Published: July 3, 2025
The day after the surgery.
“How are you feeling?”
Ryo entered Abel’s bedroom and asked.
Then, he adjusted his glasses with a quick motion.
He was embodying the stereotype of a doctor wearing glasses.
Ryo noticed that many of his childhood friends and classmates had gone to medical school, but out of those, only four wore glasses...
Well, such things are based on image. Yes, image is important.
“Ah, Ryo. I can’t believe how good I feel. I haven't been in this condition for months... or even longer.”
Unlike yesterday, Abel's complexion was looking good.
It seemed he was eating properly as well. Long live magic.
The troublesome thing about cancer is that while cancer cells are voracious, they also diminish the host's appetite.
Moreover, on Earth, it was often the case that patients lost their appetite during the treatment process... Treating a disease is extremely difficult.
“From now on, let’s make sure you eat well, take your time, and slowly recover your strength.”
That was something reasonable for Ryo to say.
He felt as if he were the attending physician.
“By the way, Abel…”
“Hmm?”
“Since you became king, you’ve been buried in paperwork, right?”
“The expression is a bit harsh, but… yes, that’s true.”
Ryo felt like he always saw Abel signing documents.
“I don’t think you could even sign your name in bed just a while ago, but during that time…”
“Eh…”
When Ryo asked, Abel subtly shifted his gaze to the side.
He was avoiding eye contact.
When pointed out with something inconvenient, people tend to act like that.
“Noah is still young, and I've never seen Rhea buried in paperwork…”
“Well, um, you see… I’ve had Marquis Heinlein take over…”
Three years ago, after the liberation of the kingdom, Marquis Alexis Heinlein was appointed to the position of chancellor by Abel.
Even though Abel had upgraded his knowledge of what was needed to be a king through a makeshift royal training workbook from the former Crown Prince Cain, he had suddenly gone from being an adventurer to a king.
Realistically, it was not feasible for him to steer the country alone.
Therefore, he requested Marquis Heinlein, a great noble from the Southern region and a leading figure in the kingdom’s liberation, to take on the role of chancellor.
It seemed that Marquis Heinlein was quite reluctant at first.
Upon hearing the words “buried in paperwork,” one could easily understand his hesitation.
“Hang in there, Marquis Heinlein…”
Ryo said sympathetically towards his circumstance.
“Actually, it’s a role that you, as the first noble, could take on…”
“I refuse!”
Ryo asserted without hesitation.
That was quick.
Abel was surprised by his speed.
“I only accepted it because the titles of first duke and first noble are honorary positions!”
“I think Ryo’s knowledge could be quite useful…”
“I refuse!”
That was the second rejection.
Then, Ryo ran out of the room.
In the art of escape, retreating is the best option.
The royal capital has many cafes.
Among them, Ryo frequently visited ‘Café de Chocolat, Royal Capital Branch.’
It was the main store of the cafe located in the City of Run.
The difference from other stores was the high quality of the cakes… especially, the Mont Blanc and strawberry shortcake were his favorites.
Of course, he was in his usual robe, so from any angle, he looked like an adventurer mage.
Because of that, none of the staff knew he was a duke.
However, since he visited frequently alone, most of the staff recognized him as a regular customer.
It was a secret that he had celebrated his post-surgery success by eating cake here alone.
For some reason, Ryo was called "cute" behind the scenes… and not “cool,” which might be the reason why he is so distinctly Ryo…
Of course, he himself was unaware of that.
Today, on his way escaping from the royal castle, he stopped by the Royal Castle Library to borrow a book on alchemy before coming to this cafe.
After ordering his favorite Mont Blanc and Kona Coffee set, he took a bite.