OPDSP 53

“Ah, about that.”

In the chaos of moving the Grand Duke to the clinic, Innis had remained at the scene and gone to check on the man. But in the brief moment her eyes were turned, the man had vanished.

All that was left were the clothes the man had been wearing and what appeared to be his severed hand. It was a distinctive hand, covered in tattoos across the back and missing a ring finger.

It was a truly bizarre incident. Though there had been a moment of confusion, the purge unit had the farmhouse tightly surrounded, leaving no room for escape. They’d even checked thoroughly inside the house, thinking he might be hiding, but there was nothing.

The answer only came when the Knights Commander arrived.

“There’s a magic spell called ‘Tail Severing.’ When the caster senses death is near, they abandon part of their body to escape.”

“Like a lizard?”

“Yes. That’s how I’ve heard it described.”

The man had used that very magic to escape alive, leaving only his hand behind.

“Do you remember the pirate suppression operation last summer? The Valbean Pirates. The Captain’s son escaped using that magic. Back then it was just a single finger.”

“Oh, right. I remember. We were tracking him.”

“Yes. We recently lost his trail… But the tattoos on the finger we recovered then match the ones on this hand.”

Which meant—the man who impersonated Ronar and Akim, kidnapped Aeryl, and staged the hostage situation was none other than the son of the Valbean Pirates’ captain.

“His name… was it Derbas?”

“That’s right. That’s what the other pirates called him. We had no information that he was a mage, but mages often keep their identities hidden. If he was a mage, that explains how he slipped away.”

“This is going to be troublesome.”

Only the mage himself could know what kind of spells he was capable of. Tracking him wouldn’t be easy.

“I’ve already alerted the pursuit unit. Just by looking at things, it’s clear he holds a grudge against His Grace. So he’ll show himself again eventually—one way or another.”

“Then we must tighten security at the Grand Duke’s estate. But wouldn’t that also mean Mr. Aeryl is in danger?”

Derbas had used Aeryl to take revenge. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t do the same thing again. If Aeryl stayed in the village, he could be targeted once more.

“Wouldn’t it be safer to bring him to the Grand Duke’s estate? Leaving him here is risky.”

The Knights Commander judgment was reasonable. Still, Innis was concerned.

“He was quite firm about staying in the village. I’m not sure he’ll agree to go.”

“Well… that probably depends on His Grace, doesn’t it?”

As she replied, Kyla glanced over toward the bed.

The Grand Duke and Aeryl were sleeping closely together. The Grand Duke lay on his side, holding Aeryl in his arms. Aeryl, in turn, rested his head against the Grand Duke’s chest, snuggled close. The position looked natural, comfortable—as though it wasn’t the first time.

“Their relationship… I’m not the only one who thinks it seems special, right?”

“No wonder Derbas chose him as a hostage…”

“And no wonder His Grace lost his mind like that. When did they become this close…?”

The Knights Commander recalled the first time the two met. The Grand Duke had tested Aeryl out of suspicion, and Aeryl had called out the Grand Duke’s character. It had been, by all accounts, a disastrous meeting. So how did it end up like this…?

“Still, it’s a bit concerning. Isn’t this the first time His Grace has had someone special in his life? The Grand Duke’s estate is going to be in an uproar. And on top of that… he’s a man.”

“Oh, that part’s not an issue. The doctor is an omega.”

Innis answered the Knights Commander concern. Aeryl hadn’t exactly gone around announcing it, but he’d never made an effort to hide it either. It wasn’t a secret.

“An omega…”

The Knights Commander still looked unsettled, but said nothing more.

“Come on now, let’s give them some rest.”

Kyla urged them to leave. Innis and the Knights Commander agreed, and the three of them stepped out of the clinic. At the moment, the place was heavily guarded by knights, so there was no need for them to remain inside. They returned to the purge unit’s camp.

***

The next morning, Aeryl awoke after a deep sleep.

He was momentarily startled to find his glasses on the pillow beside him, but when he noticed the wound on his neck had completely vanished, he guessed one of the doctors had treated him and taken them off. He had kept his eyes shut the whole time he was asleep, so that was a relief.

