TMOHI 24

Chapter : 24

Ding-di-ri-ri-ring~ Ding-di-ri-ri-ring~

The closer I got to the physician’s office, the more I could hear the bright and cheerful sound of a ukulele.

Following the sound inside, I met Birt’s eyes. He was sitting comfortably in a chair, casually strumming the ukulele.

“Ah, Lady Eani, you’ve come.”

“Birt, you’re quite talented. Good at farming, good at music~.”

“You flatter me. But isn’t music one of the things that makes life enjoyable? Since I’ll be working in the South, I thought I might as well learn at least one instrument from here.”

“Hehe, really? At this rate, you’ll be casting magic next, won’t you?”

“I actually focused on studying magic as a child. My parents wanted my sibling and me to become magicians. But unfortunately, magic is largely determined by innate talent… and lacking that, I had to give up the path of magic early.”

“That happened?”

“But I wasn’t too disheartened. From the start, I was more interested in learning various disciplines than focusing solely on magic. So, my lack of magical talent turned out to be a good opportunity for me.”

“I see. That’s great! And among all those subjects, you ended up learning medicine~.”

I responded casually to Birt and naturally sat across from him.

“Today, I’m not here to see a farmer or musician—I came to see Physician Birt~.”

As I said this and extended my arm, Birt, who had been chatting cheerfully, froze.

Then, slowly, he set the instrument down on his desk.

“Lady Eani… you don’t mean you want me to do that again, do you?”

“Yep~.”

“My goodness. I think I’m starting to understand why the three sisters always call on the gods when in a pinch. Although it’s not so much that they believe in the gods—they just want to rely on something, and sometimes such words slip out naturally when faced with extraordinary circumstances.”

Muttering this, Birt pushed his glasses up.

“Lady Eani, if the Marquis Harten finds out about this, I might end up having to confirm whether gods exist for myself.”

“Oh, that’s something I’ve wondered about, too.”

If gods exist, I want to ask them myself.

I thought about how I ended up inhabiting Eani Nasel’s body.

Birt turned pale and shouted at me.

“You… you’re putting me through this because of that? I don’t want to die yet…!”

“Of course not~. Don’t worry, Birt. Harten will never know about this.”

Saying that, I glanced at the tray next to his desk.

“So, enough small talk—let’s get started.”

“Sigh… what are you thinking, really?”

Birt let out a deep sigh, rummaged through the tray, and pulled out a small syringe and needle.

Looking thoroughly reluctant, he carefully disinfected them and tied my arm with a tourniquet.

Then, cautiously, he found a vein and inserted the needle.

Soon, blood began to fill the syringe with a gentle sloshing sound.

Knowing Birt responds well to praise, I smiled and complimented him instinctively.

“Wow, you found the vein perfectly on the first try again! Truly, Birt, you’re a skilled physician~.”

As expected, Birt’s expression brightened slightly.

“Ah, thank you for the compliment. Lady Eani, your skin is pale and thin, so it wasn’t difficult.”

“No, really, Birt—you’re a true all-around physician. I think you’re the best at finding veins in this empire.”

“Indeed, during my time at the academy, I was the best among my classmates at finding veins. Because of that, they often brought patients to me, asking me to teach them a trick or two.”

‘Maybe they just didn’t want to draw the blood themselves…’

I didn’t bother thinking that aloud.

Meanwhile, Birt quickly drew the blood and carefully transferred it into a small glass vial.

I pressed the wound to prevent bruising and stop the bleeding.

“Here you go, Lady Eani.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Are you feeling dizzy or unwell anywhere? I didn’t draw too much blood, but regularly taking blood without medical necessity isn’t good. Also, you’ve been practicing magic a lot lately—if your mana depletes, it could cause a serious fever.”

“Mm~ I’ll see you next time~.”

I left the office before Birt could continue lecturing.

Then, I gazed quietly at the glass vial in my hand.

‘It seems like every time I come for blood, the nagging increases.’

