TKPIMD 07

Chapter 07

Some people said it was a curse from God.

Others said it was a blessing from God.

But this was the first time someone had called it a “disease.”

“I killed this person and that person and saved them, but not a single one came looking for me saying they wanted to repay a debt from their previous life. I don’t believe in things like reincarnation.”

“So, you mean you won’t kill me and will let me live?”

The woman asked with her eyes wide open.

Blasion nodded to show that she was correct.

“I don’t mean I’ll let you live forever. I’ll give you one year. During that time, find a way for me to die.”

“What if I can’t find one?”

“Then I suppose you’ll really have to die to keep my secret.”

At those words, the woman asked Blasion a question he never expected.

“What will you do with your remaining wealth after you die?”

“……Wealth?”

“Yes! You have a lot of money, don’t you, Duke? You won’t be able to take any of it with you when you die anyway, so give it all to me. Then I’ll gladly become your personal physician.”

Didn’t she say she was prepared to die?

Yet now she was revealing her greed as easily as flipping her palm?

The woman spoke with a confident expression, as if she were already the owner of this mansion.

“Duke. Since things have turned out this way, I’ll stake everything I have and give you a peaceful death. So you should trust me too.”

“Despite being filled with ambition to swallow this entire estate at any moment, you say such embarrassing things so naturally.”

“But you already decided to hire me, didn’t you?”

The woman shrugged her shoulders once.

The woman who had escaped the threat of death was now overflowing with confidence.

“Don’t worry too much, Duke. There must be a reason why I ended up in this world. So, for now, let’s start by trusting each other. Because……”

The woman held out her hand.

Just like when he first saw it, it was small, white, and completely ordinary.

But……

If he held this hand, could he really achieve his true wish?

It felt like he could.

His heart ached because of a hope that had no logical basis.

“……True treatment begins when the patient and doctor trust each other!”

Blasion finally grasped the small hand.

In the middle of spring, when all things were beginning to bloom, he declared.

“Lionel Frencia. From today onward, I am hiring you as the personal physician of the Karseido ducal family.”

“Thank you, Duke. I will do my very best for the health of you and this estate!”

The next morning.

I counted the number of zeros written on the check once again.

Just looking at the amount made a smile escape my lips.

My debt was completely cleared.

The fact that I had become completely independent from the Frencia mansion made me even more excited.

‘The only flaw of this job is that I only get dried meat and juice for all three meals…… but let’s forget that for now. I need to organize the situation first.’

With the paper spread out, I carefully began writing down the contents of 「The Unfading Flower」.

First, the heroine.

By now, she should be training at the Cresto Monastery.

‘But in the original story, there was no incident where someone attacked the duke’s family like this. The heroine and the duke were supposed to go through life-and-death situations together, then my failed stock supporting male character would get involved…… That was the main storyline.’

There were two possibilities.

Either this was not the world of 「The Unfading Flower」.

Or my interference had completely changed the direction of the story.

Either way, my task was clear.

As the duke’s personal physician, I had to do my best to uncover the secret of immortality.

‘The most likely possibility is using the heroine’s bodily fluids or saliva…… But if I use all my medical knowledge, I’m sure I can find another method.’

So, since things had already turned out this way, let’s prevent the meeting between the heroine and the duke completely.

The duke would safely achieve his wish.

I would obtain wealth.

The heroine would become the priestess she wanted to be.

Wouldn’t everyone become happy in their own way?

“……Let’s do our best, Lionel Frencia. Let’s definitely survive even after one year.”

I made the promise to myself once again.

“Let’s start with a medical questionnaire first.”

What Lionel handed to Blasion was a comprehensive health examination questionnaire familiar to modern office workers.

“Question one. How do you evaluate your own health condition? Very good, good, average……”

“Extremely excellent. I have not suffered from any particular illness for 720 years, and there is no family history of disease. Neither smoking nor alcohol has had any effect on me.”

The questionnaire ended in five seconds.

Lionel awkwardly pushed the paper aside.

“Yes…… Then I’ll listen to your breathing sounds with a stethoscope.”

Lionel placed the stethoscope in her ears as she always did and turned around.

Then—

“……No, I meant undo a few buttons. Why are you taking off your clothes completely?”

“To properly examine me, there should be nothing obstructing the process.”

“Sigh……”

Of course, the duke’s attitude and words were extremely admirable as a patient.

Lionel remembered the various patients she had encountered in hospitals during her previous life.

Most of them were good people, but wherever she went, there were always people who refused to listen.

