Chapter: 15
After they finished eating to some extent, it was time to return to work.
After changing back into their Magic Department uniforms, they went down to the first floor, where several imperial court physicians were already visible.
Dana and Edwin greeted them lightly and walked toward the training grounds.
Soon, the doors of the training ground opened, revealing a wide space.
The reason they conducted medical examinations in the training ground was simple.
It was the largest available space.
The weapons had been neatly cleared away, and inside were rows of the latest medical devices and nutritional potions brought from the Imperial Palace.
The court physicians checked whether the equipment was functioning properly.
Dana led Edwin all the way to the far end.
Then she began opening the stacked potion boxes.
“Just think of it as a basic health checkup. Our job is to distribute potions to the knights after they’ve been examined.”
“Just give one bottle each?”
“Mostly. But some people are malnourished, so make sure to check their results carefully.”
Edwin nodded.
At the same time, Dana took one of the boxes he had lifted.
“I’ll organize the potions. Senior, please check if any have gone bad.”
There was no way potions protected by preservation magic would spoil.
In other words, he was telling her to sit and rest.
Just as Dana was about to refuse, Edwin’s voice flashed through her mind.
‘From now on, accept anything I give you.’
Dana changed her mind.
If she was going to receive it anyway, she might as well enjoy it properly.
She smiled brightly.
“Thanks. I’ll rest as much as you want.”
At her playful expression, Edwin laughed out loud.
Before long, the Rune Knight Order entered the training ground.
Perhaps because they constantly went out to subjugate monsters, all of them were extremely well-built.
The imperial physicians looked unexpectedly tense.
They had heard rumors that this was a group of “imperial lunatics.”
‘They’re not going to suddenly go wild, are they?’
‘Everyone, stay calm!’
They whispered urgently.
But as the knights who entered in a crowd began moving, they suddenly lined up.
The physicians instinctively protected their precious medical equipment.
Contrary to their fears, the knights were just forming a queue.
Seeing this, the physicians felt slightly embarrassed.
‘Maybe we misunderstood.’
‘No matter what, they are knights—they wouldn’t behave strangely.’
Feeling apologetic, they began the examinations.
Their tension eased considerably.
But the first knight’s words immediately froze them again.
A large knight stood before a physician.
“Sir Max. Do you have any discomfort?”
“Yes, I do.”
Max’s stern face instantly turned miserable.
“My arm… my arm is broken!”
“Since this morning? Let me see!”
When the physician looked closely, a rabbit doll filled his vision.
“Why are you looking at me?! It’s Merida who’s hurt!”
Max’s nose began to run.
The physician forced a smile and looked at the rabbit doll.
Its stitching was torn and one arm was completely detached.
“Ah… um… it’s a doll.”
“Merida isn’t a doll—she’s my little sister!!”
While Max raged, the second knight stepped forward.
He was extremely hairy—hair and beard growing down to his feet.
The physician greeted him cautiously.
“Sir Harriet… may I ask your condition?”
“I put two drops of hair-growth potion into alcohol and this happened.”
“…Why would you do that?”
“It was too bland.”
The physician swallowed hard.
After a long pause, he picked up scissors.
After cutting off a large chunk of Harriet’s hair, the knight grinned.
“Oh, you’re a genius doctor!”
Next, a third knight arrived with a furious-looking dog sitting on a chair.
“Grrr… hic!”
“….”
The physician blinked in confusion.
A knight beside him spoke seriously.
“Sir Coco has hiccups that won’t stop.”
“You should take him to a veterinarian.”
“What? Useless!”
The knight left angrily with the dog.
The dog Coco seemed to agree, growling as well.
Grrr… hic! Grrrrr… hic!
More knights continued to come after that.
But due to communication issues, the line never got shorter.
Even after a long time, not a single knight had finished the checkup and received potions.
Dana sighed weakly while sitting.
“At this rate, this will never end.”
Edwin noticed her exhaustion.
He smiled faintly and stood up.
“That won’t do. You still need to have lunch with me, senior.”
Then he calmly walked into the group of knights.
Startled, Dana quickly followed him, worried about what might happen.
“Edwin, wait a moment…!”
As Edwin stood in the center of the knights, the atmosphere suddenly turned solemn.
He looked around slowly.
Then he spoke gently.
“Shall we play a game?”
“….”
The noisy knights all went silent.
Even the sound of swallowing could be heard.
“Your examination time must not exceed one minute each.”
“….”
“And if you exceed the time, the next game will be with me.”
“….”
“Just the two of us.”
The last words were disturbingly sweet.
The first to move was Max.
Even though Merida’s arm was still dangling, he marched forward.
“Potion, please.”
“…Here you go. Good job…”
Max hurried away.
After that, the game Edwin proposed continued.
Everyone answered quickly and disappeared immediately.
Potions quickly began running out.
Even Coco’s hiccups stopped in shock.
The physicians, still confused, gradually noticed something else.
The dark circles under their eyes were disappearing.
Thanks to the fast-paced checkups, their expressions brightened.
“Sir Ray, do you have any pain?”
“No!”
The conversation ended there.
When receiving their final potions, none of them even made eye contact with Edwin.
In less than thirty minutes, the entire health checkup was finished.
The physicians approached Edwin excitedly.
“How did you do that? You controlled the Rune Knight Order!”
Edwin replied calmly.
“I see… they must really like games.”
Ah… games! The physicians nodded in admiration.
Edwin left them behind and approached Dana.
“You worked hard, senior.”
“No, thanks to you, it went smoothly.”
At her words, Edwin smiled with his eyes.
After organizing the potion boxes, it was lunchtime.
While staying at the base, they had to eat with the knights.
“You must be hungry, senior.”
Worried she might slip, Edwin held her hand tightly.
“No, I had a hearty breakfast, I’m fine.”
“I’m glad.”
They soon arrived at the knights’ base.
After lining up, they received bread, meat, and vegetables.
Since food was regularly supplied by the palace, the meals were fairly decent.
Edwin walked to an empty table beside the knights.
Then he pulled out Dana’s chair gently, making the knights’ eyes widen.
All their attention shifted to the commander.
It was the first time they had seen such human consideration from him.
Dana, now seated, called out to him.
“Hey, Edwin.”
“Yes, senior.”
Looking at his innocent expression, she spoke worriedly.
“Don’t act so recklessly like earlier.”
“Like earlier?”
“You told them to hurry up during the examination.”
Ah… that memory had already been thrown far away by Edwin.
What was the problem with that?
Seeing his confused expression, Dana sighed.
“You’re too soft compared to them.”
“….”
“You delayed your job entry for a month because you were sick, and you’re generally gentle.”
It was the first time in his life he had ever been described that way.
Seeing that she was genuinely worried about him, Edwin smiled.
“You’re worried about me?”
“Of course I am.”
“I see… I guess I am a bit delicate.”
At that, coughing sounds erupted from all around.
Did everyone choke at once?
Into Dana’s mouth, a piece of bread was placed.
Edwin had gently fed it to her.
Watching him, the knights who had lost their appetite one by one began standing up.
