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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Elf Doctor
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Decades ago.
I was on a desolate, ruined plain, taking a break while playing with some baby elves.
It was then that a bastard calling himself the Great Sage appeared.
Out of nowhere, in the middle of a barren wasteland!
I hadn't even sensed a trace of mana. How in the world?
As I stood there, bewildered, the bastard opened his mouth.
—I know everything in this world.
—I also know that the great Seluseu will soon become a lowly creature.
—Lady Seluseu, would you not like to hear more of this prophecy?
Of course, I didn't listen.
I thought the Great Sage was spewing nonsense.
Besides, the fact that he had slipped past my great senses was incredibly annoying and a blow to my pride.
So I beat the living daylights out of him.
—If I ever see you again, I will kill you.
And then I sent him flying to the other side of the continent.
*I haven't heard from him since.*
He probably didn't die. Sages are known for their long lifespans.
*That bastard knew I would end up possessing this body.*
If so, he must know how to heal this body and help me regain my original power.
And even if he doesn't, I can just make him find out. He is a sage, after all.
*Alright. I'll make finding the Great Sage my goal.*
But there's a problem.
“Gasp! Cough!”
“Oh my goodness, my lady!”
“I knew it! You were awake for too long today. To think it would strain your body so quickly…!”
“Lie down! Please!”
The problem is that my body is horrifically weak.
To find that bastard, the Great Sage, I’ll have to search the entire continent. But can I really do that in this body?
“Cough! Gasp! Hack!”
Absolutely not.
This body throws a fit just from walking around the room a little.
“Dammit…”
I need to build up my stamina first, but how am I supposed to do that with this pathetic body?
My future looked bleak.
“Ah! The physician is here!”
“My lady! Please lie down! So he can examine you right away!”
Completely oblivious to my profound concerns, Ann and Anna forced me back into bed.
This is no time for this! Just as I was about to struggle, I felt a strange sensation and stopped flailing my limbs.
A veeery familiar, yet veeery insignificant aura.
This is definitely…!
“Oh?”
***
Teiti, an elf from the Ansiha Mountains in the south, swung his medical bag back and forth as he hummed a little tune.
With a recent plague spreading across the continent, the demand for elf physicians had increased. It was a disaster for the humans, but for Teiti, who had escaped the suffocating insularity of elf society, it was a great opportunity to make money.
So he set up shop in the capital, where the resident nobles were, quite literally, walking wallets, showering him with coin.
Then, he received a message from the Archducal House of Akion. Something about taking care of their youngest daughter.
Rumors that the youngest daughter of the Akion family had an incurable disease were rampant throughout the empire. Teiti had hesitated slightly, but the ridiculously large sum of money they offered was too tempting to refuse.
*If they start pressuring me to cure her, I'll just run away.*
He'd already been paid upfront, after all.
Teiti hummed happily as he followed a servant to Daphne Akion’s room.
*First impressions are key. I'll get on her good side and bleed them for all they're worth…*
He was in the middle of his scheming.
*Hmm?*
Something was strange.
He felt a very familiar aura.
An aura he had only occasionally felt back in his homeland. One that sent shivers down his spine, made his knees weak, and compelled him to kneel…
*Fear.*
The color drained from Teiti’s face.
*No way.*
This was human society. There was no way ‘one of them’ would be here. It had been nearly fifty years since he’d come to the human world, and he had never once seen ‘one of them.’
*It’s just my imagination.*
He must have been in human society for so long that his senses were playing tricks on him.
Gulp. Teiti swallowed dryly, trying to calm his frantically beating heart.
“I’m c-coming in.”
And when he threw open the door.
“Oh?”
“…”
Oh, dear God.
Teiti collapsed right where he stood.
The person before him was clearly a five-year-old child. A cute little girl with shimmering blonde hair cascading down her back and sparkling green eyes.
But Teiti could feel it. Inside that human child’s body…
*What is that crazy bastard doing here?!*
…was a terrifying psycho!
***
*Just as I thought, an elf.*
Daphne smirked as she looked down at the elf who had collapsed and was now trembling at the mere sight of her.
Elves, the guardians of the forest, were revered as noble beings by humans, but that was merely a human perception.
An elf before a dragon, the ruler of the land?
Less than an ant… no, just dust. Dust that would fly away with a cry if you just blew on it.
*Perfect timing.*
Daphne spoke to Ann and Anna.
“I want to be examined alone. So evewyone, get out.”
“Pardon?”
Ann and Anna’s eyes widened as they asked again.
“But we need to be here to assist the physician, my lady.”
“Thewe won't be any ewwands anyway. Wight, elf?”
Daphne gestured to Teiti with her eyes.
