DNTMC 05

Chapter 5

Diego asked quietly in return. Perhaps it was only her imagination, but the smile at the corners of his mouth seemed to stiffen slightly. The dean grew even more restless as he watched Diego’s expression.

But Irene remained as indifferent as she had been from the beginning.

“I cannot become a doctor who treats people.”

Once again, a heavy silence descended.

This time, it lasted longer.

Diego stared at Irene with thoughtful eyes and scratched his temple with his index finger. A hint of laughter crept into his voice.

“An enrolled medical student cannot become a doctor?”

“Yes.”

He waited for a moment, but Irene seemed to have no intention of explaining further.

“Well, this is something.”

Diego rubbed his palm over his mouth as he muttered under his breath. Soon, a sly smile appeared on his lips as he asked again.

“Why can’t you become a doctor?”

At those words, the eyes that had remained emotionless until then trembled for the first time.

Diego did not miss that fleeting moment.

Just as he narrowed his eyes—

“Because I dislike people.”

An answer he had never expected came back.

Diego had expected her to say that she wanted to devote herself to research, or perhaps that she had a fiancé. Instead, he looked as though he had just been struck in the back of the head.

Irene added casually.

“If you stop any student passing by and ask them, you’ll understand what I mean. You’ll hear far more about me than simply the fact that I’m the valedictorian.

That’s all.”

Irene lightly gathered the hem of her skirt, bent her knees slightly, then straightened.

Without looking back, she crossed the room.

Just as she was about to step into the hallway, she stopped.

Slowly, she turned her head.

Irene’s gaze was not directed at Diego, but at Javier, who was standing near the door.

Her gaze lingered.

She stared at Javier with empty eyes before suddenly opening her mouth.

“Go see Professor Figueras.”

At the unexpected name, Javier’s eyes narrowed faintly.

“Why should I see him?”

The question came from behind her.

Diego, who had been with Professor Figueras only moments ago, was looking at her with interest.

Irene’s emotionless voice fell from between her lips.

“He’s skilled in internal medicine. Especially when it comes to respiratory illnesses. They say there’s no cure for asthma, but I’m sure the professor knows at least a way to alleviate the symptoms. Breathing in steam should make it easier to breathe temporarily, but that’s exactly what it is—a temporary measure.”

“!”

For an instant, Javier looked as though he had been caught completely off guard.

So did Diego.

The dean tilted his head and muttered, “Asthma?”

But Irene was already gone.

All that remained were three men and the overpowering stench of the decomposing corpse.

The dean, standing there blankly, turned toward Javier.

Diego’s gaze was fixed on Javier as well.

Under their silent interrogation, Javier reluctantly opened his mouth.

“I suffered from asthma when I was young. It went away on its own as I grew older, but when this season comes around, I sometimes have trouble breathing. It’s nothing serious enough to worry about, though.”

“This season.”

Diego slowly turned his head.

There were no windows in the underground room, which was sealed off on every side, but he had no trouble imagining the season beyond the walls.

The season when flowers were beginning to bloom.

Then he looked back at Javier.

What Javier said was true.

It wasn’t serious enough to worry about.

The proof was that neither Professor Figueras nor the dean had noticed anything.

The dean seemed to realize that as well and hurriedly offered an awkward explanation.

“She’s got that sort of personality, but you can’t deny her skill. She passed the Royal Medical Examination with the highest score in its history, after all. On top of that, her five senses are more sensitive than other people’s. There could hardly be a better talent for becoming a doctor. Especially a surgeon.”

“There was a bit of a commotion when Miss Rios entered our university. She passed the entrance examination as the top student, but she didn’t have a recommendation letter from a school principal.”

“Which was only natural. Miss Rios never attended school.”

“Many professors opposed her admission, questioning her basic education, but I pushed it through. Our Divoa Royal Medical College is not merely a treasure house of wisdom steeped in history and tradition, but also a place that offers equal opportunities to everyone………………”

Diego let the dean’s words go in one ear and out the other as he curled the corners of his lips into a smile.

He murmured quietly.

“Interesting.”

For once, a spark of life appeared in his black eyes.

Diego stared thoughtfully down the hallway where Irene had disappeared, rubbing the corners of his mouth.

“Very interesting.”

It would not be an exaggeration to say that a banquet was held at Count Rodri’s residence every week.

Contrary to commoners’ misconceptions, banquets were not simply gatherings for eating and drinking.

They were occasions for the local noble families to exchange information, search for marriage prospects, and show off their latest clothes and jewelry.

The prestige of the nobles was sometimes measured by whether or not they had been invited to Count Rodri’s banquets.

Besides, Count Rodri was the lord of Therapia.

Hosting banquets was one of his obligations.

But regardless of all those other reasons, Count Rodri himself simply enjoyed entertainment.

Since he had no interest in hunting or fishing, there was little else he cared about besides banquets.

Today, however, he was particularly excited.

Anyone with eyes could tell.

