Whoever it was that said the best job in the world is guarding Lavirus Penhac, they must have been joking. Instead of the guard protecting the young master, it’s the Sword Master who protects his guard.

But in reality, the “guard” is more of a punching bag.

Getting hit by a Sword Master hurts even for a skilled knight like himself.

Now, as Lavi’s attendant, he was running this errand to fetch medicine from the doctor.

A single, precious son raised in a noble count’s family—how did he end up here? Gerard felt the sting of sadness bring tears to his eyes.

“What’s the ailment?”

The white-haired doctor asked Gerard about the symptoms.

Gerard requested a remedy for sun allergy.

“A sun allergy? By any chance… is the patient’s name Sel?”

Gerard tried to remember. Lavi had called her that, so he nodded roughly.

A sly smile appeared on the doctor’s face.

“I’ll need to see the patient personally. I’ll make a house call.”

The doctor eagerly gathered his bag, urging Gerard to lead him there.

After so many years, his darkened eyes glinted with a consuming desire.

***

“I asked for medicine, and you bring the doctor himself?”

Seated at the bar on the first floor, Lavi raised an eyebrow as he looked at the doctor.

With a sneering grin, the doctor lifted his bag, claiming he came to see the patient.

“Sure, you came to make a house call. Not here to kill someone, right?”

Smiling, Lavi set down his glass.

His friendly demeanor prompted a return smile from the doctor.

Lavi led the doctor to the room where Sel was.

It was dark, save for a faint sound of breathing.

“She’s lying down over there, so go ahead and examine her.”

Lavi turned on a dim light and exited the room.

Standing outside the door, he leaned against it, suppressing a smile, waiting for something.

Finally, a loud voice rang out from inside.

“You crazy son of a—! Are you insane?!”

Of course. Lavi, shoulders shaking with laughter, opened the door.

Eric, dressed in a silk robe down to his thighs, was gripping the doctor by the collar, fuming.

The doctor’s cheek was swollen, likely from being smacked by the sleep mask in Eric’s hand.

“I’m… I’m sorry! I thought… thought you were Sel! I’m so sorry, my lord!”

The elderly doctor shook with fear, hands clasped together in a pleading gesture.

Unsatisfied with the apology, Eric slapped the doctor’s face a few more times.

“You think I’m letting you off because of your age?”

With each slap, the doctor’s face ballooned further.

“You thought I was Sel? What were you planning to do if I was?”

“Well, he… that cursed little seductress… is a demon who tempts…”

Before he could finish, Lavi flung the bracelet he was wearing at the doctor.

It was a protective charm his father, Duke Penhac, had bought, supposedly to ward off evil spirits.

Probably just another scam from some charlatan.

Lavi hadn’t even imbued the bracelet with any power, but the doctor clutched his arm and fell to his knees, writhing in pain.

His arm seemed to have broken.

“That was me going easy on you, doctor.”

Lavi kept smiling, friendly as ever.

He slowly turned his gaze to Eric.

“Eric, what happened?”

“That old bastard grabbed my thigh and backside, damn it.”

Eric sneered in imitation of the doctor, then his face hardened.

“Fine, as a refined guy, today I’ll take you on a little boat ride. Let’s row across the river of death, shall we?”

Switching to informal speech, Eric’s face brimmed with barely restrained anger.

“A criminal, huh?”

Lavi muttered, tilting his head as if stretching before exercise.

A crackling of joints echoed in the air.

“For dealing with this pervert, we’ll consult tonight’s visiting spirits and see what they suggest.”

“Lavi? I said I’ll take him on a boat ride. I’m going to kill this guy.”

“Can’t kill civilians, Eric. My skills are good—I’ll keep him just this side of death. Make him wish he was dead.”

“P-please… I did nothing wr—urk!”

Lavi seized the doctor’s hair, feigning pity with a sympathetic frown.

But his eyes gleamed with madness.

“Hurts your head, right? Then shut up and listen. I’ll show you exactly what that ‘possessed bastard’ you talk about is.”

***

“Hello. I’m Edel, the new doctor in town.”

The woman in her mid-40s, with short hair similar to Sel’s, introduced herself.

She had come to the mercenary group’s library to examine Sel’s skin, prescribing a topical cream and medication for severe allergic reactions before heading back.

Watching from a distance, Lavi turned away and returned to his room.

There, Eric lay exhausted on the couch.

“I searched every corner for a reputable doctor.”

Eric grumbled, glaring at Lavi.

The choice of a female doctor was for Sel, who had had bad experiences with male doctors.

Eric fully agreed—he still felt deeply uncomfortable about that vile old man’s hand on his thigh.

