Chapter 121: Uncomfortable Daily Life

“Demon-nim, welcome. I’m glad you’re back early.”

“Ed?”

“Yes, give me your coat and have a seat over there.”

Ed smoothly took my coat and guided me to a lone chair. I sat down in a daze, and before I knew it, Ben stood in front of me, scrutinizing me from head to toe.

I blankly watched him for a moment before calling out his name, a question in my tone.

“Ben…?”

“Yes, Demon-nim. Please excuse my intrusion.”

Ben, who had been fiddling with the bandage on his wrist, looked at the mana stone around his neck and frowned as if something had just occurred to him.

“Would you like to lie down?”

“……?”

“Ed, what are you doing? Quickly help Demon-nim to the bed.”

Wait… what’s happening as soon as I arrive…?

The sudden turn of events left me momentarily speechless. When Ed moved to pick me up, I scrambled to my feet in alarm.

Whatever’s going on, it’s best to cooperate. They’ll just force me anyway if I don’t.

‘Better to just go along with it than endure that humiliation…’

I slowly walked over and lay down on the bed. Ben pressed down on various spots on my abdomen, tilting his head in confusion.

“There were definitely signs of internal injury… but you’re much better now.”

“Is that so?”

So that’s why they were so serious.

It seems the examination is over. It’s a relief I’m better. I tried to subtly get up, but Ben’s hand on my shoulder prevented me, pushing me back down.

What’s wrong? You said I’m fine… Can’t I get up?

“Ah, I’m late in mentioning this. Demon-nim, how do you feel?”

“Didn’t you just check?”

“The problem is, I get strong signals like coughing up blood, but weaker signals like increased blood pressure or a faster heartbeat don’t come through clearly. It’s as if the signal is too weak, cutting in and out to the point where it’s almost unintelligible…”

“My body is fine. More importantly, is that a glitch? If so, we should replace it…”

“No, even after replacing it, the signals are only proper initially, then it goes back to the way it is now…”

They already replaced it?

Wasn’t the material for that my blood? Judging by his words, it seems they’ve replaced it more than once. When did they even take it?

Grumbling inwardly, a sudden theory popped into my head, and I cautiously brought it up.

“Could it be a matter of distance…?”

“Absolutely not. If that were the case, we’d be getting proper signals now.”

Oh, right…

I fell silent again.

“More importantly, Demon-nim, please take better care of yourself. Every time a signal comes through, I can’t go to you, and I’m left worrying sick. Do you know how maddening that is for me?”

Come to think of it, he is my personal physician. And a very dedicated one at that, so he must be worried sick.

Should I thank him or apologize…?

I hesitated, unsure how to respond, when I heard Ed muttering.

“And yet he already tried to escape…”

“I was caught by Commander Lirinel once and by the Demon King another time. I’ll definitely escape next time!”

To escape and go treat Demon-nim’s body!

He shouted inwardly, managing to keep it from showing on his face, and I panicked internally. Crazy, he’s planning to come to the Human Realm? Absolutely not! Don’t come!

‘A hidden hero was here…!’

It’s shocking that a major crisis passed without me even knowing. Lirinel and the Demon King. I sent frantic thank yous to both of them in my mind. Thank you, thank you.

“You still haven’t learned your lesson even after having an audience with the Demon King.”

“I’m Demon-nim’s physician. It’s my duty to rush to his side and check on him when there’s something wrong.”

“There’s a limit to everything. You’re…”

“Ah, be quiet, Ed. Demon-nim, I have some questions about your condition. Would you mind?”

Ben blatantly ignored Ed, turning towards me with a smile.

Hey, I’m fine… Are you sure you’re okay? Ed is glaring daggers at you from behind.

Regardless, Ben wore a gentle smile as if nothing had happened and cautiously asked his question.

“Have you perhaps noticed any changes in your condition?”

My condition? I’m not sure.

…Ah, come to think of it, the frequency of coughing up blood seems to have decreased at some point.

But wasn’t that just my imagination? The injuries I sustained in various situations also seemed less severe than expected, but… I didn’t feel any significant changes in my condition, so I thought it was just my perception.

To confirm whether it was my imagination or reality, I shared these observations, and Ed exclaimed with obvious delight.

“So the aftereffects can be cured! That’s wonderful! It seems the day Demon-nim rides a horse in the Demon Realm isn’t far off!”

“…You remembered that?”

“It’s a promise with Demon-nim; I could never forget it.”

No, you can forget it.

Can’t I just stay sick…?

I barely stopped my hand from reaching for my forehead and clenched and unclenched my fist. Hmm, looking again, nothing seems different… Am I really getting healthier?

I tested myself by lightly punching the wall.

“Ah, Demon-nim! Please wait…!”

Crack.

“……”

“……”

…And that wasn’t even a full-strength punch.

I looked back and forth between my throbbing, swelling fist and Ben. Ben, looking horrified, rushed over to examine my hand and delivered his verdict with a grim expression.

“It’s fractured.”

“……”

This feels like the condition I know.

That’s strange. Is my condition fluctuating?

While I was staring at the purplish bruise forming on my hand without much emotion, Ben snatched my hand and quickly treated it, muttering in a low voice, a mix of a sigh and reprimand.

“That’s not the kind of change I meant. It’s just that the signals from the mana stone are weakening over time, as if…”

—something that makes up Demon-nim’s body is steadily changing.

Silence fell.

“…What does that…”

It was a chilling statement.

I rubbed my arms, a shiver running down them.

“Are you saying my body is changing without me knowing?”

