I see.
But it didn’t matter. What mattered wasn’t his status, but whether he was willing to help me.
I naturally changed the topic.
“Where are we going now?”
We had walked quite a bit.
Looking around, I realized we were in the town just in front of the Grand Duke’s castle—the one we had passed when going to Rueuta Village with Cedric a few days ago.
It didn’t look particularly relaxed, but compared to other places, there were more decent-looking buildings.
“We’re going to Lord Tinte’s house.”
“To my test? Why?”
We weren’t that close to be sharing such private spaces, were we?
As I instinctively showed reluctance, Harun chuckled.
“You’ll be taking the exam there.”
“…There? I thought the third test was actual treatment. Are we bringing patients into that old man’s house?”
“Something like that.”
What do you mean “something like that”? Either it is or it isn’t.
Before long, we arrived at Tinte’s house. It was a two-story building with a blue roof.
When we knocked, Tinte greeted us. The house was quiet, as if only a minimal number of servants were employed.
“Follow me. His Highness will be here soon as well.”
Tinte was unusually calm.
As he said, Cedric arrived shortly afterward.
“Your Highness. Is it alright for you to keep leaving your duties like this?”
“It’s important.”
“You’re very devoted…”
He acted as if he didn’t even remember last night, but when his eyes met mine, he smiled gently.
All my hostility vanished in an instant.
In any case, it was strange that Cedric attended every single exam without missing one.
He usually stayed in his office.
Occasionally he appeared in the garden, but otherwise, he was rarely seen outside. He didn’t come out much.
He even ate meals in his room. He was extremely busy.
But for this exam, he hadn’t missed a single session. I couldn’t tell if it was affection toward Tinte or support for me. Probably the former.
Once everyone had gathered, Tinte led us upstairs.
“This is the final test.”
“Is the patient inside?”
Tinte silently nodded and opened the tightly shut door.
A room filled with modest furniture divided by a white cloth came into view.
I carefully lifted the cloth.
“Hmm.”
A dry, emaciated man lay on a white bed.
Tinte, who followed in, explained his condition.
“He has been unconscious since collapsing two years ago. He is currently thirty-two. Severe malnutrition has left him extremely weakened.”
“How was he being fed?”
“With help from the temple. As cases like this increased, the temple revealed an ancient spell—one that allows food to be absorbed directly into the body.”
What a strange world this was.
And I briefly wondered: Is this, by Tinte’s standards, something against natural order or not?
“This is the third test. If you identify the cause of the illness and its cure and show meaningful improvement, I will grant you the position of chief physician of the Grand Duke’s estate.”
“Huh? What about you, old man?”
Tinte chuckled. He exchanged an unreadable glance with Cedric before speaking again.
“Worry about the patient before worrying about me.”
“That’s fair.”
“For reference, this patient is one of the very few cases for which I have never been able to determine a treatment.”
My mouth fell open.
“You want me to cure someone like that?”
“Why, do you lack confidence?”
“And I’m not even allowed to use potions!”
Tinte lifted the corners of his mouth mockingly.
“That is your problem.”
“Your Highness. Isn’t this too much?”
“Hmm. Do your best.”
Cedric was completely unhelpful.
Birds of a feather flock together, as the saying goes.
I engraved the wisdom of the ancients into my bones and approached the bed.
So. A chief physician, huh?
I clenched my fist.
At this rate, I was going to take that old man’s position away from him.
“Then please promise me one thing.”
“What is it?”
“If I show even a slight improvement without potions, then after that I’ll treat him my own way.”
“That…”
“This isn’t just a test. It’s real treatment.”
The test had gone on long enough. Tinte must have felt it too.
If there was a critically ill patient whom no method had ever cured, then it was time to try something different.
Calling it a “test” in front of such a patient was almost deceitful.
“…Very well.”
“Good.”
Finally, Tinte agreed.
Now there was only one thing left for me to do: examine and treat the patient.
As I approached, his condition became clearer. He was barely clinging to life.
Status: sleep state. erosion from fire, erosion from cold, reverse flow of earth energy…
“Hmm?”
Wait. Something’s wrong.
I checked his condition again and began channeling ether into his body.
“This is…”
The twisted ether inside him was colliding chaotically throughout his body.
I reflexively checked his ether vessel, but it was intact.
It’s not a problem with the vessel. Then…
