"No matter what, it’s difficult to bring something back to life after it’s been poisoned, right? It’s not like it just withered from lack of water or froze to death..."
"If bringing it back is too difficult, why not plant something new instead?"
She never imagined she would end up learning about landscaping and horticulture, but since Elodie was the only one who could enter the Serenity Palace, she had no choice.
And so, while giving advice to the doctors and lounging around, the first patient arrived.
"Baby!"
It was Bearik, the knight who had been waiting for this day with all his heart.
Last time, thanks to that wild brute Leopard who couldn’t let go of his primal instincts, he hadn’t even gotten a chance to be treated by Baby.
But today was different!
As long as he made a reservation, he could meet Baby one-on-one!
Of course, the process of securing a spot was a battlefield in itself, but it was a price he was more than willing to pay.
After all, he was victorious this time!
With the intensity of a beast roaring, he approached with his mouth open wide.
‘Whoa...’
Elodie had to crane her neck just to see his face properly.
His neck was so thick that it was the same size as his face.
When he was still, his face looked somewhat simple and honest, but the moment he opened his mouth, it felt like he was about to rip someone apart.
"I got cut on my arm..."
Bearik twisted his entire body as he held up his arm, which was gushing blood.
‘That’s definitely a fresh wound.’
This was supposed to be an appointment-based system, so what the hell had he done?
‘I assume he’s the one who got injured, right?’
His wound was clearly bleeding, yet somehow, it looked like someone else’s blood had splattered onto him.
No matter /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ where she turned her eyes, his massive frame filled her vision.
Elodie reached out, lightly placing her hand over his wound before pulling it back.
In an instant, the injury vanished without a trace.
At this point, she didn’t even need to give a potion for such minor wounds.
"Ah, thank you."
Bearik looked disappointed, as if he hadn’t expected the treatment to end so quickly.
"But Baby, won’t you get tetanus? Shouldn’t you monitor it a little longer?"
"No. That won’t happen."
"Wait, wait, Baby! I have a feeling I’m about to get a major injury any second now—"
Stop.
The other knights who were waiting in line for their appointments—having immediately caught on to Bearik’s scheme—dragged him away without hesitation.
"Let me go!"
His desperate wails as he was pulled out of the room left an unforgettable impression.
Wiping away the sweat trickling down her chin, Elodie spoke.
"Next patient."
Thus began her time treating the knights.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
It was "playtime" because not a single knight came in with a real injury.
‘Is physical condition a factor in getting an appointment quickly?’
She didn’t know, nor did she care enough to find out, but it was probably first come, first served.
That explained why only knights were flooding the reservations.
‘Maybe I should switch to a lottery system so other servants have a fair chance...’
But why was she even thinking about this?
Wasn’t the chief physician supposed to be the most high-class job, with nothing to do all day?!
And then—
"Move it, all of you."
The infirmary door slammed open, and Geno walked in.
The boy entered, cursing under his breath, his sword slung over his shoulder as he swaggered inside.
"I’m here for treatment."
"Uuuuh."
"That’s an abuse of power."
"Zenovia, you didn’t get hurt today. If anything, you caused a bunch of injuries—"
"What?"
"Uh, nothing."
The knight who muttered under his breath immediately shut up when Geno’s sharp glare bore down on him.
With no hesitation, the boy walked straight up to Elodie, plopped onto the chair opposite her, and dumped his sword beside him.
For the record, since this was Valkyrisen, direct bloodline members of the house could receive treatment without a reservation.
"Where does it hurt?"
"Hmm."
Did he not even think about it before coming?
After a brief moment of contemplation, Geno shamelessly lifted his chin and declared—
"I have a mental issue."
Elodie, who had planned to ignore whatever nonsense he said, suddenly froze.
Wasn’t he the one who had been tortured by Doctor Packer, drugged, and brainwashed just recently?
Of course, Elodie had noticed right away and confiscated the drugs before it could get as bad as what Edmund had suffered, but still—
The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.
Could there be lingering side effects...?
"I’m bored."
"...What?"
"Since you’re always running around stirring up trouble, I have nothing to do but train alone."
And?
"Training used to feel like playing, but now that I’ve dropped to second place in ‘fun things to do’ after you, I think this might be a disease."
"What kind of disease?"
"That’s for you to figure out."
Geno crossed his arms smugly.
"Still, if I had to name it, wouldn’t it be ‘boredom syndrome’ or something?"
Did this idiot think he could just stick "syndrome" onto any feeling and call it a disease?
Sadness? Depression.
Boredom? Boredom syndrome.
Elodie stared at him blankly before bonking him on the head with the edge of the medical chart in her hands.
"That just means you like me."
More than training, he just preferred spending time with her.
That was all there was to it.
Edmund was too busy with successor training to play.
Karon, the third child, didn’t even acknowledge him.
So for Geno, Elodie was the only person who gave him any kind of fun.
That was all.
"...Huh?"
His reaction was stronger than expected.
Geno’s eyes, which had been narrowed in amusement, suddenly widened in panic, flickering wildly.
‘Did he seriously not realize?’
Had he not understood that all those times he brought her random trinkets, it wasn’t to show them off—but simply because he wanted to give them to her?
Elodie shook her head at Geno, who truly seemed to be living on pure instinct rather than logic.
"Next patient."
Still dazed, Geno was effortlessly dragged away.
And the next one to step in was—
Edmund, rubbing his cheek in embarrassment, offering an awkward smile.
Elodie immediately had a good guess as to why he looked like that.
‘He used his authority to cut the line.’
Beyond the slowly closing door, she could see the knights glaring at him with suppressed resentment.
Edmund looked a little ashamed that he had stooped to the same level as Geno, but it wasn’t enough for him to reconsider his actions.
"Where does it hurt?"
"I no longer have nightmares of that day, but... I still wake up at night from occasional bad dreams. Once I wake up, it’s hard to fall back asleep."
Finally. A patient with an actual problem.
She had assumed he, too, was here for something ridiculous, given his abuse of power, but—
‘Well, Edmund wouldn’t do that.’
Straightening her posture, Elodie listened carefully.
"I think my prolonged exposure to those experiences has disrupted my sleep. Can you prescribe something?"
"Hmm, relying on medicine isn’t good."
It could be used as a temporary aid, but he couldn’t take it forever.
This required long-term treatment...
"I’ll visit at night."
Burning incense and channeling energy into his mind should help.
Edmund smiled softly, nodding in agreement.
‘A puppy?’
He wasn’t even a beastfolk, but she swore she could see a tail wagging behind him.
And then—
"What is this nonsense."
Elodie’s mildly unimpressed face lit up.
"Sera!"