A few days later, Albert finally regained consciousness.
His recovery was proceeding smoothly, and as we gathered in the infirmary, he bowed his head to us.
"I’m sorry for making you all worry."
The medicine seemed to have worked wonders; his complexion had returned to a healthy glow. Though he looked a bit haggard, it seemed he would make a full recovery in due time.
"Thanks to everyone, I managed to pull through. Allow me to thank you each in turn... First, Lloyd. If you hadn't carried me back, it might have been too late. Thank you."
"Please don't worry about it. I only did what was natural."
I waved back at Albert as he bowed deeply to me. He looked after me all the time, and if anything happened to him, I’d lose the benefit of his protection.
"And Big brother Shneider... you even returned from the battlefield to fill in for me. I am truly sorry for the trouble I caused."
"Think nothing of it. As your brother, it was only natural."
The First Prince, Shneider di Saloom. Blessed with a massive physique and an exceptional intellect, he was known as the Guardian God of Saloom. So that the rest of us could study what we pleased, he and the First Princess, Cruse, spent their lives on the front lines as generals, keeping the neighboring countries in check. When Albert collapsed, Shneider had rushed back, leaving the defense to Cruse so he could handle the internal affairs and other duties in Albert's stead. Thanks to his swift return, the kingdom had avoided any major chaos despite the Second Prince’s collapse.
"Albert. You are diligent, but you have a tendency to try and do too much on your own. If you aim for the throne, you must learn to rely on those around you."
"I spend every day desperately trying to catch up to you, Big brother Shneider... but I suppose if I destroy my body in the process, it's all for nothing. I am truly ashamed of myself."
As Albert lowered his head, Shneider closed his eyes in a gesture that seemed like agreement. He was a taciturn and strict man, but Albert clearly viewed Shneider as his ultimate goal. Conversely, Shneider appeared to hold Albert's dedication in high regard. These two were the top candidates for the Right of Succession, yet they respected each other deeply—it really was an ideal relationship.
"Finally, Rion. My recovery is thanks to the medicine you prepared. You are my pride."
"Th-Th-Th-Thank you very much, Big Brother Albert! I-I-I-I'm honored!"
Rion froze up like a board at the praise. He was so flustered he couldn't even speak properly.
"Of course, that goes for the rest of you as well. I’m sorry for the trouble."
"Cut it out, Albert-nii. Don't be so stiff with us."
"This was a simple task for us."
Dian, the Fourth Prince, and Zerof, the Third Prince, spoke up, and everyone else nodded in agreement. They were the ones who had worked as substitutes while Albert was incapacitated. After bowing to everyone once more, Albert gave a long stretch.
"Well then, now that I can finally move again, I suppose it's time to get back to work."
"You must not, Big Brother Albert! You shouldn't push yourself yet! You've only just recovered, so please take care of yourself for a while."
"B-But then everyone else will have to continue bearing the burden..."
"That goes for everyone else, too!" Rion raised his voice, looking around at the older brothers and sisters gathered in the room. "Big Brother Albert goes without saying. Father is getting on in years, Big Brother Zerof is overweight from a lack of exercise, and I fear Big Brother Dian is damaging his eyes and skin from too much blacksmithing. Big Sister Saria is frightening because her facial muscles don't move at all, and Big Sister Alieze is always surrounded by so many animals that there's a risk of some kind of zoonotic infection. And Big brother Shneider, you're so covered in wounds I can't even look at you! Even the vassals don't look like they have healthy complexions. At this rate, I'll be too worried to return to Assembla!"
"..."
It seemed he had hit the mark, as everyone looked away in silence. Well, they all did tend to push themselves too hard on a regular basis. Coming right after Albert's collapse, none of them could treat it as someone else's problem.
"Ahem. Therefore, we will be conducting an Emergency Health Checkup tomorrow."
"A health checkup?"
"Yes. In fact, they are held once a year in Assembla, and since the practice started, the healthy life expectancy of the citizens has increased by as much as ten years. As people who work for the nation, health management is vital. ...Of course, that includes you too, Lloyd. You're always reading books in the same posture in dark places. Are you even conscious of your health? Hmm?"
"Uh, well, a little bit..."
"Regardless, there will be no arguments! With that settled, everyone is to come to the Great Hall tomorrow morning at eight o'clock in clothing that is easy to remove. Am I understood?"
Faced with Rion's intensity, everyone could only nod.
"Lord Rion certainly seems enthusiastic, doesn't he?" the silver-haired maid, Sylpha, murmured.
She had already changed into white examination clothes, so her usual maid-like aura was non-existent. She was also scheduled to receive a health checkup... though I thought it might be better if she stopped carrying her sword for once.
"Yeah. He said he'd check us, too. Oh, and it looks like he specifically called for a female doctor for the women," Ren of the Poison Moth added. We were all on our way to the Great Hall together.
"Woof!"
Even Shiro was going to be looked at. Performing checkups on animals as well—medical powerhouses were certainly advanced.
