The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away

“Everything is ready. There’s wire in the nose area. Don’t forget to secure it tightly.”

“Stop touching. I can do it myself.”

Since it was her first time wearing a mask, Acella kept fiddling with her face as if it felt strange.

Now that it was on, she thought it seemed a bit too big.

Acella’s face was smaller than I’d guessed.

“The reason the mask is effective is that the epidemic virus is mainly transmitted through droplets. That’s how infection happens. The virus that causes the disease is also a living organism, but…”

“I get it. Don’t explain your medical knowledge; the prince already knows.”

“Are you having difficulty understanding?”

At my words, Acella furrowed her brows slightly, as if her pride was stung.

“Does the prince understand all my magic?”

“Of course not. How could someone as wretched as I dare to view Your Majesty’s grand domain from the same level?”

“I’m the same way.”

Was that a compliment?

“Is there enough mask for the knights?”

“Not enough have been made yet. There are spare masks for Your Majesty. Let’s have the closest maids and guards wear them first. More importantly.”

I pulled a potion from my pocket.

Clatter sounded as the white pills shook inside.

“I brought medication for the epidemic.”

“Really?!”

Acella exclaimed loudly and took the bottle with both hands.

She gazed at the contents of the bottle carefully. It was refreshing to see her show such a strong reaction for the first time.

“If I take this, can I cure the epidemic?”

“The cold is incurable, so it won’t be a total cure. However, the symptoms will definitely be alleviated. The knights can function without issue.”

“With this, the martial arts tournament too.”

Acella nodded vigorously. She called over the head maid to distribute the medication.

“Not to be abused. Please warn them not to take more than two pills a day.”

“Got it.”

The knights swallowed the aspirin one by one.

They may have thought it was an awkward action, but since it was their lord’s command, they immediately complied without objection.

I had felt for a while that Acella’s faction had a particularly strong sense of loyalty.

After resting for a bit, the knights who took the aspirin soon regained their spirits and sprang to their feet.

Wowee!

Acella seemed to relax as she watched them, her shoulder tension easing slightly.

“Prince.”

“Yes?”

“I need to imprint my existence on His Majesty during this martial arts tournament.”

“Understood.”

“His Majesty is inherently greedy. For now, he is content to designate the first prince as the next emperor, but that timid fellow doesn’t have the makings of an emperor.”

Out of nowhere, Acella began rambling on about things I hadn’t even asked.

“When he sees a child with strong talent and excellent leadership, he’ll reignite that flame for war like in his youth. Then, his mind will change.”

“I see.”

“George, the second prince, and Heike, the first princess, are aware of this too. They will do their best to flaunt their forces during the tournament, and I need to surpass them.”

“I had one question.”

I casually asked Acella a question.

“Why do you want to become the emperor?”

At my question, Acella didn’t respond.

Instead, she countered my question with another question.

“Does the answer affect your loyalty?”

She seemed a bit reluctant to answer.

I didn’t want to poke around unnecessarily.

“Not at all. I am loyal to you no matter what.”

“Good.”

Acella replied but didn’t provide her reason.

“I’ll acknowledge the special merit for healing the knights. Prince, what reward do you seek?”

“A wizard who can use levitation magic.”

“I can do that. Why?”

“No, just kidding.”

If Acella helped with my commuting, the fees would probably skyrocket.

“Do you still have the envelope containing my requests safe?”

“Yes. It’s preserved with preservation magic to prevent damage. Unless I perform Geass, no one can open it. Do you want that? It doesn’t seem like enough merit.”

“Of course. If you remember, that will be sufficient.”

“So you mean to entrust me with the price to pay.”

“Uh…”

Acella might bring something absurd and demand a price again.

Let’s see, something I needed recently.

The most annoying thing was the atmosphere of being ignored due to Acella’s faction being small.

How about a stroll to the southern barracks?

“I’d like to borrow your knights for a bit.”

“Fine, let’s do that.”

“Well then, shall we check your blood pressure now?”

“Sure, let’s go.”

Acella, relieved of her worries about the knights, readily followed me back to the room.

*

The next day, I gathered twenty of Acella’s knights in the back garden of the Moonlight Palace.

Each one wore a serious expression resembling Acella’s playful demeanor.

“Am I in a statue exhibition? Did the statue numbered one have breakfast?”

The knight I called froze, his breath halted, caught in confusion whether he should mimic a statue or answer my question.

Crickets chirping…

“Alright, take a break.”

I can’t stand such a stiff atmosphere.

A glimpse of how Acella usually trains them.

“You’ve all been informed, right? Today’s schedule is to follow me instead of training. It’s the order of the princess.”

The knights remained stiff as ever.

Now that I think about it, the royal knights have a principle of not speaking at all until given permission by a superior.

There’s no need to be this thorough, though.

And their education level is too high.

“Before we proceed, let me confirm one thing. Everyone here swears loyalty to Princess Acella, not Empress Camilla, correct? Anyone who thinks otherwise, speak up.”

Silence fell.

“Who’s in charge here?”

“That would be me, Teacher Gothberg.”

One knight raised his hand.

“Are you the commander?”

