The Doctor Cured the Villainess and Ran Away

21 – 21. Final Selection (1)

After returning from subjugating demons, Shinyang had a discussion with senior healers regarding her role as a supervisor for the attending physician examination before finally leaving her seat.

There was also the incident where Asella collapsed in the morning, which urged her to quicken her pace.

“Her Highness went to see Confucius?”

Upon hearing the report from another maid, she quickened her steps once again.

Without a master, it was strange for a maid to be wandering around someone else’s mansion, but she had no concern for appearances.

She joined Acela’s escort knights, but could only get a reply that she entered and hasn’t come out of Lord Gutberg’s room.

An hour, two hours passed, and she became anxious because the Lord did not appear even after the sun had set.

Lord Gutberg was well-known for having all sorts of bad rumors. His academic achievements were neglected, and he was known to cause violent incidents in his affairs, to the point where rumors of his destruction were heard even by dignitaries.

Being the sole heir of the Marquis, he must have received countless offers, yet Acela, being his first prospective partner, was clearly abnormal.

No matter how politically ambitious he was, the Marquis would not have wanted to send his daughter to a beast who might kill his own wife in a single night.

In that regard, Camilla III, the Empress-Consort, was also an extremely power-hungry person.

‘If by any chance that scoundrel harbored evil intentions toward the Princess…’

The maid bit her lips unconsciously.

What could she, just a mere maid, do about it?

Both knights and maids were ordered by Acela to wait.

The lord’s orders must be strictly followed.

‘However, if we still hope…’

Today’s practical test revealed that Lord Gutberg wasn’t as much of a failure as she thought.

No, he was actually outstanding.

He earned the trust of the knights and won the jealousy of other healers with excellent skills.

There was no series of misconduct or pushovers involved in the process.

Rather, both Lord Gutberg himself and the senior healing officers at his estate or training hall made sure to proceed as fairly as possible so that Las could not use his privilege.

‘Could the rumors have been wrong?’

While the maid was confused, Acela came out of the annex.

“Your Highness.”

The maid bowed with the knights. Acela lifted her hand and let them rest.

“It’s cold at night.”

The maid prepared a cloak for Acela.

Acela put it on without saying a word and walked confidently.

“Where shall we head?”

“Let’s go eat.”

“Eat…you mean?” This was the first time the maid saw Acela express her wishes.

Asela, who never had an appetite even when faced with a delicious meal in front of her knowing that stomach pain could strike at any moment.

“Yeah. Confucius said to take care of your meals. That’s how you stay healthy.”

“What did you talk about with Confucius?”

Asela glared at the maid.

The maid realized she had said something unnecessary. After all, she was supposed to exist like a shadow, serving the mistress.

Normally, Asela would have snapped at the maid for her mistake, but today her response was slightly different.

She answered with a sneer, maintaining her cruelty while appearing relaxed.

“Las, clever Anne and foolish Anne. I can’t understand why you always act in ways I don’t expect.”

The maid was puzzled.

Somehow, she felt that Asela looked unmistakably pleased.

“Since you seem interested in Confucius, wanting to be appointed as the chief physician.”

They had gone out together and she had rushed out to meet him as soon as he returned from a dangerous battle against demons.

And they had spent several hours together in his room before returning with joy.

“…No, it can’t be.”

The maid, who knew Asela’s personality well, bowed her head in disbelief.

Perhaps she wanted to raise Confucius like Max liked.

“Oh, put this in the storage box.”

As she said that, Asela handed something to the maid.

Politely accepting it, the maid examined the object.

“…A candy stick?”

And she had even taken a bite of it and then left it uneaten.

***

In front of the Gotberg mansion, there was a warp gate.

It was not a gate anyone could easily use.

Teleportation magic, high teleport, which moves someone, is a high-level magic equivalent to the 6th rank.

The warp gate is a kind of checkpoint where high-level mages who can cast high teleport store their memories.

The actual movement is practically done manually by mages.

From Noble mtl dot com

Therefore, unless it is the movement of an important high-ranking person, it is rarely used in practice.

“The gate is opening, you may proceed.”

The precious warp gate was functioning, and a blue portal was opening.

In front of the foundation made of granite, the patriarch of Gottberg’s lineage, Valdua.

As the escort knights appeared first at the portal, an elderly man walked gracefully under their protection.

Clad in white robes, a symbol of healers.

The insignia on his chest and shoulders indicated that he was the royal physician.

“Welcome to Viscount Gottberg’s residence, Knight Falkenhein.”

“Ah, Viscount Gottberg. It seems I’m finally meeting the esteemed healer. Thank you for your welcome.”

The two healers shook hands.

The patriarch and the royal physician of the inner court.

Their social status was quite similar.

As they were both experts in the same field, Valdua used formal language towards the elderly Falkenhein as a sign of respect.

Titles and terms are significant in noble society.

In this case, since they were both healers, Valdua’s use of honorifics did not imply that Falkenhein was below him.

