Chapter 23

This is a different perspective from Chapter 07 to Chapter 11, with almost the same content. If you don't like it, please skip it.

The new information officer who appeared here will officially appear in the main story later.

The child, who woke up in the middle of the night in the darkness, cried and screamed in fear, and was comforted back to sleep.

Even in my arms, the child's small body was so light and thin, it was almost too light, and emaciated.

The cafeteria I went to for lunch a little later than usual was abuzz with one topic.

Dilnan, the head of the cooking team, had returned with a cute child.

Though it sounded like a tall tale, with the number of eyewitnesses, including Elies, the head of the documentation team, it couldn't be dismissed as a lie.

After finishing the meal and returning to the infirmary, it wasn't long before, as rumored, the child appeared in my stronghold, the infirmary, accompanied by Dilnan and Elies.

One of the knights from the outer guard team had been brought in earlier in the morning due to their actions. I was surprised they had the nerve to show their faces.

I gave a little sarcastic comment, but Elies showed no sign of remorse. Dilnan also didn't seem to feel guilty. In fact, he even said it was better that they weren't there. I sighed in exasperation.

In the midst of this, the child, who was sleeping in Dilnan's arms, looked so cute that I felt at ease.

My own son has been independent for a long time, so I even felt a sense of nostalgia at the sight of the child.

However, if the child was coming to the infirmary, there must be something wrong. I steeled myself and asked Dilnan and Elies what the matter was.

The story of how Dilnan brought the child was surprising.

The child had been left alone in the 'Deep Forest' and was being chased by a ferocious carnivorous monster when Dilnan rescued them.

The child had lost their memory and only knew their name, 'Yuri,' thanks to a guardian ring. They were emaciated and ate very little.

Dilnan was worried and brought the child in for a check-up.

I instructed Dilnan to lay the child down to sleep.

"Bax, come here."

Honestly, as a doctor, I couldn't ignore the situation.

The child's small body was delicate and fragile, and adult medical equipment often didn't fit. Medication management also needed to be handled carefully.

The health management and treatment of this child, even in the medical team, required skilled personnel, and it would have to be mainly me and the deputy team leader, Bax.

I made this judgment and called Bax, who was supposed to be looking at a medical encyclopedia in the back room, and he came out immediately.

"Is there a problem?"

"It's a child's check-up. We have the time and hands free, so it's better if you take a look too."

"Could it be the one from the cafeteria?"

Bax seemed to have heard the story and quickly understood when I briefly explained the matter. His eyes were shining, as he was a man who liked cute things.

Dilnan and Elies looked worried, but they couldn't do anything just by being there. In fact, they would be in the way.

They were going to the blacksmith team to call Jott and Kalf to make equipment for this child—Yuri—so I quickly sent them away.

I explained the situation to Bax and we efficiently conducted the check-up while the child was sleeping.

It's rare for two of us to examine a patient unless it's a very serious case.

"...How long was this child left alone? The height and weight ratio is too bad. The arms and legs are so thin, and the abdomen is protruding."

"The blood composition is the same. The internal organs seem to be intact, but an IV would be good."

"Then, we need to check for external injuries and mental damage after the child wakes up."

We finished the basic check-up and recorded the values and observations in the new medical chart. Then, we undressed the child to check for external injuries.

"!"

"!?"

We were supposed to just check for injuries, but Bax and I both gasped.

Yuri didn't have any sexual characteristics. Neither male nor female, but a special neutral body that could become either when they grew up.

I've lived a long time, but this was the first time I had seen such a rare demon.

A child from a wealthy family who could be given a guardian ring should be raised as a precious bird, so to speak.

"This is quite suspicious."

"It's not normal."

"...There don't seem to be any major injuries. The small injuries on the arms and legs are not a problem."

We confirmed what needed to be confirmed and dressed Yuri.

"I'll write a report and request a confidential investigation from the information team. Dilnan and the others probably don't know that Yuri is a neutral body. They were probably planning to request an investigation later. After that, we'll give the child an IV with nutrients and supply water."