“It’s just a conjecture.”

“That’s insane. There’s a time and place for everything, and that’s not something you should be saying now!”

Ah, that last part wasn’t me.

It was Ed, his face contorted in anger for the first time in front of me, as he grabbed Ben’s collar.

It was a menacing sight that would have made anyone flinch, but it didn’t work on Ben. The staunch physician, never backing down to Ed, grabbed his collar in return and retorted.

“Then! Could the magic on the mana stone have degraded? In magic, ‘disappearance over time’ might occur, but ‘degradation’ is impossible! So, what else is left? The only explanation is that the blood flowing through Demon-nim’s body is different from the blood used to create the magic!”

“Couldn’t it be a flaw in the mana stone itself, not the magic?”

“That’s why I said we’ve replaced it countless times! Do you think drawing Demon-nim’s blood is an easy task? Demon-nim is kind enough to allow it each time, but I feel incredibly guilty since he’s already short on blood!”

…I’ve never given my permission?

When did you take my blood, you damned doctor?

“They all worked fine initially! The signal only gradually weakened over time!”

“……”

“It’s reacting as if it’s Demon-nim’s blood and yet it isn’t!”

Ben won again.

He silenced Ed, huffed for a moment to regain his composure, and turned to look at me. His eyes held a look of dismay.

“…I apologize. I dared to raise my voice in front of Demon-nim.”

“No, well… more than that, it’s the story about my body changing…”

There’s no way I’d get angry over something like that. So, stop apologizing and tell me more.

It’s directly related to me; there’s no way I can remain ignorant.

Ben cautiously studied my expression to gauge my true feelings and nodded slightly before speaking.

“I didn’t notice it at first either. I thought it was just my imagination. But it kept happening…”

“……”

“I’ll take this opportunity to tell you. Demon-nim’s body has been steadily changing since the day we first met. Something I can’t quite pinpoint is subtly different.”

“Isn’t it just my body recovering?”

“I would know immediately if it were something like that.”

He seems particularly irritable with Ed…

I glanced between the two of them before cautiously speaking. It was a situation where I’d normally keep quiet, but I couldn’t now.

“So, is it good or bad?”

It’s my body, after all.

Even if it’s pathetically weak, it’s still my body. Whatever’s happening, if it’s a good sign, that’s a relief. If it’s bad, I need to mentally prepare myself.

“For now, it seems to be a good thing. Nothing has particularly worsened compared to before. In fact, the frequency of coughing up blood has decreased, so it’s reasonable to view it positively.”

“If that’s the case, then that’s a relief…”

Knock knock.

Everyone in the room turned their heads towards the door. I too closed my mouth and looked at the door.

A visit when the conversation is almost over, what perfect timing. I admired the timing inwardly and nodded. Ed, who was watching my reaction, got up and slightly opened the door.

No sooner had a small gap appeared than a hand snaked through the opening.

“……?!”

Damn, that startled me! Who is it?

This time, even Ed seemed surprised. He hastily gripped the doorknob to close the door… then stopped.

Having regained his composure, his voice was calm as he spoke the person’s name.

“Develania-nim, your pranks are going too far.”

“Oh, Ed~. You recognized me?”

“What brings you here?”

“Demon-nim has returned, shouldn’t I pay my respects?”

It wasn’t like I was gone for that long this time to warrant such a greeting.

Commander of the 2nd Corps, Develania, slipped through the door in an instant, patted Ed’s shoulder, and then silently approached me like a cockroach, grabbing my hand. Unlike before, this sent a different kind of shiver down my spine.

“Demon-nim, why is Ben here? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, not really.”

“Hmm…”

Despite my straightforward answer, she still seemed unconvinced, narrowing her eyes as she scrutinized me.

If you were going to do this, why did you ask? More importantly, let go of my hand….

“Good heavens!”

“!”

Why, whaaat now….

Startled by the sheer shock in her voice, I looked at her. Develania’s gaze was fixed on my fingertips.

“Your nail is broken!”

“……”

“A meticulously maintained nail…”

Wow… This is the first time I’ve seen her yell. And the reason is my fingernail.

Can’t she see the bandage on my other wrist? A fractured hand should be more noticeable than a broken nail.

As if feeling the rough texture of my broken nail, she kept touching it with a distressed expression before turning to Ed with a sharp look.

“Why aren’t you taking care of Demon-nim’s nails?”

“…My apologies.”

Don’t apologize. It’s weird that you’re in charge of my nail care in the first place.

Ed and Develania usually handle my nail care. Ed usually trims them, and Develania checks them and occasionally trims them herself.

They acted so naturally that I went along with it, but thinking about it, this isn’t right. Why is the adjutant trimming my nails? Why is the Commander of the 2nd Corps responsible for my nail care?

“Hey, physician. What are you doing? Hurry up and heal Demon-nim’s nail.”

“…I think you’re mistaken about the physician’s role, Develania-nim.”

“Demon-nim’s nail is in crisis. Isn’t that part of a physician’s role?”

Of course not. Anyone listening would think my life is in danger.

I looked at Develania with slightly cold eyes. Knowing that her argument was forced, she abruptly changed the subject, as if doing a favor.

“If you can’t do that, at least give it some nutrients.”

“…Understood.”

Ben, realizing that this back-and-forth would never end if he kept resisting, sighed deeply and rummaged through his bag.

“Demon-nim, your hand…”

“Ah… yes.”

Fearing he might be upset and do something strange, I kept a wary eye on him as I entrusted him with my broken nail.

This all happened less than a day after arriving at the Demon King’s castle.