The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away-Chapter 11: Street Inspection (1)

"Compress, Enhance, Compress, Enhance, Compress, Enhance."

Returning to my room, the first thing I did was mass-produce the rose pills.

Even if I consumed several at once, the effects wouldn’t stack.

It just meant that the maximum health wouldn’t increase. The pills only counteracted the debuff.

“Anyway, the limit is just restoring it up to the maximum.”

The best way to maintain health was to sleep well and rest thoroughly.

The best treatment when you’re in pain:

Sleep deeply and rest completely.

If a patient doesn’t do those two things, even the world’s best healer prescribing a miracle drug won’t help.

“Sigh, but no matter how effective it is, the taste is just unbearable.”

It was like eating mud cakes made in the Nether Dimension Hell Peninsula, where ancient demons resided.

In other words, it was disgusting.

“I can’t keep eating four or five of these every day.”

I glanced over the skills listed in the status window, searching for another solution.

“Oh, could this work?”

The skill that caught my eye was the E-rank alchemy skill, Synthesis.

I placed a rose pill on the left and pulled a random candy from my pocket, placing it on the right.

It was a lollipop — a premium one made of honey.

“Let’s try synthesizing the effect of the rose pill with the sweetness of the candy. It’s a simple substance, so it might work.”

I extended my hand and activated the skill.

Now, I didn’t even need to consciously think about the spell structure. The magic circle naturally formed, and the mana automatically found its place.

Whoosh!

A white light shone, and soon, the result appeared.

―――――――――――

Enhanced Rose Honey Candy (Refined, Synthesized)

Effect upon consumption: Restores 0.3 health over 6 hours from internal bleeding.

―――――――――――

It’s incredibly sweet!

“Yes! This is it.”

I popped one of the honey candies into my mouth.

The rich sweetness spread throughout my body, awakening every one of my senses.

I felt alive — truly alive.

I could eat candy as much as I wanted.

Of course, I’d have to watch out for cavities.

“Wouldn’t a scaling skill be nice?”

There was nothing better for preventing cavities.

It would feel so refreshing and pleasant.

While synthesizing the candies, I realized that it was almost time.

The agreed-upon time to meet Asella in the backyard was approaching.

“If I’m late, she’ll definitely throw a fit.”

I grabbed my coat and hat and left the room.

***

The annex had relatively few servants.

As long as I avoided Sievers, I could slip out quietly without causing a commotion.

Asella wasn’t in the rose garden.

Not surprising, considering the rose garden now looked as barren as a middle-aged man’s scalp — because I had happily plucked away at it all night.

There were still enough flowers left, but I’d have to tell Sievers to plant more.

Where was Asella?

I looked around and spotted some knights patrolling in the distance.

I discreetly slipped behind the willow grove.

“You’re late.”

“Argh! Damn it, you scared me!”

Before I knew it, Asella was standing right beside me.

Did she use some kind of stealth magic?

I barely managed to suppress the instinct to throw a punch.

Seriously, this woman never lets me relax for even a second.

Asella was wearing a hood to hide her flowing golden hair.

She pulled out a pocket watch from her waist and checked the time.

“I wasn’t late, though.”

“If you arrived after me, then you’re late. Let’s go.”

Asella glanced around cautiously.

“Is it really necessary to sneak out like this?”

“It wouldn’t be fun if we had guards following us. I want to see things as they are.”

“As they are?”

“I don’t usually get to see the imperial citizens going about their daily lives.”

“Not like you need to, either.”

“Someday, when I sit on the throne, I should at least know who’s supporting it.”

Asella said something incredible in such a casual tone.

So she’d been planning to take the throne since she was a child.

“Do you really have to? Become the Emperor?”

Asella’s eyes narrowed, her gaze turning cold.

[No. 056: Villainess’s Wrath 7% → 12%]

[Updated]

‘I really can’t say anything to her, can I?’

That question was a landmine.

Asella scoffed.

“As someone carrying the royal bloodline, it’s a goal I must have. You’re my fiancé, so watch what you say.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Now, lead the way.”

I moved ahead, leading her to the backyard of the annex and to a section of the mansion’s outer wall.