"Understood. I'll prepare the IV."

We confirmed what needed to be done, and I entrusted Yuri's IV to Bax and went to my desk to start writing the rarely written investigation request and the accompanying report.

With the two sheets of paper in hand, I left the infirmary and headed to the information team's office.

"Is Vass there?"

I opened the door and called out to Vass, the head of the information team.

A team member in the office went to the back. After a short wait, Vass appeared.

He had long, dark purple hair tied up.

His bangs covered the upper half of his face, and his age was unknown, as were the color of his face and eyes.

However, he was wearing a tight, black stealth suit, and from the state of his well-trained muscles, he was probably not over 500 years old.

"...What?"

"It's you. I want you to investigate this. It's quite special and complex, and it needs to be kept confidential."

He asked in a low voice, and I showed him the paper I had brought and explained the matter in a whisper.

Vass held out his hand to take the paper.

I handed it over, and he read it, then burned the report and left the request.

"Is that all the information?"

"The details are known to Dilnan, so ask him. If more detailed information comes up later, I'll report it. ...Vass, can you handle the investigation?"

"...I can't send anyone else. It's dangerous."

"Understood. Then, I'll leave it to you."

Vass is a man of unusually few words.

When the conversation was over, I turned my back on him and headed back to the infirmary.

When I returned to the infirmary, Bax had already started the IV.

I checked the needle just in case, and it was inserted accurately. There was no problem.

"Welcome back."

"Ah. The chart for Yuri...?"

"Here it is."

I sat at my desk and continued filling out the chart that I had interrupted.

Just as I finished writing, Dilnan and Elies returned with Jott, the head of the blacksmith team, and Kalf, the deputy.

Dilnan's face changed when he saw Yuri sleeping on the bed.

"Vincent!?"

"The child was malnourished and dehydrated, so I did it just in case. Dilnan, you didn't give the child enough water, did you? Children need more water than adults, so don't forget that."

"...Anything else?"

"...There's one more problem. This child is a neutral body."

When I explained the reason for the IV to the approaching Dilnan, his face twisted slightly, but when I told him the biggest problem, all four of them were speechless. They didn't know, after all.

"Neutral body...?"

"To think you would bring such a special child to the 'Deep Forest.' I've only seen a neutral body once. I've already requested a confidential investigation from the information team. Vass will handle it. He might come to you later for additional information. But it's a troublesome case. If things go wrong, the child might be erased from existence."

I emphasized that it wasn't a joke by telling Dilnan that Vass would handle it.

"When the child wakes up, I'll try to talk to them, but the memory loss is probably psychological. It's impossible for a child to be left in the 'Deep Forest' without being shocked. Other than that, there are no problems. Just feed them well and let them rest."

Dilnan regained his composure when I reported that there were no other problems and that the memory loss would be checked later.

He went to Yuri's side and gently stroked her cheek. Elies also approached Yuri like Dilnan and smiled at her sleeping face.

The two blacksmiths also approached Yuri's sleeping bed, looked at her, heard her name, and started taking measurements.

After finishing the work quickly, they both left the infirmary.

"Let's have some tea while we wait for Yuri to wake up."

Bax, seeing the atmosphere in the infirmary, suggested and started preparing tea.

While taking a break with tea, Dilnan, for some reason, broke a cruller and brought it close to Yuri's face.

I watched to see what he was going to do, and suddenly Yuri bit into Dilnan's finger, which was holding the cruller!?

Elies was laughing out loud, but Vincent and Bax were just stunned. Yuri should have been unconscious.

Not only did she bite, but she also gnawed on Dilnan's finger while growling.

Dilnan laughed and called out to her, and Yuri finally woke up.

She looked up at Dilnan with sleepy eyes, confirming her location.

When Yuri tilted her head at the IV, Dilnan explained that she had received a check-up.

