Maxi's expression fell.
Her blood ran cold as if she had been doused with ice-cold water.
Trolls were monsters with proportions similar to those of bulls, endowed with frightening regenerative powers that allowed them to reattach their almost-separated heads.
And yet, Riftan had fought a thousand of them with an army only one-fifth their number.
What the hell was he doing?
Instead of feeling relieved by Selina's words, Maxi felt her heart spasm.
She opened her mouth shyly.
“I- And the casualties?”
"Don't worry.
They say none of the White Dragons were killed during the battle."
Maxi's relief was brief, as Selina hesitantly added, "But...
I was told some were hurt."
"D-Do you know who?
How many were… are they seriously injured?"
"That, I'm afraid I don't know.
The men only told me that some of the White Dragons were seriously wounded and that they stopped advancing after the battle to tend to the wounded."
Maxi rubbed his pale face with a shaking hand.
The faces of the White Dragons quickly flashed through his mind.
As long as their bodies were not severely mutilated, they should have been promptly healed with divine or healing magic.
Still, stopping the advance meant the injuries were serious.
Maxi was worried about who was hurt when Idsilla intervened.
“Have you heard from Elba?”
Selina shook her head.
“The only thing I've been able to discover is that the royal knights of Livadon are camped somewhere near Eth Lene Castle.”
Idsilla lowered her head grimly.
Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, Selina added reassuringly, "Men from each garrison should be heading down to Serbin Castle soon for provisions.
We should be able to hear more then, so don't worry too much."
Idsilla cheered up a little at Selina's calmness.
After promising to report back if she discovered anything else, Selina hurried to take care of the tasks she had left aside.
Maxi stared vacantly at her for a brief moment before regaining her composure and returning to work.
She was dripping with sweat and her cheeks burned from lighting the fire, but she found that the dizzy heat helped dispel her morbid thoughts.
Boiling herbs in a cauldron, she tried to calm her racing mind.
After waiting for the tea to cool and feeding it to the patients, she cleaned their wounds with a damp towel and applied ointment.
When he finished, he went to help with meal preparations.
There was barely time for her to breathe.
When she finally returned to the tent to rest, she no longer had the energy to move a finger.
The stuffy tent smelled of sweat and horses.
Although the smell made it difficult to breathe, Maxi was so tired that she was barely repulsed.
Stretched out like a wilted cabbage leaf, Maxi thought about what to do.
She couldn't continue living like this until the end of the war.
As she heard snoring and the buzzing of mosquitoes in the darkness, Maxi felt her resolve wane.
His eyes filled with tears.
She missed Riftan very much, and also longed to be back at Calypse Castle.
Still, it had been his choice to come here.
Maxi squeezed her eyes shut, hardening her wavering heart.
The next day was busy again.
Maxi got up before dawn and washed his face in the stream, then went to check on the wounded.
There were three hundred wounded men in the camp, but only five hierarchs capable of divine magic.
As a result, male clerics focused their attention on treating those in critical condition, while the remainder were cared for by female clerics.
After making sure that none of the injured had died the night before, the women gathered at the tent tent set up in the center of the camp to distribute herbs.
The cleric in charge of directing the female clerics handed each of them a palm-sized wooden pass as he spoke at length.
"As you may have noticed, most of the men are suffering from fractures.
As many are unable to move without assistance, you will have to feed and bathe them.
You must check their condition twice a day; once in the morning and once in the evening.
If any of them are not lucid or have a fever, you must inform me immediately."Maxi strained his ears to make sure he didn't miss anything as the cleric continued his quick instruction.
"You must pay close attention to those who are bleeding.
Their wounds must be carefully inspected for pus or maggots, and detoxifiers must be boiled and given three times a day without fail.
Additionally, try to keep each patient's hands and feet clean as much as possible and change their bandages at least every three days.
Herbs and firewood are stored in the central tent, and you can take as much as you need for the day."
The cleric then divided the women into six groups of seven and assigned each of them to care for forty wounded.
Maxi was lucky enough to be assigned to the same group as Idsilla.
"I'm told that most of you know how to administer basic treatments.
If you encounter anything beyond your knowledge, come to me immediately.
You will find me near the north gate."
When the cleric left the tent, the women quickly divided the workload among themselves.
They decided that two of them would take turns checking on the injured, while the other five would be responsible for preparing the meal and collecting water.
Maxi was assigned to help draw water from the well with two other clergywomen.
Getting enough water to last a day was an exhausting task in itself.
The women administered medicine to a total of forty wounded men, served them their meal twice, washed their hands and feet, squeezed the pus from their wounds, and changed their bandages.
Even after all this, his tasks were still not completed; Taking care of the horses and preparing the soldiers' meals was also their responsibility.
The days passed as if someone was cutting out chunks of time.
Maxi gradually got used to hard work.
