OPDSP 15

Aeryl wasn’t even from the North—he was a Southerner. Though they shared a common imperial language across the Empire, the people were ethnically and linguistically different. Naturally, regional bias was unavoidable. It was well-known that the people of the Grand Duchy were closed off toward outsiders and tightly bonded among themselves.

Aeryl had already experienced this firsthand when he opened a clinic in the Edge of the World Village. Still, he had hoped things might be different this time—after all, the Grand Duke had brought him personally, and he was a fellow member of the purge unit. Maybe they’d be more accepting. But the reality was far harsher. He was just reminded of that once again.

‘I’m the only one being left out.’

Aeryl pulled his coat tighter around himself and kept walking. The combat unit had taken a different route from yesterday, and soon, they were engaged in battle.

The monster that appeared this time was different from the ones they’d faced before. At first glance, it resembled a bear, but it wore a full suit of armor made from ice. The frigid aura radiating from its icy armor froze the very air, forming shards of ice that it hurled as weapons.

Boom!

This one was no easy foe. It could attack at both long and short range, and the ice armor gave it formidable defense.

‘Will they be okay…?’

The middle and rear squads, where Aeryl was stationed, were positioned far from the front lines. The only thing he could do was keep an eye on the Grand Duke from a safe distance without stepping outside the designated formation.

‘Ugh, that attack grazed him!’

If there was any silver lining, it was that the Grand Duke’s movements didn’t seem much different from the day before.

‘Is that even a good thing?’

That morning, Aeryl had checked his pheromone levels one last time—they were just barely within the normal range. But given the downward trend, they were likely below normal by now. If he was still moving like usual, Aeryl could imagine just how much effort that must be taking.

‘I told you to rest today!’

The Grand Duke refused to listen. Aeryl felt like his chest might explode with frustration.

‘Why go this far?’

Everyone else Aeryl had ever met rested when they were tired, passed the work off to others when it got hard, and simply refused to do anything they didn’t want to. Even the Emperor, who stood above the Grand Duke, and nobles below him lived that way. It was considered their birthright, and no one ever blamed them for it.

So why, of all people, was the Grand Duke pushing himself to the point of danger?

‘It’s effective, yes, but…’

When the Grand Duke stood at the front, the squad clearly felt reassured, and their morale rose. The members of the purge unit, who had been shrinking back from the oppressive forest atmosphere, would look at him with shining eyes, as if drawing courage from his presence.

Even someone like Aeryl, who had no military instincts whatsoever, could see the difference. When the Grand Duke fought from the front lines instead of observing from the rear, the soldiers attacked with noticeably more strength and precision.

‘He’s closing in!’

The Grand Duke avoided the monster’s attacks and drew in close. The ice armor that not even the knights’ best efforts had been able to crack shattered under the force of the Grand Duke’s sword. The knights followed up with their spears, driving them into the monster’s chest. It collapsed.

When the battle ended, the Grand Duke and his Black Knights returned. The knights were clearly looking at him with admiration, their gazes saying as expected of His Grace.

“That’s the end of the fight. We got the ice bear.”

“Of course it’s over in an instant with His Grace around.”

The porters stood up and dusted themselves off, clearly having expected the battle to end without incident.

“There’s no danger when His Grace is here.”

Someone’s voice struck Aeryl’s ears. He could feel their unwavering trust in the Grand Duke.

‘And here I am, feeling like a mother who just sent her child to play near water…’

Only Aeryl was watching the Grand Duke with anxiety. Though he appeared perfectly composed and strong after the fight, Aeryl couldn’t help but recall how he had looked just before dawn.

‘He looks fine on the outside, but…’

Aeryl rushed to the Grand Duke’s side and walked with him. He gave a subtle signal with his eyes, then released his pheromones. A rich, heady scent—almost seductive—drifted from him and wrapped around the Grand Duke.

Doing it all night helped. This is a little easier now.

‘At this rate, wouldn’t I become a master of seductive pheromones? I could even write a book. The Pheromones of Seduction, as Taught by an Omega. It would surely become a book that would make me feel sorry for the trees.’

He could feel his pheromones gently stirring, stimulating the Grand Duke. His own pheromones responded, intertwining with Aeryl’s.

‘Hmm…’

It was a secret exchange, known only to the two of them. It created a strange, almost nervous feeling, like a couple sneaking playful footsies under the table during a meal.