When Elies approached the bed and spoke to Yuri, it was about that time.

"Good morning, Yuri."

"Good morning, Elies-niisan."

She couldn't pronounce properly because she was a child, which made the adults smile.

Elies, knowing the reason, didn't get angry, but the child looked apologetic and bowed to Elies.

"It's too harsh to expect perfect pronunciation from a child of this age. They will naturally be able to speak properly as they grow, and the rest is just a matter of getting used to it by talking a lot."

When I tried to help, Yuri's eyes turned to me and Bax.

"Nice to meet you, Yuri. I'm Vincent, the head of the medical team. The one over there is Bax, the deputy. You'll need to see us for treatment when necessary, so try to remember us, okay?"

"Nice to meet you, Yuri. Vincent-uncle and Bax-niisan."

When I introduced myself, Yuri tried to call us by name, but she stumbled on the 's' sound like Elies and became even smaller.

The adorable sight of the child made the infirmary unusually warm.

While Yuri, who was receiving an IV, sat up, Bax prepared hot milk and gave her a cruller, which she started to eat like Tichis.

She seemed very happy, as if she was enjoying the sweet treat.

...So far, there are no visible signs of emotional trauma. There is no shadow or murkiness in her eyes.

"Still, she really eats well."

"The child's appetite is incredible. ...Yuri, don't follow strangers just because they offer you food."

"That's right. If you really want to eat something, don't take it from strangers. Come to us, and we'll give you delicious sweets."

"You can come to me too. I always have sweets in stock."

When I commented, Dilnan nodded and warned Yuri.

Elies and Bax also joined in, and Yuri nodded, looking puzzled.

...I'm a bit worried if she understands.

"Well, since you belong to the cooking and documentation teams, you won't lack for food."

"Second Special Team."

"It would be too difficult to place you only in the cooking team. You'll specialize in preparation, but we use a lot of tash potatoes, belmons, and orions every day."

"We plan to have you do the weekly data collection for the documentation team."

"Until your weight is appropriate for your height, you'll be in the documentation team twice a week. The cooking team will be two days, and the documentation team will be one day, with a break in between. If it's too much, take a break after one set. And every week, on the first or last morning, you'll come for a check-up."

"Understood."

Dilnan, who seemed to be worried about Yuri's reaction like me, was a bit surprised by the content, which I said would ease his immediate concerns. Elies also joined in.

Belonging to the second special team of the cooking and documentation teams... I felt a bit uneasy about the content and, as a doctor, I had to say a word.

While explaining the condition of Yuri's small body and the points to be careful about, and instructing Dilnan and Elies to bring her to the infirmary immediately if anything happens, I heard Bax and Yuri talking about the 14th team of the Northern Demon King's Castle.

After hearing about the external teams from Bax and answering simple math problems, Yuri.

Normally, children don't start studying until they are over 50 years old, and it's not necessary.

They should eat a lot, run around and play outside, and sleep a lot to grow.

This child, who is about 30 years old, must have had a very different life.

Dilnan and Elies also noticed the abnormality and their expressions hardened.

"Then, let's talk about the internal teams. How many do you know, Yuri?"

"Well, the cooking team, Elies-niisan's documentation team, and this is the medical team... Then, the team that takes care of the rats and the blacksmith team! And... the cleaning team with brooms as weapons, and the farming team with vegetables as weapons!!"

...When asked about the internal teams, the adults were all floored by Yuri's response. The serious atmosphere that had just started to form was completely blown away.

The internal teams of the Northern Demon King's Castle are known for their small, elite staff, which is only a fraction of the staff of other Demon King's Castles. But to Yuri, they were just roles and names of people. The last two teams were treated as oddities.

The four adults tried hard not to burst out laughing, and Yuri tilted her head, saying, "Huh?"

Her deadly cuteness made it hard to avoid fainting.

"Ah, cough. You've been listening carefully to what Team Leader Dilnan and Team Leader Elies have been saying