OPDSP 6

It would be good to run a blood test.

Aeryl swallowed hard.

Even so, drawing blood without permission is… No, this is an emergency, isn’t it?

But still… shouldn’t a doctor be able to accurately assess the patient’s condition?

Only then can treatment begin! Yes. This is all for the patient’s sake.

Aeryl quickly rushed off and came back with a syringe and needle.

“Let’s just take a quick sample of blood.”

He hummed to himself as he brought the needle to the Grand Duke’s forearm. The arm was firm—he liked that. It looked like it could take a few stabs without issue. But the problem came from where he hadn’t expected.

Snap.

Snap?

The needle didn’t pierce the skin—it broke.

“What? Ah!”

He’d learned that when a knight or mage reaches a certain level, even if they fall unconscious, the mana within their body flows out to protect them.

So it’s true that not even needles go in. Wow.

Aeryl found himself more and more curious about this man’s body.

‘I have to get a blood sample somehow.’

As he pondered, a good idea flickered through Aeryl’s mind.

Right. That might work!

Aeryl sat on the bed where the Grand Duke lay. As he wiped the sweat from the Grand Duke’s forehead with a towel, he let out a faint trace of his pheromones.

So faint it wouldn’t provoke a reaction—he approached with the utmost care.

“You’re safe now. Everything’s alright.”

He didn’t forget to whisper softly by the Grand Duke’s ear. Even unconscious, hearing still functioned, and such things subtly influenced the mind—especially the unconscious one.

It must’ve worked—slowly, the tight crease between the Grand Duke’s brows began to relax. Aeryl could also sense the once wild alpha pheromones gradually settling.

Did it work?

He felt the Grand Duke’s tense body loosen. Without missing the opportunity, Aeryl quickly found a vein in his arm and inserted the needle in one swift motion.

Got it!

Humming, Aeryl disinfected the area and pressed down firmly to stop the bleeding.

“Now get some rest. And don’t wake up yet.”

It was the most enjoyable blood test he’d ever done.

Carrying the Grand Duke’s blood, Aeryl headed to the testing artifact. He activated it and injected the sample. In just a few hours, every bit of information within the Grand Duke’s blood would be revealed.

He’d originally brought the device for experiments on himself, but now—what a perfect use! He was glad he’d gone to the trouble of carrying the heavy thing at such expense.

“Heehee.”

What kind of blood does the Grand Duke have?

Aeryl’s eyes sparkled more brightly than ever. The anticipation brought a smile to his lips.

“…Ugh…”

A groan made him turn his head. The Grand Duke was twisting in discomfort.

Ah, the first manifestation is always hard.

Aeryl hesitated briefly, then stepped toward the bed where the Grand Duke lay. He had been attacked, yes—but he’d also gotten the blood. More than that, he couldn’t just ignore someone in pain.

“I’ll take care of you tonight, so just rest.”

He took the Grand Duke’s hand and gently let out soothing pheromones. The Grand Duke’s expression eased noticeably.

And so, the quiet night passed.

***

The cry of a rooster rang out, loud enough to wake the whole village.

Hiello Asirion—known as Grand Duke Asirion—opened his eyes.

‘My body… feels fine.’

He recognized the unfamiliar ceiling at the same time he noticed the man beside him.

Wearing a doctor’s mask, the man was dozing in a chair.

The doctor from yesterday. Aeryl, wasn’t it?

Suspicious, yes—but not dangerous enough to be of concern. Or so he’d thought. But now, things were different.

‘Ever since I met him, something’s been wrong with my body.’

From the moment he encountered him—no, the moment he recognized his scent—he’d felt uneasy. Heavy. He chalked it up to mild overwork and ignored it, but as night deepened, the fever rose and the discomfort intensified to the point he couldn’t stay still.

The more severe the symptoms became, the more his mind returned to the scent from earlier.

A soft, sweet scent—like the milk candy he’d tasted for the first time as a child.

The memory brought a craving. He couldn’t endure it. He’d writhed and stumbled until he found himself outside the man’s house, unable to think of anything but wanting to smell that scent again.

And in the end, he’d broken down the door.

When he did, the longed-for scent poured over him like a flood—and he lost consciousness.