The Grand Duke is… well, just the Grand Duke.

His cold expression remained unchanged.

“What’s going on?”

The Grand Duke spoke. He had initiated the conversation, likely because the silence had lasted long enough that it could be seen as strange by others.

“Is your arm okay?”

Aeryl picked up on the Grand Duke’s subtle cue. He had prepared an excuse to speak! A moment ago, when the monster’s ice armor shattered, a shard had flown toward the Grand Duke. He had blocked it with his arm, but sharp ice shards were even more dangerous than blades.

“It’s nothing major.”

“It’s not nothing.”

Aeryl grabbed the Grand Duke’s left arm. As expected, underneath the torn clothing, a red wound was visible.

“Your Grace! There’s blood!”

One of the knights cried out. Oddly enough, the knight himself was bleeding from his forehead. Aryl could feel the eyes of everyone in the combat unit shift toward the Grand Duke.

Aeryl stopped releasing pheromones and turned around. A quiet murmur of voices gathered, rising into a single wave. It sounded like an ominous note from a violin, wrong and discordant. The shadows of the forest seemed to grow darker over the group.

Aeryl was flustered. Why is the atmosphere so strange all of a sudden? Just a little blood…

“Quickly, do it.”

“Oh, right.”

Aeryl immediately used a healing spell. With a bright light, the wound disappeared in an instant.

“Is it good now?”

From the pheromone response, it seemed there was no cause for concern. The wound had been healed, so there was no problem. Aeryl’s attention seemed to have stabilized the Grand Duke more than he’d expected.

“Yes.”

Aeryl released the Grand Duke’s arm. However, he noticed that the knights were blinking in confusion, glancing between him and the Grand Duke.

What’s going on?

“Cleanup’s done!”

The porters’ voices caused the knights to turn and scatter.

“What is it?”

“Moving out again!”

At the vice-commander’s command, the combat unit began to move again. Aeryl felt something was off, but there was no time to dwell on it. The purge unit quickly reorganized and began to move once more.

Compared to what Aeryl had feared, the second day of the battle went relatively smoothly. Most of the monsters were dealt with by the knights, and there were no surprise attacks, so the rear had plenty of breathing room. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, and Aeryl could focus all his attention on the Grand Duke.

The combat unit returned to base at the scheduled time, and Aeryl, exhausted, collapsed into his tent. Just in time, the cooks finished preparing dinner. The purge unit members gathered in small groups to eat.

“How was today?”

“Uneventful. But the Grand Duke saw some blood today.”

“What?”

They had participated in many major hunts over the years. They knew each other well, so it wasn’t unusual for anyone to overhear a conversation and chime in. Most responses were similar.

“Blood? That didn’t happen in the last hunt.”

“It wasn’t a big injury, but it’s already healed.”

“Still, it’s unsettling. He’s someone who never gets hurt.”

“This hunt’s been weird—monsters have been extra aggressive. It’s like they’re desperate.”

“Yeah, I had a bad feeling from the start. Guess I was right.”

“Do you think we’ll finish this hunt without any issues?”

The purge unit members exchanged worried glances, the atmosphere growing tense.

Then, suddenly, someone asked:

“How’s the new guy?”

“He treated the Grand Duke. But I don’t know… I don’t trust him. He’s been sticking close to the knights and doesn’t seem to care about anyone else. He just watches the knights during our downtime.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“I think what the medics from yesterday said was true.”

“Fedel and Ronar?”

A subtle exchange of glances passed between the members of the purge unit.

Aeryl was a new addition to the team, and not just any new member—he was a military doctor personally brought by the Grand Duke!

Naturally, they were curious about him. Since he had been assigned to the combat unit from the very first day, information about him had naturally spread through the members who had fought alongside him.

It was already known that Aeryl had healed Mason, a promising knight from the Black Knights, and that his skill in healing magic was excellent. If that was all that had been said about him, everything would have been fine. But the tension had already been brewing. Fedel was not one to remain silent.

How do I mess this up?

Always aware of his surroundings, Fedel had quickly noticed that Aeryl had been primarily using healing magic on the knights. The soldiers had initially refused treatment, missing their chance, while the knights, led by Mason, had openly confessed their injuries to receive treatment.

But for Fedel, the truth didn’t matter.