Although life at camp was much more difficult than she had anticipated, she felt no need to complain.
Her heart ached as she looked at the men facing the possibility of being crippled, and she regretted that she could not help more.
If it were possible, she would gladly heal them with her magic.
However, this was impossible with his meager mana supply.
Just healing three or four men was so exhausting that it barely left him enough energy for his other responsibilities.
In the end, Maxi made the grim decision to avoid using magic whenever possible.
It simply wouldn't do for her to exhaust her energy on a few men when dozens of them were in her charge.
She tried to assuage their guilt by meticulously checking their wounds whenever she could and giving them herbal tea every hour to ease their pain.
One day, after days of endless activity, Idsilla secretly approached Maxi.
“Lady Calypse.”
Maxi looked up inquisitively from a potion he was brewing.
Idsilla put her finger to her lips and nodded for Maxi to leave quietly.
After looking around, Maxi left the tent.
The hot summer sun hurt his eyes.
Maxi paused to rub his throbbing forehead and wipe the beads of sweat from his nose.
“This way,” Idsilla called impatiently.
The girl walked around the camp and stopped near the city walls.
She hid behind a bush and pulled Maxi down, forcing Maxi to crouch down beside her.
“What the hell… are we doing?”
“Look over there,” Idsilla replied, pointing beyond the bush.
It didn't take long for Maxi to realize why the girl had brought her here.
A line of knights was entering through the open gate.
Idsilla approached and whispered in his ear: “They are knights from Wedon who have come to collect provisions.”
Maxi's eyes widened.
Indeed, the knights' overcoats bore the coat of arms of Wedon.
His heart quickened at the thought that Riftan might be among them.
“They’ll probably leave as soon as they collect their rations.”
“T-That fast?” Maxi asked in surprise.
Idsilla nodded.
"Now would be the only time to talk to them.
What would you like to do?"
Maxi bit his lip.
Even if Riftan wasn't among the men, she could hear news of him.
Hiding his face further under his hood, Maxi cautiously stepped out of the bushes.
"I'm sure no one would notice me...
if I pretended to help.
Maybe...
I could hear some conversations."
“I’ll go with you.”Maxi shook his head.
"T-Two would attract attention.
You should return to the tent...
before anyone notices your absence.
If I hear news from the knights of Livadon...
I-I'll make sure to tell you."
Idsilla seemed to consider this for a moment.
Seeing the logic in Maxi's words, she obediently turned to leave.
Maxi hurried towards the Wedon knights.
As he approached the knights' quarters, he heard Duke Aren's booming voice.
"It must have been a tiring journey.
Come in.
You should try to rest while the soldiers load the provisions into the wagons."
Hiding behind a carriage, Maxi watched the knights enter the tent one after another.
She intended to approach one of them to ask about the situation on the front lines.
She was analyzing each one to find the friendliest among them when one of the last to enter caught her eye.
Maxi's eyes widened.
“Sir Elliot?”
Sir Elliot Charon, who had been among the men trapped inside Louivell Castle, led soldiers through the city gate.
The sight of his familiar face that she hadn't seen in months made her eyes fill with tears.
Although Riftan had apparently rescued them, Maxi was still worried that some of them might be seriously injured.
She wondered if the rest of the men were okay too.
She was eager to run and ask about the others, but she knew that Sir Elliot would send her away to Levan if he saw her.
Maxi was about to walk away when he caught sight of Ruth's tired face and found himself unable to move.
His heart filled with joy when he looked at the face of his much missed friend.
How worried she had been about that nosy person!
Ruth's gray hair was longer, messily covering her neck.
His normally thin face was thinner, and he looked exhausted.
He let out a long yawn and dismounted his horse.
Maxi smiled; even though he was a good distance away, she could hear him mumbling about something.
He said something to the knights and headed towards the stream.
She hesitated for a moment, then ran after him.
Ruth fanned her face as she reached the stream and noisily washed her face as soon as she reached the water's edge.
After making sure no one else was around, Maxi cautiously approached and crouched down next to him.
With her unkempt clothes and dirty face, Ruth didn't immediately recognize her.
Thinking that she was just a cleric collecting water, he cast an indifferent glance at her before continuing to wash his dirty hands and feet.
Frowning, Maxi poked his arm.
Only then did his blue-gray eyes focus on her.
Maxi blinked and smiled awkwardly at him.
"It's been a while, Ruth.
I'm glad...
to see you well."
Ruth sat up as if struck by lightning, and his mouth opened as if he were about to scream.
Jumping like a rabbit, Maxi quickly covered her mouth.
His movement sent Ruth's thin body plunging into the stream.
Maxi's cassock got soaked in the process.
She looked at him pleadingly, tears in her eyes.
"P-Please...
don't make a fuss.
No one else knows...
that I'm here."
Ruth stared at her as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing, and then her eyes widened when she noticed her monastic habit.