chapter 9
I nearly choked.
1,000? Not 1,000 silver, but 1,000 gold? My goodness, a typical four-person household can live comfortably on 10 gold a month, and the family’s personal physician is getting 1,000 gold?
I was so shocked that my entire body began trembling.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! The reward for just removing magic from someone’s body is this much?!”
Rudels saw the paper shaking in my hands and adjusted his fists from the delicate, flower-like gesture he had been making.
“So, that’s why you need to be treated more. Especially. Specially.“
“Ha, but that’s far too much…?”
“Haha. Too much, you say? You’ll be getting this much, so you have to treat patients diligently, doctor.”
Ah… So the more money they give, the more demanding the patients are.
Hearing Rudels, I remembered a stubborn elderly woman from the lower village who was known to pay well.
“She was notorious for being capricious, but if you treated her well, she’d pay double, so I always pushed myself to improve my skills.”
I nodded to myself and read the contract again.
Right, of course. Being paid according to the work is standard anywhere.
But as I read further, I started noticing some odd clauses.
[Clause 1. Party B must perform a health check on Party A once a month and, at Party A’s request, act as Party A’s personal physician while on business trips. Party B must treat patients only with Party A’s permission, and in urgent cases, treatment must be conducted with the direct approval of the Epin family. Violating this clause will incur penalties.]
What the…?
I looked at Rudels with a puzzled expression. He just smiled.
The next clause left me even more baffled.
[Clause 2. Party B must serve as Party A’s personal physician for three years after the contract is signed. If the contract is not renewed afterward, Party B must reside within the Epin family’s territory for two years.]
What is this…? Why do I have to live on their territory after the contract ends? For two years?!
I stared at him, demanding an explanation.
Rudels, seemingly expecting my expression, called over a bespectacled man beside him.
“Lucel. Explain.”
The beastman named Lucel smoothed his furrowed brows and spoke.
“Exactly as written in the contract.”
“I understand the health checks and business trips, but why must I live in the territory after the contract ends?”
Lucel sighed and asked me:
“Lady Iriel, you are aware that the Epin family is a branch of the royal family, correct?”
I nodded. Lucel adjusted his glasses with his fingers and continued.
“Moreover, they are wealthy. Our Epin family heir, Rudels, possesses wealth, honor, and status—he’s even blessed with good looks. Ah, of course, not necessarily with temperament…”
“Stop at the first verse, Lucel. Before I burn your tail off.”
Rudels grit his teeth at Lucel’s praise, and Lucel cleared his throat a few times before returning to the point.
“Anyway, the Epin family is among the wealthiest in the continent and monopolizes gem mines. That means they have many enemies.”
He glanced at me briefly at the word “enemies” and then avoided my gaze.
I know that.
I responded timidly in my mind and looked back at the contract.
Enemies… probably not just witches, but other races too.
The more you possess, the more careful you must be.
Monopolizing wealth means all blades are aimed at it.
So, as Rudels’ physician and the Epin family’s personal doctor, I need to be cautious.
To those who wish to consume the Epin family, I am the easiest target to probe and a perfect candidate for spying.
“Ah, so that’s why the contract includes safety measures to prevent me from encountering others.”
The Epin family may not be treated lightly since they are a branch of the royal beastman family, but nobles from other countries might not show the same courtesy. Especially witches—they’d see me as vulnerable.
I bit my lips, thinking about my identity. If it weren’t for witches, I wouldn’t feel so guilty toward him.
I remembered Rudels, lying injured in blood, and stared at the contract with pity.
“He must have always been fighting numerous enemies….”
Thinking so made me feel sorry for him. As the heir supporting the Epin family, his responsibility must have always been heavy.
Seeing my sulking expression, Lucel hurriedly changed the subject.
“So, do you have any other questions about the contract?”
I stared blankly and then shook my head in surprise.
Actually, the contract contained far more positive clauses for Party B than Party A, so there wasn’t much to dispute.
The signing bonus was one-tenth of the annual salary, the yearly salary was 2,000 gold, lodging and meals were provided, and safety was explicitly guaranteed.
Support for research and royalties from selling medicines through the Epin family’s trade were also secured. Practically, it was a dream job.
The only part that concerned me was the clause I read earlier.
Still, not wanting to miss this opportunity, I spoke to Rudels without hesitation:
“I have no objections.”
Rudels looked at me, clasped his hands neatly, and said:
“Very well. Lucel, proceed with the contract.”
“Understood.”
Lucel read the contract aloud between Rudels and me, checking if there were clauses to adjust. Rudels and I listened silently, nodding occasionally.
We then signed the contract.
Lucel watched, and once Rudels and I had signed gracefully, he placed the contract into the document file and proclaimed in a solemn voice:
“Then the contract between Party A, Rudels Epin, and Party B, Iriel Lotis, as magic physician and personal physician, is now concluded.”
I exhaled like finishing an exam. Contracts were truly exhausting.
Even without doing anything, it was complex and headache-inducing.
I sighed heavily and looked at Rudels.
Rudels, as if always accustomed to such matters, looked at me calmly.
And the person standing beside him, Lucel… um, he looked extremely displeased.
How should I put it… a mixture of disgust and irritation.
I felt uncomfortable seeing Rudels’ subordinate uneasy because of me.
I was used to being disliked, but still, I didn’t want to feel that way.
Suppressing the urge to cry, I forced a small smile and pulled out a chair first.
“May I go to my room and organize my things? I have quite a bit of luggage.”
Smiling, he narrowed his eyes into crescents and said:
“Of course, doctor.”
I greeted them and left. The contract was complete, but my mind felt restless.
As Iriel left, Rudels’ smile disappeared instantly.
“Hey, Lucel.”
“Yes, Rudels.”
He frowned at his subordinate.
“Still not relaxing? Didn’t you see Iriel stiffen and run away when she saw your face, hmm?”
“Apologies, Rudels. I didn’t expect to see and hear such an absurd contract firsthand.”
Lucel avoided Rudels’ eyes, still frowning.
His front hair fluttered in the wind, and finally, he shouted at his master:
“Are you really insane? Huh? This isn’t even a slave contract! Do you know how embarrassed I felt reading this?! Do you know how hard I had to think to manage this? Argh, I’m losing my energy.”
He flared his tail and ears while shouting.
The contract had made him question his vision when he first saw it.
Honestly, I wondered if he thought Rudels was crazy.
Health check? Business trips? Permission to treat? Fine.
But living in the territory after the contract? That’s…!
“This means living in his domain! If someone had sharp eyes, they would’ve reported it. This is a crime, a crime! The clause clearly shows a possessive obsession! He included his selfishness in a contract! Where is Rudels’ conscience?”
Lucel’s tail trembled as he ranted.
Even if he liked Rudels, this was practically stalking, not just oversight.
Rudels, unfazed, spoke calmly:
“It’s a security measure. Just as you said. What a horrid thing to say.”
“That’s just what it looks like externally.”
Lucel muttered and grimaced at the contract in the folder. Rudels chuckled without denying it.
“Still, it’s fortunate she went along quietly. Otherwise, I might have had to feign pity and win her sympathy.”
Lucel scowled at him, then quickly straightened when Rudels noticed.
“You keep trying to match me?”
“I didn’t do anything, Rudels.”
“I saw everything, black cat. You frowned at my face the entire contract process, thinking I wouldn’t notice?”
