The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away-Chapter 39: The Martial Arts Tournament (5)
“Enemy cavalry is launching a surprise attack from the rear! Hold formation!”
Under the Moonlight Palace captain’s command, the knights moved in flawless unison.
After breaking through the knights of the Royal Prince’s army—one of the Emperor’s nephews—they aimed to seize the next high ground.
It was an ideal position to scout the entire battlefield.
“That northern knight’s pretty tough.”
“She’s been leading the charge solo since the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) start. No wonder she won the individual match.”
“I heard she’s from the Gotberg Marquisate. Thought they only raised healers, but I guess that house breeds talent.”
The Emperor watched Tanya and exchanged impressions with his fellow royal princes.
“She seems very loyal to the Marquisate. If they can field a knight like that, then Gotberg’s heir must be quite the youth.”
“Wasn’t he appointed personal physician to the Third Princess?”
“Anyone who can cast blessings over an entire knight corps must be the real deal.”
Dust clouds billowed across the battlefield in the wake of a heated clash.
“My knight corps!!”
Tojin Palace’s knights had already fallen in mutual destruction with Lauga’s forces.
Georg tore at his hair in despair over his faction’s humiliating defeat, having achieved nothing in the mock battle.
The Moonlight Palace knights had charged ahead with momentum, but by the latter half of the fight, their limits were starting to show.
They’d done well to provoke the remaining two enemy units into fighting each other during the final three-way skirmish. But the surviving corps from that clash still had overwhelming momentum.
Heike’s knights.
Heike wasn’t in the spectator stands—because she was in the arena herself, on horseback, leading her troops directly.
Like Georg, she was dead serious about inheriting the throne. An ambitious, ruthless woman.
“Victory is within reach! Advance!”
Galloping across the battlefield, her full, golden hair whipping behind her muscular and statuesque frame—she looked like a painting come to life. She resembled Asella, but with a sturdier build.
Our Company 1 may have technically been part of the Imperial Knights, but they were still ordinary soldiers. They couldn’t match the elite knights under Heike.
Moonlight Palace’s forces weren’t being completely overwhelmed, but they were clearly outnumbered.
Eventually, Tanya and the remaining twenty knights were surrounded by Heike’s elites.
“You there—new knight from the North.”
Heike pointed her sword at Tanya and shouted.
Her voice boomed across the arena, amplified by a magical loudspeaker.
“You must see the state of the battle. The outcome is clear. Will you persist in this meaningless resistance?”
She was pressuring us to surrender.
Asella realized the implications and frowned deeply.
“Haha, urging loyalty’s collapse from the enemy’s best knight? Cold move, Sister Heike.” freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Georg smugly explained the situation to Asella, trying to provoke her.
I understood what he meant, of course.
Even if this was just a festival mock battle, and even if Heike was technically Asella’s sibling, in palace politics, they were enemy factions.
By suggesting surrender first, Heike had framed a tactically sound retreat as cowardice—a betrayal.
Cunning, for someone aiming at the throne.
Now Moonlight Palace’s knights had only one option: to fight to the bitter end. But that would lead to a humiliating beatdown.
And Asella would lose the Emperor’s favor.
Heike had laid down a ruthlessly efficient trap in just a few words.
“...Tch.”
Asella clicked her tongue.
I leaned close and whispered.
“Your Highness, let’s wait just a little longer.”
“Why?”
“Excessive stress inhibits digestion and causes sleep disorders.”
“...Huu. Took a hit there. I knew Heike’s knights were strong, but still.”
“We only need to establish justification.”
“You have a plan?”
I nodded.
“I already instructed Tanya on how to respond to a situation like this.”
Asella turned her gaze back to the battlefield.
Tanya lowered her sword and stepped forward to meet Heike’s gaze.
“Have you chosen to surrender?”
“The reason Moonlight Palace’s knights will cease battle here is...”
Tanya removed the gauntlet from her arm and held it up to the crowd.
Her arm was marked with various wounds and abrasions from the fight.
“...because continuing would show disrespect to the lord we serve.”
She pulled a red potion from her coat and applied it to her wounds.
A gentle glow signaled the beginning of healing.
“Hm? What’s that?”
The Emperor, watching the scene, leaned forward in interest.
Tanya continued.
“This is a wound-healing medicine crafted through alchemy. My master, Lord Las Gotberg, prepared it for me.”
Her declaration caused a stir in the audience.
“Alchemy?”
“It’s not an artifact?”
“Treating wounds without healing magic?”
“That’s Gotberg, the royal physician!”
After carefully placing the red vial back into her coat, Tanya held up her now-healed arm for all to see.
“My master has poured his utmost effort not only into the Princess’s care but also for the health of Moonlight Palace’s knights. If I were to continue this fight...”
She narrowed her eyes at Heike.
“...I would be stealing my master’s time and labor. That would directly jeopardize the health of Her Highness Asella, and that would be disrespectful.”
