Maxi bowed hurriedly.
His stomach turned.
To think that that young man was the commander of the Temple Knights!
She held the letter inside her pocket.
No matter how much he thought about it, it didn't seem appropriate to ask a commander of a chivalric order to transmit a letter on his behalf.
Afraid to ask, Maxi started to back away.
“I-I apologize… for interrupting.”
"It's okay.
Please don't hesitate to ask for anything you need," the Duke said with a broad smile.
After pausing for a long time, Maxi told herself that she had nothing to lose.
“I-If it’s not too much to ask… I would like to… ask you to… deliver a letter to my husband.”
“A letter?” the Duke said intrigued.
Maxi hesitantly took the parchment out of his pocket.
The letter she had written so carefully had turned into a crumpled mess in little over an hour.
With flushed cheeks, Maxi desperately tried to smooth out her folds.
"Could you give this l-letter to my husband?
N-It doesn't contain...
anything important.
I just...
g-would like to send my regards..."
“Are you making this request of me?” the Temple Knight asked in a flat voice.
Annoyed by his indifferent look, Maxi began to stammer, “O-Only if it’s not too much to ask… c-could you keep her… and… and give her to my husband… when I meet him in Louivell…”
Maxi found himself hesitating at the knight's empty mask.
His body tingled with cold sweat.
“Lady Calypse,” the Duke intervened with a worried expression.
"The Temple Knights will be heading east of Louivell, while the White Dragons are camped to the west.
They won't be crossing paths anytime soon."
"I-I get it.
I didn't know."
Holding her letter, Maxi looked devastated.
The Temple Knight had studied his face.
He said abruptly, “I'm sure I'll meet him at least once when we begin our joint attack.”
Maxi's head snapped up.
The knight took the letter with a mirthless smile on his inscrutably calm face.
"It will take some time...
but I will hand you over to your husband when I see him.
I have a debt to pay, you know."
His joy was fleeting.
Anxiety filled her as she felt something veiled in his words.
She looked at him doubtfully.
“Then… I’ll count on you.”
Her tone was firm, almost as if she were giving him instructions.
The knight's eyes narrowed imperceptibly.
He tucked the letter away inside his cloak and said softly, “I assure you, I will make sure he receives it.”
"Well then.
We should go.
I think we're all ready."
With the duke's encouragement, Kuahel Leon waved to Maxi and gracefully walked down the stairs.
Maxi watched as he walked between rows of knights.
Rows of soldiers held banners that fluttered violently in the wind, as if announcing the start of a bloody battle.
“I must also apologize.”
“Oh… m-I’m sorry for taking up your time.”
The Duke gave him a reassuring smile and then descended after the Temple Knight.
Maxi watched them make their preparations for a while before heading back inside the basilica.
His heart beat unpleasantly.
She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
All I could do now was pray.
Ten days later, news arrived that the coalition army had managed to recover Louivell.
The cheers that erupted through the streets did not last long, as the carts carrying the bodies of the fallen rolled into the city.
They formed a long line in front of the basilica square.
People peered into each person to see if their loved ones were among the dead.
Maxi joined Livadon's noblewomen in the square to check on the dead, fearing to discover a familiar face.
The bodies were indescribably disfigured.
Although they had been cleaned as best they could and had prosthetics for their funeral, nothing could hide their gruesome ends.
It was rare to find a corpse with all limbs intact, and some had black cloths covering their faces to hide horrible disfigurements.
Pale, Maxi watched the clergy as they moved the bodies into the coffins.
Some of the noblewomen fainted right there.
Although Maxi also felt dizzy, she remained standing, telling herself that she could not give in until she had ensured that Riftan and the others were not among the dead.Suppressing the urge to vomit, Maxi peered at the bodies behind the clerics.
He just couldn't bring himself to look at their faces.
A wave of dizziness hit her.
She staggered to the edge of the square, where she crouched under a tree.
A worried noblewoman saw her and ran to her.
"Everything is fine?"
Maxi looked up, his eyes unfocused.
It was Idsilla Calima, the girl he had met a few days earlier.
The girl's dark brown eyes were filled with concern.
"Should I call a clergyman for you?
You don't look well."
"N-No.
I just… I'm a little dizzy.
What about you, Lady Idsilla?
Is everything okay?"
"Yes.
I come from a family of knights.
I'm used to these things."
Idsilla lifted her chin as she spoke, looking fearless, but her face was as pale as Maxi's.
She turned her head toward the long line of coffins, as if to hide her expression.
"Luckily, my brother was not among them.
When I asked the soldiers who brought the bodies, they told me that most of those trapped in Louivell Castle got out safely."
“I-Is that true?”
Although the word “majority” was worrying, Maxi's face lit up with hope as he thought of Ruth and the White Dragons.
