The trolls' ambush delayed the march and it was dusk when the campaign group stopped to set up camp.
Knights patrolled the area with torches while clerics tended to the injured.
After being forced to march with their wounds, most of the men were in bad shape.
Maxi went to the spring with Idsilla to get water and boil restorative herbs.
When they distributed the medicine to all the injured, they helped the other clerics with the preparations for dinner.
Although Maxi was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, the women didn't have a moment's rest.
They were only able to get together to eat the remaining bread and watery soup after serving the men their meals.
This arrangement did not seem unfair to Maxi.
After all, soldiers risked their lives to protect them.
It was also the women's job to build up the strength of the army so that they would always be ready to face an emergency.
Maxi finished his miserable meal in the dark, spread a blanket by the fire, and got ready for bed.
Idsilla had worked in silence the entire time.
Now, she spread her blanket next to Maxi.
Shortly after, Maxi heard muffled crying.
"Are you well?" she asked in a low whisper.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“N-No… it’s just… it was much worse than I expected…” The girl blew her nose loudly into the blanket.
His eyes shone with tears.
"I'm sorry.
You must think I'm foolish.
It was me, after all, who practically forced you to come with me..."
"T-That's not true.
I came… of my own free will," Maxi said, then asked hesitantly, "D-Do you want to go back?"
Idsilla shook her head.
"I don't want that.
No, that was a lie.
I want to go back, but still...
I won't." She bit her lip.
“Have I told you about my brother?”
When Maxi nodded, Idsilla continued in a voice as soft as the light of a dying candle.
"Knightly honor was not the only reason Elba went to war in his miserable condition.
That was the reason he gave us...
but the truth is that it was to secure my dowry.
My family is one of the oldest houses in Livadon, but our fortunes declined greatly during my father's time.
Meanwhile, the man to whom I am betrothed is from a prominent southern family..."
“Was the d-dowry… from his family… too demanding?”
Idsilla nodded stiffly.
"I told my father that I did not mind ending the engagement, but he did not listen, saying that doing so would be no different than a death sentence for a noble woman.
Elba was also determined never to allow such dishonor to befall me.
My father sold what was left of our lands, and Elba set out to fight in a war.
All to secure my dowry.
I knew… but I acted as if I were ignorant and only pretended to dissuade him with empty words.
If only I had entered the convent and became a female cleric, then Elba would not have done something so reckless… if Elba… suffered a fate… similar to the soldiers we buried today, I would never be able to forgive myself.”
Maxi heard a muffled sob.
It seemed that Idsilla had been tormented by feelings of guilt towards her family for a long time.
That was why she made such a reckless decision.
A perplexed emotion overcame Maxi.
A father selling his land for his daughter and a brother risking his life for his sister… It didn't seem real.
“I’m sorry for bothering you with my sob stories.”
“It’s okay,” Maxi replied after a pause.
“I’ll be back to normal in the morning,” Idsilla declared firmly, wiping her tears with her sleeve.
“The tiredness must have gotten to me.”
“You should sleep,” Maxi replied after a while.
“W-We’ll be on the road again… at dawn.”
Idsilla shook her head, then pulled the blanket over herself.
This time, Maxi didn't hear any sobbing, and she assumed the girl must have fallen asleep from exhaustion.
She looked up at the starry sky with desolate eyes.
She couldn't believe that someone born as a woman could be so loved.
Would the Duke of Croyso have treated her differently if she had been smarter, more beautiful and free from impediments?
She felt her heart freeze.
Curling herself into a ball, Maxi pulled her blanket up to her chin.Why was she making herself feel miserable by making unnecessary comparisons?
She had Riftan, and he adored her with all her flaws.
As long as he was there, nothing else mattered.
Maxi closed her eyes tightly to expel the regretful memories of her past.
Before dawn the next day, the group made preparations to set out once more.
Feeling that his mana was somewhat recharged, Maxi used magic to heal some of the injured.
The men must have assumed she was using divine magic, as none of them showed surprise when she healed them.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Maxi went to the fountain with the intention of helping with dinner preparations.
There was no one there, however, presumably because the women had already collected enough water.
She was about to turn back when she paused to look at the clear, flowing fountain.
His face and the back of his neck were sticky with sweat from having his hood pulled up all day.
After a brief moment of internal conflict, she crouched down and threw back her hood.
She scooped up water with her hands and hurriedly washed her face and neck.
Her clothes got soaked in the process, but she didn't care.
She rolled up her sleeves and thoroughly washed her arms and even her armpits before getting up.
It was then that she heard a crunching sound above her head.
Maxi froze and slowly looked up.
Kuahel Leon was lazily perched on a sharp rock.
His expressionless eyes stared at her as he took a bite of a half-eaten apple.
Maxi quickly pulled his hood over his head.
It finally occurred to her that the reason there were no people was that the area had been cleared to allow the Temple Knights' commander to rest undisturbed.
When she tried to hurriedly leave, his bored voice stopped her in her tracks.
“What made you come here?”
Maxi's heart sank.
Sir Kuahel threw his half-eaten apple into the bushes and deftly jumped from the rock.
“I tried asking His Grace the Duke, but he seemed completely oblivious to your presence here… how did you manage to infiltrate?”
“I-I'm scared...
I don't know what you're talking about,” Maxi said in a poor attempt at feigning ignorance as she pulled her hood down to her chin.
Sir Kuahel remained silent for a while, staring at her.
Maxi could feel his mouth getting dry.
