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chapter 5
With a cheerful sound, the carriage came to a stop. The door opened, and Rudels stepped out first with his long legs.
He then politely extended his hand toward me.
I didn’t understand what it meant at first, so I stared blankly at his hand for a moment.
Seeing me looking back and forth between his face and his hand, he whispered softly, as if amused.
“Escort.”
Ah. Only then did I realize that he was offering his hand to help me down, and my face flushed red.
Embarrassed, I closed my eyes tightly and took Rudels’ hand. Despite his gentle appearance, I could feel calluses on his palm.
Holding my hand, he smiled faintly and helped me down.
The Ifinga Castle was so grand that even when I craned my neck, I couldn’t see its top.
In front of the castle, the butlers and maids stood in a line. It was strange that they didn’t react at all, even though they must have known I was a witch.
As Rudels and I approached them, an elderly man who seemed to be the head butler bowed and greeted us.
“Welcome, Lord Rudels.”
“Are preparations complete to receive the magical healer?”
“Yes. Everything is ready.”
“Good. Well done, Petron. I’ll take care of this guest myself.”
He said that, gently took my hand, and led me forward. Smiling at me, he asked,
“Shall we go, Teacher?”
My heart fluttered, and the world seemed to blur as he came close with a smiling face.
Trembling with anticipation, I held his hand and entered the castle.
If I had to stay in such a luxurious place, I might as well enjoy it!
I walked briskly toward Ifinga, lifting the corners of my mouth as if a spasm might break out from excitement.
After the two of us went inside, the maids began whispering among themselves.
“My goodness… Did you see Lord Ifin’s face?”
“He smiled so harmlessly it gave me chills.”
One maid, her face pale, scratched her goosebump-covered arm as she watched the door through which the two had disappeared. Others nodded in agreement and continued their hushed conversation.
“My goodness… what’s going to happen to that witch? She’s entering as a healer and might leave as a corpse.”
“I know, right? She looks so innocent… it’s almost worrying on this side. Sigh, it seems the witch’s life is doomed.”
The maids imagined the now-vanished witch with pity.
In the Ifin family, Rudels’ smiles only appeared when catching spies or confronting enemies. Otherwise, he walked around with a blank expression, leaving the castle staff to tremble at his rare smile.
“But doesn’t the witch look too small and fragile? She’s… cuter than I imagined.”
“Oh my! You think so too? I didn’t expect a witch to look so cute either. Kind of like a white rabbit…”
“Kuheum!”
At the head butler’s clearing of his throat, the whispers immediately ceased.
The maids clamped their mouths shut like clams and exchanged glances.
Even the head butler was troubled by this new side of Lord Rudels, whom he had served for 25 years.
In the Ifinga household, the lord with the most expressionless face… smiling at a white-haired witch?
This was an earth-shattering event.
The Rudels they knew never showed emotion except when fighting enemies or torturing someone.
‘Could it be that Lord Rudels plans to torture the witch he brought in as a healer? Really…?’
The head butler seriously considered whether he should warn the lord, imagining Rudels clenching his fists if he heard this thought.
The head butler looked at the door with the maids, feeling a surprising sense of pity for the witch he had so strongly disliked.
He had no idea the witch brought by the lord was so small, fragile, and innocent-looking, and he couldn’t help feeling sorry for this nameless witch.
Rudels and I quietly walked down a carpeted hallway.
The castle was larger and taller than I expected, echoing with each step, and I walked carefully beside him, startled by the cold sound.
As we walked, Rudels asked me,
“Healer Iriel?”
“Yes?”
“Where would you like to start?”
“Uh… pardon?”
I didn’t understand his intent, so I asked again.
Rudels kindly explained once more,
“Would you like to start by touring the house, go to the lodging first, or the treatment room? Or perhaps…”
“Th-that…! The tr-treatment room! I want to see my treatment room first!”
I exclaimed anxiously, fearing he might start reciting the history of the Ifinga family.
