75. Summons
by rosalie“Attention! Salute to the lord!”
“Yes! The soldiers under Viscount Weizen, summoned by the call of the Grand Lord for monster subjugation, hereby pledge their loyalty to the Grand Duke of Inkheart!”
“I am grateful for Viscount Weizen’s loyalty and hard work.”
“Inkheart!”
“Long live the North!”
The sound of three thousand soldiers proudly calling Inkheart’s name was thunderous. It was a scene I had been seeing almost daily lately.
“Inkheart!”
“Darius Inkheart!”
“It’s amazing that with so many soldiers gathered, no one causes any trouble. Sir Lucion’s thorough preparations have paid off.”
Sitting beside the golden chair, I whispered to Darius with admiration. Darius heard me and smiled, then responded in a different way.
“Mistress of the North!”
“Darius!”
“Lady Anette!”
“Someone who could never be imagined as being from the South, our madam since birth!”
‘Why are you denying my birthplace? If you respect me, why not try loving the South too?’
As even the Castle Inkheart knights joined the mood, the wave of cheers became unstoppable.
“Anette Inkheart!”
“Glory to the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Inkheart!”
“How does it feel to hear it directly?”
“May God protect you both!”
My face turned bright red, and I covered it with both hands.
“Why are you embarrassed by such an obvious fact? Wasn’t Anette my wife? The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Inkheart who should be honored forever.”
“This isn’t my style!”
What did I do to deserve this? When I pushed away Darius, who was leaning in close to whisper to me, the people burst into laughter.
Why are they laughing when I hit the lord?
“Please save my face. Everyone is watching.”
Darius said slyly.
I used to think he had no talent for acting, but lately, it seems like his acting skills have improved. He’s perfectly sly now.
“I’m grateful for the loyalty of Viscount Weizen, who followed the orders of the Grand Duke’s family.”
By the time I finally managed to spit out those words, quite some time had passed. The people loved that too.
“Feels like something’s missing? Why didn’t you mention the Grand Duchess?”
“Oh, stop it!”
I elbowed Darius in the side because I couldn’t stand how he kept pushing his handsome face close to mine, acting all proud of his good looks.
“Ah.”
“Stop pretending it hurts.”
Darius bent over and couldn’t raise his head.
“……Does it really hurt?”
No way.
“Ah, wait……”
“What? Let me see.”
Why does this man keep avoiding me when I try to look? Is he really in so much pain he can’t move?
“Darius.”
“……Pfft.”
“You were joking!”
The face hidden in my embrace as I leaned in with concern couldn’t hide its bright smile.
My face flushed hot with the thought of being teased.
“No, I really am hurt. I’m telling you I’m in pain. It hurts so much I can’t express it in words.”
“I lost out by worrying about you even for a moment!”
“What loss is there between husband and wife?”
With a crash, I stormed out of the reception room.
“Are you angry?”
“……”
“I’m sorry.”
Darius followed behind me.
“It really did hurt earlier, I swear?”
Hmph. No use talking with that grin on your face, my lord.
“Front line forward! Shield unit, hold with shields!”
As I walked with Darius trailing behind me, Sir Lucion’s voice resonated loudly even though we were still far from the training ground.
“The knights are really working hard these days.”
“They all want to look good to each other.”
“When I heard that the North’s soldiers were gathering in one place, I honestly thought there would be security issues. But Inkheart has become an even better place to live than usual.”
“If anyone caused trouble now, they’d be ridiculed by all the northern lords who have gathered. They’d be seen as someone who couldn’t properly control their subordinates.”
I stopped walking as I had been marching ahead alone. Right now, those invited to the North would be on high alert, watching how the lord and his wife were getting along.
I needed to be good to Darius.
“Are you forgiving me now?”
“Just know that I’m letting it slide specially because there are many guests in the castle.”
“Then I should invite more people next time. So you’ll let things slide again.”
“The money to feed them all is no joke, really.”
The cost of hosting an army naturally falls on the lord who invited them.
Seeing these enormous expenses, I understood why the Inkheart territory was always poor in the original story. They’d naturally become poor feeding an army every winter.
“I hope this friendly atmosphere lasts. Men always end up fighting when they gather.”
It was something Sir Lucion had mentioned before. If you appear weak, you’ll be devoured. So you can’t neglect training.
“Is there any need to worry?”
At least for this issue, there really was no need to worry.
“You’re the strongest one anyway.”
Darius raised one corner of his mouth.
“Of course I am.”
He walked over and took my hand.