Nice. She’s got a good mouth on her.
Guess all that training in our Marquisate paid off.
“For those reasons, and in loyalty to Her Highness Asella, our knights hereby acknowledge defeat and withdraw from the mock battle.”
Once Tanya finished, the crowd erupted into applause.
Cheers of encouragement for a beautiful loser.
“The winner of the team mock battle has been decided!”
The announcer’s voice echoed through the Colosseum as knights began to calmly withdraw from the field.
Heike stared daggers at Tanya’s retreating figure before glancing up at our viewing stand, a crooked smile on her lips.
Only half of her blood was royal, but the smile she wore had that same eerie quality all royals seemed to share.
“Physician, was that your doing?”
As the noise in the arena swelled, Asella asked me a question.
“Yes. I’d heard Princess Heike might personally take the field, so I prepared the red potion just in case something like this happened.”
“Hmph.”
“Did it displease you? I could’ve had Tanya rehearse her lines a bit more thoroughly...”
“...No. We’ll talk later.”
Asella turned her head sharply, hiding her expression from me.
***
After a short break came the Magic Tournament.
They’d packed all the highlights of the tournament into Day One.
Apparently, the schedule was arranged this way for the Emperor’s health. Day Two would be a wild fest of performances from the palace orchestra and kitchen staff.
And on the morning of Day Three, we’d all return to the palace. I had to monitor Asella the entire time, so I wasn’t sure how long my focus would hold out.
“A mage from the Second Prince’s faction is up now. The crowd seems to like him.”
I peered through the waiting room’s curtains and relayed the arena scene to her.
“They didn’t even have any court magicians before. Must’ve begged Her Majesty to lend them a few disciples.”
Asella spoke irritably.
The maids were adjusting her new outfit and reapplying her makeup.
She was changing into her mage robes for the tournament.
The staff she held in one hand had an elaborate ornament on top and looked a bit too heavy for her frame.
She flipped her high-pinned hair with a swish and asked:
“Does it suit me?”
“More graceful than any Archmage I’ve ever seen.”
“You’ve got that silver tongue by birth, don’t you?”
She snapped back, but didn’t seem displeased with the compliment. She sat quietly at the table, waiting for her turn.
Now it was my job.
I pumped the cuff and checked her blood pressure.
...105 over 50. A bit hypotensive as usual, but within range.
Used a thermometer I’d made—35.8 degrees Celsius.
I recorded the numbers in my notebook.
“What’re you writing so much for?”
“These are all essential numbers for Your Highness.”
“You always carry that notebook around, don’t you?”
“Yes. Oh, please be careful not to expose it—it contains top-level secrets, including data about Your Highness.”
Asella glanced at the notebook.
I kept the ingredients and formulas for my medicines written in there. Might be useful if I ever decide to write a book, so I treat it with care.
“Lastly, I’ll check your pulse.”
When I reached for her wrist, she pulled her arm back slightly.
“Do we have to do this every time?”
“Yes. It’s part of your mana circuit check. Especially today, we need to confirm everything is normal.”
“I already checked this morning. My mana’s flowing like the Nekaa River.”
“That was ten hours ago.”
“...Seriously.”
She scowled, then reluctantly offered me her right arm.
Her wrist was so slender, I could wrap my thumb and middle finger around it and still have room to spare.
Blood pressure and heart rate aren’t directly correlated, so both had to be measured. If one was off baseline, it meant something was wrong.
Of course, using a stethoscope would’ve been easier—but if I did, she’d probably say her soul was being sucked out through her chest.
Ba-dump, ba-dump.
I manually checked her pulse through the artery.
“All normal. As always, Your Highness has a fast heartbeat despite low blood pressure. Could just be your constitution, but I’m a little concerned.”
“Shut up.”
“Please don’t ignore your physician’s medical advice. You must be aware of your own condition for me to—ow.”
Asella slapped the back of my hand, frowning.
She was definitely the type of kid who hated hospitals growing up.
Probably too clever to fall for bribes like “I’ll buy you pork cutlets.”
More likely, she’d dunk me in oil and turn me into a pork cutlet.
“Respiratory rate would be good to check too.”
“Breathing? What do you mean?”
“Like this.”
I held my index and middle fingers horizontally under her nose.
Asella didn’t move her upper body, but jerked her face back like a turtle hiding in its shell.
“Just breathe normally. Respiratory rate is also a vital metric. Your Highness—if you hold your breath, I can’t measure anything.”
“You!”
She slapped my hand again and stood up abruptly.
Gripping her staff, her golden eyes flared with fury.
Yeah, she looked more powerful than ever right now.
Cheers rang out from outside. The Second Prince’s faction had finished their magic display.
Which meant Asella’s turn was next.
Only then did she rein in her hostility and straighten her staff.
“Good luck out there.”
Asella didn’t respond to my send-off.
She walked out of the waiting room with firm, deliberate steps.