"Hey, Lloyd," Connie, the girl with glasses walking just behind me, whispered in my ear. Due to various circumstances, she hosted the Demon King within her body, and she was currently working as my maid. "The health checkup is fine, but... do you think they'll find out? About the Demon King, Beal?"
"It'll be fine. Probably."
Even if it were discovered, I could just come up with some excuse. Besides, when I thought about it, I had the Majin Grimo and the angel Jiriel inside me, too.
As we were talking, Dian and Zerof came walking down the hallway together.
"Man, this is a pain, isn't it, Zero-nii? A health checkup. But hey, aren't you a little excited for this kind of thing?"
"...I am nothing but anxious. I have been a shut-in for quite some time now."
"Dahaha! Well, this is a good opportunity. Why don't you try exercising with me every once in a while!"
"Gunu... Why must humans move their bodies so much...?"
Somehow, they both seemed to be having fun. Those two hung out together quite often; their personalities were opposites, but they seemed to get along well.
Next, Saria and Alieze approached from the opposite corridor.
"Hehe, it's been a while since we've had a physical examination. We did them together when we were little, didn't we, Saria-neesan? I was small back then, but I wonder if I've grown a bit since then?"
"Alieze, you've grown too much in various ways. Meanwhile, I haven't changed at all," Saria sighed, muttering to herself.
I wondered what they were talking about. I didn't really get it, but it probably wasn't a big deal.
"Oooohhh! What a truly voluptuous conversation between these beautiful ladies! I... I am truly glad I came here!"
Jiriel was getting far too excited. I wondered if I should shut him up.
"Shall I shut him up permanently, Master Lloyd?" Grimo offered.
"Keep it within reason."
Just as I muttered that, a voice came from behind me.
"Lloyd."
I jumped. It was Shneider. When had he gotten behind me? He’d given me a real start.
"Are you heading there now too, Big brother Shneider? Do you have some concerns about your health?"
"...I have pushed this body to its limits for many years. It wouldn't be strange for something to be wrong. Besides, if I were to collapse, I would set a poor example for the others."
Shneider was almost always out on the battlefield, after all. We would be in trouble if the Guardian God of Saloom wasn't in good health.
"Even so, Prince Rion is amazing. To have knowledge that puts even doctors to shame at only eleven years old. As his brother, I'm proud of him."
"Hmph. You’re the one to say that?" Shneider chuckled.
Ren and Grimo were giving me incredibly flat looks, but I'm sure it was just my imagination.
"Of course, I also think Rion is an impressive fellow. But that is not due to raw talent; it is solely due to the sheer amount of effort he puts in."
"Effort?"
Perhaps because of their bloodline, the Saloom Royal Family all displayed various talents. I thought Rion was the same, but was that not the case?
"You might not remember because you were still so small, but Rion often wanted to play with you. You were the brother right below him, so he likely wanted to dote on you. However, it seemed you had no interest in children's games; you were always reading books and hardly paid him any mind."
Well, me reading books whenever I had a spare moment wasn't exactly a new development. It couldn't be helped. To me, having been reincarnated, this castle was a literal mountain of treasures; I didn't have the leisure to play with children.
"Perhaps fueled by a sense of rivalry toward you, who read nothing but difficult books, Rion asked me to tell him what the most difficult and useful field of study was. I answered without much thought that it was likely medicine, but apparently, he submitted a request to Father to study abroad the very next day."
"Is that so... Prince Rion did that...?"
If you're interested in something, effort comes naturally, but it's difficult to pour yourself into a field you don't care about. I understood that well. Even so, to challenge medicine—which requires an immense amount of knowledge—solely out of a sense of rivalry with me... Rion really was amazing.
"...I've said too much. My tongue always seems to get loose in front of you. Keep this strictly between us."
"I understand. I won't tell anyone."
At my words, Shneider gave a light cough and walked away briskly. Sylpha watched him go with wide eyes and murmured softly.
"I'm surprised. That's the first time I've ever seen that man talk so much."
"Big brother Shneider is a man of few words in battle, but when it comes to his siblings, it's a different story."
When we ran across the battlefield together before, he was very concerned about me and our other brothers. It was likely the same for Rion. Because he was taciturn and looked scary, he was easily misunderstood, but the man was surprisingly caring toward his family.
"But now that you mention it, I did get the feeling that Lord Rion was quite conscious of Lloyd."
"Because Master Lloyd is a wonderful person. It's only natural for Lord Rion to be conscious of him," Sylpha nodded firmly. I thought it was just because I was his immediate younger brother, though.
"Seriously, any human would be inadequate compared to Master Lloyd. Even that First Prince is nothing in comparison," Grimo said.
"Indeed. Being close in age was Prince Rion's misfortune. With a younger brother like this, he must have felt quite the sense of helplessness," Jiriel added.
The two familiars nodded in pity. I really wondered what they thought I was.