"If the coalition army continues advancing north," Ruth said, "they will link up with Balto's Royal Army forces near the Pamela Plateau.
With Balto's army also advancing east, we should be able to corner the monsters as long as everything goes according to plan."
Hearing the good news, Maxi smiled despite his tiredness.
Ruth used to report the details of the war to Maxi after each of the Grand Duke's meetings.
“You must take no more than two or three batches of provisions until the end of the war.”
Hearing Ruth's confidence in a complete victory, Maxi's heart felt lighter.
If Ruth, a skeptic to the core, believed they could win, that must mean the Coalition army had luck on its side.
While stirring a boiling pot, Maxi began to calculate in his mind.
It would be necessary to ride for a day and a half without rest to reach Pamela Plateau from Eth Lene.
Considering the mobility of the infantry, the round trip would probably take a maximum of three to four days.
Since the army had carried fifteen days' worth of provisions, sending two or three more batches would mean that this war would be over in less than a month and a half.
“Your medicine is overflowing.”
Ruth's voice brought Maxi out of her thoughts.
She quickly removed the pan from the brazier and placed it beside her.
The infirmary was full of wounded men who had arrived during the night.
Even though the remaining mages were doing their best to heal the injured, they were unable to restore all of them to full health in just a few days.
For this reason, they treated patients according to the severity of their injuries.
It was up to the female clerics to keep these thirty or so men alive until the wizards could take care of them.
Maxi rubbed his tired eyes as he transferred the detox into a small bottle.
Ruth watched her for a moment before frowning.
“Are you getting enough rest, my lady?” he asked, passing a scrupulous glance over her.
“You’re eating right, aren’t you?”
“I-I eat it whenever I get the chance,” Maxi murmured, avoiding his gaze.
In fact, she hadn't had a proper meal since Riftan's departure.
Anxiety diminished her appetite, and forcing the bread down her throat only made her feel nauseous.
After studying his haggard face, Ruth let out a small sigh.
"I think your nerves are getting overly sensitive lately, my lady.
You won't last long in this state.
We don't know when this war will end, so you should take better care of yourself."
“I… I am aware of that.”
“I don’t think you are.”
Ruth took the flask and spoon from her and called the squires to guard the tent entrance.
"You should get some sleep, my lady.
Rovar, Livakion, please escort your lordship to her tent."
"T-That won't be necessary!
I can't be the only one to rest...
while everyone else is working, so“"
“Didn’t you heal three people today with magic?”
In fact, she had healed five people.
Ruth was not aware of the additional two because she had done it while he had gone to see Duke Aren.
Maxi pressed her lips together, and Ruth stared at her before pointing firmly at the entrance.
"It is customary to rest after using magic.
Try to rest for noon."
"B-But, Ruth...
you take care of patients...
and you're looking for a way to break Sir Hebaron's c-curse.
If anyone needs to rest, it's“"
"You don't need to worry about my health, my lady.
I'm already taking care of it as if it were a precious jewel."
He frowned as if he found her stubbornness irritating.
"You, however, are neglecting yourself.
You would indeed be a nuisance if you dragged dozens of servants with you everywhere, refusing to lift a finger, but burdening yourself like a slave is no different.
Sometimes, it's hard to believe that you are a daughter of the House of Croyso."
Hurt by his words, Maxi turned around, disconcerted.
"I-I understand.
I will rest, as you wish."
“Please do not allow your lordship to leave the tent for the rest of the day,” Ruth instructed Ulyseon.After giving Ruth a disdainful look, Maxi returned to Riftan's tent.
She doubted she would be able to rest.
However, as if she was shaming her assumption, her eyes grew heavy as soon as she laid her head on the pillow.
She rubbed her throbbing temples for a while before lying on her side and pulling the thin blanket over her head.
She must have fallen into a deep sleep because the next thing she knew someone was shaking her awake.
It took a moment for her to come to her senses.
How long had she slept?
Maxi was blinking blankly when Ulyseon's urgent voice penetrated her confused thoughts.
"Ma'am!
You need to get up!
We have to get out of here immediately."
"What?" Maxi asked, looking at the squire in surprise.
Ulyseon pressed her to sit down.
"There's no time to explain.
We have to hurry!"
