OPDSP 10

“Your Grace! You must come to your senses…!”

“Quiet.”

“…What?”

Aeryl blinked in confusion as he was shoved under the desk.

‘What. What is he doing?’

And of all places, what ended up at his eye level was the Grand Duke’s lower body. Because he had to shove Aeryl in, the Grand Duke was now sitting with his legs slightly apart—putting them far too close.

Even through the trousers, that gave off an overwhelming presence, and Aeryl’s eyes kept drifting toward it.

‘It already looks big… but could it actually get bigger from there…?’

He compared it to what he’d felt earlier by accident, and—

‘Aaaaah!’

He screamed inwardly.

The Grand Duke tapped him lightly with his foot, as if telling him to stay still. Aeryl barely calmed down—just in time to hear a voice from outside the tent.

“It’s Lian. I bring urgent news.”

“Enter.”

Someone came in. From where Aeryl was crouched, he could only see the visitor’s feet. The Grand Duke must have sensed the person coming and hidden him in advance.

‘And here I was thinking all kinds of nonsense…’

Aeryl, mortified, thumped his forehead against his knees.

“What is it?”

“Forgive the late hour. An urgent carrier message arrived. As Your Grace predicted, we’ve lost track of the Valbean Pirates captain’s son.”

“I see.”

The Grand Duke replied in a flat voice. His tone was dry and indifferent, but his pheromones gave away a tinge of irritation. It must have been bad news.

‘Not that it has anything to do with me.’

The man named Lian reported a few more updates before leaving the tent. Aeryl had no idea what they were talking about. So there were pirates up north, too?

“Come out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Aeryl crawled out from under the desk.

“Heh heh… That scared me…”

He gave an awkward laugh and sat back down. He glanced at the Grand Duke’s face, but the man looked entirely unbothered.

So I’m the only one still hung up on what happened that night. The thought made Aeryl feel irrationally indignant.

‘I’ll really forget it this time!’

No more weird thoughts! Focus!

“How was your day? Did you feel unwell at any point?”

“Not particularly.”

“Your mood? Any anxiety, restlessness, or fatigue?”

“No different than usual.”

As he questioned him, Aeryl closely observed the Grand Duke. There were no visible signs of rut. Since the suppressants should have worn off by now, it was safe to say the rut had ended.

“That’s good. Then I’ll now check your pheromones.”

“By drawing blood?”

“I will draw blood, but the analysis will take time. I’m planning to try another method.”

Pheromones still remained largely unresearched. The number of trait-bearers was small, and it was a domain the non-traited couldn’t fully grasp. Aeryl had long been deeply interested in this field. He wanted to know just how far pheromones could influence things.

And then, he’d met the Grand Duke.

‘What if… instead of a blood test, I could assess his condition using my own pheromones?’

He’d sense the Grand Duke’s pheromones with his own. By comparing that impression with the test results, he might be able to uncover something.

‘It might not work, but so what? I’ve got such a perfect test subject right here—I have to at least try!’

No one would know he was daring to treat Grand Duke Asirion as a test subject!

‘Hah, you dragged me here against my will—this much, you can put up with!’

Hiding his true thoughts, Aeryl did his best to look harmless.

I won’t hurt you. I just want to try a little experiment.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“It’s hard to explain—it’s a sensory thing. But I promise it won’t harm you in any way.”

Thankfully, the Grand Duke tilted his chin slightly, as if to say go ahead.

Yes! Aeryl cheered silently.

“Then I’ll begin.”

He released the pheromones he had been holding back. Like opening a tightly sealed pouch and letting the grains of sand spill out, he gently let his pheromones flow.

Not all trait-bearers could control theirs like Aeryl could. Just as a child learns to hide their emotions as they grow, trait-bearers typically only learned how to suppress their pheromones. This level of control was something Aeryl had achieved purely through his own curiosity and determination.

He closed his eyes and focused on the Grand Duke. He could feel his pheromones reaching out, brushing against Asirion’s. He carefully perceived the sensation.

‘This is… kind of embarrassing.’

It felt like touching another person’s bare skin with your own naked body. That’s how intimate and direct the sensation was.

