When Gwen arrived, Richard personally received her at the entrance.
Richard was wearing a white coat, with an intricate emblem printed on its back.
A winding serpent's tail curled upward, transforming into a Banshee holding a Scepter.
This was the emblem of Doctor Castel. Since the first doctors had been Banshees, it was only natural that a Banshee had been drawn onto the crest.
As for the Scepter in the Banshee's hand, it had originally been a Gatling Gun, symbolizing the Hospital Knights charging forward. Theus had found it too unbearable to look at and changed it into the current Scepter.
Oddly enough, it suited the design quite well.
"Wonderful, Miss Gwen, you've finally arrived. Please, come in."
A rare smile appeared on Richard's usually stern face.
He had actually held reservations about the lord allowing Gwen to participate in the research.
Although Theus had hinted that Gwen could also participate as a research subject.
Still, he was very happy to have Gwen come help at the hospital.
From the beginning, Richard had been a doctor. What truly interested him was medical work; research was merely a side job, something he had taken on because Theus had temporarily been unable to find anyone else.
Of course, that was only Richard's own view. His previous work in Moth Chasing Flame had been closer to that of a forensic examiner than a doctor, considering he dealt with corpses more often than living people.
Forensic examiners were doctors too. There was nothing wrong with that.
"Come take a look." Richard led Gwen through several turns and into a ward, where several young people with Northern Territory features lay motionless in their beds.
"I've tried almost every method—of course, the relatively safe ones—but none of them could wake them."
After saying that, Richard looked