“I-If you’ll excuse me, I still have work to do.”
“I delivered your letter.”
His words rooted Maxi in place like a trap.
She bit her lip.
She was aware that this might be a ploy to get her to reveal herself, but she just couldn't shake the temptation to ask about Riftan.
“I-Is he unharmed?” she asked after a long while.
“As if anything could hurt that man,” replied Sir Kuahel fully.
Relief flooded her.
Maxi felt her eyes fill with tears.
She looked up at the knight to confirm he wasn't lying and found him staring at her as if he were seeing something disconcerting.
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Did you come here just to confirm that?”
Maxi's face flushed at the exasperation in his voice.
"P-Please keep this a secret.
I-I don't want to bother anyone, so“"
“You don’t have to do something so extreme for that man to stay safe.”
Maxi glared at him.
“R-Riftan… is not invincible.”
The knight opened his mouth as if to retort, but abruptly closed it tightly.
An indecipherable emotion flashed behind his cold eyes.
“You coming here won’t change anything.”
Maxi was unable to respond immediately.
"I'm aware of that.
I-I just...
wish to see you, m-even if it's from afar..."
Embarrassed by her own words, the fiery blush rose to the tips of her ears.
After looking at her with an enigmatic expression, Kuahel Leon said dryly, "Calypse is probably camping a day's journey away from Serbin Castle.
It would be highly unlikely for you to run into him."
Disguising her disappointment, Maxi replied as calmly as possible, "N-It doesn't matter.
I-I'll be g-glad to be close to him and be c-able to hear from you."
This seemed to silence him.
Maxi looked pleadingly at the knight's impassive face.
His brow furrowed slightly as he turned and picked up the cloak he had hung on a branch."I agree that it would be less burdensome for me to pretend not to know about this matter than to be forced to provide you with a personal guard.
You can do whatever you want."
With that, he slowly swept his eyes over her with a blank expression.
Suddenly realizing how ragged and dirty she must look, Maxi shrugged.
The knight opened his mouth to say something, but quickly turned and left instead.
It seemed like he had stopped himself from saying something inappropriate.
The tension in Maxi's shoulders finally dissipated.
It didn't seem likely that he would interfere with their plan.
In fact, his actions were of no concern to the Temple Knights' commander.
She returned to camp and helped the clergywomen prepare breakfast.
When they had already assessed the conditions of the injured, the day was already clear when the group set off again.
Those who were well enough mounted their horses once more, while those who weren't rode the wagons.
As a result, the already narrow carriage became even tighter.
Fitted between the passengers, Maxi dozed off.
The other clergywomen, apparently exhausted by the events of the past two days, also had no difficulty sleeping inside the noisy vehicle.
They traveled for what seemed like noon when the carriages suddenly stopped.
Maxi opened his sleepy eyes.
Outside the window was an imposing bastion.
They had arrived at Serbin Castle.
Maxi was attentive.
“I-Idsilla… I think we’re here.”
Idsilla, who was sleeping with her head on Maxi's shoulder, woke up abruptly.
She leaned over Maxi and stuck her head out the window.
The well-secured gate door opened wide, and the carriages began to move again.
As they passed through the gate, Maxi observed the city.
Signs of the trolls' previous occupation lay in the rubble that stretched in all directions.
Half the bastion had collapsed, and dark piles of ash were scattered across the site as if everything had been burned.
If it weren't for the tightly packed rows of tents and the flag of Livadon in the center, Maxi would have thought it was an abandoned city.
The soldiers made the carriages form a long line, then opened the vehicle doors.
"We're here.
You can leave now."
Maxi exited the wagon along with the fifteen or so women, and one of the soldiers led them between the tents.
“Follow me.”
As they moved down the street, Maxi saw horses tied to a makeshift fence and soldiers carrying items around the tents.
Clergymen busily attended to the wounded.
Maxi craned her neck in an effort to find a familiar face and ended up bumping into Selina.
The soldier leading them stopped abruptly.
“Women must use this area,” he said, opening the tent flap.
It was a low tent, with the floor covered with a thick layer of hay.
Pieces of cloth were spread over the hay to serve as bedding.
Maxi observed the interior with a grim expression.
It was clear that this place was only intended for sleeping; it was completely devoid of any private space.
The beds themselves didn't have adequate bedding, and the tent was so narrow that Maxi didn't think they would have room to move around while they slept.
Still, one by one the women piled in.
Maxi and Idsilla chose beds at the end, unpacked their bags and left immediately.
A cleric greeted them and explained their duties.
Every day, women were expected to prepare breakfast and dinner for the army and care for the wounded.
In addition, they were also responsible for ensuring that the camp never ran out of water, washing clothes every ten days, caring for the horses, collecting fodder, and occasionally serving the riders.
Maxi's face turned yellow hearing the barrage of tasks, but she was in no position to complain.
She steeled herself and began to work.
Although he wanted to ask about the White Dragons, his heavy workload did not allow him time to speak to any of the soldiers.
Inwardly, Maxi was grinding his teeth in frustration.
Selina evidently felt so bad for her that she slipped away and gathered news from Eth Lene Castle.
“It seems that Balto has sent reinforcements, and the situation is not that serious.”
Maxi turned around, his face stained with soot.
“I-Is that true?
– she asked with a hopeful smile.Selina nodded.
"Sir Riftan apparently played a large role during the battle.
It is said that he managed to hold off an army of raiding trolls“nearly a thousand in number“with only two hundred knights.
He is truly worth a hundred men."