I could understand Birt’s feelings. Even with the utmost care, it would be unsettling for someone to be constantly asked to draw blood.

‘But it can’t be helped.’

This blood was a cheat key essential for the resort’s construction!

My plan was unprecedented in scale and method, so I couldn’t proceed normally.

That’s why I decided to use a little shortcut.

‘If I draw a magic circle with mana-rich blood, the effect doubles!’

The more mana the blood contained, the exponentially greater the effect.

So among magicians, some even mix their own blood into magic circles.

And since my mana is overwhelmingly abundant…

‘My blood is a rare, coveted ingredient!’

In such a situation, there’s no reason not to use this precious material.

The only thing I had to be careful of was the ring Harten had given me.

This ring would notify me if I had a wound larger than a certain size—slightly larger than a needle puncture.

‘How many spells did they cram into this tiny ring?’

It alerted me to wounds, high or low body temperature, even allergic reactions.

Because of that, I had to cancel my original plan to draw blood myself and ask Birt instead.

‘Not that it’s really a bad thing for me.’

Asking Birt was cleaner and painless.

Still… do I really need to go this far?

‘Harten Seind… what an absurd man.’

Thinking of Harten, I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

I happened to be walking through the garden for a stroll, and the lively sounds of activity reached me.

“Everyone, gather around! We finally perfected the ice cream recipe that brings out Ladiv’s flavor to the fullest!”

“Wow~ Adding milk really makes the texture smoother than before!”

“The sherbet texture worked well too! Well, since we’re selling it anyway, maybe we should make several types?”

Thanks to Meno and the kitchen staff at the restaurant side.

“If you go this way, there’s the underground wine cellar. Honestly, I don’t know much about wine… not sure if the size will be suitable for restaurant use.”

“Don’t worry! Lady Eani said if it’s insufficient, we can expand anytime!”

“We can taste the wines and beans freely and choose the ones that pair best with Tadiv and the islands!”

Thanks to the waitstaff, including Elin and Letiz, handling the underground storage.

Moreover—

“This material is expensive, so I told you not to waste it—!!!!”

The echoing voice of Bellin could be heard from afar.

I gently covered my ears and smiled.

‘Just a few days ago, all I could hear was the sound of waves and birds.’

As if answering me, the sea, embracing all the noise, sparkled in the sunlight and created gentle waves.

Swish—

Listening to the sound, I lifted my head and looked at the distant horizon.

‘While this place has changed so much, I wonder how Harten is doing.’

Scratch scratch.

Meanwhile, the office of Harten, today, was filled only with the sound of pens moving.

There was no life in his eyes as he mechanically signed papers.

‘I want to see Eani.’

Whether his eyes were open or closed, Eani’s smile lingered in his mind.

How much longer must he endure this bone-crushing pain and time of patience?

‘If I could just hold Eani in my arms and take a single breath… I’d give everything I have.’

Harten, thinking this would make his eyes spin if Eani herself heard it, snapped awake.

‘What a reckless thought, Harten Seind!’

This was dangerous. Although he couldn’t deny being drawn to Eani again, he couldn’t afford to fall too deeply.

Harten never wanted to relive the agony of that past.

‘The moment Eani Nasel regains even a little memory, this peace will surely end.’

She would never smile at him.

So he mustn’t give his heart too much.

Even though the current Eani was sweeter than sugar, and just seeing her could melt him…

‘No! This is all about discipline! I mustn’t be shaken by such a thing!’

Slap slap!

Harten, slapping his own cheeks roughly, was interrupted by a small knock.

“Marquis, a letter has arrived.”

“If it’s not work-related, don’t bring it.”

“It’s a letter from Lady Eani.”

As soon as he heard that, Harten dashed to the office door, flung it open, grabbed the letter with a flushed face, and slammed the door shut.

The senior aide left behind tilted their head, watching the closed door.

‘Why is that man’s face so swollen?’