IWIAHC Chapter 34

5. Spiritual Physician

The prayer room was a narrow space barely accommodating a desk and chair for meditation. On the desk sat a small blue porcelain dish with a pedestal stand. In the dish, the Emperor's ring was submerged in holy water.

Lily removed an empty bottle from her basket and carefully tilted the dish to pour out the holy water.

After sealing the bottle tightly, she took out another small bottle. That bottle, about the size of a medicine vial, contained holy water blessed directly by the High Priest.

Pouring the bottled holy water into the dish completed Lily's business in the prayer room.

Having focused on the fact that protective items functioned as such due to the Sovereign God's blessing, they'd obtained holy water with considerable difficulty.

Thanks to it, color was slowly returning to the ring—though not as much as when she'd first received it.

Her business finished, Lily went to the bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Your Majesty, it's Lily."

Again today, there was no answer. She opened the door unconcernedly and spoke.

"I'm coming in."

Julius Scheiwartz's soul stood by the window. His entire form was corrupted to pitch black, though color was returning in patches. The situation resembled the ring's.

She couldn't know exactly why his condition had rapidly deteriorated then. She could only guess that encountering Aiden at that point had exerted an unfortunate influence, judging by the timing.

In any case, when she'd first seen him in that state—that is, when he'd been irresistibly drawn out following the "pick up and throw the ring" operation—Lily had thought she might faint.

She'd never seen, even in dreams, a ghost whose face had turned black as if cursed. It had truly resembled a black pillar rising from hell itself.

But now she was so immersed in her role that she could commit fraud without batting an eye.

"Your Majesty, do you recognize me?"

[Lily... physician...]

"Yes. Your spiritual physician, Lily Dienta. Did you rest peacefully last night?"

[I couldn't... sleep...]

"Oh dear. I see. Would you come sit here? I'll measure your soul heat and wave count."

Doctors fundamentally measured patients' body temperature and pulse. Then a spiritual physician should measure a soul's temperature and waves.

Lily removed a glass rod from her basket. It was just a glass rod—a simple glass rod with no function whatsoever.

When she brought the rod to Julius's mouth, he obediently took it between his lips. Not that the glass rod floated in midair, so Lily continued holding it.

She counted to thirty internally, then retrieved the glass rod. Then she held the rod up and pretended to examine it closely.

"Your soul heat is still low. Don't you feel chilly?"

[A little...]

Wow! This works again!

Whenever Lily saw her nonsense succeed, she always felt half absurd, half thrilled. Even an Emperor didn't doubt a doctor's words.

Playing doctor was actually far from Lily's plan.

The original setup had been this: Lily Dienta, a good citizen filled to the bone with patriotism, happened to protect the Emperor's soul.

Lily, burning with a sense of mission to defend her homeland from heretics and restore the true Emperor.

Together they would uncover the heretical cult leader's schemes. And then, well, their eyes would meet frequently... being constantly together... somehow affection would develop... and the Emperor would want to confess the truth and receive comfort.

This perfect plan had to be abandoned before it could even begin—because of none other than Julius's needless good memory.

[You were with Aiden...!]

At their first meeting in the annex, Julius's eyes widened as if they'd pop out upon recognizing Lily. His already hideous face became even more terrible, nearly unbearable to look at.

But that wasn't why Lily's mind went blank. She simply hadn't expected Julius to recognize her.

Before coming to the annex, she'd considerably altered external aspects like her hairstyle and clothing.

Even intact nobles often failed to recognize maids once they let down their hair and removed their uniforms—how could a mentally unsound ghost recognize her?

Yet incredibly, not only did he remember clearly, he tried to flee as if he'd seen a ghost. Though he himself was the ghost.

Lily's plan to hide her connection with the Duke and build a relationship focused solely on the Emperor had derailed from the start. She'd had to hastily devise a different setup.

A role that made being with the Duke's soul natural while simultaneously earning Julius's trust.

An expert who could extract intimate information from the subject, force specific behaviors or therapies, and whose expertise couldn't easily be doubted.

And a position that could claim superiority even in the relationship with the Emperor...!

'Truly, only divine assistance can explain how "doctor" occurred to me in that moment.'

Lily returned from her reminiscence and, claiming to measure the soul's waves, grasped Julius's wrist and performed theatrically.

Afterward, she moved a chair to sit opposite him.

"Then let's begin today's treatment. Take a comfortable position and close your eyes. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in... Repeat."

For hastily learned meditation techniques, her voice sounded remarkably professional.

"Sacred sunlight shines into every corner of your soul. Warm sunlight... Feel the warmth penetrating your skin. Following that warmth, your soul slowly heals. Maintain your breathing."

Julius followed her words without even moving his brow.

Talking about the soul's recovery was part of her spiritual physician act, but she also genuinely hoped this method gleaned from folk remedy books might actually work.

Julius's memories currently weren't intact. Only his instinctive fear of Aiden and obsession with his original body remained.

At this rate, far from obtaining clues for attacking the heretical cult leader, they were merely needlessly keeping an evil spirit trapped in the ducal castle.

"Your soul recalls its original form. It's being purified bit by bit. You're regaining completeness. Entrust your soul to the Sovereign God's infinite mercy. The best things for you are coming..."

Slowly, in an utterly peaceful voice, she uttered similar phrases for several more minutes before finally saying, "Open your eyes."

"How do you feel now?"

[Calm...]

It might have been her imagination, but the soul's turbidity seemed to have lightened slightly as well.

She cautiously approached the main topic.

"Are any new facts surfacing?"

Julius stared at Lily with vacant eyes.

"Even something very small is fine. Even if it seems unrelated to Your Majesty's return."

[My body...]

Ugh, my ears will develop calluses.

Today was another failure. She'd heard that damned body refrain at least a hundred times. Just when improvement seemed possible, it regressed twofold. At this point, she had no face to show Aiden.

Lily waited for Julius's words with a patient attitude. She had to stay attached for an hour anyway. Her plan was to half-listen then try to draw out different reactions.

But no sooner had disappointment set in than a new development arrived.

[My body... that bastard said about my body... a mere commoner's body... an incompetent shell that can't see reason...]

Lily lowered her eyes to avoid appearing too bright-eyed. Meanwhile, she listened intently so as not to miss a single word from Julius.

[How dare a heretic speak of the august Emperor...]

Lily chimed in with his grinding voice.

"The audacious one who stole Your Majesty's body has no shame. Truly disrespectful. If only I could repay this insult, I would do anything."

She didn't forget to gently coax him along.

"Today's signs are good. There's definitely improvement. Is there anything else surfacing?"

After briefly pondering, he suddenly opened his eyes wide.

[Themis... Otto...]

Before Lily could ask who owned those names, he moved first.

[Themis, Otto, Themis, Otto...]

Julius repeatedly muttered in an anguished voice, clutching his head, then rose from his seat. His staggering legs headed toward the door. The situation seemed serious, so after hesitating, Lily followed him out.

Half-hidden behind the bedroom door with her neck craned to observe, she saw Julius already at the entrance.

The whisper that had diminished with distance was gradually growing louder again.

[Themis, Otto...!]

Julius lowered one hand and grasped the doorknob. His hand inevitably sliced through empty air.

He began pounding on the door. Unlike the doorknob, the door—a boundary between exterior and interior—wouldn't let Julius pass through.

[Themis, Otto, Themis, Themis, Themis!]

One punch per name.

He who'd been shouting at ear-splitting volume finally threw his body against the door. Following his agitated emotions, faint vibrations could be felt from the building.

Lily fled back to the bedroom in alarm and shut the door.