“I am the commander of the Moonlight Palace, but generally, a commander refers to the head of a brigade. Since the Moonlight Palace has been organized into squads, my rank is squad leader.”

“Is that so? So, you’re a pretty high-ranking individual, Commander Tanya?”

“Don’t tease me. The royal family knows I’m just a knight.”

There are differences between regions and systems.

“Squad leader, please tell us why you are loyal to the princess.”

“I am convinced that the princess will become the next emperor due to her dignity.”

“Hmm, good point. It seems we have gathered some perceptive individuals here.”

They are a well-aligned group!

“You all serve the future emperor. As direct knights, you also need to have skills that match. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how we are treated outside?”

“…Unfortunately, yes. We do.”

The squad leader clenched his fists tightly.

Rumble.

His anger was quite evident.

“That’s why during this martial arts tournament, we intend to show our full strength so that we don’t bring shame to the princess. Thanks to the teacher, everyone’s health has improved…”

“I think we should show that even before the tournament. I visited the southern barracks, and their facilities were excellent.”

I addressed them.

“Shouldn’t we have something similar?”

The squad leader appeared flustered at my suggestion.

“Of course, that would be great, but given that our units are different…”

“Let’s go borrow it.”

I casually suggested we take a walk around the neighborhood.

With that, I headed toward the southern barracks with the knights.

“Which unit are you from… Gasp! Teacher Gothberg!”

The sentry was startled to see me and stumbled back, just like last time.

“Good job. Why are you standing watch alone?”

“Ah, well…”

As the sentry began to answer, he suddenly sniffed.

Looking somewhat dazed, the commander hurried out.

“Teacher! What brings you here again?”

“Not much, just wanting to borrow the training facilities. There’s still some space left, right?”

“Uh, the training facilities? It’s used by our 2nd brigade, but…”

“As royal knights, we can apply for training at any barracks. Just write up the application form.”

“Um, well, yes, that is true…”

The commander was at a loss for how to react to my exercise of power.

What a surprise!

“Isn’t this a bit too much? Regardless, barging in like this…”

“There are plenty of knights taking a break due to the epidemic, right? The training ground wouldn’t be fully booked anyway.”

“Wouldn’t that apply to you too? The entire royal family is dealing with this epidemic. The Moonlight Palace knights must also be sick in bed, so why would you come all the way here to train?”

“Our knights are fine. Just watch.”

At my command, the Moonlight Palace knights promptly demonstrated their stance.

Upon witnessing their sharp gaze, the commander’s jaw dropped.

“Wha… How is this possible?”

“Teacher treated them.”

As Tanya stepped forward to answer, the commander silently expressed his admiration.

“Teacher, is that so? Wow…”

After pondering over it, he finally moved aside.

“Well, if you’re going to put it that way, then go ahead. After all, we won’t use it today.”

Thanks to that, Acella’s knights were able to train in high-quality facilities today.

There were enchanted swords and armor that could adjust the intensity, along with training grounds simulating various combat scenarios.

The knights of the Moonlight Palace knew Tanya was quite skilled, so they actively engaged in sparring with her.

“Wow… everyone really is fine.”

The commander scratched his head in amazement, glancing at our knight unit.

“Isn’t your unit in bad shape?”

“Our 2nd brigade has nearly perished. With the martial arts tournament right around the corner, it’s a crisis, you know. The inner palace healers are looking after them all day long, but this is how it is. What’s your secret, Teacher?”

“Would you tell if you were in my position?”

“Don’t be like that; help us out a bit. We are part of the same royal knight unit!”

“Why would I treat you when you aren’t even one of those loyal to Princess Acella?”

The commander scratched his chin, then leaned in close to whisper.

“I’ve been diligently doing the stretching exercises you taught me. What do you think? Pretty good, right?”

“Disgustingly gross.”

“Then at least let our unit…”

“Watching my subordinates struggle is hard for me. How about this: if our unit takes part in the tournament under Princess Acella’s banner, we’ll help out?”

The commander had an interesting proposal.

“You belong to the second prince’s faction, don’t you?”

“Hey, this isn’t such a strict place. Truth is, the prince has been harping on us about the tournament lately, and many of our knights are worn out.”

“How many are there?”

“One hundred twenty.”

Hmm.

Acella’s unit consists of only twenty.

In terms of numbers, that’s lacking for a performance during the tournament.

“Commander, are you confident you can give it your all?”

“Of course! I’m a knight; would I go back on my word?”

“Hold on.”

I quickly drafted a document.

“If you violate what you just said, this contract will serve as a warning. You can read, right?”

“Wow, don’t underestimate me. Royal knights are all educated at a high level.”

The commander agreed and signed the contract.

Thus, the first squad of the 2nd brigade would participate as part of Acella’s banner in the martial arts tournament.

Under the condition that they give their all, the judgment is mine.

“Then, can you treat our knights now?”

“Hope you eat tasty food.”

I pulled out the bottle of aspirin from my pocket.

*

Three days later.

“Teacher! I came by after getting an introduction…!”

“I’m the 2nd brigade’s 2nd squad leader, and I hear you can heal the epidemic in one go! Please, help our unit too!”

Rugged knights barged into my office.

I covered my mouth and spoke to them.

“Don’t spit on me.”

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