Everything after that was a blur.

‘I definitely wasn’t in my right mind.’

Nothing about his behavior had been normal. And the cause was that scent—and that man.

What is he after?

His body was untouched. He wasn’t tied up. The man himself was sitting there, peacefully napping. There didn’t appear to be any accomplices. The windows were all open—it was defenseless to a shocking degree.

Judging by the silence, it seemed no one else knew he was here. The motive was unclear—but that didn’t matter.

He could just ask directly.

The Grand Duke quietly stepped out of bed and wrapped a blanket around Aeryl. It would serve as a rope.

Then, he covered the doctor’s nose and mouth with a handkerchief—and kicked him.

Thud!

Still in the chair, Aeryl toppled to the floor and rolled across it.

The Grand Duke placed his foot on Aeryl’s chest and tore off his mask.

“You—ugh, G-Grand Duke!?”

He wondered if the man was just pretending to sleep—but his expression was so deeply at ease, it was almost disappointing. The Grand Duke pressed his foot firmly against his chest.

“Ugh…!”

Aeryl struggled instinctively, but there was no escaping the Grand Duke. He was already tightly wrapped in the blanket, unable to move.

His wide, anxious eyes darted around, and his glasses—slightly crooked—clung precariously to his face.

“Only answer what I ask.”

“…Y-yes.”

There was no need for threats like ‘If you lie, I’ll kill you.’

The man was already terrified.

“What was that scent?”

“…Ah, it—it might’ve been my pheromones…”

Pheromones? Ridiculous. Grand Duke Asirion was undeniably a beta.

He pressed harder with his foot. The doctor coughed and flushed red.

“I-It’s true! I-I’m an omega, and Y-Your Grace is an alpha, so…”

“I’m an alpha?”

“Yes, yes! I can prove it!”

Aeryl cried out desperately.

Though it sounded absurd, it didn’t feel like a lie. If he were making something up, he would’ve come up with something more convincing.

The Grand Duke eased the pressure of his foot slightly.

“Yesterday, I drew a little of Your Grace’s blood. Just a tiny bit! But the pheromone levels clearly spiked. I wrote the results down somewhere—don’t you feel it yourself? That something’s changed?”

Aeryl spoke in a rush, barely taking a breath.

Grand Duke Asirion remembered seeing the paper in Aeryl’s hand, filled with scribbles and numbers. As someone untrained, he couldn’t make sense of them—but still…

‘Even without interpreting complicated data… I can feel it.’

He could now sense people’s presence more acutely than before—like opening an eye he hadn’t realized was closed. It was still abstract, but there was no doubt something inside him had changed.

“Right? Once you manifest as a dynamic type, you start sensing things you never could before. You might even begin to feel people’s emotions—like an animal’s instinct, sharper and deeper. What about you, Your Grace? Anything else that feels… different?”

Aeryl’s eyes gleamed as he observed him.

Hadn’t he just been trembling in fear moments ago? What was this man?

The Grand Duke remained silent, pressing his foot harder again as he thought.

“What effect does becoming an alpha have?”

There were no real advantages. While society might revere alphas, he already ruled the North and had long been recognized for his ability and stable leadership.

Maybe a decade ago it might’ve mattered. But now, the alpha trait was pointless.

Still, others wouldn’t see it that way.

Especially the Emperor, who already saw him as a rival. He’d likely seize any excuse to pick a fight.

Not only the Emperor—others who sought to exploit the Grand Duke’s weaknesses would go after the instincts that came with being an alpha.

For example, by throwing omegas at him.

What a nuisance.

He didn’t care if people found out he was now an alpha.

But the timing mattered. With a major campaign coming up, he didn’t want unnecessary noise.

Besides, yesterday’s incident still weighed on his mind.

“What are the chances I’ll experience the same symptoms again?”

“Um, that depends on the individual… Yesterday looked like a temporary rut triggered by your manifestation. I’ve already given you a suppressant, so for now you should be stable. There’s no comprehensive data on post-manifestation states, so I can’t say for sure—ugh!”

“Keep it simple.”

“There is a possibility.”

“I see.”

The Grand Duke’s expression hardened slightly.