The Doctor's Arrival
“What? You got here fast!”
“We almost missed each other. Were you sleeping the whole way? How’d you even manage to rent a carriage?”
“Lucky, I guess!”
Enk and Gail quickly crowded around as well. We hadn’t expected everyone to regroup until tomorrow, so Chad’s appearance was especially welcome.
“Chad.”
Ash, who had approached without a sound, exchanged a brief glance with Chad. That was apparently the extent of their greeting.
After everything they’d been through together, that was it?
“Things went smoothly. I found someone willing to come with us right away. Once they heard there was a patient, they even lent us a carriage. There were a few conditions, though.”
“What conditions? Where’s Lox? Is he riding in the carriage with the doctor?”
“Lox couldn’t come with us.”
“Did he die?”
Whoops. Maybe a little too enthusiastic there.
I quickly forced the corners of my mouth back down. No need to take the ring off after all.
“It’s a long story. While we were searching for a doctor, Lox… well… it happened again.”
“He got mugged?”
“It’s practically routine by now.”
“Luckily I was nearby, so nothing was actually taken… but he still had that on him, remember? He went into a full panic and wouldn’t listen to reason. Kept insisting we had to head straight for Elan.”
“So?”
Am I smiling right now?
“There was a fairly large mage tower in that village, complete with proper warp facilities… so he left for Elan first. Said he’d entrust that somewhere safe, get it appraised, and then come meet us in Helicke.”
Helicke was the capital of Heidricke.
The site of the Sword Masters’ decisive battle—and the festival we were currently heading toward.
“What? Lox already left? That won’t do!”
“Our tickets!”
“Traitor!”
What exactly was Lox to these guys?
Honestly, maybe he wasn’t that important. I should read his mind sometime. Though it was probably obvious—he was only here because of Ash.
“Mwahaha! No need to worry about that!”
Chad must have anticipated Enk and Gail’s reaction, because he proudly pulled an envelope from his coat with a face that screamed for praise.
“I got us a letter of introduction! If we show this to the person named here, they’ll help us out!”
“Whoa! Nice work!”
“They said they’d send a telegram ahead, so we just need to pick up the tickets!”
“Hooray!”
Hooray!
In the midst of the excited atmosphere, Ash’s eyes clearly said he was relieved Lox wasn’t here right now.
We were like siblings whose parents had stepped out for the evening, while Ash was the only one acting like a responsible adult.
“Chad, you skipped the important part.”
“……What was it?”
“So what was the doctor’s condition?”
“Oh! The doctor’s also heading to the capital to watch Dra Tum Dra. Apparently they’re looking for physicians there too. With people pouring in from across the continent, there’s a shortage of doctors.”
“Get to the point.”
“They couldn’t find any mercenaries willing to escort them that far, so they were in a bind. They agreed to treat our group in exchange for safe passage. And they’re not even charging us! They’ve got their own carriage, and they specialize in internal injuries. We got lucky!”
Chad had every right to sound confident. It really was a mutually beneficial arrangement with no downsides.
Though the patient in question—me—didn’t actually feel any need for a doctor.
“Hey, what’s that you keep saying? Tumdra?”
“Right, you guys wouldn’t know yet.”
“What is it?”
“They’ve given the duel an official name. That’s it. The proper title is Dra Tum Dra. I picked it up in the upper village.”
Dra Tum Dra.
In the ancient tongue, dra referred to a warrior so exceptional they could even slay a dragon.
Dra Tum Dra essentially meant “warrior versus warrior,” but the word tum carried the nuance of “a duel worthy of reverence,” giving the whole thing a rather grandiose feel.
“Everyone, come here! I’ll introduce the doctor.”
Chad dashed ahead of us toward the carriage. For once, he even straightened his clothes before opening the door and escorting someone out.
It was shocking. Chad, performing an escort?
And he’d been going on about my beast-like recovery!
“Please come out! The patient is already waiting to greet you.”
“Oh my, really?”
That gentle voice—!
“It’s a woman!”
“A woman!”
“Hey, we’ve already got one right here.”
These guys were really ignoring me.
The person stepping down was hidden behind the carriage door, but Enk was already fixing his hair at lightning speed, and Gail’s sparkling eyes made his expectations painfully obvious.
“Doctor! This is our leader, Ash.”
“Hello, sir.”
The doctor was a young woman with a gentle expression.
Her brown hair, lightly braided over one shoulder, looked incredibly soft, and the faint freckles across her nose bridge suited the sunlight perfectly.
Her intelligent green eyes shone softly, harmonizing with everything about her.
“Thank you for coming.”
“I heard what happened. You were injured while exploring a dungeon? I’m glad everyone’s safe. Please call me Akia.”
“We’re counting on you, Doctor Akia.”
“Just Akia is fine!”