He quickly put his glasses on, and just as he was about to climb out of bed, the Grand Duke awoke as well.

“You’re awake? How are you feeling?”

Aeryl asked.

The Grand Duke was still a little dazed, but as soon as he opened his eyes and saw Aeryl, a smile spread across his lips before he realized it. It was a gentle, tender smile—completely unlike his usual expression. Aeryl stared, captivated.

Something was about to pass between them—a subtle current of emotion—

But then…

“You’re awake. I have an urgent matter to report.”

The Knights Commander entered, and the moment passed without anything happening.

“To the camp.”

“Yes. And Doctor, please come with us as well.”

“Then let me do a quick check-up and I’ll go with you.”

“I’ll wait.”

The Knights Commander went to stand off in a corner of the hospital.

‘Is something going on?’

His gaze on Aeryl was unusually cautious. Was he feeling guilty about what happened yesterday?

“Aeryl.”

The Grand Duke called him. Aeryl quickly gathered his tools and went over to him. Maybe because of the Knights Commander’s presence, or maybe because he was fully awake now, the Grand Duke wore his usual expression. A shame, but nothing to be done.

“I’ll examine you as usual.”

Aeryl’s hands moved skillfully, and the Grand Duke silently entrusted himself to his care.

“I believe the sudden collapse yesterday was due to your pheromones reacting to emotional stress. I apologize for not explaining more clearly.”

“No, if not for you, it would’ve been dangerous. I’m always grateful.”

“If I can be of help…”

At the Grand Duke’s honest words, Aeryl blushed. They said northerners were blunt, and though the Grand Duke was reserved and expressionless, he never spoke in circles. For Aeryl, a man from the capital accustomed to speaking indirectly, it was disarming.

The Grand Duke gazed at Aeryl’s cheeks. They were flushed, soft, and tempting to bite. Of course, he was a man of great self-control, so he didn’t act on the impulse. Instead, he questioned himself.

‘Why am I thinking this?’

What good would biting someone’s cheek do? It wasn’t as if he was interested in eating human flesh.

“All done. Your condition is stable now.”

Aeryl finished the examination. The Grand Duke didn’t find the answer to his thoughts and pushed them to the back of his mind.

“Let’s go.”

He led the way out of the hospital. Aeryl followed behind, and the Knights Commander brought up the rear.

‘So that’s how it began, huh.’

With someone like Aeryl caring for him so gently, who wouldn’t fall in love?

Having witnessed the examination, the Knight Commander’s misunderstanding only deepened—but Aeryl and the Grand Duke remained unaware.

At the Grand Duke’s tent, Knights Commander explained the events of the previous night. Aeryl and the Grand Duke sat side by side, listening.

“Derbas, huh. To think he was right under our noses and we didn’t know.”

The Grand Duke looked composed, but his pheromones surged with the rage that had flared up yesterday. When Aeryl, anxious, tugged lightly at his sleeve, he quickly calmed down.

“My apologies. I should have realized sooner that he was a mage.”

The Knights Commander bowed his head.

“It’s fine. Seems even his pirate comrades didn’t know. Still, that man is ruthless. Even under torture, he never revealed a word about his son.”

“You mean the captain of the Valbean Pirates?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll interrogate him again when we return.”

The Grand Duke nodded slightly.

‘This is… not a good sign.’

The more Aeryl listened, the colder his spine felt. It was becoming clear he hadn’t been brought here by chance.

Just as the conversation seemed to be winding down, Aeryl carefully asked,

“Do you believe that Derbas… might come after me again?”

If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason to explain all this in such detail. It sounded like classified information.

“You understand quickly. Yes, without a doubt, he will target you again.”

The Knights Commander answered firmly. The Grand Duke’s pheromones were rippling again.

This man was having a hard time controlling his emotions today.

“That will never happen again.”

The Grand Duke declared coldly. But that wasn’t what troubled Aeryl.

“Then… am I still allowed to stay in the village and continue running the clinic?”