The Immortal Duke’s Physician Is an Internist - Chapter 56

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

While three skilled fighters thrashed through the underbrush, I was elsewhere.
I spotted Theo sprawled on the ground far ahead, face-down in the dirt.
“Theo! Theo, wake up!”
“Unn…….”
Thankfully, he came to quickly. After staring blankly for a moment, he pushed himself up on his elbows.
“My lady? What are you doing here……?”
“That’s my question! What happened? Why were you unconscious?”
“Well, that bastard Marceya had hidden a Magic Stone in his undergarments and used it to open a rift and escape—ugh.”
“What is it? Are you hurt?”
“M-my leg…….”
Severe swelling, deep bruising, and the way he flinched at every movement told me the diagnosis was straightforward.
“It’s a fracture.”
“I’m terribly sorry…….”
“This isn’t the time for apologies. Just stay still for a moment!”
I scoured the area for branches, gathering what I could. As I searched for something to use as a bandage, I spotted a handkerchief tied around Theo’s arm.
“Theo, can you untie that for me?”
“What? But my lady gave me this handkerchief—it’s precious! The meaning you wove into it, urging me to slay every monster—how could I possibly…….”
“Just give it here, already!!”
I tore the handkerchief apart without ceremony and secured branches around the injured leg. Theo grabbed my shoulder and struggled to his feet, wobbling.
Even as we struggled like this, explosions continued to ring out, punctuated by the roars of beasts and the heavy thud-thud-thud of something massive moving through the landscape.
I assessed the situation with cold clarity.
The original plan was to send Theo with those three fighters and use a Teleportation Scroll to escape alone—but now that he was injured, that wasn’t possible.
“We’ll slip out of the village and head toward the river. If we follow the path upstream from where we came, we should be able to reach the Knight Order Temporary Base.”
Theo nodded in agreement. Supporting each other, we made our way out through the underbrush.
Bang! Crash-boom!!
“Argh!!”
Even as cold sweat poured down his face from the pain and agony, Theo hadn’t lost his sense of humor.
“My lady, if I end up unable to use this leg…… would you at least hire me as a kitchen staff member? I make a truly magnificent stew.”
“Stop talking nonsense! Focus on walking instead. …Though if you’re really that good, you’ll have to cook it for me sometime.”
Exchanging words like this, how much distance had we covered? At last, we pushed through the long, dense undergrowth and emerged from the village.
“There’s the river!”
“Thank the gods. Let’s hurry and—!”
Theo’s words cut short. Following his gaze, I quickly understood why his mouth had gone silent.
“Grrrrr…….”
A short distance away, sprawled along the riverbank, a Werewolf lifted its head. Red eyes fixed on us with unmistakable threat.
Judging by its size—noticeably smaller than the pack that had assaulted the village—it appeared to be a juvenile.
“My lady. Step back, please.”
Theo moved in front of me, drawing his sword with a show of confidence. But standing on a single leg made the gesture look precarious.
“Theo, don’t be reckless. I’ll buy us time, and you go back and call for help—”
“My lady, even if I’m the youngest, I have a knight’s honor. How could I abandon you and flee?”
“Woof-woof! Woof-woof!”
As we argued back and forth, the Werewolf rose to its feet. Even if it was only a juvenile, there was no denying its ferocity.
Theo, standing between me and the creature, called out desperately.
“My lady, the key to a perfect stew is browning the onions until they’re golden—I’m sorry I can’t cook it for you myself!”
“I told you to stop talking nonsense!”
Just before he could charge forward, I hooked my leg behind his right knee and swept. Theo, bearing all his weight on that side, tumbled forward with a pitiful cry.
“M-my lady?!”
I pulled an envelope from my pocket. The moment Theo recognized it, his face went pale.
“My lady, no! Please, no!”
“Quiet!”
Just as Kaelen had done once before, I tore the envelope open with my teeth and hurled it at Theo.
Flash!
Light erupted from the envelope, engulfing Theo completely. Where he had stood, only his sword remained, abandoned on the ground.
“Hah…… hah…….”
The relief of having sent the wounded to safety was short-lived.
“Grrrrr…… Woof! Woof!! Woof-woof!”
“Kyaaaa!!”
I grabbed Theo’s sword and ran like a madwoman. The Werewolf gave chase, snapping at my heels.
“Help! Someone help me!!”
The Werewolf pursued me like the wind itself, relentless. Each time it swiped its front paw, I barely dodged out of harm’s way, my heart hammering in my chest.
But that luck didn’t last long.
“Agh!!”