At least, Aeryl thought, it wasn’t something he should be doing with someone as distant as the Grand Duke, but he stubbornly continued his investigation. His curiosity had overcome his embarrassment.

‘The Grand Duke still doesn’t know how to suppress his pheromones, so he must be completely defenseless, releasing everything without control.’

Soon, in response to Aeryl’s pheromones, the Grand Duke’s pheromones began to flow as well. The two pheromones slowly began to mix.

The Grand Duke’s pheromones had a rigid quality to them. He probably wasn’t controlling them; they were suppressed.

‘It seems like the amount of pheromones he’s secreting is low. Is it because of the suppressants?’

According to Aeryl’s calculations, the effect of the suppressants should have worn off by now. Since everyone responds differently to medication, it was possible that the Grand Duke was the type whose effects lasted longer. Or perhaps he was simply the type to secrete fewer pheromones in general.

‘There’s a lot to consider here.’

Aeryl continued to observe the Grand Duke’s pheromones, formulating hypotheses in his mind.

‘Still, the pheromones seem stable. It’s clear he’s out of rut. He doesn’t show any signs of excitement. What else… Hmm, he seems tired. Maybe troubled?’

Aeryl looked at the Grand Duke’s face. Despite the pheromone readings, the Grand Duke still had his usual stoic expression. He didn’t appear tired or troubled, but pheromones didn’t lie.

“Is there a problem?” the Grand Duke asked.

“Ah, no. It’s clear the rut is over.”

“I see. There won’t be any problems in battle, then.”

“Though the rut symptoms are gone, it’s still unstable immediately after. You should be careful.”

“I understand. Prepare to accompany the troops as a military physician tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

What exactly would he be doing as a military physician? Aeryl didn’t know, but he agreed for now. Whatever it was, if it meant keeping an eye on the Grand Duke, he had to follow along.

“Then I’ll draw the blood.”

Without a word, the Grand Duke rolled up his sleeve and extended his arm. His arm was still as firm as ever. Thankfully, this time, Aeryl managed to draw the blood in one try without breaking the needle.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

Aeryl quickly gathered his things and stood up. The Grand Duke gave a slight nod. Aeryl picked up his belongings and was about to leave the tent when, suddenly, the Grand Duke’s emotional state crossed his mind.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes?”

“Tomorrow’s battle and the hunt… It will go well. Please don’t worry, and get some rest.”

“Worry? I don’t do that.”

The Grand Duke replied in his usual indifferent tone.

“Ah, yes.”

Aeryl felt like he had overstepped.

‘Ugh, now he’s my patient, and this is difficult, very difficult.’

Aeryl bowed his head and rushed out of the tent.

It was pitch dark outside, and no one was in sight. It felt like being swallowed by the shadows of the forest. Shivering, Aeryl hurried to his own tent.

***

The battle unit of the hunting party was divided into three groups. In the front were the Grand Duke and the Black Knights. In the middle were Aeryl and the other military physicians, medics, and baggage carriers. At the rear were knights and soldiers.

The front line fought the battle, the middle provided supplies and medical assistance, and the rear prepared for potential surprise attacks.

‘This is organized.’

Aeryl admired the setup and found his place in the formation. He had gone to bed late after reviewing the blood test results, but because of his nervousness, he woke up early. As a result, he was fully prepared and able to join the line. Next to him were Fedel and a new medic he hadn’t met before.

‘This feels a bit awkward.’

Aeryl tried talking to them, but they both gave short responses, and the conversation quickly died. He thought it would be better to just get going, and right then, the Grand Duke appeared.

The Grand Duke, fully armed, took his position at the front. He was easily visible due to his height, towering above everyone else. His usual cold, expressionless face and intimidating presence made him stand out.

‘His pheromone levels are much lower than before.’

Compared to the previous day, they had dropped to less than half. They were even lower than Aeryl’s normal levels. While Aeryl hadn’t tested many people, he considered this to be outside the normal range. For now, he seemed fine outwardly, so that was a relief.

The pheromone readings Aeryl sensed matched the blood test results, showing similar trends. More data was needed, but the early results were promising.

‘I’d like to try detecting it with pheromones again.’