A Genius Pharmacist Whom the Empress Is Obsessed With

Episode 23: I Shouldn’t Have Done That. (4)

Could this really be happening? Count Fenyard was so surprised that he almost forgot to breathe.

The gigantic creature that had climbed onto the castle wall spread its wings wide, as if it wanted to clearly show its presence. The size was so enormous that Umsundel Castle was engulfed in darkness in an instant.

A body larger than Umsundel Castle, scales shinier than the sun, talons resembling claws, and an oppressive aura that could take one’s breath away just from its existence.

Count Fenyard knew that this magnificent creature was one of a kind in this world.

It was a dragon.

‘…But dragons were said to be extinct.’

Unfortunately, the last recorded sighting of a dragon was already hundreds of years ago. They were a strong and beautiful race, but they too were a species that relied on consuming mana. After the downfall of the wizards, the number of sightings of dragons had significantly decreased.

While there were still those who believed that such a great race could not have gone extinct and continued to talk about dragons, the situation was such that the extinction of dragons had become an accepted fact.

Then why, at least a hundred years after it was believed to be extinct, did a dragon suddenly appear in Umsundel Castle?

“…So it is you. The one who dares to ruin what is mine.”

A voice that made one’s spine shiver resonated through the courtyard alone.

The vertically elongated red pupils flickered incessantly, and from the dragon’s mouth, hot flames and smoke continued to rise.

What kind of existence was a dragon? No matter what lofty words were used to describe it, praising a dragon would be difficult, but one thing was certain. It was not a being that mere humans could stand against.

With such a presence displaying a fierce anger, Count Fenyard found it difficult to even keep his composure.

Fortunately, what was truly fortunate was that the dragon’s gaze was directed at Rademus, not Count Fenyard.

While Count Fenyard was frozen in fear and unable to move, Rademus, who was directly facing the dragon’s anger, was emitting strange sighs and foaming at the mouth.

“I would like to burn this place down completely, but…”

As the dragon’s words trailed off, a strong wind once again brushed through his hair.

When the wind subsided, a girl with wavy blond hair was floating in the air where the gigantic dragon had been.

The dragon, no, the girl slowly descended to the courtyard of Umsundel Castle.

“Unfortunately, that cannot be.”

With an incredibly lovely appearance, the girl murmured and approached Rademus, who was still on all fours.

“Humans, if you don’t know your place and go wild, take this opportunity to learn your lesson.”

The girl gave Rademus a condescending look and struck his face. With a dull sound, Rademus, who had been sitting on the ground, flew far away to the end of the garden.

With blood and muddy water splattered everywhere, a groan escaped from Lademus, who was lying on the ground.

He had turned from a fearless being who could rampage without fear into a mere rag.

But that wasn’t the end.

The girl continued to raise her hands or feet, and each time, Lademus was sent flying through the air and slammed into the ground or the wall.

Although his flesh and blood scattered through the air, the girl showed no intention of stopping her play or condemnation.

Unable to bear the gruesome sight that couldn’t be seen with open eyes, Lord Fenyard tightly shut his eyes. He wanted to escape from this place, but under the heavy oppression that enveloped his entire body, he couldn’t even move a finger.

How much time had passed like this?

The girl glanced back at Fenyard with a shallow sigh.

“Lord.”

“Yes, my dragon.”

As if the dragon had regained its strength, its body became significantly lighter. Lord Fenyard hurriedly kneeled in front of the dragon and answered.

“That one, it’s still alive. So handle it yourself.”

“…It’s alive?”

Fenyard looked at Lademus. The figure of Lademus, crumpled under the collapsed wall, was a complete mess of blood.

“Either keep it alive because its master wants it alive, even if it takes the brunt of my attacks. So it can last a few days.”

“….”

“For the next few days, either extract information from it or take it up to the palace and strangle its master as you please.”

It would be nice to strangle its master, but well, just saying. The girl looked at the south where the palace was located and spoke.

Word by word, she spat out her words as if chewing them, with her reddish eyes flashing dangerously, the dragon seemed like it wanted to fly straight to the palace, but it seemed it simply couldn’t bring itself to do so.

“Yes, understood.”

Lord Fenyard bowed his head once again, showing his respect.

