OPDSP 35

How much time had passed? Aeryl was exhausted.

Constantly using his head and casting healing magic had long pushed him beyond his physical limits. Still, he gritted his teeth, forcing his eyes to stay sharp and biting his lips to hold on.

He healed and healed again. His focus was absolute, with no room for stray thoughts.

Then, at some point, Aeryl finished healing the patient in front of him and raised his head.

‘Who needs treatment next…?’

He looked around for patients who hadn’t been treated yet. There were a couple with markers around them, but Jenx and the medics were already handling them, so Aeryl didn’t need to step in. No new patients had been brought in either.

‘The sounds of battle are gone? Come to think of it, Jenx was in the combat unit, so they must have returned.’

He seemed to remember hearing that the combat unit was back. When had that been? It must have been a while ago. The sun was already setting.

‘The battle’s over, and there are no new patients. I’ve treated everyone… so… does that mean it’s done? Has it ended?’

It felt like there should still be something left to do. Just as Aeryl was floundering in confusion, Kyla approached him.

“Aeryl, the emergency situation has just ended.”

“Ah… so it really is over…”

“Yes.”

Hearing Kyla’s words, Aeryl finally realized that the situation had ended.

‘Ah, I see. It’s over now.’

That’s when the tension finally drained from him. Like a taut string snapping, his body suddenly lost all strength, and Aeryl collapsed to the ground. Having given his all, with the tension gone, he could no longer hold himself up.

“You did well. For your first time, you held out well.”

Kyla sincerely complimented him. It was rare for a doctor with no experience to endure until the end. They usually collapsed from exhaustion, physically and mentally.

Aeryl had lasted far longer than expected, and thanks to that, the results were better than predicted.

“There were no deaths, and the injuries are healing well.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

No one had died. Tears welled up in Aeryl’s eyes.

Suddenly, monsters attacked, and the members might have died, and as a medic, it was his job to do his best. But he didn’t know what more he could do. The emotions he had pushed aside—the fear, the burden, the difficulty—came rushing back.

‘Ugh, why am I crying?’

Aeryl tried to wipe his eyes with his sleeve.

“Ah, don’t wipe your face with that sleeve.”

Beryl approached, grabbing Aeryl’s wrist. Aeryl blinked, surprised, then understood his own situation. He had washed his hands every time he treated a wound, but cleaning his clothes, especially his sleeves, was difficult. Despite rolling them up, they were stained with blood and medicine.

“Here, wipe with this.”

Jenx quietly stepped forward and handed Aeryl a piece of leftover bandage. Everything around him was soaked in blood, so Aeryl gratefully took it and wiped his tears. He felt embarrassed as he realized he was the only one in such a state, his head heavy with the awkwardness.

“It’s alright. At first, when the tension breaks, all sorts of thoughts flood in. Beryl was crying like a baby once.”

“He couldn’t even last until the end and fainted halfway through. Aeryl, you did great.”

Since Jenx and Beryl had been through similar experiences, they understood Aeryl’s feelings. Their words of comfort were exactly what he needed. Aeryl sniffled and raised his head.

“Could you help me up?”

Beryl grabbed Aeryl’s wrist and gently pulled. As Aeryl staggered to his feet, Jenx steadied him. Aeryl gathered his strength, found his balance, and stood tall. Kyla quietly observed, then gave Aeryl’s shoulder a light pat.

The four doctors stood together. They hadn’t fought with spears or swords, but they had finished their own battle in the infirmary. Aeryl had naturally become part of the group in the process.

After they all ate, Aeryl walked alone inside the camp. He desperately wanted to lie down in bed, but something else came to mind.

‘I should check if the Grand Duke and Innis are alright before resting.’

He thought the Grand Duke’s condition would be stable, but since he had a tendency to push himself, Aeryl felt the need to check personally to feel reassured. As for Innis, she still had a fear of healing magic, so Aeryl worried that Innis might have gotten injured and not received treatment.

Though tired, Aeryl couldn’t afford to rest. Both of them needed him.

‘Who should I check on first?’

