I’m the Dying Emperor’s Doctor

Episode 52

The librarian, swallowing hard as if parched, continued speaking.

“One day, I almost used it as firewood, which led to a huge argument. Now, even after my younger sibling has passed away, I find myself guarding this storage.”

“I see…”

Serena wasn’t sure what words of comfort she could offer. She felt a pang of sorrow for the author who had died without ever gaining recognition.

Out of curiosity, she had read the author’s other works, which were well-written, highly readable, and provided clear, detailed explanations about magic. At that moment, the librarian let out a weary sigh.

“There are many who dismiss the writings of female authors as overly emotional and unreliable, treating them as mere fiction.”

“That’s such a narrow-minded view,” Serena said, wrinkling her nose in shared indignation. The librarian smiled at her reaction.

“Since it’s fate that you’ve come across these books, I suppose gifting you one wouldn’t hurt.”

“Oh, but I’d like to pay for it.”

“No need.”

The librarian smiled warmly as she gathered her belongings.

“It’s convenient that the storage is close to the forest. It was becoming difficult to cover maintenance costs, but the duke generously allowed me to use it for free. I’ll be right back.”

“Then let me come with you,” Serena offered, quickly gathering her things to follow.

“It’s quite a walk.”

“We can chat on the way to make it less dull.”

“You’re probably the only person who enjoys talking with this old-timer.”

“If I were a member of the ducal family, I’d want to talk with you every day.”

“You have such a way with words,” the librarian remarked with a gentle smile as she led Serina into the forest.

The forest of Greenwood Territory was vast. Paths, worn down by frequent travelers, wove through the dense trees in all directions. Even where there hadn’t been a trail, frequent passage had created new ones. Occasionally, the distant crack of a rifle echoed through the trees—sounds of a hunt.

“It seems like there’s hunting going on nearby. Perhaps it’s hunting season,” Serena observed.

“They’re likely hunting in this area today. If they don’t cull wild boars or deer around this time, the villagers will have a hard winter.”

“Isn’t there a risk of accidents for passersby?”

“Don’t worry. Even if the sound seems close, it’s much farther away than it appears.”

The librarian, seemingly accustomed to such situations, moved through the forest with ease. Reassured by the librarian’s calm demeanor, Serena followed, taking in her surroundings. The sunlight filtering through the leaves, creating star-like patterns on the forest floor, was mesmerizing.

After a while, a cabin came into view in the distance.

“There it is,” the librarian said with a warm smile, pointing to the cabin.

“The storage is bigger than I expected,” Serena remarked.

“It holds all sorts of odds and ends.”

The librarian unlocked the door, and a damp, musty smell of old books filled the air. Despite it being daytime, the storage room was dimly lit. While Serina looked around, the librarian lit a lantern.

Books were piled haphazardly everywhere. Climbing a makeshift ladder, the librarian retrieved a book from the top shelf.

“Found it.”

“It’s thicker than I imagined.”

“Consider it a gift.”

“I feel like I’m always receiving from you,” Serena said.

“You’re such a polite young lady that it makes me want to give you even more.”

The librarian smiled warmly and insisted that she accept the book without hesitation. Serena thanked her and placed it in her bag. Just as they were about to leave the storage room, the librarian stumbled.

“Oh dear!”

Losing her footing, the librarian grabbed onto a bookshelf for support, causing it to wobble and knock over a lantern hanging on the wall.

Whoosh!

Flames quickly spread through the books.

Startled, the librarian tried to smother the fire with a blanket from the corner, but the storage was filled with flammable materials, making it hard to control the flames.

“This… this is bad. Miss, you need to get outside—quickly!” the librarian urged.

But Serena, trembling and gasping for breath, couldn’t move.

Something was wrong. The sight of the flames made her feel as if her lungs had seized. She didn’t have asthma, yet breathing had become impossibly difficult. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stood frozen, paralyzed like someone reliving a traumatic memory.

Realizing her distress, the librarian grabbed Serena’s hand and pulled her out of the burning storage.

“There’s no time! Let’s get out of here—now!”

With great effort, the librarian dragged Serina outside. Behind them, the storage erupted in flames.

“Breathe! You need to breathe!” the librarian shouted, her face pale with worry. She slapped Serina’s cheeks lightly to snap her out of it.

The storage fire was alarming, but Serena’s life was the immediate concern.