“Do you have any other orders?”

Instead of answering, the girl glanced briefly at Lord Fenyard and in an instant, flew into the air.

“My, my dragon! P-Please wait a moment!”

Lord Fenyard quickly stood up.

He hadn’t yet asked why the dragon had saved Princess Ludimine and himself.

But when he raised his head, only the sun, resembling her, was floating in the clear sky.

***

“This should be about over.”

Idun leaned against the cave wall and sat down.

In an instant, he poured out an immense amount of power, causing his mind to feel hazy as if it was trapped in a white mist.

“Idun, can you take a look here?”

However, before Idun could respond, a young handmaid called out to him.

Idun approached the handmaid, pressing his palm against his forehead.

“Since the wound is so large, would it be better to loosen the thread and sew it again?”

The handmaid pointed at the area that seemed freshly sewn.

Idun blinked several times before carefully observing the sewn area.

The most important thing in suturing the wound was to align the cut edges. Although the stitches she made were slightly crooked, the cut edges of the skin did not overlap or pull away from each other.

The scar would be a bit darker, but it seemed unnecessary to undo the stitches.

“You did well. Please continue like this.”

The young handmaid bowed her head and gave a faint smile in response to Idun’s words.

Some of the maids who had learned healing techniques were sutured the wounds in place of Idun.

Usually, Idun would not entrust his patients to someone else’s hands, but the situation was different now.

There were many patients whose lives were at risk if they were not treated immediately, and there were too many wounds to stitch. It was becoming increasingly difficult for Idun to perform accurate needlework with his fading consciousness.

“I think it would be better if I do the stitching. I may not be as skilled as a pharmacist, but I have stitched wounds several times before. If you teach me a little, I think I can handle it…”

The young handmaid who was holding a needle in her hand said. After giving instructions to a few experienced maids, Idun entrusted them with the suturing.

Thanks to that, all the injured people in the cave were able to receive Idun’s vitality without delay. Idun also did not have to endure unnecessary hardships trying to suture with trembling hands.

“Can you also take a look at mine?”

“Yes, I will take a look.”

After examining a few more patients, Idun turned back to the wall.

An old pouch on a worn-out mantle at the outermost part of the cave was Idun’s only resting place.

Idun laid the mantle and sat down, making an effort to not lose his composure.

Wasn’t there a time when he lost consciousness in the princess’s room due to side effects? At that time, it wasn’t a problem as his life was not threatened, but now, he had to somehow maintain his sanity given the current situation.

At least until there was any contact from Count Fenyard or Adrian.

‘Worst-case scenario, the one who chased me might even come here…’

Idun gritted his teeth and persevered, and someone approached him.

“Idun…”

It was Ella. Ella’s hair was messy, as if she had been rolling on the dirt to avoid the attackers.

Idun knew Ella was there as soon as he entered the hallway, but taking care of the patients took priority, so he couldn’t attend to Ella.

“Miss Ella.”

Idun greeted Ella with a faint smile. Although he wanted to hug her, he was too tired, even exhausted.

In response to Idun’s gesture, Ella came running and wiped Idun’s damp forehead with the handkerchief she was holding.

“From now on, I’ll take care of you, Idun. So just take a breath.”

“…You’re going to take care of me, Miss?”

“Yeah. I’ve learned a lot from Idun all this time.”

Ella cautiously held Idun’s wrist, as if trying to feel his pulse as she had been taught before.

Watching her, Idun gently embraced Ella.

“…Idun?”

“Miss, can I stay like this for a while?”

Ella seemed a little taken aback, but soon she obediently rested in Idun’s arms.

A long time ago, when Idun’s younger sister was alive, they used to embrace each other and support each other through difficult times. Idun held Ella with that memory in mind.

“Of all people, why does she have to be around the same age as me?”

Idun leaned his face against Ella’s head. It was a slightly refreshing feeling in his mind.

***

“Idun’s energy has faded too much.”

Adrian followed Idun’s energy, flying swiftly.

Although she had her own magic and the owner of the Crimson Snake had also suffered a major blow, it was not pleasant at all to see Idun’s state weakened with the curse inside him.

“Just a little longer, just a little. I’m coming, Idun.”

Because I’m coming right now. Adrian clenched her teeth.