TWLW 13

chapter 13

Even in this situation, Rudels’ family watched us calmly.

Seriously! Why is this man like this?! I said firmly.

“Rudels, I treated you before.”

“Still, you never know, right? There might still be some residual magic inside.”

He shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. I looked at him with clouded eyes.

Inside, I wanted to shout, “If that were the case, your whole body would be hurting from the magic!” but I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud, so I just sighed.

Merina, who had been giggling, raised her hand and spoke.

“In that case, I think you should examine me first, sister. There were high-level magical creatures swarming at the border where I was on duty.”

She smiled at me with a friendly expression.

Perhaps because they were siblings, her smiling face resembled Rudels, and her beauty had fully blossomed.

I nodded almost hypnotically.

Rudels, perhaps annoyed that he wasn’t going first, quivered his lips and scolded Merina.

“Merina. It seems you’ve thrown away your respect for your brother to the creatures at the border.”

“Hehe. And that’s coming from the brother whose love for his sister seems to have cooled, Rudels?!”

I was flustered watching them argue so elegantly.

This is just a formal check-up!

Watching them, Lady Penelope chuckled.

“To fight like this in front of me… I never taught you to behave like this.”

Her weighty words made them turn their heads and click their tongues. As expected, their mother quickly settled the situation.

The dog sitting on Merina’s lap looked at them with disdain, but when our eyes met, it frowned and turned away.

Ugh, that dog…!

I wanted to lightly bop it on the head for its irritating attitude but restrained my anger, smiling at Merina.

“Then let’s start with your examination first, Merina.”

She nodded in agreement. I approached her and explained how the examination would proceed.

“To check for residual magic in your body, I’ll channel a small amount of my own magic into you. I’ll scan your body for any remaining magic or other illnesses. Once the check is done, I’ll immediately retrieve the magic. Is that alright?”

She looked at me and nodded lightly, so I knelt on one knee and held her hands.

Caught between the two women, Louis was flustered and tried to bare his teeth at me.

“Louis, what are you doing?”

Lady Penelope spoke sternly at the dog’s behavior. The dog whimpered, lowered its tail, and crouched on Merina’s lap, avoiding eye contact with me.

I set aside my bitterness, held her hands, and sent a faint stream of magic into her.

For humans, the interaction with magic is smooth, but for beastmen, magic can attack internal organs, bones, and blood, causing pain, so it must be done quickly and carefully.

I sent the magic lightly and asked her,

“Does it hurt anywhere?”

She only nodded silently. Phew. The magic didn’t hurt her.

I closed my eyes and carefully scanned her body with faint magic.

As expected of a beastman and a Sword Master, her physical strength surpassed that of ordinary humans. Her muscles and bones surrounding her organs and the natural energy flowing within were exceptional even among beastmen.

Scanning her body, there were no injuries or residual magic. However…

Should I even tell her this?

I pondered how to mention the illness I found and opened my eyes. Merina looked at me and asked,

“How am I? Am I sick anywhere?”

I looked at her smiling face and spoke cautiously.

“I need to check your ears for a moment…”

Her eyes widened as she looked at me, and I whispered softly into her ear.

“Do your feet itch, or do you often get dry, flaky skin?”

Whispering as quietly as possible, her eyes widened in surprise, staring at me.

That’s right. Merina Ipin currently had athlete’s foot.

Based on the magic scan, it wasn’t severe, but it had progressed noticeably. It likely developed from not being able to wash properly during missions and fighting in thick boots.

That’s why her feet must have itched terribly every night, making it hard to sleep.

Her face turned red instantly, and her eyes darted around. I understood her embarrassment, which is why I spoke so quietly.

I pulled back slightly and smiled at her,

“I’ll give you a prescription later.”

She nodded repeatedly, her face still flushed, and lowered her head.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

The dog on her lap seemed amused, panting and opening its mouth. The white dog glanced at its sister, giggling, and Merina flicked it on the head.

“Quiet, Louis. If anyone finds out, you’ll be the first to get in trouble.”

Merina growled, threatening the dog. It glared at her briefly but quickly looked away, pretending to ignore her.

Seeing the siblings bicker like this lifted my spirits.

As a wandering doctor, I enjoyed treating patients with their families. Since I never had a happy family life, I found satisfaction in watching them.

I smiled inwardly at their antics, straightened my knees, and looked at Lady Penelope and Rudels.

“Next patient!”

Rudels immediately raised his hand, his eyes sparkling as he looked at me.

Why is he like this…

I looked at him with disapproving eyes. Employer… let’s give others a turn.

I turned to Lady Penelope, ignoring Rudels’ pleading gaze. He looked hurt, but I didn’t waver. The next patient should be the eldest after the most urgent one.

“Lady Penelope, may I proceed?”

She smiled gracefully and nodded slightly.

With her permission, I moved closer, knelt on one knee again, and placed my hands on the delicate hands of the Grand Duchess. I summarized the procedure and asked her consent.

“I’ll channel a faint amount of my magic to check your body. If it causes pain, please let me know.”

“I will.”

I gathered my magic and sent a portion into Lady Penelope’s body. I looked at her and asked,

“How does it feel?”

“Fine.”

She smiled at me, a curious expression in her eyes. Seeing her intrigued face, I swallowed nervously.

Though unlikely, any mistake could go unnoticed, buried where no one would know. I concentrated more than ever, examining the Grand Duchess’ body thoroughly.

Her body was healthier and more vibrant than most people of her age. Except, of course, that there was no magic at all.

Normally, living beings have small amounts of magic, divine energy, and natural energy in their bodies, and immunity to these forces.

The ratio varies depending on species and the type of energy emphasized, but all three forces are always present.

For humans, the ratio is roughly equal: magic 1, divine energy 1, natural energy 1. For beastmen, divine and natural energy are abundant, but magic is only about 0.1.

However, in Lady Penelope, there was absolutely no magical response. Her daughter, Merina, mostly had natural energy, but small amounts of the other two forces were detectable.

I looked at her with curiosity. Lady Penelope noticed and smiled, explaining.

“Most elementalists have plenty of divine and natural energy. But in my case, I have a rare constitution with no immune system for magic. I can only absorb the natural energy and divine energy from the air. It was surprising at first because it’s so rare. Hehe.”

“Oh…”

Finally, everything made sense. A rare constitution… As the only elementalist in the Beastman Kingdom, it wasn’t ordinary.

I smiled at her.

“That’s fortunate! But with such a condition, your immunity to magic is low, so you shouldn’t absorb it carelessly.”

“Hehe. That’s why I rarely go outside. Not that I plan to.”

She gazed out the window with a bittersweet expression. My heart ached seeing her like that.

Perhaps her love for tending the garden was her way of expressing the desire she couldn’t fulfill by going outside.

I felt reassured and drew back all the magic I had sent into her body.

I told her,

“Lady Penelope, you have no magical response, but you are healthy. Your constitution allows you to absorb natural and divine energy from the air, keeping your body balanced. But since you lack immunity to magic, I advise, as your healer, not to get close to those who use magic.”