They were frontier soldiers who had been visiting the mountain village for a long time, occasionally checking on security.
The more treacherous the mountains, the more ideal they were for criminals to hide, so the villagers welcomed the soldiers’ visits.
The problem was Sharti.
‘Of all times.’
Sharti glanced at the household magic stone in her hand.
‘There’s not much mana left.’
The red magic stone, which had once been the size of her face, was now only as big as Tein’s palm. Since the size decreased with use, it couldn’t be helped.
At first, she only intended to buy a mana charger, but now she needed to purchase a magic stone too. Sharti sighed deeply as she recalled the reason for the faster-than-expected consumption of the stone.
‘I need to start providing proper meals soon.’
Originally, she could have lasted another week, but circumstances had changed.
Due to the unidentified patient she had taken in, she now had to prepare meals for two people instead of one. Until now, she had fed him patient meals, but given the patient’s rapid wound healing, proper meals would be necessary from now on.
‘I should have bought them earlier.’
Unfortunately, it coincided with the time when soldiers visited the village.
For Sharti, who avoided people carrying swords due to trauma, this was adding insult to injury.
‘For now, let’s feed him soup today.’
Setting aside her worries for the moment, Sharti headed straight to the back of the log cabin.
There was a small garden that she had worked hard to maintain.
‘This won’t last much longer either.’
It was already autumn.
And the seasons would pass in the blink of an eye before winter arrived.
Food was the most critical issue, but for now, Sharti harvested enough for today. Two carrots and two potatoes.
‘…Should I dig up one more?’
Recalling the size of the patient in the cave, Sharti hesitated before digging up one more potato.
Sharti went inside the house and placed the vegetables in the kitchen.
It was a cramped space that could barely be called a kitchen. A cupboard, and a cutting board and knife on the table.
‘Let’s hurry.’
She trimmed the vegetables and herbs together.
After cutting the ingredients into small pieces, she tapped the red magic stone on the table a couple of times.
‘I hope it works.’
Fortunately, the pattern on the magic stone became clearer and gradually warmed up.
Sharti quickly placed the magic stone under the pot.
‘The heat is weak, but this should be fine.’
When she added herbs to the bland taste, a savory aroma soon spread.
Still, Sharti’s cooking was always more about health than taste.
Just as she was about to lift the pot.
‘…!’
There was a cracking sound, and finally the magic stone split in two, reaching the end of its life.
‘…At least it lasted for today.’
Sharti tried to think positively.
Of course, considering the situation in the village and the state of her wallet, there wasn’t much to be hopeful about.
‘Bandages and ointment… and did I pack spoons too?’
Sharti, having finished her preparations, left the house.
‘I need to arrive before it gets cold.’
She wanted to feed him warm soup if possible.
Since the cave was cool, and she had only covered him with a thick blanket instead of clothes, Sharti hurried her steps. She skillfully navigated through the rough mountains where there wasn’t much of a path.
‘…Hmm?’
Arriving at her destination, Sharti paused and surveyed the area around the cave.
The beast-repelling herbs she had sprinkled on the ground looked somehow unnatural.
‘Was it blown by the wind?’
The scattered herb traces, more disturbed than when she had left the cave, made her uneasy.
Sharti tilted her head and entered the cave.
‘…Could he have woken up?’
Just in case, she took out a long staff and gripped it as she walked inside.
Drip… Drip… The sound of water droplets falling inside the cave echoed gently.
“……”
As she moved forward, the tension that had made it hard to breathe suddenly dissipated when she saw that the man on the bed was still sound asleep.
His improving complexion was also noticeable day by day.
Thump. Thump. Thump. As she approached the man to check his temperature, she heard even breathing.
‘…Hm. Maybe I was being too sensitive.’
Sharti put down the long staff, feeling relieved. She quietly approached the bed and began unwrapping his bandages.
She checked the man’s abdominal and thigh wounds, which had been the most severe.
‘This will take a bit more time to heal.’
Recovery was slow because he had been stabbed deeply to a life-threatening extent.
Still, with the man’s recovery ability, a week should be sufficient. Sharti was reassured.
‘One week.’
She planned to stop visiting once he recovered enough to move by then.
Sharti waved her hand in front of the man’s face to check his consciousness.
The man didn’t move at all. It was the same when she touched his body to wrap the bandages.
‘My heart is pounding so much.’
Although it was for safe treatment, she felt guilty about continuously sedating him.
Still, it was better than being caught off guard.
Sharti carefully sat on the edge of the bed and opened her bag. The mashed carrot and potato soup had cooled to just the right temperature.
<It’s mealtime.>
Sharti wrote on the man’s palm as a courtesy before taking out a spoon. She carefully scooped the soup and poured it into the man’s mouth.
Then, due to her awkward posture, she spilled some soup.
‘…Ah!’
Feeding something to a sleeping person was never going to be easy.
‘Excuse me.’
After apologizing to the sleeping man, Sharti climbed onto the bed.
Sitting at the head of the bed, she placed the man’s head on her thigh. Previously, she had fumbled with this, but now it was easier.
[Doctor! You must do as Virena did for me. It’s called a lap pillow!]
This was Tein’s instruction to Sharti when she kept spilling soup while trying to feed the man.
It was an embarrassing and awkward posture, but the patient’s nutrition was important.
