OPDSP 26

“What’s your opinion about Innis?”

“Innis? I don’t quite understand the context of the question…”

“Innis used to be the centurion of the Grand Duke’s household.”

A centurion was a position commanding a hundred soldiers. It wasn’t a high rank, but it certainly wasn’t a low one either.

“We invested quite a bit in her. For nearly three years, she served as the soldiers captain in the purge unit.”

“I see.”

That explained why the soldiers treated her so cautiously. But then why was she working as a porter?

“Was she injured or something?”

“Last summer, there was an operation to wipe out the Valbean Pirates.”

According to the Grand Duke, Innis had been deployed in the mission against the Valbean Pirates as part of the duchy troops. The pirates fled just before their headquarters was raided, which led to a prolonged standoff.

The problem was that Innis was injured at the beginning of the operation. Yet she kept chasing them without receiving any treatment. By the time it was all over, her wound had festered into something gruesome.

“And what happened then?”

“They nearly had to amputate. But somehow, they managed to take proper measures. I heard she was treated completely. Still, after that, she began to refuse treatment altogether.”

“Does that mean she refuses healing magic?”

The Grand Duke nodded.

“She insists she’s fine, but we can’t take someone who refuses treatment into a purge where anything could happen.”

Of course, the Grand Duke hadn’t wanted to select Innis as part of the purge unit. Yet she had overwhelming support among the soldiers. Many relied on her, especially since her magic had saved lives more than once during past missions.

In the end, they brought her in—but only as a porter, not a soldier.

“Is that even allowed?”

“I told her if she agreed to treatment, she could serve as a soldier again. But for whatever reason, she accepted the porter role without complaint.”

Then why insist on joining the purge unit at all? The Grand Duke didn’t understand Innis’s mindset, nor did he care. But as a captain, she had proven useful.

Though someone else now held the title, their leadership was lacking. Despite attempts to maintain discipline, the troops were clearly not what they used to be.

Under normal circumstances, the soldiers wouldn’t have turned away from the military physician just because of a rumor.

“If Innis returns as a soldier, she could restore order among the troops. And with her magic, we could carry out bolder attacks.”

“I understand.”

“What do you think?”

Aeryl recalled when Innis vomited after seeing healing magic.

If the wound had been severe and left untreated for so long, the flesh around it must have rotted or festered. The best method would have been to cut away the decayed tissue and apply healing magic.

‘They cut away the flesh, then used healing magic. Maybe she developed a fear of healing magic from that process.’

Like someone who flinches at a stick after being bitten by a snake, or someone who can’t look at sharp objects after being stabbed—such psychological issues were not uncommon.

“Psychological trauma is hard to treat, but…”

‘Wait a moment. It’s not entirely impossible.’

Aeryl trailed off, lost in thought.

‘Master once told me of a similar case.’

His master had a patient who’d been bitten by a snake. Afterward, even seeing something snake-like made the patient faint. So the master began by showing the patient stick-like objects resembling snakes and reassuring him they were safe.

At first, the patient reacted with fear, but slowly he adapted. In the end, though still afraid of snakes, he was able to function in daily life.

‘The key was constant exposure to gradually desensitize the patient.’

But presenting a snake-like object too early would only worsen the fear. It was important to introduce something just scary enough, and repeatedly. The patient’s will was the most important factor.

‘What if I used omega pheromones for that?’

If the patient became overwhelmed with fear, calming them with pheromones—making them feel safe and comfortable even when facing what they feared—might lead to a loss of that fear altogether. It would take time, of course.

‘Even if I can’t completely cure her aversion to healing magic, I might be able to get her to accept treatment.’

Pheromones had worked well even on injured, crying children.

‘It’s worth a try. No, I want to try it!’

Aeryl felt a surge of interest. If the treatment succeeded, it could open new paths for the use of omega pheromones.

Most people didn’t understand omega pheromones. Those who did assumed they only existed to arouse alphas sexually.

But Aeryl thought differently. He believed omegas could be just as valuable to society as alphas.

Before he realized it, Aeryl’s eyes began to sparkle.

“You seem to have a plan, don’t you?”

The Grand Duke asked softly,

“I’m not entirely certain, but I do have something I’d like to try!”

“It’s not a guaranteed method? That’s troubling. Innis is a good soldier.”

When the Grand Duke reacted negatively, Aeryl began to grow anxious.

“That’s true, but it won’t make her worse. I’ll proceed carefully. Besides, I have a useful item to assist with the treatment.”

“Do you?”

“Yes. Please let me take charge of Innis’s treatment!”

Aeryl pleaded with eyes burning with passion.

“If you insist, very well. I’ll leave Innis to you. But will she willingly agree to treatment?”

“I’ll handle that as well! Please trust me!”

“Alright.”

“Then I’ll go find Innis now!”

“Go on, then.”

With a deep bow, Aeryl quickly set off to find his target. The Grand Duke watched him with satisfaction.

‘It was the right choice to assign Innis to him.’

He had felt the effects of omega pheromones firsthand while being treated by Aeryl. His pheromones were particularly effective for calming the nerves.

That’s why the Grand Duke had intentionally sent Innis along when Aeryl went out gathering herbs. He was already convinced that her issue was psychological, and Aeryl, with his deep sense of duty as a physician, was bound to produce good results if left with her.

The results were just as the Grand Duke had expected. And things would continue to unfold according to his plans. Everything had gone that way so far—

Except for one thing: the unexpected extent of his alpha manifestation.

‘Not as bad as I feared.’

All thanks to acquiring a useful physician. Dragging him in on a whim had turned out to be the best decision. Now he wanted to bring Aeryl back to the Grand Duchy after the purge ended.

‘How should I persuade him?’

The Grand Duke recalled Aeryl’s sparkling eyes as he’d pleaded to be entrusted with Innis. His natural looks aside, his lively expression had been striking. Yet he’d barely reacted when offered a reward.

‘No chance he’ll give in to the usual methods.’

What a strange man.

‘I thought all omegas would be like that person…’

His expression darkened. An unpleasant memory surfaced, and he hurried to push it out of his mind as he walked on.

***

Aeryl immediately set out to look for Innis. The camp was large, crowded with people, and Innis was nowhere to be found.

‘You can never find someone when you’re actually looking for them.’

As he wandered around, he suddenly realized—he’d usually run into her in quiet, isolated corners. He began searching behind tents and in other secluded spots. Before long, he found her.

She was leaning against the palisade, gazing blankly into the distance. Aeryl walked up and followed her gaze.

Over there, a group of soldiers was gathered, checking their weapons.

“Do you want to go back there?”

He asked quietly, intending to startle her, but Innis didn’t flinch in the slightest.

“What is it?”

“You’re not surprised? I suddenly spoke to you.”

“I heard your footsteps.”

“Wow. As expected of a centurion.”

Aeryl joked as he stood beside her.

“Looks like I finally have someone to talk to. Since you know about me now.”

“Yes. I’ve escaped being shunned. Only you left now.”

Innis looked at him as if to ask what he was talking about.

“We were the only ones in the purge unit who moved around alone. I was being avoided, and you were doing the avoiding—slightly different, but still.”

“You’re strangely eager to form a sense of camaraderie.”

“So what? People with stories gravitate toward each other.”

“Then go find comrades among someone else. Or are the soldiers still saying nonsense?”

Sounds like she wouldn’t let it slide if they were. That’s… oddly heartwarming.