IMMCFC 13

Chapter 13

“Uh… no! I can do it myself.”

But he didn’t seem to hear my voice at all. He simply took the tweezers from me. At the same time, he grabbed my wrist and began the treatment.

Feeling awkward, I slightly lowered my head and watched his hands at work.

His movements were quick, seemingly rough and unrefined at first glance, yet surprisingly delicate.

‘He’s subtly considerate.’

Judging by his stoic expression and the nature of being dragon-blooded, he seemed indifferent at first—but he handled the fragments carefully, making sure I didn’t feel pain.

I quietly held my breath.

Ugh, this is awkward…

It was the first time I had ever received treatment from someone else. Back at the Marquess’s residence, I had always had to take care of myself.

And of all people, the one treating me was the Duke of Aschern.

“Bag.”

“Ah, yes.”

Startled by his natural command, I quickly handed him the bag I was holding in my right hand.

He immediately took out the disinfectant and cleaned the wound.

The treatment followed textbook procedure, flawless in execution.

‘Now that I think about it, he did travel across the empire to hunt monsters since childhood, didn’t he?’

No wonder he was so skilled. By now, it was time to apply the ointment. One thing suddenly came to mind.

“Ah, wait a moment! The ointment… it’s in my pocket.”

“Pocket?”

“Yes… I put it in here a little while ago.”

I gestured toward the small pocket near my left waist. Cain’s brows twitched slightly.

“You want me to take it out?”

Hot. My cheeks instantly burned red. No, that’s not what I meant…!

I wanted to quickly clarify the misunderstanding, but at that moment—

“No, it’s fine.”

Cain cut me off casually, reached into his own pocket, and pulled something out. A familiar silhouette.

It was the ointment I had gifted him.

Cain opened it casually.

When I first gave it to him, it had been full, but now it was already halfway used.

Huh. Somehow, my heart felt warm.

‘…So he’s actually using it.’

Of course, that was the purpose of the gift. But after realizing it was Cain, I had assumed he’d simply tucked it away somewhere.

A dragon-blooded Swordmaster like him probably wouldn’t care much for an ointment I made.

Could it be that he liked it? It was already this depleted…

Unexpectedly, I felt a sense of validation, as if my effort had been recognized.

Cain, acting as if familiar with it, scooped a generous amount of ointment with his index finger and brought it to my forearm.

Hmm…

‘This feels… embarrassing.’

Maybe it was because it was the first time I had ever been treated by someone else.

I felt a strange ticklish sensation.

I imagined my expression must look odd, so I couldn’t look at him directly. I stole a glance while pretending nothing was happening.

His face was focused on me, head slightly bowed, fully concentrating.

The sharp, defined line of his nose was impressive. I had known it, but I still couldn’t get used to how handsome he was.

Then, finally, his finger touched my skin. Cain slowly, deliberately, smoothed the ointment over my forearm. Instinctively, I tensed my shoulders.

A man’s hand, hardened with work, different from mine.

The sensation of that hand through the sticky ointment was unfamiliar. Strange, yet…

‘It’s just treatment.’

Why was I reacting like this?

The heat in my cheeks wouldn’t subside.

Ugh. This isn’t good.

I finally turned my face away.

‘Really, handsome faces are hazardous to the heart. Definitely not a good doctor.’

Normally, patients must remain calm for treatment, but with Cain’s face, it was obvious my heart rate would increase instead.

Though, it didn’t matter—he wasn’t a doctor-in-training but a Duke.

While lost in thought, I noticed the discomfort in the wound had eased somewhat. The treatment was entering its final stage.

I resumed my report.

“As for Young Master Jayden…”

Cain nodded as if he was listening.

“We’ll monitor his condition for a bit longer. His fever could return at any time.”

“Speaking of which, his fever has gone down, right?”

“Yes! Thankfully, the antipyretic worked well.”

“Impressive. Usually, that wouldn’t be possible.”

“It’s thanks to the opportunity you provided.”

Hmm.

Cain seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.

“You know that dragon-blooded people are generally unaffected by normal medicines, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

At first glance, it might seem like a penalty, but it was more of a blessing. Drugs and poisons are separated by only a thin line.

Just like poisons, most medicines have no effect on dragon-blooded individuals.

Not responding to medicine isn’t an issue—they usually don’t get sick anyway.

‘Except for Jayden… it’s a curse for him.’

If infected with Tamutar’s disease, a dragon-blooded person’s body goes into overdrive, destroying itself. At first, it seems like a simple lung infection, with constant coughing, but soon, repeated high fevers emerge.

Even as the energy within the body tears at the flesh, there’s nothing one can do. Painkillers and antipyretics are ineffective—because that’s the nature of dragon-blooded people.

While I was lost in thought, Cain continued tapping the ointment container, speaking thoughtfully.

“This ointment also proved effective for me.”

“Really?”

Ah, that’s why he was using it so well.

It wasn’t just out of courtesy—it actually had medicinal effects. Pride filled me, and a smile crept onto my lips.

‘Hmm, it’s peculiar.’

The antipyretic was specially made for Jayden, but the ointment I gifted Cain wasn’t.

‘It does contain a small amount of pointed leaf herb… maybe that’s why?’

As I pondered, Cain spoke again, seemingly deep in thought.

“That’s why I’m asking. You seem unusually knowledgeable about dragon-blooded physiology.”

“Oh, yes. There was a book about dragon-blooded people at the Devoré Marquess residence. It was a very old tome…”

“Can you read the ancient language?”

I scratched my head awkwardly. Could I really say I could?

“I don’t know if my pronunciation is perfect, but I can understand it.”

“Self-taught?”

“Yes. Back when I lived at the Marquess’s, there wasn’t much to do… except read. That’s why I read that old book.”

The library at the estate had been like a refuge for me as a child.

When the previous Marquess was alive, it was bustling, but after his passing, hardly anyone came. The remaining family weren’t fond of reading.

I often snuck in secretly.

Now, it felt like a faint, old memory.

“Hmm. An old book from the Marquess’s estate… must no longer be in your possession.”

“Yes. It’s probably still at the estate, though. Don’t worry! I know the content well.”

I had lost count of how many times I’d read it.

‘Maybe fifteen times?’

At the time, I just had nothing else to read. But now, that knowledge was incredibly useful.

“Can you tell me the title?”

“Of course.”

Taking the pen Cain offered, I carefully wrote the title.

The ancient language was far more complex than modern simplified characters, so I focused carefully, tracing each character.

After a long moment, I finished.

『Analysis of the Mechanisms and Principles of Pharmacological Reactions Specific to Dragon-Blooded Physiology』