Chapter 2.3

“Please come up five at a time in order. Once you’re done, get your confirmation slip on the right and submit it.”

At her loud announcement, a resounding “Yes!” echoed in reply. Daphne kept replenishing her mana as she used the devices. Whenever a red light indicated something needed checking, she went over to confirm.

“Do you naturally have trouble with mana?”

“I’m not sure. This is my first time dealing with magic…”

“In that case, we’ll need to do a re-exam. Please take this to the infirmary.”

“Is there some kind of problem?”

When she handed the man a paper with her signature, his eyes trembled pitifully.

“It’s not a problem. Some people’s bodies just let mana escape easily, so we have to use a different method. It’s just a re-exam, so there’s no need to worry.”

At her assurance that there was no problem, his expression immediately brightened. In truth, it was an incredibly troublesome matter, but it was a case that came up every year.

Daphne continued her work, updating the list. Just then, a familiar face stepped onto the device.

It was Evan. When their eyes met, he seemed startled, his body flinching. After confirming that everyone had stepped up onto the device, Daphne pressed the button to activate it.

A bright light passed through their bodies, and the contraception magic engraved on their bodies responded with a yellow glow. After the examination, she checked their names and affiliations, then collected signatures. As she went down the line collecting signatures, Daphne handed Evan a pen and said,

“If you sign here, that will be all.”

“Um, I actually have something I’d like to ask.”

“Is it something I need to answer right now?”

“No, it’s not.”

Evan, intimidated by Daphne’s sharp tone—frayed from all the backed-up work—shook his head, mumbling. Daphne took the pen from his hand and said,

“We’re really short-staffed and things are chaotic right now. If you come to the infirmary around eight o’clock, that should be fine.”

“Ah, yes, I—I understand. Then I’ll come at eight.”

Her eyes were still fixed on the paperwork. With so many people waiting behind him for their exams, Evan had no choice but to leave. He smacked his lips with a somewhat regretful look and went to the right to pick up his confirmation slip.

* * *

“So, this is how another day ends….”

Hailey, already packed up and ready to leave, bid Daphne goodnight as she left the office. Even after working for quite some time, being the youngest because no new medical officers had joined was not a good thing.

Brooks, who had been picking fights since morning, had fled the moment the clock struck six, and even Hailey—who’d stayed to help clean up until the end—had gone home.

Yet there was still a mountain of unfinished work. Daphne thought she’d rest just a little longer before heading out when someone knocked on the door.

‘Ah, right. Someone said they’d be coming.’

Dragging her swollen, heavy legs, Daphne opened the door and found herself staring not at someone’s face, but at their chest. Startled, she took a step back and looked up.

“I—I came because you said to come at eight.”

Hearing the man’s words, dressed in a trainee Imperial Knight uniform, she stepped aside as if to invite him in. He hesitated, glancing at her nervously as he entered.

“For now, please have a seat here.”

She pointed to the sofa, and the man sat stiffly, clearly tense. Thinking he might have come because of a problem with the procedure, Daphne looked at him, and his face turned bright red.

There were rarely any problems with the procedure. It was a spell developed after years of research, and the formula was improved every year to prevent errors and make it even more efficient. So if there was some side effect she didn’t know about, she’d have to report it to the Magic Development Department. Daphne took out a notepad and asked,

“What brings you here today?”

But he remained silent.

“Did you experience any side effects after the procedure?”

She asked again, but he shook his head firmly. 

If it wasn’t a side effect, then what was the problem? Could it be he was getting married already and needed the magic removed?

If so, it was a bit of a waste to have used her mana for magic that would only last a few days. But there was no ring on the man’s hand.

If not that, then what? 

As Daphne was starting to get a little frustrated, the man finally spoke in a crawling voice.

“Um, so….”

“Please, speak freely.”

“Well, actually….”

Just as Daphne, growing slightly annoyed, leaned back and was about to tell him to be honest, he suddenly shouted loudly.

“I haven’t been able to get it up since that day!”

Daphne blinked in surprise at his voice, so loud it hurt her ears, and looked at him. With a face flushed red, he added defensively,

“It’s just that, ever since that day, even when I try to do it alone—oh, I mean, it’s not anything weird, it’s just that in the morning it usually happens naturally, so I tried to do it by myself, but it just doesn’t work, so I thought something was wrong. I know it sounds weird, but… it won’t stand up, so I was worried something was wrong.”

“I understand what you’re saying. So, you’re saying you haven’t been able to get an *rection since the procedure, correct?”

At Daphne’s words, which pinpointed the very term he’d tried so hard to avoid, he squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, embarrassed.

Naturally, Daphne’s gaze dropped to his thighs. Even through the loose fabric, the outline was clearly visible. Erectile dysfunction? She’d never heard of such a side effect before.

Her mind stalled for a moment. If he couldn’t get an *rection, he might try to sue her under various pretenses. At this point, Daphne decided she needed to check for herself and stood up abruptly.

“Then let’s go ahead and confirm it first.”

“W-what?”

His voice cracked. But as the person responsible for the procedure, she had a duty to confirm it with her own eyes. Daphne pulled gloves from the drawer and said,

“If there really is a side effect, I’ll report it immediately to the Magic Development Department and they’ll take care of it. If it’s not just erectile dysfunction but there are additional symptoms, we’ll have to temporarily suspend the procedure… Anyway, it could get complicated. In any case, since I’m the one in charge, I have to confirm exactly what’s happening. I know it’s uncomfortable, but I ask for your cooperation.”

“…All right.”

Never having experienced a situation like this since joining, Daphne found herself talking at length. Maybe because of her rambling, he stood up with a determined look.

He obediently took off his trousers as Daphne instructed and lay down on the procedure bed. Daphne turned on the examination light to observe him properly.

As the light shone directly on his genitals—like the cl*max of a play—his determined expression darkened as if he were facing death. Daphne glanced at his face, then looked between his legs, and spoke in the calmest voice possible for the patient’s peace of mind.

“I’ll just take a look, so don’t be startled.”

Daphne took hold of his p*nis. At the same moment, Evan’s member swelled in her hand.

‘What? He’s getting hard just fine.’

Seeing the veins standing out, Daphne glanced up at him. Maybe he couldn’t bear to look, for his face was red and his eyes were squeezed shut.

Erectile dysfunction and inability to *jaculate were different issues, so Daphne began to meticulously examine his now-dripping member. She recorded every visually observable detail, checking the overall shape to see if anything was wrong.

There were no visible wounds. Since problems could arise from changes in size or shape, Daphne measured the length and circumference of his p*nis with a tape measure. Even accounting for the *rection, it was well above average.

‘Wow. I thought it was impressive before, but seeing it like this, it’s really something.’

Daphne marveled inwardly as she carefully inspected even the gl*ns. As her gloved, smooth fingers touched the sensitive spot, a m*an escaped his lips.

The chilling sound made Daphne flinch, but since this was a medical act to diagnose his problem, she refocused on the exam.

“On the surface, everything looks fine. The gl*ns and t*sticles are normal, and there are no visible injuries. Since it doesn’t seem to be an external issue, we’ll need to do a s*men test. Is that possible for you?”