It’s snowing outside. Why do I feel so sweaty… Swanson pulled a decorative handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead before folding it and putting it back in its place, then turned his eyes back to Alexander.
Alexander was leaning against the headboard of the bed, holding a plate of hot soup in his hands.
Swanson didn’t know what caused it, but ever since Alexander woke up, there had been a pervasive feeling of unease in the room, especially since everyone had left this room, leaving them here alone.
All he felt was that he was locked in a cage with a predatory beast, and even when he tried to lighten the mood a little by making a desperate attempt to start a conversation, Alexander remained silent, unresponsive to any of his attempts.
Alexander placed the plate on a nearby table, and said, “I hate hospital food, it’s always tasteless.”
But this wasn’t hospital food!
Everyone knew that Marco would be honored at the banquet that the Crown Prince would host.
So the Crown Prince made sure to provide care so that Alexander would be in the best possible condition during the honoring. It would be embarrassing if Alexander showed up with a pale face and poor health. That’s why they made sure to prepare a meal consisting of the finest meats and rare vegetables in order to prepare food that would help the injured person recover as quickly as possible.
The Crown Prince was generous enough to send many of these ingredients, and thus a large amount of food was prepared. In addition to Alexander, the Imperial Guard and the intelligence agents were able to have a chance to taste this soup that was prepared by the veteran knights who worked directly under the Crown Prince.
So everyone knew very well how delicious and good this meal was, and they might not have the chance to eat it again in their entire lives.
But this ungrateful boy dared to say that the soup was tasteless.
“Officer Swanson.” Alexander opened his mouth and looked at Swanson for the first time since waking up.
Swanson swallowed, feeling a strange pressure, "Yes."
"I just heard that the Empire discovered an ancient dragon core." Alexander's tone was formal and dull.
"Yes." That was all that came out of Swanson's mouth, wondering how Alexander knew this, but he quickly realized that the TV in the room was on and playing the news the moment Alexander woke up.
"That's weird," Alexander turned his eyes to the screen hanging on the wall. "I found a rare core when I was exploring those dungeons. I wonder where that core is now." Alexander closed his eyes on Swanson.
Swanson's hands were on his knees and his head was down, contemplating his next words. It was clear to everyone, beyond dispute, that the core had been seized by the empire and Alexander had come out of this empty-handed.
Given Alexander’s personality, he would probably do something crazy if he knew he had been robbed like this. So Swanson had to find a way to calm him down at least until Walter got here.
“Where is the core?” But Alexander didn’t give him the chance to evade and continued to pressure him.
“This.” The words were stuck in Swanson’s throat, unable to justify this situation.
Swanson glanced at Alexander. Alexander’s face was strangely calm despite his words, which were like a blade aimed at Swanson’s neck.
As Swanson tried to calm himself down, unexpected words came out of Alexander’s mouth, “I need to talk to George right away.”
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Swanson almost tripped and fell on his face.
George? Who is this George you are talking about?
There was a certain person who crossed Swanson’s mind, but he didn’t dare imagine the courage this boy had to use the Emperor’s name without any honorifics.
Alexander’s expression changed and he pointed at Swanson’s nose, “Does he think he can rob me and get away with it so easily?” Alexander’s voice rose to the point that Swanson suspected that the people outside the room could easily hear this conversation, “They need to give me back my rights. Call him now!”
Do you think I have the Emperor’s phone number? Swanson was currently bathing in sweat, certain that the Imperial Guards outside had heard Alexander talking about the Emperor inappropriately. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be strange if someone broke down the door and beheaded Alexander right away.
Suddenly, the door opened, causing Swanson to shiver as he thought about the scenario he had just imagined.
Three fully armored warriors entered the room, followed by a woman dressed as a nurse.
Swanson held his breath, noticing that Alexander’s expression, which had been fierce a few moments ago, had frozen, clearly not understanding why the Imperial Guards were here yet.
I forgot to tell him that the Imperial Guards had brought him here… Swanson now knew why Alexander was so wild and fearless. This brat was speaking freely and heartlessly because he didn't know that the Emperor's loyal servants were standing right outside his door.
Alexander turned to Swanson with unparalleled quick wit, “That bastard George!”
Swanson's jaw dropped to the ground as he heard Alexander continue this despite the presence of those armored beasts beside him.
Alexander's expression was filled with anger, "How dare he set me up. He's just a lowly restaurant owner, all it takes is one phone call and his shop will be sealed."