“Ah… ahh… huff…” Slowly, Serena’s breathing began to normalize.

Meanwhile, the fire engulfed the storage, and thick smoke billowed into the sky. Fearing that the fire might spread through the forest, the librarian stomped anxiously.

“I’ll go get help. Miss, you need to leave the forest!” the librarian instructed, dashing off to find assistance.

Left behind, Serena stood with her back to the fire, her breaths ragged. Her heart pounded irregularly, and her breathing became shallow once more. The sight of the flames had frozen her mind.

Something buried deep within her memories was stirring violently.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the scar on her forehead.

“Ugh!” she groaned, clutching her head. Tears streamed down her face as pain contorted her features. The scar, whose origin she couldn’t recall, throbbed as if trying to awaken forgotten memories.

“Ah, cough, cough!”

Serena summoned her willpower to escape the scene immediately. Staying near the site any longer risked suffocating in the spreading fire that could soon engulf the forest.

But her steps felt as heavy as if stones were tied to her feet. She barely made it far before collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion.

Would she return to the beginning if she died like this, in vain?

An overwhelming wave of sorrow hit Serena. She had thought she could succeed this time, but now she faced such a futile end.

She didn’t want to die. Especially not now, when she believed she could truly save the Emperor. This belief made her cling even more desperately to life.

Just as Serena was about to lose consciousness, someone helped her out of the burning site.

In her hazy state, she couldn’t make out who it was. She only felt a brief moment of relief, thinking it might be the librarian returning.

“Serena!”

A familiar voice rang out like an auditory hallucination. In the distance, she could see someone running frantically toward her. At a glance, they seemed to have golden hair.

‘Azaid?’

Serina vaguely thought of his name but quickly shook her head.

That couldn’t be. Why would Azaid be here?

She dismissed it as a nonsensical illusion and hallucination brought on by her impending death. Her lingering regrets must have made her imagine his face.

At the moment she finally let go of her consciousness, the raging flames of the warehouse were swallowed in an instant, extinguished not naturally but by magic.

Azaid, who had only been pretending to hunt, lost track of his group. To make matters worse, he got lost and kept wandering in circles.

All he could see were trees and grass. The sound of gunfire grew increasingly distant, leaving Azhade slightly perplexed.

‘Damn it. Where the hell is this?’

If Serena had been beside him, she would undoubtedly tease, “You’re being punished for slacking off.”

Azaid smirked at the thought of Serena. But then, a faint smell of burning wafted through the air, catching his attention.

He turned toward the direction of the smell and saw black smoke rising. It seemed there was a fire nearby.

Azaid stared at the smoke. Normally, he wouldn’t care about a duke’s property burning. In fact, he might even enjoy it out of spite.

But then—

‘It was lovely. The forest path was so beautiful. I still often go there alone.’

“….”

Suddenly, Serena’s words came to mind, sending a chill down his spine. The direction of the smoke was near the walking trail close to the duke’s mansion.

What if Serena, unaware of the fire, was taking a walk there?

The thought of her possibly being caught in the flames and dying made his blood run cold.

‘Just in case.’

To dispel his unease, Azaid began heading toward the source of the fire.

Since fire was within his control, he intended to extinguish it quickly and then resume finding his way.

At that moment, an urgent message arrived from the knight tasked with guarding Serena.

– Fire has broken out at the warehouse in the forest near Greenwood Manor, where Serena Vincent was located. Rescue efforts are currently underway… (truncated).

“!!!”

Azaid needed no further confirmation. The first line of the message alone made it clear that his fears were not unfounded. He immediately sprinted toward the origin of the fire.

Before long, he spotted Serena being evacuated with the help of a knight in the distance.

“Serena!”

Tears were streaming down her face. Her complexion was deathly pale, and she looked utterly shaken. Holding her forehead, it was evident that she was in pain.

At the sound of her name, Serena turned toward Azaid. But her unfocused eyes didn’t seem to recognize him.

Azaid rushed to Serena just as she fainted completely. At the same time, with a single gesture, he extinguished the flames consuming the cabin in an instant.

“Serena! Wake up!”

Azaid shook her desperately, but her eyes didn’t open.

Worse—

“Damn it, she’s not breathing!”

Seeing her display symptoms of apnea, Azaid cursed under his breath. If he left her like this, she might die for real.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Azaid secured her airway and began performing artificial respiration on her, disregarding the astonished knight standing nearby.