ETHTKE chapter 28

“…Unbelievable.”

Something dreadful happened.

For some reason, even though I used a destruction spell, none of it disappeared.

“Why on earth did they put a protection spell on this stuff?!”

Blue and Reggie had layered a strong protection spell over everything, making my magic completely ineffective.

Sure, if I took the time, I could probably break through the protection, but I didn’t have that kind of time right now.

Baek Yigang was coming any minute!

“Damn it, even under the bed is blocked… Where am I supposed to put all this?”

In despair, I wandered around the room until my eyes fell on the thick, fluffy blanket on my bed.

Hmm, well, Baek Yigang will probably sleep in his own room, so he won’t need to use my bed, right?

“…Alright, this will do.”

The hiding place was decided—the blanket! I’ll stuff everything under there for now, and after Baek Yigang leaves, I’ll call a servant to dispose of it all.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

I hastily tossed the last of the stuff under the blanket, flattened it out, and opened the door.

“Really, why did you want to meet in my room when you have such a spacious office?”

“…Cheong Do—”

Thud.

Suddenly, a heavy, warm body collapsed against me without warning.

“W-What?!”

What is this? Did he just faint? …Baek Yigang?

“Wait, wait… Yigang, snap out of it.”

I gently held Baek Yigang, who had collapsed into my arms, but all I could hear was his irregular, shallow breathing.

What should I do? I can’t just call Huangyi. That might reveal that Baek Yigang has a dark magic constitution.

If he needed Huangyi, he wouldn’t have come to me in the first place.

But I’m not sure about relying on Blue and Reji, those weirdos… This is driving me crazy.

How am I supposed to help him when I don’t even know what’s wrong?

First, let’s move him to the bed.

“…Oh.”

As I tried to lift Baek Yigang and carry him to the bed, I suddenly remembered what I had just done and froze in place.

Right, I stuffed all that junk under the blanket…

But still, this is urgent! The patient comes first, no matter what.

Besides, Baek Yigang is in such bad shape that he won’t notice anything hidden under the blanket.

I carefully shifted the stuff to one side and gently laid him down on the bed.

“What the heck happened all of a sudden…?”

I tucked the blanket up to Baek Yigang’s neck and looked down at him with concern.

This isn’t just sleeping—he really ‘collapsed.’

This seems serious…

He must have been in terrible shape to come all the way to my room.

I would have gone to him soon anyway.

He really is stubborn.

“But you’re breathing, right?”

Baek Yigang’s already cold body seemed to radiate even more icy chill for some reason, exuding an almost freezing temperature.

Every part of him I touched was cold, like I was touching a frozen glacier.

It’s not just that Baek Yigang collapsed, but the suddenness of it is strange.

He seemed fine when I saw him before going to the Magic Department.

What happened?

To figure out if this is related to dark magic, I’ll need to check his mana flow… which requires physical contact.

“Baek Yigang, I’m acting purely as a healer right now, so don’t get the wrong idea later.”

Reading someone’s mana flow requires physical contact, and without the person’s permission, it’s a tricky business.

But this is an emergency. Besides, it’s impossible to ask for permission from someone who’s passed out.

After a moment’s hesitation, I carefully pressed my lips to Baek Yigang’s nape.

I have no idea why the only way to read mana flow is by doing something as bothersome as this…

But if you touch your lips to a spot close to the flow of life, like the neck or the heart, you can sense it.

“Huh? What the… He’s incredibly healthy.”

After reading his mana flow, I was baffled by the results.

Baek Yigang was perfectly fine.

So this isn’t because of dark magic.

Moreover, there was a faint reddish mark left where my lips had been.

Leaving a mark after just a quick kiss?

That’s a bit unfair.

Anyone who sees this would think I was trying to devour him.

Eh, it’ll fade with time.

“His mana flow is normal, his pulse is normal… Then why did he collapse?”

Puzzled, I absentmindedly placed my hand on Baek Yigang’s forehead, and then quickly withdrew it in shock.

Why is his forehead so hot? It’s like he’s burning up.

But his body is cold—how does that make any sense…? Wait, his forehead is hot?

