Vibrant summer flowers bloomed throughout the capital, and flocks of waterfowl dove above the swift currents of the Chrysanth River.
Every time Maxi passed the river mouth, she daydreamed about summer in Anatol.
There were waterfowl playing above the lake where Riftan had taken her.
The field they galloped through would be full of wildflowers now, and the vineyard would be full of ripe grapes.
How wonderful it would be if she could see all these places again with Riftan before the end of Ignisias.
She imagined the two of them rowing a small boat on the sparkling lake, and a sharp pang of longing hit her.
“Fewer of them have been coming lately.”
Alyssa's murmur broke Maxi out of her reverie.
They were currently gathering herbs in the shelter's backyard.
Maxi turned to look at Alyssa's sunburned face and tilted her head.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“I mean the carts.”
The soldiers' bodies flashed through Maxi's mind.
She shuddered and quickly pushed the horrible images out of her head.
“Y-Yes,” she replied monotonously.
“There hasn’t been one… in weeks.”
“Must be a good sign, right?” Alyssa asked, her voice mixed with hope and anguish.
Maxi was unable to respond, and Alyssa continued fervently, "The next messenger may announce the end of the war.
We have only heard news of victories after all."
“W-It would be…wonderful.”
Afraid of being disappointed, Maxi couldn't fully agree with Alyssa and instead gave her an ambiguous smile.
Still, she secretly anticipated the end of the war as well.
The coalition army had managed to drive the monsters out of the northwestern regions of the kingdom and was currently fighting to recapture Eth Lene Castle in the northeast.
Rumors claimed that the battle there would bring the end of the war.
Maxi wasn't the only one who anticipated the end.
Hope simmered throughout the city like a persistent fever.
Trying to shake off the ominous feeling that this was just the calm before the storm, Maxi changed the subject.
"I think… we should go in now.
We need to get back to the monastery soon.
It's… almost time for afternoon prayers."
“My God, already?”
Alyssa looked up at the sky as she slowly stood up.
As if on cue, they heard Idsilla's energetic voice above their heads.
"Ladies!
Come inside now and wash your hands.
Everyone is ready to go.
We must be back at the monastery before afternoon prayer if we don't want to be scolded by the clerics!"
“We were about to do that,” muttered Alyssa, walking around the fence to head for the entrance.
With a bitter smile, Maxi followed and entered the shelter.
Due to their hard work over the past few weeks, conditions within the facility had improved considerably.
The once-dirty floors were now shiny and spotless from constant sweeping and mopping, and they had recently hired carpenters to repair the roof, stairs, and window frames.
As a result, the shelter no longer felt like a run-down building.
Maxi proudly observed the changes before heading to the kitchen to wash her hands and straighten her messy hair and clothes.
Outside, coachmen and guards were waiting for them.
The women said goodbye to the clergy with a promise to return before entering the carriages.
“When do you plan to visit again?” asked the noblewoman sitting in front of Maxi as soon as the carriage started to move.
Alyssa seemed to ponder for a moment, then said with a sigh, "I would say it won't be until next week.
The clergy at the monastery have asked us to refrain from leaving the basilica for a while."
"Why?
Hasn't security within the city improved?"
“There are currently a large number of southern merchants in the capital, and the clergy consider polytheistic southerners more dangerous than refugees,” said Idsilla with his typical sarcastic tone.
“They reluctantly allow them into our city because we need their money, but they firmly believe they are troublesome.”
Frowning, Maxi retorted, "T-That's not true.
Your wisdom...
surpasses ours.
Most of the...
knowledge about the art of healing that I've learned is based on your knowledge."“It would be best if you refrained from making such comments in front of the clergy,” Alyssa warned her cautiously.
"Levan's clerics are mostly adherents of the Reformed Church, so they may be relatively tolerant when it comes to magic...
but that doesn't mean they also accept pagans.
Defending them could draw their enmity towards you."
Maxi felt slightly discouraged.
“I-I’ll… remember that.”
The carriage slowly traveled from the outer areas to the wider, inner lanes.
Feeling flat and tired, Maxi looked out the window.
A loud trumpet sounded as they reached the road leading to the square.
The noblewomen, who were dozing with their heads against the carriage wall, woke up abruptly and looked out the window.
Pedestrians hurried to make way, and a knight in armor galloped past them like the wind.
“Do you think it’s a messenger?”
“Y-Yes, it seems so,” Maxi replied, her face hardening.
The noblewomen exchanged looks full of hope and concern.
“It could be news of the army successfully recapturing Eth Lene Castle.”
Maxi's expression turned wary.
Could it be news of victory even as the army considered the message urgent enough to be delivered by a horseman rather than a carrier pigeon?
Maxi shrugged as a sense of foreboding sent a shiver down his spine.
Idsilla opened the panel above the front seat and urged the coachman to drive faster.
"Please hurry!
We must know what the news is as soon as possible!"
The carriage jolted as it passed through the square.
Holding the coin Riftan had given her, Maxi prayed it was good news.
When they arrived, the air in the basilica was thick with tension.