“When Rose marries the heir of an eastern count’s family, we can elevate the Temeri family above the rank of count.”
“Is the Temeri family currently a viscount?”
“More precisely, treated as a viscount. As the Grand Duke’s family holds various titles, I’ve wanted to give the Temeri family a count title for a while.”
The Temeri family was the direct knight commander family of the Grand Duke of Inkheart’s domain. They deserved a high position.
“Not everyone in the North is loyal to Inkheart, right?”
The North is harsh, leading people to pursue self-reliance. In other words, it’s a place that doesn’t trust its ruling monarch.
“I heard Count Spinel’s family has departed from their territory with their army.”
“Count Spinel’s family?”
“They’re the most powerful territory in the North, excluding the Grand Duke’s family.”
“Will the battle of pride between the knights happen then?”
“Who knows. If Lucion trains the army very strongly, the Spinel family might behave themselves this time, intimidated in advance.”
“This time, you say.”
That means it’s happened before.
I smiled slightly.
“Should I prepare fried food again?”
Darius raised both hands in surrender.
* * *
“Well, time to meet patients again today.”
Schmidt opened the clinic doors on time. It was a public clinic opened with Anette’s help.
Simply by washing hands and feet, sterilizing surgical tools, and emphasizing hygiene, Schmidt’s Clinic had an incomparable recovery rate compared to other hospitals.
Without any special promotion, Schmidt’s Clinic was always crowded just by word of mouth.
Among those patients, one voice stood out particularly.
“Twenty people waiting?”
“Dr. Schmidt also teaches other doctors regularly, so the clinic isn’t open many days. That’s why it’s always crowded on days when the clinic is open.”
“I don’t care about that. Fine, so there are many patients and he teaches other doctors too. I guess he must have some skill.”
The receptionist’s smile twitched. Then the man continued with an air of importance.
“Listen, the person who came with me can’t speak but is a very precious person. Not someone who should be kept waiting here like this. Without further ado, arrange for them to be seen next.”
“At our Schmidt’s Clinic, we treat all patients equally.”
As Schmidt’s reputation grew, such difficult people appeared. People who insisted they shouldn’t have to wait with commoners, flaunting their status.
〈Ignore such talk. What’s there to worry about when I’m backing you?〉
This clinic was a public facility supported by Anette, the madam of the Grand Duke’s family. As the receptionist maintained her smile and stood firm, the man turned around with a troubled expression.
“What’s going on? When did they say the doctor can see us?”
“Well, Count……”
Soon after, the troublemaker who had been making a fuss at the reception desk was seen reporting something to his companions.
“Let’s pay money. How much would it take to see the doctor immediately?”
Then he quickly returned and casually tossed a money pouch while speaking. The receptionist answered without even opening the pouch.
“If you want prompt treatment, please go to another clinic. We don’t have a system like express fees here.”
Then the patients waiting nearby chimed in.
“That’s right! We’ve been waiting since morning too! Who are you trying to cut in line!”
“Do you think money is everything?”
“The doctor treats each patient with such care. Why are you bothering someone who’s just doing their job well?”
“You people! How dare you speak so freely in front of me? Be quiet!”
“What? You be quiet! Some nobody we don’t even know!”
The reception area instantly became chaotic.
Tsk, the count clicked his tongue and raised his energy.
“Everyone be quiet.”
Woong, suddenly the gravity around them seemed to intensify, pressing down on all sides. The people who had been making noise unconsciously closed their mouths.
“Is this the IV fluid that Schmidt’s Clinic boasts about? The one that’s different from other clinics?”
The count walked to a jar filled with water, opened the lid, and tasted the IV fluid. The glucose solution developed by Anette and improved by Schmidt was something of a symbol of Schmidt’s Clinic.
A slight salty and sweet taste spread on the tip of his tongue.
“Tsk.”
The count laughed in disbelief.
“It’s just plain water?”
“What’s going on outside?”
Schmidt hurried out of the examination room due to the prolonged commotion. But the count’s interest had already waned.
“I heard this was a new clinic favored by the Grand Duchess and had high expectations. It wasn’t worth taking the time to come here. Let’s go.”
“S-sir! You need to take this back!”
The receptionist belatedly held up the pouch the count had thrown at the reception desk earlier. But the count paid no attention.
“My goodness……”
When the receptionist reluctantly opened the pouch, it was filled with gold coins.
“With this much, we might have given him priority treatment.”
The receptionist inadvertently blurted out what should have remained only in her thoughts.