Valdua led Falkenhein into the mansion.

“The air is fresh here. The city tends to be suffocating. Magic and mechanical contraptions are always cluttering the skies.”

“If you have time, I recommend taking a leisurely ride and enjoying the scenery.”

“hahahaha, I don’t have that luxury as the royal physician. Finally, a physician is being born in Gottberg. We also have many graduates from Yookseongso in the inner court.”

“That’s true.”

“It was Her Majesty’s decision to select newcomers, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a good idea. It’s best if the physician is of a similar age to the patients.”

“Knight Falkenhein is the physician of the Second Prince, correct?”

“That’s correct. He’s full of vitality, so there is much to worry about. I’m starting to think about finding a successor myself.”

Though he said that, Falkenhein had no intention of stepping down as the royal physician anytime soon.

Even if it was the second-best position, it wasn’t easy to escape the allure of power.

Falkenhein whispered quietly to Valdua.

“While you have the chance to lend your ear to the royalty, be cautious. Two princes, three princesses, and an aging and sickly emperor. The imperial court is like a powder keg now. Depending on who ascends, even a fly-catching can lead to one’s downfall.”

“Lend my ear?”

Seeing Valdua’s bemused expression, Falkenhein raised his eyebrow.

This guy must be a pawn for the third empress.

I’ve heard that he’s skilled, but without political influence, he won’t be a reliable man.

Tap, Tap. Falkenhein tapped on Baldur’s shoulder.

“Well, shall we go meet the new young chief physician’s friend? The selection process will be as previously announced.”

“They said they would evaluate based on the healing spell cast on the Emerald Dragon’s hatchling.”

“That’s right. The Emerald Dragon has the characteristic of consuming healing spells. To ensure fairness, we will conduct blind tests.”

That was the pretext they gave to the outside world.

But Falkenhein had a different motive.

“The current physicians in my clinic number 21, just like the members of the royal family. The most powerful ones are the physicians of the Emperor and the heir.”

Including himself, there were four physicians for the heir and one physician for the Emperor.

Just as factions had formed among the heirs, the clinic had also split along the lines of their respective physicians.

“If I add one more this time, there will be a total of six. If I choose someone I want and make them my subordinate, it will create a schism among the six. This cannot be ignored.”

Falkenhein’s goal was to combine his chosen young physician with his own power within the clinic.

“The perfect candidate is someone who only studies at their desk. I just need to choose someone with the highest level of faith. Luckily, I have an eye that can verify their faith.”

The mark engraved on his left eye was his talent for seeing faith.

“Baldur Gotberg, this man’s faith is quite substantial. A tremendous aura surrounds him. He seems ignorant of politics, but his skills as a healer are truly impressive.”

Falkenhein brushed his left eye with his palm and entered the examination room.

Click! The lights turned on.

Three silhouettes of healers appeared behind the semi-transparent curtain.

“Let’s see, who is the candidate with the highest faith…”

As he alternated his gaze among the three, Falkenhein suddenly stumbled and fell off the chair, hitting his rear on the floor.

“Falkenhein, what’s the matter?”

“Oh, no… I’m fine.”

Falkenhein wiped the cold sweat and blinked his eyes repeatedly.

…No matter how many times he looked, there was only one candidate.

Every time his gaze turned towards him, an aura would burst forth, completely covering his left eye, making it impossible to see anything.

“This… Could this faith be… the arrival of a saint?!”

After swallowing hard, Falkenhein asked Baldur.

“Um, is there a female candidate by any chance?”

“They are all male.”

“Not a saint, but a holy man! Incredible!”

At that moment, politics took a backseat in Falkenhein’s mind.

Already, only a pious mindset remained with him, washing away his worries.

“I can’t miss out on someone like this. Even if they’re not on my side, I must definitely choose them.”

With this kind of faith, there’s no need to see anything. They will definitely excel in the task of Emerald Haecheon healing.

The exam is underway.

Finally, it was time for the candidate’s turn.

“What kind of healing spell will they show us?”

He scratched his head and let out a sigh.

-Squawkk! Squawk!!

The screams of the Haecheon were heard.

The candidate was forcibly opening the Haecheon’s mouth and feeding it something.

“What, what the hell is going on…!”

The supervising high-level healers rushed in and tried to stop him.

Their silhouettes were flitting about in a restless manner, resembling pantomime.

In the midst of the struggle, a voice suddenly rang out from behind the tent.

“Let’s do another task besides healing magic! Did I come here to fix people or watch a lizard?!”

Palken Hein’s mouth hung open in shock.

He slowly turned his head to look.

He, too, was holding his throat tightly, an unforeseen situation.

“It seems like that candidate will have a hard time. Although I received a message before the exam that they will use a different method instead of healing magic, because it’s related to the task of the Emerald Dragon…”

“A, a method other than healing magic?”

What the hell is this?

I have to pass that person.

Palken Hein wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.