Thanks to the successful defense at the entrance, the inside of the camp had hardly been affected by the battle. On the other hand, the area near the entrance was in shambles. The wooden barricades had been burned or destroyed, and the ground was pocked with craters. There were traces of blood everywhere.

It was a brutal scene. Faces of the people who had been carried into the infirmary flashed in Aeryl’s mind, making his heart heavy.

As he looked around, he sensed the Grand Duke’s pheromones.

‘There he is.’

From at the Grand Duke’s pheromones, Aeryl could tell he was somewhat angry. At the same time, there was an air of instability about him.

Aeryl hurried his steps to catch up with the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke and the Commander of the Knights stopped in front of a tent near the stables. Innis was also there.

‘The atmosphere seems really serious. I should just leave.’

Feeling that it wasn’t a place to interfere, Aeryl was about to turn away when the Grand Duke turned his head. Whether he had noticed Aeryl following or not, he wasn’t surprised when their eyes met. Instead, he gave a small nod, as if beckoning Aeryl closer.

‘He’s asking me to come?’

Aeryl hesitated but then moved closer to the Grand Duke. Innis and the Commander both stared at Aeryl. Both of them had very stiff expressions, which made Aeryl feel uneasy. While Innis’ expression was naturally stiff, the Commander looked displeased that Aeryl had joined them.

The Grand Duke looked Aeryl up and down. Only then did Aeryl realize how disheveled he looked.

“I must look pretty messy right now. I just came from the infirmary.”

“That’s not it.”

Not that? Aeryl was curious, but the Grand Duke shifted the topic.

“There’s a dead man inside. As a doctor, you should confirm it.”

“Eh? Yes…”

Hadn’t there been no deaths? Aeryl felt his heart sink.

Why did he die? What did I miss? With confusion came the rush of anxious pheromones.

“It wasn’t a death caused by the battle. You’ll see, but it’s a situation where no doctor could help.”

At the Grand Duke’s sudden statement, Innis and the Commander exchanged puzzled looks. In that moment, only Aeryl realized that the Grand Duke had sensed his anxiety through the pheromones and was trying to comfort him.

‘Thank you.’

Aeryl gave the Grand Duke a slight smile. Though the Grand Duke’s expression remained cold, it made Aeryl feel a bit more at ease.

By the way, who died for the mood to be like this? Aeryl entered the tent. There, lying still on a cot, was a man.

‘What’s going on with him?’

The man looked like a mummy. His flesh had disappeared, leaving only his bones sticking out, and the skin was just draped over them. His face was the same. But what was even stranger than the man’s appearance was that, judging by the state of his skin, he had only died a day ago.

It was impossible for someone to turn into a mummy in just one day. Not naturally.

“It seems… he died due to magic.”

The Grand Duke, seemingly expecting this, didn’t show any shock. Instead, he turned to Aeryl and asked.

“Do you know who this is?”

“No…”

The hunters were all in good shape. There was no one this thin.

“It’s Fedel.”

“Sorry?”

Aeryl was shocked. This was Fedel? He looked nothing like his former self. And it had only been a few days.

“What kind of magic could do this to him…?”

“We’ll need to find out.”

The Grand Duke gestured for Aeryl to come out. Aeryl removed his gloves and stepped out of the tent. The Commander followed him in and examined the body. A short while later…

“Your Grace, you need to see this.”

The Commander, his face grave, presented something he had brought out. It was a candle with something carved into its surface, elegant yet still an ordinary candle. The wick had a slight burn on it, but other than that, it looked almost new.

They had used magic tools to light fires to prevent any accidents. There was still an intact magic tool in the tent where Fedel had died. Why would a candle be placed here? Why was everyone acting so serious over just a candle?

But Aeryl was the only one confused. The Grand Duke immediately recognized what it was and reacted with fury. In an instant, the Grand Duke’s pheromones began to run wild.

‘Ugh!’

Aeryl was the first to sense it. The Grand Duke’s anger was cold, like being thrown into a frozen lake. His whole body ached with the intensity, and he could hardly breathe.

Quickly, Aeryl summoned his own pheromones to shield his body. It was dizzying, but gradually, the feeling started to settle.