I tripped over something, tumbled head over heels, and plunged into the river. Fortunately, the water was shallow, but when I raised my head, the beast was already at my face.
“Ahhhhh!!”
My unexpected shriek made the Werewolf hesitate for just a moment. That was all I needed. I swung my sword with every ounce of strength I had.
Slash!
“Roooarrr!!”
Blood—bright crimson—dripped from one of the Werewolf’s eyes.
I stared at my own hands in shock as the creature thrashed in agony before me.
“What?”
I just… slashed a monster with my sword?
‘A fitness charity donor in my past life, and now a sword master in another world? I could write an entire fantasy novel about this.’
My delusion of literary grandeur shattered almost instantly. The Werewolf recovered its senses and fixed its gaze on me once more.
“Grraahhh!!”
With every shake of its head, blood sprayed in all directions. I gripped my sword again, standing in water now stained dark crimson.
Well, I didn’t grip it so much as clutch it awkwardly. I had no idea how to hold a sword properly.
“Roooarrr!!”
The Werewolf opened its jaws wide again, those razor teeth making me feel like I might lose consciousness—
Bang!!
A band of blue light bound the Werewolf’s body, hurling it skyward.
Blassion appeared before me, his hand stretched downward, commanding.
“So one of the wretches was hiding.”
The band of light coiled tighter around the creature’s throat. Sensing what would come next, I quickly turned my head away.
Slash!
The Werewolf’s bisected body erupted like a fountain of blood. I screamed and collapsed where I stood.
“Your Grace!!”
“Lionel!!”
Debraite and Everain came running toward us.
Both were covered head to toe in Werewolf blood, though fortunately neither bore any serious wounds.
“Are you all right, Lionel?”
“I’m… I’m fine.”
I stared at the mangled corpse of the bisected Werewolf.
Blood flowed endlessly from the monster’s body lying on the riverbank. Excrement leaked from its torn sphincter.
I watched numbly as the blood and filth drifted away on the river current, then something clicked in my mind and I stood up.
“Let’s go back. To the Well.”
“Why the sudden change?”
I wiped the blood from my face carelessly as I answered.
“I think I might know what’s causing the plague.”
On the way back to the Well, Blassion lectured me relentlessly about one thing: my decision to use the Teleportation Scroll for Theo.
“The Carseido Knight Order is not so fragile. It’s fortunate I had the timing right, or I don’t know what you would’ve done.”
“So you’re saying I should have just left a patient with a fractured leg behind? I could run away, but what exactly was he supposed to do?”
“Blassion, Lionel. That’s enough for now.”
Debraite stepped between us, his voice gentle but firm—befitting a man of one hundred and one. He scolded us like a disapproving grandfather.
“Blassion, you could just say you were worried she might get hurt. Even kindergarteners know better than to talk like that these days.”
Blassion turned away without responding. Debraite then turned his reproach toward me.
“And Lionel, do you have any idea how rare and difficult Teleportation Scrolls are to make? He thoughtfully gave you one for emergencies, and you just handed it off to someone else. Think about how exasperating that must be.”
“I… I understand.”
“And if you have any conscience at all, you ought to thank him properly. You saw how hard he worked to get here.”
At Debraite’s words, I extended my hand.
“Your Grace. Thank you for saving me. I won’t do it again.”
“… There’s no problem if you understand.”
Blassion reluctantly grasped my hand and shook it up and down.
Everain, who had been quietly observing, asked Debraite a question.
“Debraite, would it not be possible for you to stay at the Carseido estate? It seems there would be quite a number of situations where you could be of great use.”
“Can’t do it. I’m busy. Besides, I need to go back and deal with that thing.”
Debraite pointed to the massive Magic Stone still floating in the air.
“How did that Magic Stone become so large?”
Everain was equally puzzled by the mysterious crystal hanging above us.
“It came from the Well, didn’t it? And this Village has been abandoned for thirteen years? Then simple deduction is possible.”
Before long, we arrived at the Well. Debraite pointed toward it and continued his explanation.
“Someone placed an ordinary-sized Magic Stone into that well, and it began gradually consuming the surrounding mana, growing larger and larger. Eventually it reached a critical threshold and started releasing mana. Thirteen years ago, the leaking mana was slight enough to spawn only a handful of Werewolves, but now there are hundreds of them.”
Debraite pressed on with his reasoning.
“Now the only question that remains is: who put that Magic Stone in the well? But I think we’ve already seen the culprit. You agree with me, don’t you, Lionel?”
I nodded and looked toward Everain.
“Everain.”
“Yes, teacher.”
Without hesitation, he gripped his sword.
“I will bring in Count Marceya.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————