There was a small hole in the wall — a gap I had discovered while scouting the estate.

“This is the way out.”

“Through there?”

Asella hesitated.

The idea of crawling through a dirty hole clearly did not sit well with her noble sensibilities.

“It’s simple. Just crouch down a bit.”

I demonstrated first.

I bent over, pulled my hips back, and wriggled my way under the wall, headfirst.

When infiltrating the Demon King’s Castle, I’d had to go through far worse.

This place was practically a palace in comparison.

“Oof.”

There was a problem.

My chest got stuck.

The gap seemed wider at first glance, but apparently, it wasn’t the one I’d used before.

“Your Highness, could you help me a little?”

“No.”

Asella flatly refused.

I knew it.

“You were planning to shove me through that hole?”

“It’s a misunderstanding. Really.”

From my position under the wall, I desperately tried to explain.

Hopefully, the bad ending probability wasn’t skyrocketing right now.

“Your Highness? You’re still there, right? Your Highness?”

She didn’t respond.

My anxiety was growing.

...Was that the sound of suppressed giggles?

Nah, must be my imagination.

After a moment, I heard a soft rustling sound.

Some bricks crumbled away, creating a wider gap.

Asella had used magic.

I dusted the dirt off my clothes and stood up.

Asella watched me, her lips curled into a devilish smirk.

“Well, at least you don’t look like a noble heir anymore.”

“...Thanks for the compliment.”

I stood up, coughing a few times and shaking my head.

Was that the debuff acting up again?

Before I could even check, a new problem arose.

“Huh? Brother?”

Neria was standing there, staring at us.

Asella’s expression instantly turned icy.

Neria, clearly nervous, greeted her with a polite bow.

“Leave it to me,” I whispered to Asella.

I approached Neria and leaned down.

“Hey, Neria. Were you out for a walk?”

“Yes... Brother, are you going outside with Her Highness?”

I placed a finger over her lips.

“Shh. It’s a secret.”

“A secret...”

“We’ll be back by sunset. If you keep the secret, I’ll give you °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° this.”

I pulled out a honey candy from my pocket and placed it in her hand.

Neria’s face immediately brightened.

“Yes, I’ll keep it a secret! Have a safe trip!”

She curtsied gracefully, holding the hem of her dress like a proper noble lady.

Despite being my little sister, she was so composed.

“It’s so sweet!”

But the way she immediately unwrapped the candy and savored it like a child was endearing.

If only Asella were half as sweet.

I lightly tapped Neria on the top of her head and sent her off. Then, I turned back to Asella.

“All taken care of. Let’s get going.”

“You get along well with your sister?”

“What’s with the sudden interest? Well, sort of.”

“Don’t you have a candy for me?”

Candy? Out of nowhere.

The rose pills were for me. They were my personal stash.

I gave one to Neria as a bribe to keep her quiet. Besides, she liked it the last time.

And as far as I knew, Asella had refused the candies Sievers brought her.

“I don’t have any.”

Asella narrowed her eyes at my response, then fell silent for a moment.

“I see. If you were planning to give me any, don’t bother. I’d just throw them away. Let’s go.”

She turned on her heel and walked briskly through the hole in the wall and out to the other side.

‘Huh?’

[No. 056: Villainess’s Wrath 12% → 14%]

[Updated]

[No. 077: Avatar of Jealousy 2% → 7%]

[Updated]

‘Why did that go up?’

The red text flashed unexpectedly, and one of the bad endings suddenly increased in probability.

‘What was that one again? I remember being burned to death by Asella. It was a public execution, right?’

That was worse than the Dragon Legion.

The Dragon Legion killed me quickly, but that one... she burned me slowly from the feet up.

‘The reason was probably...’

I vaguely recalled pretending to swear allegiance to Asella.

Or maybe Asella had just misunderstood and decided on her own that I’d betrayed her.

And then she had calmly incinerated me.

‘And now it’s going up again.’

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, they say.

With Asella, it was like winter all year round.

***

“This place is quite lively.”

Fortunately, once we arrived at the street market, Asella’s mood seemed to lighten.

