Was it fortunate or unfortunate? Either way, I received news about Raiden on the same day, directly from him, and more accurately than anyone else.
I was struggling with restlessness late into the night. I thought carbonated water and chocolate cookies might help me sleep. However, while I had cookies, I didn’t have any carbonated water at home.
After tossing and turning several times, I finally gave up on sleep and sat up in bed. I was in a daze, plagued by the early stages of insomnia, when a knock at the window—not the door—startled me. I turned on the lamp and approached the window, not feeling scared because I knew who it was.
“Did I wake you?”
When I opened the window, Raiden climbed in with a faint scent of soap and cold wind, perching on the windowsill. Raiden often visited me unexpectedly like this, and strangely, I was always struggling to sleep during those times. I even had the creepy thought that Raiden had hidden some magical surveillance device in my house to watch me.
“No, I was already awake. I’m sleepy but can’t fall asleep.”
I grumbled and grabbed some dried-out cookies to munch on. If only I had some carbonated water, it would be perfect. Raiden watched me quietly, then rummaged through his coat and pulled out a glass bottle.
“I got some lemonade this afternoon. It was too fizzy, so I pocketed it to throw away later but forgot. Do you want it?”
“Raiden… I love you so much! Thank you for this!”
I immediately took the bottle from Raiden and drank it down. It was a bit warm, but the carbonation was perfect. Raiden, really knows what I need.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing much. Just having some digestive issues lately and can’t eat anything other than chocolate-related things.”
Raiden looked shocked and covered his mouth with both hands.
“You can’t eat meat?”
“I was trying to forget that.”
I frowned deeply and poked Raiden in the side.
He feigned pain and dodged me, then sat on the bed where I had been sitting.
I scolded him for sitting on the bed in his outdoor clothes and put his carelessly placed sword on the table.
After clearing away the empty bottle and cookie crumbs, I noticed that Raiden looked a bit tired.
Seeing the bloodshot eyes under the yellow lamplight, I pushed Raiden onto the bed.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing much. Just dealing with a backlog of paperwork and approving reports.”
I put on a shocked expression and covered my mouth with both hands.
“Oh my, Raiden was sitting in a chair?”
“I was trying to forget that.”
Raiden and I burst into laughter simultaneously.
Raiden, who seemed to have nothing left but swordsmanship, really hated sitting still, especially while reading ‘uninteresting’ documents.
I immediately realized that the reason Raiden hadn’t been able to visit my ward was that Sir Hamel and Sir Noah had practically confined him to get him to finish his work.
It seemed a bit childish for a man in his mid-twenties, but Raiden was talented enough to be forgiven for that, and since he wasn’t the captain or the aide, it was considered cute when he skipped work.
It’s no wonder he had a group of die-hard fans.
Anyway, Raiden grumbled about preferring to draft tactical plans and buried his face in my pillow.
Having finished my carbonated water and cookies, I finally felt the sleepiness wash over me as if I’d been granted permission to sleep.
Oh, it would be hard to wake up in the morning if I slept now. Despite thinking that, I couldn’t resist the sleep and slowly climbed into bed.
As I curled up and closed my eyes, I felt Raiden hugging me from behind like a teddy bear. I fell asleep instantly.
When I opened my eyes, I realized it was morning.
I had slept so soundly that it was hard to believe I had been restless earlier, making me think Raiden’s visit was a dream.
If Raiden hadn’t brought freshly baked cookies, milk, and some fruit for breakfast, I would have continued to believe it was a dream.
“What did you eat to end up like this?”
Raiden asked as I gagged and pushed away the orange slices, eating only the cookies.
“Nothing different from usual.”
“Or maybe it’s some new food you tried recently that’s just now causing trouble? You know, like a delayed reaction.”
Oh. I let out a gasp of realization as I drank the milk.
I remembered a business trip I took for a medical forum a while ago.
The city was near the Indan Mountains, and I recalled the awful fries there.
The thought of that taste made me gag again, and Raiden, startled, handed me a handkerchief.
“I did go on a business trip, but the food there was unremarkable…”
Come to think of it, it might not be the food but a bug bite.
During the forum, a sudden meeting with Gigson Medical School alumni had us dragged to the mountains.
We spent the morning hiking and gathering herbs, ostensibly to promote camaraderie and the school’s progress.
Then a monster appeared, and the doctors scattered in panic while I got lost in the forest.
I had tried to forget that ordeal, but recalling it now made me furious. Gigson Medical School family? Camaraderie, my foot.
The monster was so weak that the mercenaries could kill it with a few swings of their swords. If it had been Raiden, he could have killed it with a kick.
I wandered the forest, crying, until I lost my footing or something and fainted. When I woke up, I was in a private room at the hospital where the forum discussions were being held.
I remembered Dr. Ren, who had taken me there, hugging me with tears in his eyes.
Later, I heard that they realized I was missing long after lunch and had to call in mercenaries and the lord’s knights to search the mountains until they found me just before sunset.
