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Chapter 15
Once they’d finished eating to some extent, work time approached.
After changing back into their Magic Department uniforms, they went down to the first floor, where several imperial physicians were already present.
Dana and Edwin exchanged light greetings with them and headed toward the training hall.
Soon, the doors to the training hall opened, revealing a vast space.
The reason they conducted medical examinations in the training hall was simple.
It was the largest place available.
The hall, cleared of weapons, was lined with the latest medical equipment brought from the Imperial Palace, along with rows of nutrition potions.
The imperial physicians checked to make sure all the equipment was functioning properly.
Dana led Edwin to the far end.
Then she began opening the stacks of potion crates.
“Just think of it as a routine health check. Our job is to hand out potions one by one to the knights after they’ve been examined.”
“One bottle per person?” Edwin asked.
“For the most part. Sometimes someone’s short on nutrients, so make sure to check the exam results carefully.”
Edwin nodded.
At the same time, he picked up the crate Dana had lifted.
“I’ll organize the potions. Senior, could you check to make sure none of them have gone bad?”
There was no way potions under preservation magic would spoil.
In other words, he was telling Dana to sit back and rest.
As Dana was about to refuse, Edwin’s earlier words flashed through her mind.
‘From now on, accept anything I give you.’
Dana decided to change her mindset.
If she was going to accept it, she might as well enjoy it confidently.
Smiling brightly, she said, “Thanks. I’ll take you up on it and get some proper rest.”
At her playful expression, Edwin laughed out loud.
Not long after, the Rune Knight Order entered the training hall.
Perhaps because they went out to subjugate monsters every day, they were all impressively built.
The imperial physicians wore unusually tense expressions.
They’d heard rumors that the order was a gathering of the empire’s biggest lunatics.
They won’t suddenly go wild, right?
Everyone, stay calm!
The physicians whispered urgently among themselves.
The knights who had burst through the doors suddenly began moving in unison.
Without realizing it, the physicians shielded the valuable medical equipment.
Contrary to their fears, the knights were simply lining up.
When everyone calmly took their place, the physicians felt a bit embarrassed.
Looks like we misunderstood them.
No matter what, they’re knights with chivalry. They wouldn’t act strangely.
Feeling apologetic, they greeted the knights again, much more relaxed.
But the very first thing the first knight said made them tense up once more.
An imperial physician addressed the large-framed knight.
“Sir Max, is there anywhere you’re feeling unwell?”
“Yes.”
Max’s stern face crumpled into a pitiful one in an instant.
“My arm… my arm is broken!”
“Since this morning? Let me take a look!”
What filled the physician’s vision was a rabbit doll.
“Why are you looking at me?! Our Merida is hurt!”
Tears pooled at the corners of Max’s nose.
Forcing a smile, the physician examined the doll.
One arm had come completely off, the stitching undone.
“Ah… um… it’s a doll.”
“Merida isn’t a doll—she’s my little sister!!”
While Max raged, the second knight took a seat in front of another physician.
He was extremely hairy.
His hair and beard reached all the way down to his feet.
The physician facing him spoke.
“…Sir Harriet. Excuse me, but what condition are you currently in…?”
“I put two drops of hair-growth potion into my alcohol, and this happened.”
“…Why would you do that?”
“It tasted bland.”
The physician swallowed hard.
After choosing his words for a long while, he picked up a pair of scissors.
When he cut off a thick clump of Harriet’s hair, Harriet bared his teeth in a grin.
“Oh, a master physician!”
Next, the third knight headed to an empty seat.
He plopped an extremely angry-looking puppy onto the chair.
“Grrr…! Hic!”
“……”
The physician blinked in confusion.
A knight beside them spoke in a solemn voice.
“Lady Coco’s hiccups won’t stop.”
“…I think you might need to see a veterinarian.”
“What? Useless!”
The knight stormed off, holding the puppy.
Coco seemed to agree, growling fiercely.