“It’s different from the capital — so much gray everywhere.”

She was right. Most of the buildings in the Marquisate were made of gray stone.

Despite being the territory of the Gotberg family, renowned for its healers, there wasn’t much religious influence here.

The shopping district, roughly the size of a small town, wasn’t much different from any other region.

Adventurer parties occasionally roamed the streets, having come to hunt rare northern beasts.

“This area is rich in granite. Is this your first time visiting the North?”

“It’s my first time walking the streets.”

“I see.”

“That. I want to try that.”

Asella pointed to a shop selling a local northern specialty — butter coffee.

“For someone not used to it, caffeine can cause sleep disturbances. You’re still growing, Your Highness, and considering your health...”

“Save the lecture for when you’re officially my personal physician.”

Without waiting for my response, Asella walked briskly to the café.

If I left her alone, she’d definitely cause trouble, so I quickly followed her.

We sat down at a table on the terrace, and the owner promptly came out to take our order.

“A table for two. What will you have?”

“Two butter coffees. Do you have decaf?”

“Deca... what? We don’t have that.”

Right. I shouldn’t have said “caffeine.”

“Just bring them. Keep the change.”

I handed over five silver coins. The owner smiled happily and left.

Meanwhile, Asella continued to watch the streets, scrutinizing every passerby as if they were objects of study.

I supposed it was a rare sight for her as well.

Even during the war, there were times when I passed through towns, but I never got to relax and observe like this.

“Beautiful lady, would you like to buy some flowers?”

A couple of kids approached Asella, holding out flowers.

Judging by their ragged clothes, they were definitely from the slums.

With kids like these, the best way to handle them was to give them a few coins and send them away quickly.

If you gave them too much, they’d come back with friends, and that would be a whole new problem.

I reached into my pocket for some copper coins — but then,

“Wow!”

The kids exclaimed.

Asella was already holding the flowers and handing over the payment.

And the problem was that she had given them a gold coin.

A single gold coin was worth two weeks’ wages for a regular commoner.

‘Oh, no.’

As expected, she had no concept of money whatsoever.

She was the kind of person who’d get grilled in a hearing for not knowing the price of a loaf of bread.

The kids bowed deeply and ran off, beaming.

I let out a long sigh.

“Your Highness, let’s move somewhere else.”

Asella, who had been inspecting the flowers she received from the kids, shot me a sharp look.

“Why? The coffee hasn’t even come yet.”

“You gave them far too much money. This is going to cause trouble soon.”

“Trouble, huh? My mother said the same thing. Not to be too kind to commoners.”

Asella turned to face me.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Golden mana swirled half a turn in her irises.

The system window flickered.

[No. 021: Crime of the Commoners 5% → 7%]

The probability of a bad ending increased.

I needed to choose my words carefully.

As I considered how to handle this,

“Hey, lady.”

Three large men were approaching us.

“We’d like to borrow some money.”

The man who seemed to be the leader spoke in a low, gruff voice.

I quickly assessed the situation.

Those kids from the slums whom Asella had just given a gold coin to — they weren’t involved with these guys.

These men had likely been watching when Asella pulled out the gold coin.

The insignia embroidered on their shirts...

I recognized it.

‘They’re lackeys from the Supre Trading Company.’

Great. Looks like the neighborhood isn’t as safe as I thought.

Criminals working for a merchant guild were roaming around openly in my territory.

The men started speaking again.

“Lend us some money, will you? We could use it for something important.”

Asella lifted her chin defiantly, glaring at them.

Her eyes were filled with contempt, as though she were looking at a pile of trash.

[No. 021: Crime of the Commoners 7% → 25%]

The probability was rising rapidly.

She might not show it outwardly, but her negative emotions were piling up.

This was bad.

“Sir, your coffee is ready—”

Crash!

I took the coffee cup from the owner and deliberately smashed it against the ground.

The shards scattered with a sharp clinking sound.

I shot to my feet, causing the men to flinch and focus their attention on me.

I shouted at the top of my lungs:

“Who the hell do you think you’re trying to extort here, you bastards?!”

It was time to play the role of the unruly noble.