Suddenly, it all clicked. The reason was simple and obvious.

“Could it be… you’ve got the flu?”

There’s no way a flu would come on so suddenly, so he must have already been sick.

He must have been holding it in earlier in his office…

No way, who in their right mind tries to tough out a flu? This is a first for me!

…Wait, so what was I doing just now?

‘The pervert was me?’

…I could almost hear the words I mumbled to myself earlier echoing in my head.

Ignoring the thought, I sighed deeply and quietly called for Anna.

I asked her to bring cold water and a towel, then let out a weary laugh.

It’s a relief that it’s not too serious. Once he comes to, I should ask for some hot porridge.

In a fantasy world, it’s usually soup, right? But when people are sick, they should have porridge.

“Why did you have to get sick? It makes me feel weird.”

Whether it’s porridge or soup, whatever works—what matters is that Baek Yigang wakes up safely.

Thankfully, Anna quickly brought the things I asked for.

The cold towel I placed on Baek Yigang’s forehead quickly grew warm.

Seeing him weak like this, after always showing such an arrogant face, felt strangely unsettling.

I remembered something Baek Yigang said when we first met.

It was when I told him to get his illness treated by a doctor.

“Unfortunately, no famous doctor could cure me. As the crown prince, the number of doctors I can summon is limited, so there’s really no way.”

As the empire’s only crown prince, he couldn’t even say he was sick.

If he had an incurable disease, he couldn’t go through any doctors.

If word spread that the future emperor was in poor health, his position would be in jeopardy instantly.

“So that’s why you came to me.”

Because with me, he didn’t have to hide anything.

I cast a spell on the towel to maintain a low temperature until his fever subsides, carefully placing it back on Baek Yigang’s forehead.

“I did tell you to sleep, but I didn’t mean for you to sleep like this.”

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t sleep; he had passed out.

When the third prince shows up on the founding day, I must steal… no, borrow his sacred power and cure this insomnia.

Who knows how much time had passed, but eventually, his erratic breathing became calm and steady.

But only for a moment. Baek Yigang’s eyelids fluttered, revealing his dazed, violet eyes.

“Baek Yigang…! Are you awake? Are you okay? How do you feel? Are you hungry?”

“…Cheong Dowoon.”

“What, yeah?”

In my worried state, I was caught off guard and easily pulled down by his sudden grasp.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, I was no longer surprised, having been grabbed by that hand so many times before.

“Don’t make a fuss. I’m not dead yet.”

“Hey, who said anything about dying? I took care of you, and this is the thanks I get—talking about death?”

Baek Yigang, who was lying down, suddenly pulled me into an awkward position that made it look like I was covering him from above.

Normally, I’d be flustered and push him away, but I let it slide since he was a patient.

Then I felt his hand gently push me away, and our eyes met at a close distance.

What, is he trying to say thank you?

Yeah, he should be grateful.

He has to be!

I was sweating bullets taking care of him.

But demanding gratitude from someone who’s sick feels a bit petty…

Maybe I’ll let it slide this time.

“No need to say thanks—”

“You’re always by my side at times like this.”

His voice was low, almost eerie, like it was cloaked in darkness.

And it didn’t seem like he was even planning to say thanks in the first place.

Sigh. It doesn’t bother me anymore.

It’s not like Baek Yigang has only been ungrateful for a day or two.

“What do you mean by ‘times like this’?”

“Who knows…”

Baek Yigang let out a languid smile. How can he smile when he’s sick?

“Looks like you’re happy that I’m always here when you’re sick.”

I thought I was hitting the nail on the head, but Baek Yigang’s expression didn’t change.

“Rubbish.”

…Hmm, considering he’s still being his usual annoying self, he must be feeling better than before.

No need to worry anymore.

“Let me go. Since you hate nonsense, I’ll just disappear.”

I tried shaking off his grip, but failed.

Hey, shouldn’t this be the part where I shake him off and stand up dramatically?

“…No.”

Wait, what did he just say? No what?

“What?”

I tilted my head in confusion as Baek Yigang spoke again.

“I never said I didn’t like you.”