The Genius Physician Princess - Chapter 21

While Yeo-ul was still adapting to Wizardian, Lantus was fighting for his life in the dragon Medeia’s domain.

“Kiieeeeek!”

Crunch!

A gargoyle’s claw dug into Lantus’s chest with a chilling sound.

“Urgh!”

Enduring the pain of his chest muscles being torn, Lantus grabbed the gargoyle’s ankle.

Pouring all his strength into it, the gargoyle’s leg exploded.

“Kieeek!”

Taking advantage of the moment, a spear of pure white magic pierced through the gargoyle’s torso like a flash.

Even though the magic was limited and the spear was much smaller than usual, it was enough to penetrate the heart.

“Gurrk.”

As the gargoyle fell, blood gushed out, joining the dozens of other gargoyle corpses around.

Finally, it’s over.

“Hoo.”

Lantus wiped the blood streaming down his forehead and blinked to clear his blurred vision.

‘I must not lose consciousness. I have to endure.’

Who knew what other monsters might appear next?

‘If I collapse, it’s over.’

The price for stepping into a dragon’s domain without permission was severe.

Right after parting with Yeo-ul, he had fought countless monsters.

Despite the dragon’s power preventing him from using his full magic.

Now, he was soaked in his own blood from head to toe.

He had sustained several serious injuries.

“Hoo. Haah.”

Lantus panted, clutching the wound on his side that had reopened in the recent fight.

‘Maybe my preparation wasn’t enough after all.’

He had made some preparations before coming here.

But time had been too short.

Lantus chuckled wryly.

‘It’s not surprising. I knew it would turn out like this.’

With trembling hands, he infused magic into the wounds on his chest and side.

The bleeding slowed a bit.

But that was all.

The wounds, which would have healed quickly outside, remained deep.

Lantus grimaced as he tried to straighten up.

“Agh.”

The pain from his torn chest muscles was excruciating.

“Hah. Hoo.”

As he bent over again to manage the pain, he let out another wry laugh.

“Completely a mess.”

It wasn’t despairing since he had expected this.

But it was worrying.

He feared he might collapse before achieving what he came for.

‘That must never happen.’

He had to endure until Medeia noticed him.

After all this commotion, her minions should be heading to their master by now.

‘Well, if she’s asleep, it won’t matter.’

There was a chance. Dragons often fell into long slumbers.

Lantus, feeling momentarily lost, laughed again.

“Well, I’ll just have to hold out until she wakes up.”

He didn’t think about what would happen if he couldn’t endure.

He just had to hold out as long as he could.

Lantus started walking slowly, looking for a place to rest. He kept losing consciousness from the heavy bleeding.

To stay awake, he deliberately muttered to himself.

“Kite, hoo. I hope he’s taking good care of Yeo-ul.”

“That guy better not mess around too much with her.”

“Yeo-ul, if Kite bothers you, tell Liriana, okay?”

“I’ll find what your brother left behind and come back. Just wait.”

“If I’m going through all this, you better be happy. Right?”

Muttering jokingly, Lantus suddenly stopped. Something hot surged from within.

He tried to swallow it down, but he failed.

“Urgh.”

Dark red blood trickled down his fingers, and Lantus’s eyes widened slightly.

‘Poison?’

Wiping the blood from his mouth with his sleeve, Lantus murmured wearily.

“Could it be that those claws were poisoned?”

He had a bad feeling when he first saw them.

“I’m having a really bad day.”

If the Amos priest saw him like this, they would go crazy with delight.

“Too bad you’re missing a good show, bastards.”

Lantus laughed weakly and started walking again.

He coughed up blood several more times.

He began to realize that the darkness clouding his vision might be due to poison, not just blood loss.

‘This could be really dangerous.’

Just as he grimaced, his vision blacked out.

When he came to, he was crouched on the ground. Somehow, he hadn’t fallen completely.

“Hoo. Haa.”

In the midst of the shattering pain, only one thought persisted.

‘I have to hold on. I can’t collapse.’

He had to endure by any means necessary.

To return to the little wanderer waiting for him.

‘So I can protect her this time.’

Unlike the past.

Lantus smiled faintly.

‘Nameless wanderer, did your wish come true? Did you meet the one you were waiting for?’

It had been fifteen years since the first wanderer left, yet he still knew nothing about them.

Not the true face, age, or name.

He knew nothing.

He could only guess that they were a good person.

‘A person willing to give their life for someone else couldn’t be bad.’

At first, he thought he had properly persuaded that kind-hearted wanderer.

The wanderer accepted the guide’s pact, and Lantus retrieved the item the wanderer wanted.

A small black bag with child-like scribbles inside.

The wanderer called it a pouch.

He didn’t know exactly what was in it.

But he knew one thing for sure, at some point, Lantus’s consciousness started to fade.

‘There must have been some kind of drug in the pouch.’

He still couldn’t guess what it was.

As the drugged Lantus was gently laid on a bed, the wanderer spoke.

“Just like you said, if I go back to that world, I might die. But I have to go. Someone’s waiting for me.”

“You won’t even have time to meet them before you die.”

“Miracles can happen. If I’m lucky, I might be able to leave a final message.”

He couldn’t remember exactly, but he probably asked what the point of that was.

The wanderer smiled faintly and said,

“If my final message can bring some comfort to that child, that’s all I could ask for.

I’m sorry for making this choice, young guide.

Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault.

Get some rest. When you wake up, it’ll all be over.”

That was the last memory.

When he woke up, he heard the wanderer had left.

The wanderer made their final choice out of Lantus’s sight.

Ignoring everyone’s attempts to stop him, he ran to the wanderer one last time, finding them as if peacefully asleep.

As he tended to the wanderer’s body, he thought and thought.

If only he had convinced them better.

Would the outcome have been different?

Could he have saved them?

Some wounds never heal, even after a long time.

Lantus’s red eyes grew slightly wet.

‘I hope a miracle happened for you too.’

After all, I met a miraculous second wanderer.

And this child is very, very precious.

So, a miracle could have happened for that wanderer too.

‘Maybe you left more than a final message for the one waiting for you.’

Maybe, just maybe.

There was a fairy-tale ending.

The wanderer might have miraculously survived and lived happily with the one they waited for.

‘If so, pray that I get a miracle too.’

Chuckling, Lantus began to rise.

“!”

Feeling a chilling presence behind him, Lantus instinctively swung his hand.

A horizontally summoned spear of magic barely stopped the jaws of the wyvern.

“Kieeeek!”

Unfazed by its splitting jaws, the wyvern used its full weight to push Lantus back.

“Kieek! Kreek!!”

Lantus was shoved back several steps before slamming into a tree with a thud.

“Grrk!”

The pain in his spine made him feel like he would pass out. Lantus bit his cheek hard. The sharp pain brought him back to reality.

His blue eyes glared at the wyvern with a killing intent.

“You bastard…!”

The wyvern, not wanting to lose, opened its mouth wide and bit down fiercely on the spear.

“Stop opening that mouth, you bastard!”

Just as he mustered his remaining strength to split the wyvern’s jaw.

“!”

The wyvern, about to tear his throat out, suddenly turned to ash.

Lantus, now looking at the ashes, blinked in confusion.

Then he noticed the tall, silver-haired young woman standing a few steps away.

“Ah.”

It was the dragon Medeia.