Hoping the man wouldn’t wake up, Sharti covered his eyes with one hand while diligently feeding him soup.
‘Fortunately, this person chews and swallows well even while sleeping.’
Even while asleep, the man ate well and swallowed whatever was given to him.
‘Without spilling.’
She scraped the bowl clean and fed him the last spoonful.
Compared to Tein, who was still clumsy with his table manners, the man’s sleeping eating etiquette was quite neat.
Sharti checked on the man who was quietly resting his head on her thigh.
‘If I could feed him more nutritious food, his recovery would be faster.’
For example, meat or fruit.
But that was out of the question.
Sigh. A silent sigh escaped her. Having few possessions and therefore limited choices always left her feeling empty.
‘Still, I’ve treated him well so that no scars will remain.’
Both internal and external injuries were healing smoothly.
She was trying to erase traces of his terrible experiences as well, so she had done her duty as a doctor.
“……”
Lost in thought, she noticed the man’s distinct features clearly.
Due to the darkness of the cave, she had thought his hair was black, but the man had dark brown hair. His thick eyebrows and well-defined jawline hinted at his masculinity.
Despite having been sick and asleep for days, his well-muscled body was not much different from when they first met.
‘What kind of work did he do to have a body like this?’
Sharti, who had been absently staring at his tanned, tightly-knit abs, quickly snapped back to attention.
‘Hmm. I need to dress him. It will get colder, and a blanket has its limits.’
But buying men’s clothes presented problems—not just with sizing, but also because the clothing store owner in the village was known for chatting with customers.
She had been putting it off until now, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention.
‘Do I have to make it myself…’
There was a disposal area in the village where unused fabrics were collected.
It would be labor-intensive, but it was the best option for now.
‘…Hmm…’
Hesitation seeped into Sharti’s gaze as she looked at the man.
Wanting him to wake up soon. Hoping he would leave in good health. Yet also feeling that she shouldn’t get more deeply entangled with this man.
She was confused about whether she was using sleeping medicine for her own safety, or because of a premonition that her peaceful life might be disrupted.
‘…I seem to have grown attached without realizing it.’
Sharti found herself absently playing with the man’s hair.
“Doctor!”
“…!”
Startled by Tein’s sudden visit, Sharti unconsciously tightened her grip.
Grip! For a moment, the man’s hair was pulled in Sharti’s hand. The man’s body tensed instantly, but Sharti, who was hastily adjusting her posture, didn’t notice.
While Sharti was hurriedly getting off the bed, Tein came running on his short legs. With soil all over his face and clothes, Tein smiled brightly and held out an herb.
“It’s Dongdo herb! It helps maintain body temperature and aids wound recovery.”
Sharti smiled awkwardly and wrote on Tein’s palm.
<You’ve gone off to gather herbs by yourself again.>
Tein beamed with a broad smile.
However, the fact that he had come here alone was dangerous.
‘If a child climbs the mountain alone, the soldiers might notice too.’
Sharti put on a somewhat stern expression.
Before she could tell him to refrain for a while, the child, excited by the praise, sparkled his eyes.
“I washed it clean with water.”
Praise came first.
<Thank you, Tein.>
“Medicine should be taken after meals. So I came at mealtime!”
What an excellent apprentice and assistant.
Sharti repeatedly stroked Tein’s face and head.
She put the finely shredded Dongdo herb into the man’s mouth.
“This patient is amazing. Dongdo herb is extremely bitter, but there’s no change in his expression.”
For a moment, the man’s mouth twitched.
“Ah! Seeing his furrowed brow, thankfully his sense of taste seems intact!”
Tein said cheerfully.
Meanwhile, Sharti scratched her chin while glancing at the emptied bowl. She recalled the herbs she had added to the man’s meals every time. They were all herbs with musty and dull tastes.
‘But he’s been eating everything well so far?’
Hmm? Sharti’s gaze quietly turned to the man.
Though he should be sleeping due to the sleeping medicine, the man was chewing the herbs thoroughly and swallowing them well. Yet there was no reaction when Tein pressed his arm muscles nearby.
Sharti looked for rational reasons rather than hasty suspicions.
‘He might not have been able to taste before since he had a slight fever, and even though recovery was fast, his body wasn’t normal.’
Judging by his reaction to the bitter taste just now, his recovery seemed to be progressing well.
“Doctor.”
After confirming that the man had swallowed all the herbs, Tein approached Sharti and extended his palm.
<What?>
Tein hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Before the patient wakes up, I want to apply the medicine myself.”
Fidgeting with his little finger, Tein appealed his wishes.
“No one trusts me because I’m young. Patients get anxious. But this patient is sleeping. He won’t know if I treat him. Doctor, I want to treat the patient too!”
At this point, treatment only involved the simple task of applying medicine to wounds.
For that basic task, Tein clenched his fists and passionately tried to persuade Sharti.
‘Well, this little genius must have been itching to get his hands on this.’
Sharti glanced at the man on the bed and thought for a moment.
<Then would you like to take care of him until he wakes up?>
Tein’s face brightened at Sharti’s permission. Covering his mouth with his hand, afraid the man might wake up, the child stamped his feet excitedly.
‘So cute.’
It was when Tein was excitedly listing the herbs to use on the man.
“…uh, umm……”
“…?”
“Doc-Doctor! The patient’s muscular arm is twitching.”
Suddenly?