The noblewomen's faces became anxious when they saw clergymen busy in grave deliberation.
The cleric who came out to meet them said in a calm voice, "Welcome back.
There will be no afternoon prayers today, so you can rest in your rooms."
The cleric was about to leave when Alyssa stopped him.
"We saw a messenger pass by as we were returning.
Did something happen?"
The cleric looked worried.
He hesitated before monotonously saying, "I might as well tell you now.
The basilica will no longer be able to care for you.
Remaining here would only mean a lot of discomfort.
If any of you wish to return home, we will send word to your families."
"What do you mean by that?
Please tell us what's going on!" Idsilla demanded, looking like she wanted to strangle the cleric.
The cleric sighed.
"I'm afraid the monsters have turned the tide of battle.
They've pushed our army back across the northeastern border to Balto."
There was a collective sigh.
Alyssa was giddy with the news.
The cleric rushed to support her as he quickly added, "The situation is not that dire, so please don't worry.
As the army expects the war to be long, they have sent a message requesting more provisions and support units.
The basilica will also send many of our clerics.
Which means it will be more difficult to meet your needs.
I suggest you go back to your“"
“Are you telling us to leave because we are a nuisance?” said Idsilla sharply.
Alarmed by the girl's impertinence, Alyssa tried to restrain her, but Idsilla didn't blink.
“We are not here because we want to be served!”
"Please," said the cleric after a pause, "I suggest you go back to your rooms for now and think about this calmly.
I will explain the situation to the other ladies."
When Idsilla opened his mouth again to argue, the cleric ran out of the basilica as if escaping.
Maxi saw him leave with desperation.
The pit of her belly stung as if she had swallowed needles.
The other noblewomen looked dazed as they sank into the seats.
“The cleric said the situation wasn’t dire, so everything should be fine, right?”
"He may have said that to not worry us.
If the situation really wasn't serious, they wouldn't be trying to get rid of us so rudely."
Idsilla's objective assessment only increased their anxiety.
The women returned to their rooms with faces as pale as ghosts.
Maxi went to his room too and fell on the bed.Her heart was so distressed and anxious that for the first time, she regretted coming here with the knights.
If she had remained in Anatol, she would not have been consumed by such extreme worry.
After witnessing the terrors of war with her own eyes, not knowing if Riftan was safe drove her crazy.
That night, Maxi completely lost the peace of mind he had just regained, as his nightmares returned.
When she forced herself out of bed the next morning and went outside, she was met with faces as pale and haggard as hers.
It was obvious that no one else had managed to have a peaceful night either.
The exhausted women left the monastery like a line of specters.
After they passed through the garden, Maxi saw clergymen bustling about in all directions.
She deduced that they must have been preparing to join the campaign.
Suddenly, someone pulled his arm.
It was Idsilla.
The young noblewoman placed her finger on Maxi's lips and nodded for him to follow her.
Confused, Maxi followed her.
Idsilla took her to the orchard and said nothing until she was sure they were alone.
“I apologize for calling you here so suddenly, but there is something I would like to discuss with you in private…”
“Wh-what is it?”
Idsilla was so hesitant, in such an unusual way, that Maxi was worried.
After a moment of silence, the girl began to speak quickly.
"I went to question every cleric I knew yesterday because I just couldn't sit still.
I was told that the support unit will travel northeast to Serbin Castle.
They intend to use the castle as a base and help the coalition army from there."
Maxi blinked vaguely.
She didn't understand why Idsilla was sharing such information with her so secretly.
When he gave her a questioning look, Idsilla hesitated before continuing.
"As the name suggests, the support unit is the division of the army that assists the fighting forces behind.
They are responsible for doing all sorts of tasks, such as treating the wounded, washing clothes, preparing food for the men, identifying the dead, and so on.
I think a large number of women will join the campaign this time.
Since most of the able-bodied men have already been drafted, the clerics say it will be up to the female clerics to resolve the shortage."
Feeling that the conversation was strangely straying off topic, Maxi swallowed hard.
Idsilla took a deep breath and declared, “I intend to go with the clerics.”
Maxi's eyes widened and he immediately tried to dissuade her.
"Y-You shouldn't!
W-It would be very dangerous."
"I'm a knight's daughter.
I have the means to protect myself.
Besides, I wouldn't be fighting on the front lines.
I would just help with the simple tasks in the rear.
I believe I'm fully capable of that.
After all, it's not much different from the work we've been doing in the shelter."
"T-That's not the same thing!
Following them to the battlefield“"
Idsilla was alarmed by Maxi's raised tone and quickly covered her mouth.
"Please lower your voice.
If Alyssa hears this, she will carry me home like a suitcase."
Maxi decided at that moment to inform Alyssa about this immediately.
As if reading her mind, Idsilla narrowed her eyes and said solemnly, "I tell you this in confidence, Lady Calypse.
You wouldn't do anything to betray my trust, would you?"
Maxi hesitated.
"Idsilla, p-please reconsider.
You're only...
e-eighteen."
"Which means it's been two years since I came of age.
I'm a grown woman who can take responsibility for my actions."