“You had an ultrasound examination today. Did you properly fast?”

“Of course! I thought I was going to die from hunger. Why do you make an old person starve like this?”

“Huh? Why is there something white around your mouth…… Wait, there’s also a yogurt bottle in the trash can?!”

“Yogurt isn’t food. It’s a drink, so it’s fine!! I even drank the strawberry pieces inside!”

……

Like old lady Kim Bok-soon from Room 903, who made Lionel want to grab her by the collar.

“I told you that you absolutely must quit smoking. You’ve been following it properly, right?”

“Of course!! I really worked hard on quitting!”

“……You haven’t smoked even one cigarette, right?”

“Well, I can smoke one! Even if I’m quitting, isn’t it okay to smoke just one?”

……

Like patient Park Young-chul from Room 701, who made Lionel get scolded endlessly by the professor.

Ah, remembering those past events made her stomach hurt.

Compared to them, how incredibly diligent a patient was their male lead.

Of course, he did make her develop some unnecessary thoughts in another way.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Blasion asked after noticing Lionel examining his upper body from top to bottom.

“No, I was just amazed.”

Blasion gave a small laugh.

But something felt strange.

Lionel, who he expected would be embarrassed, was instead openly examining his body and giving her honest reactions.

“Your muscles look exactly like something you would see in an anatomy textbook. It’s really fascinating!”

“……Is that your only reaction?”

“Honestly, your body is such an ideal textbook example that I want to put you on a medical school podium wearing nothing but shorts.”

Blasion’s expression changed slightly.

Lionel failed to notice.

Instead, she immediately asked what she was curious about.

“Did you have this kind of body even before becoming immortal?”

“……This is the exact body I had when I became immortal at 20.”

“I see. Then, let me listen for a moment.”

Lionel carefully placed the stethoscope against his chest.

She concentrated all her senses, but she could not hear a heartbeat.

“Did your heart not beat even once after the age of 20?”

“When I was seriously injured, it beat.”

“How seriously injured?”

“When my arm was cut off. When my leg was cut off. While regenerating, my heart beat strongly. I don’t remember when my head was cut off, but it probably beat then as well.”

“……Do you feel pain?”

“Even though I cannot die, I still feel pain.”

I see.

After understanding something, Lionel raised one hand and explained.

“Duke’s heart seems to stop normally and only pump during dangerous situations to help regenerate your body. So, I think it would be good to check whether there is something else that can stimulate your heart. I’ll look for a method.”

The first examination ended like that.

While Blasion put his shirt back on, Lionel fell into thought.

‘What could stimulate his heart? In modern times, I’d try a 200J defibrillator first, but there’s nothing like that here.’

While she was struggling with her thoughts, Blasion finished dressing.

After buttoning the last button, he suddenly spoke.

“Usually people become flustered in situations like this. It seems I chose my personal physician well.”

“……What do you mean?”

“When they said they were examining me, quite a few people used it as an excuse to touch me with ulterior motives. Personal physicians number 2, 7, 18, and 24 were fired for that reason. Number 5 openly tried to seduce me.”

“Crazy……”

“I don’t need to worry about unnecessary things from you. So I’ll return this.”

When Blasion took something out of his pocket, Lionel immediately stood up.

It was the pocket watch she had given Ailey a few days ago.

“W-Why is this here?”

“I received it from Ailey.”

“You took back the thing I gave her?!”

“Don’t worry. After hearing that it was your mother’s keepsake, she was the one who told me to return it personally.”

Lionel was very happy, but she still could not completely shake off her complicated feelings.

“Even so, it feels strange to receive something I already gave away……”

“I gave Ailey an emerald necklace the exact same size as the watch, so there is no need to worry. If you are still bothered by it…… then you can pay for the emerald yourself.”

“Thank you very much for your great generosity, Duke. I will treasure the returned watch.”

Lionel quickly made her decision and bowed deeply.

Blasion responded calmly, fitting for someone who stood at the peak of capitalism.

“I appreciate that you understand.”

Just as their conversation came to an end—

Knock. Knock.

With the sound of knocking, Kellen entered the room.

“There is a guest waiting in the reception room. He says he is Adrian, the eldest son of Viscount Dorset.”

“I don’t know that person. What business does he have?”

“That’s the thing…… More precisely, he did not request to meet the Duke. He requested to meet Teacher Frencia.”

Kellen and Blasion’s gazes simultaneously turned toward the same place.

Lionel, whose expression looked as if she had swallowed something unpleasant, answered.

“He’s a stalker.”