Grrr, hic! Grrrrr, hic!
After that, the knights continued undergoing examinations.
But due to communication issues, the line didn’t get any shorter.
Even after a long time had passed, not a single person had finished and come to receive a potion.
Sitting in her chair, Dana spoke weakly.
“At this rate, we’ll never finish.”
Edwin noticed how tired she looked.
He smiled softly and stood up.
“That won’t do. I still need to have a meal with you, senior.”
Then he calmly walked into the middle of the knights.
Startled by Edwin’s sudden action, Dana hurried after him to stop him.
She had no idea what those knights might do to gentle, kind Edwin.
“Edwin, wait—!”
When Edwin pushed through the knights and stood in the center, the atmosphere instantly grew solemn.
He slowly looked around at them.
Then he spoke gently.
“Shall we play a game?”
“……”
The once-noisy knight order fell completely silent.
You could hear the sound of people swallowing.
“The rule is that each of your examinations must not exceed one minute.”
“……”
“If you go over time, then the next game will be with me.”
“……”
“Just the two of us.”
The last words were chillingly sweet.
The first to move was Max.
Even though Merida’s arm dangled loosely, he stared straight ahead as he walked forward.
With a pale face, he spoke to Dana.
“Potion, please.”
“…Here you go. Good work—”
Max disappeared in a hurry.
After that, the “game” Edwin proposed continued.
Everyone answered quickly, then vanished with military precision.
The nutrition potions slowly began to run out.
Startled, Coco’s hiccups stopped.
As absurd as the situation was, the physicians’ surprise quickly faded, and the shadows under their eyes began to lift.
With the health checks progressing rapidly, their faces brightened immediately.
“Sir Ray, do you have any pain—”
“No!”
And that was the end of the conversation.
When they came to collect their potions, they didn’t even make eye contact with Edwin.
In the end, all the health checks were completed in under thirty minutes.
The imperial physicians approached Edwin with delighted expressions.
“How on earth did you do that? You got the Rune Knight Order moving!”
Edwin replied calmly.
“Who knows? Maybe they like games.”
Ah… games! The physicians nodded in understanding.
Leaving their admiration behind, Edwin walked over to Dana.
“Good work, senior.”
“No, thanks to you, everything wrapped up smoothly.”
At that, Edwin smiled with his eyes.
After tidying up the potion crates, it was lunchtime.
While staying at the base, they had to eat with the knights.
“Senior, you must be hungry, right?”
Worried Dana might slip on the snow, Edwin held her hand tightly.
“No, I had a good breakfast, so I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
They soon arrived at the knights’ base.
They lined up and received bread, meat, and vegetables.
Since supplies were regularly delivered from the Imperial Palace, the meals were quite decent.
Edwin headed to an empty table beside the knights.
When he politely pulled out Dana’s chair, the knights’ eyes widened.
Then they focused all their attention on their commander.
It was the first time they’d ever seen such a human, considerate gesture from him.
After sitting down, Dana called out to him.
“Hey, Edwin.”
“Yes, senior.”
Looking at his endlessly cheerful face, Dana spoke with concern.
“Don’t step in so easily like you did earlier.”
“Like earlier?”
“In front of the knight order, telling them to hurry things along.”
Ah. Edwin had already tossed that memory far away.
What was wrong with that?
Seeing his puzzled expression, Dana sighed.
“You’re far too delicate compared to them.”
“……”
“You even delayed joining by a month because you were sick, and you’re pretty soft-hearted too.”
It was the first time anyone had worried about him like that.
Hearing that Dana was looking out for him, Edwin smiled.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Of course I am.”
“Well, I suppose I am rather sensitive.”
At that, coughing sounds erupted from all around them.
Did everyone choke at once?
As Dana wondered about it, a piece of bread was gently placed into her mouth.
Edwin had fed her.
The knights, their appetites instantly gone, began standing up one by one.
