OPDPS 74

“Ahaha, you caught me.”

The man laughed as he approached Innis. Now that he was closer, Aeryl recognized the face as well.

“Mr. Feyers, right?”

Feyers was the mage from the outer castle who had overseen the installation and inspection when the medical artifacts were brought into the castle last time.

“Oh! You remembered me!”

As Feyers tried to approach Aeryl, both Connie and Innis blocked him at once.

“Why is a mage from the outer castle here to see the doctor? And you, soldier—was this your plan when you called him out?”

“No! I only contacted him because I had something to give him! That guy followed me on his own!”

Innis cried out, clearly wronged, in response to Connie’s pointed questions.

“She’s right! I followed her on my own… I came because there’s something I want to ask the doctor!”

“I knew it! So you were up to something! Doctor, let’s go back.”

“I can’t believe I dragged him along. I’m really sorry, Doctor! I just wanted to give you this!”

“Doctor, let me explain—!”

The three of them squabbling made Aeryl’s head spin.

“Enough!”

He raised his voice and released a burst of pheromones. The Grand Duke had used alpha pheromones like this before—he probably didn’t even realize he was doing it, but it had seemed useful, so Aeryl had decided to try it himself.

Though his omega pheromones didn’t carry the same commanding presence as an alpha’s, they were still effective.

All three immediately fell silent, waiting for Aeryl to speak.

“One person at a time, starting from the beginning. No interrupting.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

The chaos cleared in an instant. Thanks to that, it didn’t take long to figure out what had happened.

Connie had suspected that Innis had intentionally hidden someone behind the trees and had been on high alert, but Innis had no idea that Feyers had followed her.

She had simply wanted to check on Aeryl and see if there was anything she could help with. While she was at it, she’d also planned to gift him a tunic her mother had knitted.

Normally, with her sensitivity, she might’ve noticed someone like Feyers trailing her—but she must have been too distracted by the thought of seeing Aeryl again.

“When I saw you last time, you didn’t seem to have proper winter clothes, so I brought this. You seemed really sensitive to the cold.”

Inside the box Innis was holding was a neatly folded tunic. When he ran his hand over it, it felt soft, plush, and warm. It was clearly made with great care.

“Is it really okay for me to have something like this?”

“My mother knits me one every year. If you don’t like it…”

“No! Thank you! I was freezing—I’ll put it on right away!”

Innis, uncharacteristically, looked a little dejected. Feeling guilty for making such a kind person feel that way, Aeryl quickly took off his coat and put on the tunic.

“How do I look? Does it suit me?”

“It looks great on you.”

“Doctor, you’ve got long limbs, so you look good in anything. The simple style suits you.”

Phew, the mood had finally warmed up. Aeryl felt his efforts to change into the tunic had paid off—at least until the man in question opened his mouth.

“So… can I speak now?”

Feyers finally spoke, and all three of them turned to look at him. That oblivious fool. This reunion should’ve been nothing but heartwarming—and he’d ruined it.

“If only you hadn’t followed me in the first place!”

“Well, you should’ve introduced me when I asked you to!”

At Feyers’ shameless response, Innis looked appalled. Apparently, the two were from the same hometown and had kept in touch over time.

He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he had noticed Innis struggling emotionally since summer. After the Great Purge, she had returned to her old self, which surprised him. When he subtly pried, he learned there had been someone who had helped her.

So when it looked like she was going to meet that person, he’d secretly followed. And while he was hiding and observing, Connie had caught him.

“Innis never said it directly. I just found out that you were the one who helped her. Really, I mean it. If I’d known, I would’ve just used the artifacts as an excuse to come see you.”

“I see. I understand.”

Aeryl cut him off before he could ramble on. There had been something on his mind for a while now. In the middle of the chaos, Feyers had mentioned that he’d come to ask Aeryl something. The person he wanted to meet was the benefactor who had helped Innis.