But given my profession and specialty, I’ve had all the necessary vaccinations.
There’s no disease with such a long incubation period that also makes me nauseous except for chocolate.
Pregnancy would be the closest, but that’s obviously not the case. I knew for a fact I am still a virgin.
I shook my head and seriously spoke to Raiden, who was looking at me intently.
“If I ever say I’m going herb gathering in a distant forest without you, stop me.”
“If you even suggest that, you’re clearly not in your right mind, so I’ll knock you out first.”
“You jerk.”
Despite this and that, thanks to Raiden, I finished breakfast comfortably and went to work.
Just because I had breakfast doesn’t mean a chocolate cookie is packed with nutrients, so my energy was gradually decreasing.
I started worrying that I might end up with nothing but bones.
I was quite relaxed until lunchtime. When I was relieved that there were no patients today, someone from Block 2 came to find me.
Although we don’t use swords, dealing with a fire-breathing dragon that spits poison and flies around the neighborhood is practically a state of emergency.
I hurriedly grabbed my medical bag and thankfully, the student who was known for being irritable, had only received a splash of venom from Chamber Jewelry Dragon.
Chamber Jewelry adults usually grow up to about 25 meters, but this one was still a juvenile, barely 10 meters long.
Since the venom sac was not well developed, administering an antidote and treating the burn marks would suffice.
Since I had received a list of dragons scheduled to visit the school in advance, I was prepared.
After administering the antidote and applying burn ointment and gauze, I tightly bandaged the wound.
The medicine was very effective, but it didn’t absorb well into the body, so the bandage had to be tightly wrapped to prevent air circulation.
I ended the treatment by checking the patient’s pupils to see if the antidote was working properly. A knight from the Heim Wyler, Chamber Jewelry’s rider, in a rather rough tone, approached the dragon.
“Lately, Zeze seems to be in a bad mood. I thought he was calming down today, but it seems not. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no. It’s my fault for approaching the Chamber Jewelry too closely. I apologize.”
“Never mind. Hmm, lately, he’s not listening at all. It’s not even puberty yet.”
The keepers, or professors, came one after another to cautiously share their opinions.
Most dragons, unless they were wild, were the property of the state, making each one a valuable asset of the nation.
After reciting the rules that the patient had to follow, I left the heavy atmosphere of the ward.
Although the treatment was for a minor injury, the fact that a domesticated dragon had attacked a civilian student could not be overlooked, so Block 2 was tense.
Chamber Jewelry, the culprit, was still grumbling and irritating the keepers under the rider’s supervision.
The dragon shook its wings, as if annoyed by the saddle on its neck and back.
The keepers tried to stabilize it by offering fresh meat and tightening the leather straps connected to the saddle.
Far away, students were receiving education from Gold Schumann’s rider and direct keepers.
Afraid of accidentally getting poisoned, I quickly left Block 2.
While having a late lunch and resting, I heard screams outside.
Half asleep, I woke up and opened the window, seeing students running towards Block 1.
Thinking that something had happened, I quickly packed my medical bag, but then the ward door suddenly opened.
It was the tactical studies assistant professor, who became friendly with me after calming down his girlfriend who was crying after being pushed by a student.
“Quick, quick, sir!”
“Is it an emergency patient?”
“No! It’s an emergency situation. Right now, in Block 1!”
The assistant professor was so excited that he grabbed my hand and pulled me, urging me to come quickly.
Although the incident happened in a flash, I hadn’t lost my medical bag, thankfully.
As we walked out of the building towards Block 1, students and educational staff passed quickly by my side.
They were walking leisurely, as if trying to maintain their dignity, but even the professors were heading to Block 1. T
his was serious. Either Raiden had arrived, the pride of the Heim Wyler and the national treasure of the Ginger Kingdom, or a Dragon was involved, which was no trivial matter.
Adult Dragons would never leave the stronghold unless it was for something significant, and since it was about 40 meters in size, if it had come, it should be visible by now.
So, ultimately, the cause of this incident was…
“My word, to see a hero with my own eyes. It’s an honor for the family.”
Sure enough, Raiden Rensher, the only hero in the kingdom.
Raiden was surrounded by countless students and professors, with only a glimpse of his black hair visible.
The assistant professor couldn’t get close because of the students and stood far away, holding up his crow’s foot and peering at Raiden’s face. Some lower-grade students were doing similar things.
At this point, it would have been better to just look down with a telescope from inside the building.
I didn’t particularly want to see the face I had seen in the morning again, but to prevent the embarrassment of being caught with Raiden and having a face, I glanced at the assistant professor and his protruding head.
Raiden had a stern expression amidst the students and professors and was speaking.
When he didn’t know what to do in a difficult situation, his facial muscles stiffened, but people often said that when they saw that expression, it was the solemn Rensher who didn’t waver, or the ironclad Rensher.
Noticing this, the aide Sir Noah, who was roughly aware, was taking charge instead of Raiden.