The reason was obvious.

Grand Duke Cassis, the Third Prince and a great nobleman, had visited his territory.

Needless to say, the caliber of a banquet depended on the guest of honor.

It was only natural that Count Rodri carried himself with greater pride.

Come to think of it, the food at the banquet was far better than usual.

No.

It wasn’t only the food.

The flowers and curtains decorating the banquet hall, the tablecloths, even the napkins—all of them showed signs of painstaking attention.

To be honest, aside from the Royal Medical College, Therapia was nothing more than a rural town with little to boast about.

There were no mines, no trade ships coming and going, and it was not a transportation hub.

From time to time, the parents of medical students would attend Count Rodri’s banquets and lend their presence to the occasion.

That had been his only real pleasure.

But never before had a visitor enhanced his prestige as much as Diego.

And probably never would again.

Count Rodri gazed contentedly at Diego seated beside him.

Then he looked at the long line of people waiting in front of them.

The lesser nobles of Therapia had to wait impatiently until Count Rodri introduced them to Diego.

“Your Grace the Grand Duke of Cassis, would you care for another glass of champagne?”

Count Rodri deliberately took his time, making the nobles wait.

Diego knew exactly what he was doing, but he nodded anyway.

After all, he was the guest and Count Rodri was the host.

Sometimes, one had to indulge the host’s amusements.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all.”

Count Rodri accepted a glass of champagne from a servant’s tray and handed it to Diego.

As Diego brought the glass to his lips, he glanced around.

It was boring enough to make him yawn.

Compared with the banquets in the capital, everything here was painfully shabby.

The size of the banquet, the interior decorations, even the people attending.

Nevertheless, Diego never lost his gentle smile throughout the evening.

Having spent his entire life in the royal household, he was accustomed to such etiquette and skilled at concealing his true thoughts.

Count Rodri introduced the next young lady to Diego.

Apparently, she was the daughter of some viscount.

After waiting until her introduction was complete, she bent her knees slightly in greeting.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace the Grand Duke of Cassis.”

Looking at the young lady with light brown hair, Diego consciously curled up the corners of his lips.

“A pleasure.”

It was lighter blond than that.

At the sudden thought, his smile deepened slightly.

Just as Irene had said, he could stop any passing student and ask about her, and an answer came immediately.

At first, they made strange faces.

Then, as though they had all rehearsed together, they gave answers with remarkably similar undertones.

—“Irene Rios? Who is Irene Rios……………?”

—“Ah, the Ice Doll?”

—“You mean the Iron Mask. Don’t even get me started. She obviously thinks she’ll die if she touches another person. Have you seen the gloves Iron Mask always wears? She wears them because she doesn’t want to touch people. The funny thing is, she performs dissections with her bare hands. Of course, everyone performs dissections with their bare hands, but shouldn’t someone like Iron Mask at least wear gloves when dissecting corpses? I mean, that basically means we’re beneath the corpses in her eyes.”

—“Huh? Who? Ah, the germaphobe? Yes, of course she’s the top student. A genius who has never once lost the top spot. I’ve even heard that she can memorize an entire book after reading it once. I don’t know if that’s true, though. But what good does that do? Her personality is fucking……………… Oh, sorry. Her personality is just like that.”

—“There was this one time when a guy named Maxi tried to put the witch in her place, so he put on the gloves she’d taken off. Do you know what the witch did? She picked up the edge of the glove with two fingers, as though she were touching the filthiest thing in the world, and threw it straight into the trash. You should’ve seen the look on Maxi’s face. He looked so hurt. I actually saw him sniffing his own hands afterward, as if he were wondering whether they smelled. Poor bastard.”

—“Do I know anything about the Swordsman? It’d be stranger not to know someone that famous. I was in the same group as the Swordsman once. Actually, it’s convenient during anatomy class. She just slices open the corpse’s abdomen in place of the other group members. Not a single moment of hesitation. Her movements are like a machine. Have you ever seen the Swordsman’s eyes when she cuts open a corpse’s chest and takes out the heart? I have. They sparkle with life. It was so terrifying……………… Ugh. I get goosebumps even thinking about it.”

It was almost astonishing that one person could have so many nicknames.

And every single one of them was unpleasant.

She’s getting more and more interesting.

Diego, known as the Treasure of Divoa and the Sun of the Kingdom, let out a quiet chuckle.

“Oh my.”

A soft exclamation came from in front of him.

Only then did Diego remember that he was at a banquet.

He looked at the three people standing before him.

A baron and his wife were gazing at him respectfully.

Their daughter, her cheeks flushed red, was staring at Diego with rapturous eyes.

Unfortunately, it was a gaze Diego was extremely familiar with.

Admiration, adoration, and heat.

What he wasn’t familiar with was Irene’s indifferent gaze.

Quickly working through his memories, Diego retrieved the name of the young lady he had pushed into a corner of his mind.

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Leticia Rios.”