After anxiously looking at dozens of bodies, Maxi composed himself and stood up.
She approached the clerics who were examining the corpses.
Joy and anguish mixed in the square as clerics confirmed the names of the dead using their identification tags.
Wails echoed throughout the square, interspersed with sighs of relief.
It was only after the clergy read the last name that Maxi, drenched in cold sweat, collapsed tremblingly on the steps.
His whole body started to shake.
Although she was flooded with relief, she felt a chill running down her spine.
She clasped her icy hands together.
Seeing Maxi's reaction, Idsilla ran towards her once again.
"Lady Calypse, you should go back to the monastery.
Here, let me help you."
“T-Thank you.”
Idsilla was a head taller.
Leaning on it, Maxi stood up.
Suddenly, she felt embarrassed.
Idsilla was only eighteen, and it embarrassed her that a girl four years younger was so much more controlled.
Doing her best to steady herself, Maxi dragged herself into the basilica.
"I-I'm fine now.
I think… I can manage on my own now."
"Please let me help you.
It would be better than having to carry you on my back if you pass out."
Maxi frowned at her tone.
“Y-You won’t see me faint.”
The girl studied her carefully for a moment before slowly nodding her head.
"I can see that.
To be honest, I was surprised.
I thought you would be the first to faint."
“A-Are you… are you kidding me?” Maxi asked, blushing.
She stared at the girl, and Idsilla let out a sigh.
"I didn't mean to offend.
I'm sorry if I hurt you.
Alyssa always says I'm very frank."
“I think s-she’s right,” Maxi said after a pause.
Idsilla's lips curved into a faint smile.
“You seem so delicate on the outside, but that’s not really true, is it?”
"I-I'm going to ask you to s-stop teasing me now.
This is… upsetting."
"I meant it as a compliment.
Alyssa went back to the room saying that she can't bear to look at all the dead bodies with a sober mind." His eyes were suddenly dark.
"It's not that I blame her.
Alyssa is very sensitive, and she loves Elba very much.
She was probably terrified of finding him among the dead."
“E-Elba?” Maxi asked, curious.
She thought that perhaps she would be able to compose herself better if she concentrated on Idsilla's story instead of the pale faces of the dead soldiers.
"Elba is the nickname of my second oldest brother.
Elbarto Calima.
He and Alyssa were engaged when they were twelve, and he swore his knighthood oath to her right after his knighthood ceremony."
“How rare… for a knight to swear his j-oath to his betrothed.”
A knight's oath was usually given to a member of the royal family or to the wife, or daughters, of the lord he served.
As if to confirm that this was also the case in Livadon, Idsilla nodded."They share a very special bond.
My cousin will be happy when I tell her that my brother is safe.
Come on, let's sit here and rest for a while.
I think my feet are hurting too," said Idsilla, stopping in front of a pavilion inside the garden.
Maxi sat down and let out a shaky breath.
Idsilla took the seat opposite her and silently smoothed the pleats of her dress.
Although they weren't well acquainted, it was comforting to have someone by their side.
If she were alone in her room, she would torture herself with images of the scene in the square.
Suddenly, Maxi realized why Idsilla was helping her.
The girl needed Maxi to help dissipate the shock as well.
Idsilla smiled stiffly and intertwined her fingers in her lap.
“Clergy will be busy holding funerals in the coming days.”
“True, but… won’t the knights be back soon now that the battle is over?”
“Didn’t you hear?” said Idsilla, eyes widening.
"The coalition army has decided to continue marching north.
It appears that after recapturing Louivell, they pursued the retreating monster army to the Pamela Plateau.
I believe they intend to reconquer the remaining castles that were taken."
“S-So…” Maxi forced her bluish lips to part.
“So when… w-will they be able to come back?”
It was a silly question.
She knew Idsilla wouldn't be able to answer her.
The girl pressed her lips together, and Maxi, feeling dizzy once again, weakly rested her head on the pavilion post.
Despite the scorching summer heat, Maxi felt a chill in his bones.
The battle at Louivell was just the beginning.
Soldiers arrived in the city every three or four days with carriages loaded with dead people.
True to Idsilla's words, the clergy were busy with funeral preparations, and requiems echoed in the basilica every day.
The fallen were victims of monster attacks.
If they were not given a proper funeral, they would likely become undead“ghouls or liches.
For this reason, soldiers were only buried after being purified.
Hundreds of bodies were placed in the basilica, and the line of mourning family members stretched endlessly.
The monastery was calmer compared to the wails that filled the halls of the main church.
Perhaps worried about the gloomy atmosphere, Duke Aren came to see Maxi one day and offered to accommodate her in his castle.
Maxi firmly refused.
She knew that reports about the coalition army always reached the basilica first.