What is he talking about?... Swanson's mind was filled with questions as he tried to figure out which restaurant he was talking about.
The soldier at the front of the group approached and put his hand on Alexander's shoulder trying to calm him down, "No need to get angry kid, you're not in good health right now. If anyone bothers you just tell us and we'll take care of it." The warrior's face was completely covered by a helmet but his voice revealed infinite confidence.
"Thank you." Alexander looked at the warrior gratefully, "I can't believe how such a lowly man could exist. How did they let that bandit walk free until now. Damn you George. Wait until I see you again and I'll let you know who you messed with."
"Okay just calm down." The soldier tried to comfort him after seeing his extreme expression
Swanson stood aside as he watched Alexander insult the Emperor while the soldier tried to calm him down and appease him
Did they really believe he was talking about a swindler restaurant owner? The scene before Swanson was beyond his ability to comprehend.
Swanson did not realize until now that the Imperial Guards had never thought for a moment that George, whom Alexander was constantly insulting, was the Emperor himself. Even in their wildest imaginations, they did not think that there was anyone who would have the courage to mention the Emperor’s name in such a way, so they accepted the idea that this George was just a fraudulent restaurant owner
So due to the ambiguity of the situation, he wisely chose to remain silent about this serious transgression, even if he had ten times the courage of Alexander, he could not open his mouth to tell the truth. Who knows what might happen, Alexander might turn the tables on him and accuse him of insulting the Emperor. Looking at these fierce soldiers in front of him, they would probably attack him without hesitation.
Carla stepped forward and handed Alexander a cup containing a green liquid. Alexander knew that this liquid was a potion that would help speed up the body’s healing process.
Its effects might be limited, but it was better than nothing, so he drank the liquid in one gulp, then looked at Karla suspiciously.
“What?” Carla didn’t feel comfortable with this scrutinizing look. Ever since she arrived at the hospital, she had begun to realize that the patient she would be caring for was an important person, especially considering that the Imperial Guards were the ones who were responsible for protecting and… cooking. She never imagined that she would see one of these legendary experts up close, let alone see them show off their honed cooking skills.
But now that she saw this patient examining her like this, she knew that she would be in trouble if he had any ill intentions towards her. How would she resist someone who was supported by the Crown Prince himself?
However, strange words came out from Alexander, "You are that doctor?"
"Ah." Carla simply replied, surprised that he remembered her even though they had only met once and that meeting did not exceed a few minutes.
Alexander examined her again from top to bottom, which made a shiver run through her body.
Swanson frowned when he saw this inappropriate behavior, and was ready to intervene if necessary.
"Why are you wearing a nurse's uniform if you are a doctor?"
Carla's train of thought was interrupted by this unexpected question. All her clothes were in the laundry room because she didn’t expect to have to rush to the hospital so suddenly, so all she had was this uniform that her mother bought her when she enrolled in college.
Who knew that a uniform that she had never worn before would help her in this situation. However, she couldn’t bring this up to others because it would make her look inexperienced so she decided to quickly make up an excuse, “The nurses are currently out of commission because of the strikes they are going on to demand a raise. I thought I would use this uniform so I could take care of you properly.”
“Oh,” Alexander had a surprised look on his face, “ That’s unexpected.”
“What do you mean?” Carla quickly regretted it. She should have stayed silent and avoided getting too involved with this boy.
Alexander’s lips moved into a wide, strange smile, “Nurses are angels of mercy, don’t you think it’s strange that angels are asking for a raise?”
“...” Carla stared at him for a moment before turning to Swanson, “I remembered I had to examine another patient, excuse me.” With those words, Carla left, and the soldiers left immediately after, leaving Swanson and Alexander alone once again.
“Angels of mercy...really?” Swanson didn’t know where Alexander got this ability to mock others right after waking up from his coma that lasted several hours.
Alexander coughed when he saw that his words had met with a strange negative reaction, and tried to change the subject, “So when will I be able to talk to George?”
“...” Can you stop calling the Emperor like he’s your friend?
“My boss will be coming to see you in a few hours. You can complain to him.”
“Walter!” Alexander growled as he heard the head of the intelligence service arrive.
Swanson had a gut feeling that the upcoming meeting between Walter and Alexander would be epic…and this was definitely something he didn’t want to witness firsthand. He didn't want to end up involved in the conflict between these two giants.