The female doctor came highly recommended by Choro.

He was not only skilled but also had a cautious nature.

Lavi chuckled lightly, tossing the blood-stained gloves from his desk into the trash.

Picking up his blood-splattered glasses, he carefully cleaned the lenses with an alcohol-soaked cloth.

“I took care of that old man who humiliated you.”

“And who set all that up in the first place? Ugh, my thigh and rear still feel uncomfortable. That miserable old man.”

Eric, who wished he could’ve handled it himself, cast a dry glance at Lavi, still feeling an urge to go back and finish the job.

“I didn’t think he’d be that aggressive.”

Lavi firmly reminded him that killing civilians was prohibited.

With a hint of disappointment, Eric ran a hand through his hair.

“How did you know?”

“What?”

“That the doctor would try to harass Sel. From his actions, it seemed like he’d done it before.”

“Someone told me. Does that satisfy you?”

Lavi recalled running into Sel in front of the mercenary building that day.

As soon as Sel heard the word “doctor,” his face froze.

Typically, his expression only changed when faced with food or money, but there his lips had gone pale, and his chin was trembling beneath his mask—something seemed off.

So, Lavi had guessed. But he didn’t say so.

Otherwise, Eric would start questioning why Lavi took such a particular interest in Sel.

“Honestly, Lavi, your instincts are chilling sometimes. It’s too bad I couldn’t observe that spirit fully during this month’s new moon.”

Eric smirked.

On every new moon, the energy of the spirits grew stronger.

Each time, Lavi would be entirely possessed, which made people avoid him—everyone except for Eric, the lunatic who’d been following him since the academy, fascinated by the idea of observing him.

“So why the dark expression? Did that doctor grope your butt too?”

“I’d rather not even think about it, so stop saying that. I’m just tired.”

Lavi mumbled and looked away out the window.

Though Eric gave him a suspicious glance, Lavi ignored it and stepped outside onto the terrace.

The humid summer night air clung to his skin.

In truth, Lavi had been replaying the doctor’s words in his mind.

As the doctor spat blood and glared at him, his words echoed like the ticking of a clock.

“Heh, are you mad at me? You’re just as enchanted by him as I was!”

The doctor had laughed maniacally, mentioning Sel as he coughed up blood.

If he hadn’t been a civilian, Lavi would’ve gladly slit his throat and thrown him to the dogs.

“It was just an insult, right? Men insult each other that way all the time.”

And enchanted? As if someone would fall for a masked figure—that too, a man.

Lavi pressed his long fingers to his eyes, trying to shake off the fatigue.

That doctor was crazy. He repeated this over and over, trying to dismiss the deranged words.

***

“There must have been unavoidable circumstances.”

The doctor, who introduced herself as Edel, held Sel’s wrist and sighed.

Sel’s lips, visible outside her mask, trembled.

This was why she avoided doctors. They could discern her gender just by feeling her pulse.

She had firmly refused the examination, but Eric, eyes wide with intrigue, kept pressing, as if hoping for some juicy secret, forcing Sel to extend her arm.

“Please… don’t tell anyone. As you can see, I’m trying to keep it hidden.”

Sel pleaded. Just one more month. Just survive for one more month, and it’ll be six months. She just had to hold on somehow.

“Of course. A doctor doesn’t reveal a patient’s information.”

Sel’s fearful gaze met Edel’s eyes, which reflected sincerity.

“It’s time to take off that mask and the armor underneath. Your skin eczema is very severe.”

The doctor took out some bandages and ointment.

Sel simply stared at them.

“I, too, hid my gender to get into medical school. Back then, only men could become doctors.”

Edel understood Sel’s struggle.

For a moment, Edel’s gaze softened in reminiscence before she returned her focus to Sel.

“You’re probably taking *Clotherus*, right? Many women who disguise themselves as men use that herb. But long-term use is harmful. Eventually, it’ll damage your vocal cords, making your voice rough like mine.”

Edel’s voice was grating, as if she were a tuberculosis patient.

“Get rid of that odd armor immediately. I’ll come by regularly to examine you, bringing bandages and ointment each time, so don’t neglect your body.”

“Regular checkups… but the cost…”

Sel was well aware of how expensive regular medical checkups could be.

Though she didn’t make a small salary, she was saving all of it.

That money was for survival, not for luxuries like this.

“The commander here seems to care a lot about you. Don’t worry. With that kind of support, you’ll manage well here.”

Without mentioning the cost, Edel packed up her bag and stood up.

Realizing the meaning of her words belatedly, Sel clutched her pant leg.

“Thank you…”

Softly, in a voice choked with emotion, Sel expressed her gratitude to Edel and to Lavi.