“Mr. Feyers, are you curious about how I treated Innis?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“And you… need a similar kind of mental or emotional support, correct?”

Feyers nodded with a resolute expression—then suddenly dropped to his knees and shouted,

“Please, save me—no, save our colleague, I beg you!”

What was that supposed to mean? And why was he on his knees?

Aeryl had no idea how to keep up with this mage’s bizarre words and actions.

According to Feyers, the situation was this:

In the North, the most important task during this time of year was “preparing for winter.” It was a long-standing tradition, born out of necessity due to the region’s harsh winters. Households would stock up on food, firewood, clothing, and other necessities. But there were limits to what individuals could manage on their own, so the Grand Duke’s household also took part in winter preparations.

To combat the usual spike in prices during this season, they would sometimes purchase supplies from other territories, and stockpile aid materials for relief efforts. They also carried out maintenance on walls, roads, and waterways.

Everything had to be done between the end of the Great Purge and the first snowfall—a narrow and ambiguous window of time. Since it involved the entire vast domain of the duchy, it demanded enormous resources and administrative effort.

But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Over the years, the Grand Duke’s people had developed a secret weapon for winter prep: magic.

“Magic?” Aeryl couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes, magic. The most commonly used kind is calculation magic. It helps sum up numbers, calculate averages, that sort of thing.”

“Like flicking an abacus?”

“Much faster, and it handles far more data. There’s also magic that lets you instantly find the exact paper you need out of stacks in a cabinet, or shorthand spells that automatically record meeting notes.”

Aeryl thought there really was a spell for everything—but they did sound useful.

“These are the basics for any mage working under the Grand Duke. Normally, when a department requests help, we go assist. There are three mages stationed in the outer castle.”

“Only three? Isn’t that… too few?”

“Well, we’re usually dispatched to the outskirts most of the time…”

Until now, the three had managed well enough. But earlier this year, a senior mage had retired and returned to his hometown, so they hired a new recruit. After a full year of training, the newcomer was finally deployed.

“But starting last week, that kid suddenly couldn’t use magic properly. Slower, full of mistakes…”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes. I thought maybe they were tired, so we gave them time off and lighter tasks—but they didn’t improve. They’ve only gotten worse…”

Since one person was falling behind, the rest had to pick up the slack. The burden fell on the remaining two—and eventually, one of them collapsed. The cause: sleep deprivation and overwork.

“I’m covering for him for now, but it’s not sustainable. Then I saw Innis had recovered, and I followed her here, desperate for a solution… Seeing how quickly you figured things out, I think I came to the right person!”

“R-Right…”

Aeryl trailed off. As he listened to Feyers’s story, a few possible solutions came to mind. With the right use of pheromones and medication, it seemed manageable. The more examples there were of using omega pheromones for treatment, the better it would be for research.

The only concern was whether the Grand Duke would permit it. And Aeryl wasn’t eager to draw attention to himself by constantly coming and going from the outer keep.

“Please, I beg you. Without us, we won’t be able to finish preparations in time.”

Feyers pleaded earnestly. Still kneeling, he looked rather pitiful.

“Is preparing for winter that important?”

As someone from the South, Aeryl couldn’t quite grasp how harsh northern winters truly were. Sure, it already felt like midwinter to him, but…

When he glanced at Connie and Innis, they both nodded.

“If we don’t finish before the first snowfall, it’s a serious problem. Once the snow comes, roads get blocked and isolation becomes a real threat.”

“The snow blocks roads?”

Didn’t snow just flutter down like dust and melt away? Aeryl couldn’t really picture it. But if everyone was this concerned, it must be serious.

“Does His Grace know about the situation?”

“Of course he does. His Grace doesn’t overlook anything. I’m sure he’s already worried.”

“Hm…”

If the Grand Duke was worried, Aeryl couldn’t just ignore it. Stress could easily take a toll on one’s health, after all. If he could help, he wanted to.

“Well then…”