After shaking hands with Ash first, she greeted everyone else in turn.
Enk had already positioned himself to be next after Ash, while Gail offered a shy, awkward greeting.
Why were they reacting so differently from how they treated me?
“I was told the patient is a woman. Is that you?”
She finally stood before me.
We were about the same height, our eyes meeting at the same level. She looked to be around my age. I slowly uncrossed my arms and held out my hand.
“Jeanie.”
If she took the hand wearing the ring, she’d hear my thoughts. Reading the mind of a girl my age for the first time… for some reason, I felt a little nervous.
It felt like stepping into a labyrinth…
“I’m Akia.”
She seems about my age. I hope we can get along. How does her skin glow like that? And those fierce eyes… she’s like a beautiful beast.
“……How old are you?”
“Twenty-two.”
“So you’re my unni.”
“Really?”
“Can I call you Akia?”
“Of course!”
She looks so happy!
I liked her already.
“Oh? You have a puppy too. What’s this little one’s name? He’s quite handsome—almost like a wolf.”
“Not exactly a puppy. His name is Rai.”
“Rai…… He doesn’t bite, does he?”
I don’t bite. I’m handsome, after all.
With Lox gone, the new doctor was welcomed by everyone.
It didn’t feel like there had ever been an empty seat to begin with.
***
Inside the carriage heading for Helicke sat only me, Akia, and Rai.
Normally, the highest-ranking person or the physically weakest rode in a carriage.
Dogs almost never rode along. Yet Rai had claimed a spot beneath my feet as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and none of the party members objected to a dog riding with us.
The small, worn carriage felt cramped with just the two of us, and it jolted violently—probably one of the cheaper models even among supply carriages.
At times like this, my noble upbringing reared its head.
I wanted a finer carriage—wider, more comfortable, with thick cushions, one I could even lie down in.
Fortunately, I at least knew enough to be grateful we were riding in someone else’s carriage at all.
Since there was no fixing the carriage’s shaking, I figured I might as well get used to it quickly.
Leaning against the window, I opened the mysterious book Ash had risked his life to retrieve from the dungeon, while Akia rummaged through her medicine bag, busy preparing remedies.
I only pushed for an early departure because I didn’t want to take the medicine…
We were in a hurry, and everyone knew time was tight before Dra Tum Dra, so we’d changed course for the capital, Helicke, the moment we regrouped.
My plan had been that once we departed, she wouldn’t force the medicine on me right away—but that calculation shattered the moment she started compounding drugs inside the swaying carriage.
This doctor had an extraordinary sense of professionalism.
Frowning, I watched what Akia was doing.
The portable medicine chest she’d brought gave off an unfamiliar smell, its surface marked here and there with red ink in the shapes of herbs and bones—the symbols of a hospital.
The heavy-looking bag contained dozens of medicine bottles and all sorts of herbs. To my eyes it looked as gloomy and cluttered as a witch’s pouch, but the systematic organization was clear from how quickly Akia’s hands moved.
The more she mixed, the more that now-familiar scent began to fill the carriage.
I wanted to smash the window and flee, but I decided to endure. After all, I was someone who had survived even a dragon’s grasp.
Master, are you perhaps plotting a stylish escape from the carriage right now? Give it up. It’s impossible. I’d bet on you rolling around in a most undignified manner.
Shut it. I told you not to read my mind.
I’m not ‘someone else,’ am I? It hurts when you say things like that, Master! Reading your mind and understanding your intentions is a spirit’s duty! And reading your idle thoughts is so entertaining—ack.
I kicked him square in the snout with my foot.
Kicking anywhere else would only hurt my foot. He only peeked when he was bored, yet he had the nerve to make excuses.
“Miss Jeanie, would you like to try this first?”
Here it came.
Akia shook a tall bottle—into which she’d mixed various things like a seasoned bartender—with a series of sharp rattling sounds before thrusting it right in front of me.
The carriage was so narrow that our knees nearly touched as we sat facing each other. There was nowhere to escape.
I reflexively raised the old book I’d been reading to cover my mouth.
I really, really didn’t want to drink it. I wanted it so little that my lips were practically protruding in protest.
No. I don’t want medicine!
I only took it reluctantly when Ash gave it to me, and now this doctor was going to make me take it every hour.
A grumbling complaint rose from deep inside, but I accepted the bottle anyway.
Considering Chad’s sincerity in bringing the doctor, Akia’s effort in coming all this way, and my own social age and dignity, I had to take it.
My pride would never allow me to throw a tantrum about not wanting medicine.
If there was one useful thing I’d learned while growing up privileged, it was having pride to fall back on in moments like this.
“This is just a mild diagnostic medicine. It shouldn’t be too bitter or harsh, so don’t worry.”
“……Really?”