Teiti, who was trembling under the full force of the dragon’s aura, managed to scramble to his feet and nodded vehemently.
“Yes? Ah, yes! None! Not at all! How could I dare ask for any assistance! I can do everything myself! Absolutely!”
“See? Now get out.”
Ann and Anna tilted their heads, looking puzzled, but they moved away from Daphne and replied.
“Yes, my lady. Please call us if you need anything.”
“I will.”
Click.
The door closed behind Ann and Anna.
Now, only Daphne and Teiti remained in the room.
Daphne’s eyes darted over to Teiti, who was sweating bullets, and she beckoned him closer.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Y-Yes?”
Teiti sucked in a breath and straightened his back.
“O-Of course! You are the g-great Lady Seluseu! No other dragon could possibly radiate such a great and terrifying aura!”
Pleased with his answer, Daphne’s lips curled into a smirk.
“You've been taught vewy well. So pwomising.”
“Ha, haha… Thank you.”
“Then why are you standing?”
“…Pardon?”
“To think you'd dawe stand on two legs when you know who I am. You must have a death wish.”
“N-No, I don't!”
Thud!
He hit his knees faster than anyone, in a way unlike any other. The sound was so loud it seemed his kneecaps might have shattered, but Daphne paid it no mind. She simply stared at him.
Teiti wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and swallowed hard.
Truth be told, elves who lived in the human world had a bit more nerve than those who remained in the forest.
Even if elves were a race subservient to dragons, they had enough guts to defy them and run away.
Had Teiti encountered any other dragon, he would have tried to escape and hide.
But this was Seluseu.
Seluseu, the batshit insane, morally bankrupt black dragon, the Great Disaster.
Running away after catching Seluseu’s eye?
He wouldn't even be able to run in the first place.
And even if, by some miracle, he did manage to escape, he would have to spend the rest of his life in hiding, barely daring to breathe.
Teiti recalled the dark elf clan that had been beaten to a pulp by Seluseu in the past. And he thought to himself, *I will never, ever cross her…*
“Are you this body’s dedicated physician?”
“Ah, yes. Starting today, I will be in charge of the lady’s… no, Lady Seluseu’s care.”
“Daphne.”
“Pardon?”
“This body's name is Daphne. You will call me that fwom now on.”
“I understand, Lady Daphne.”
Teiti glanced nervously at Seluseu—no, Daphne—and carefully spoke.
“But why is a great dragon in a human body…?”
Stung.
Daphne felt a pang of guilt and avoided Teiti’s gaze.
Could she really tell him that she lost to a human Hero, was sealed away, and then for some reason ended up possessing the Hero’s daughter?
*No, absolutely not.*
That was a secret she would take to her grave. Daphne shook her head.
“I'm just visiting.”
“Pardon?”
“It's a game. A little game. I wanted to expewience the world as a lowly human, you see.”
“Ah!”
Teiti let out a sound of understanding, as if it all made sense now.
“So that’s why you’ve hidden your mana! Of course, as a humble servant of the great dragons, I felt your aura immediately, but no other race besides elves would notice a thing. As expected of dragons, even your games are on another level!”
“…”
Daphne felt another pang of guilt, but since she couldn't deny it, she changed the subject.
“Wight, let's just say that's the case. I have a question fow you.”
“Yes, please ask.”
“This body is afflicted with an incuwable disease.”
“Yes. I am aware of that.”
“Do you know the name of the disease?”
“No.”
Just as Ann and Anna had said, the name of her illness was not known to the public. Daphne tilted her chin up.
“It's the Black Buttefwly Disease.”
“I see. The Black Butterfly… pardon?”
Teiti’s expression was strange.
“Are you sure it’s the Black Butterfly Disease? You aren’t mistaken?”
“Have you ever seen me make a mistake?”
“Many times… I mean, no. The great Lady Daphne is incapable of making mistakes.”
Hahaha. Teiti quickly changed his tune.
“The Black Butterfly Disease is a black magic curse. You don’t need a cure, you need a way to break the curse.”
Daphne’s brow furrowed slightly.
The cause of the Black Butterfly Disease is unknown. The most prominent theory is that it’s a black magic curse.
The cause of the Black Butterfly Disease is unknown. The most prominent theory is that it’s a black magic curse.
So it wasn't just a prominent theory, it was actually a curse.
Daphne ruffled her hair and took a deep breath.
“Why is this body cuwsed? She's so young. What could such a young body have done wwong?”
Teiti scratched the back of his head, then gave a bitter smile.
“This body has done nothing wrong. The one at fault is…”
He pointed to the family crest hanging on the wall.
“The Hero.”