Rudels’ behavior was like a child showing a friend around their home, leaving me slightly embarrassed.
I couldn’t tell if it was his personality or the culture of his people.
Curious, I looked at his face. He spoke softly, eyes curved like a bow, lips gentle.
“Then let’s go, Teacher.”
Wait, he just said healer…
Confused by the constantly changing titles, I decided not to resist the beastman who disliked witches and obediently walked to match his pace.
Rudels led me to a large door labeled “Magical Treatment Room” and politely opened it for me.
Peeking through the slightly open door, I covered my mouth with both hands.
“My goodness…! Such a luxurious treatment room!”
I quickly glanced around, marveling at the furniture and equipment.
Everything was expensive and rare. On one desk were books on herbal medicine and research tools I had longed for.
“This is incredible! Absolutely… amazing!”
I rushed toward the books, my excitement barely contained.
Looking at the thick covers and the knowledge inside, I felt tears welling up. These books were extremely rare and difficult to obtain. I couldn’t take my eyes off the shelves.
Rudels approached behind me, noticing my excitement.
“Are you satisfied?”
“Completely! Where did you get these books? I spent days searching for them, only to be told they weren’t for sale!”
I asked, my face glowing with excitement. He chuckled lightly and shrugged.
“There’s always a way to get what you want.”
So young and rich! With money and influence, he could obtain such precious books and items! This was like winning the lottery!
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face and my eyes sparkled.
I didn’t dare touch the treatment devices, afraid of leaving fingerprints, but I was thrilled to know I could use them while employed here.
As I explored in excitement, Rudels said,
“This will be Iriel’s treatment space. Most visitors will probably be people of the Ifinga family or high-ranking individuals. But not many will come. Mostly… beastmen who’ve fought monsters.”
He corrected himself mid-sentence, his kind consideration evident. I nodded and asked what I had been meaning to.
“Then… can I also use this as my research lab?”
“Of course.”
He nodded with his arms crossed.
“Then… could I… possibly sell the medicines I make here?”
“Medicines?”
He asked in curiosity. Since beastmen rarely needed hospitals due to their high self-healing ability, his reaction was understandable.
I explained my thoughts.
“I… know beastmen have extraordinary self-healing. But the medicines I want to make are for things like detoxifying magic in the body, sleeping aids, or nerve relaxants…”
I had no intention of selling remedies for physical injuries, as that would be insulting to the beastmen. But medicines that alleviate the suffering of those wounded by magic would be necessary.
Regular medicine doesn’t work well on beastmen, and I couldn’t treat everyone alone. I also wanted to create sleeping aids, nerve relaxants, or painkillers not yet distributed, as a source of income for later.
I believed it would improve the quality of life for the beastmen, so I was confident.
Yet I faltered in my words because Rudels was staring at me.
Not used to being looked at so directly, I stammered while he touched his chin and nodded.
“Hmm… seems useful for beastmen.”
“Y-yes?”
“Yes. Even though the beastmen nation is stable, enemies are still lurking.”
He crossed his arms and lowered the corners of his mouth.
“Ordinary beastmen suffer for days if struck by magic. Selling such medicines at a low price would help. Sleeping aids and painkillers aren’t distributed here, so it might be good for our guild to sell them too.”
He wrinkled his nose as he spoke.
“Plus, beastmen who are proud of their own bodies won’t stubbornly try to endure everything alone anymore if they have medicines made by you.”
I was startled. They could have reacted angrily, thinking all medicines should be removed just because I was a witch.
Seeing me tremble, Rudels laughed and waved his hand.
“Why be surprised? I’m just saying I have high expectations of your skills.”
“Ah… hahaha…”
I laughed awkwardly, swallowing dryly.
‘So he enjoys teasing like this… Does he like seeing people flustered?’
As I tried to calm my heated hands, Rudels looked around the room and extended his hand.
“Now that we’ve seen your workspace, shall we move to your lodging?”