Maxi hurriedly got out of bed and followed him out of the tent.
At that moment, a loud noise pierced his ears.
Eyes wide, Maxi looked in the direction of the commotion.
Armed knights were fighting what appeared to be large mounds of black mud near the south gate.
Screams echoed around them, as panicked people ran through the camp in confusion.
Instinctively, Maxi took a step back.
Had the world changed in the short time she had been asleep?
"What the hell is going on?
Why are there monsters inside the castle?"
"Damn!
Ghouls rose from the ground.
The monsters must have created a mass of undead and buried them here," Ulyseon shouted angrily as he tugged on Maxi's arm.
Maxi's eyes grew even wider.
“B-But when“”
"I will explain later, my lady.
First, we need to ensure your safety."
He ran through the cluster of tents, and Maxi ran after him, panting.
At that moment, a hand appeared from the ground and grabbed his ankle.
Terrified, Maxi screamed with all her strength.
The cold, wet hand, with black bones standing out, attached itself to her and pulled her leg.
Maxi screamed and frantically tried to free himself.
As the ghoul crawled out of the ground, Ulyseon cut off its arm.
The severed hand, however, remained attached to Maxi's ankle.
Her body shaking with sobs, she tore off the severed hand with trembling fingers and threw it away.
It was a terrible feeling, and she thought no amount of washing would rid her of the feeling.
Ulyseon pulled her close as she frantically cleaned where the ghoul had touched her skin.
“Stay close, my lady!”
Only then did she notice that more than one ghoul was emerging from the ground.
Ulyseon swung his sword at the half-rotted corpses that slowly crawled out of the earth.
A bluish glow flashed on his sword, and in an instant, he cut off three ghouls' heads.
Maxi watched in horror as the ghouls groped for their severed heads.
Ulyseon tugged on his arm.
"This way, my lady!
It must be safer on top of the walls."
Other than running after the squire, there was nothing else she could do.
Ulyseon knocked the ghouls down as they ran, and they were out of the chaos before they knew it.
He took her to the walls and said, "The undead keep coming, but you must be safe up here, my lady.
If any of them climb the stairs, I will kill them immediately."
Barely making it to the observation tower, Maxi rested his hand on the battlement as he tried to catch his breath.
Although she felt dizzy, being on the wall gave her an unobstructed view of the chaos unfolding below.
Half the barracks had collapsed, and restless horses were running wildly through the camp.
Armed knights screamed as they impaled the emerging ghouls with long spears.
It was a scene from hell.
“I- What about… the others?”
"Mage Ruth is over there, my lady.
You need not worry.
Ghouls are not that powerful.
There are many experienced knights here, as well as priests, so it shouldn't take long to exterminate them."
Maxi was barely listening as he frantically scanned the commotion.
And Hebaron and Garrow?
And Idsilla and the other clerics?
Would everyone be safe amid so much pandemonium?
She frantically searched the camp for a familiar face when a loud explosion echoed behind her.Maxi turned around.
The magical devices had been activated, and double barriers appeared before the walls.
Beyond them, an army of trolls dressed in black armor marched towards the city.
Ulyseon let out a muffled groan.
“How in the hell…?”
After briefly covering his face with his hand in shock, the squire quickly picked up the long kopel resting on the corner of the observation tower.
Placing his head on the battlement, Ulyseon breathed into him.
The booming sound echoed through the camp“an alarm signaling an outside invasion.
Maxi felt his hair stand on end.
"Do not be afraid, my lady.
I will protect you at all costs."
Maxi couldn't understand his words.
The young man's determined voice was like smoke to his ears.
The sudden uproar was beyond his ability to handle.
Maxi held his forehead as he tried in vain to regain his sense of reality.
Ghouls wreaking havoc within the city.
An army of trolls converging on the city walls.
She was trapped in a nightmare.
Hadn't the coalition driven all the trolls north?
And how long had those ghouls been buried here?
She came to a chilling realization.
Ulyseon had said that it was the monsters that created the undead.
This could only mean that they had buried the ghouls during the initial capture of Eth Lene Castle.
Was their retreat from the city a ruse to lure the coalition army to Eth Lene?
If that were the case, why now?
Why didn't they attack the city while the knights were still here?
The monsters may have simply scavenged for provisions.
The city currently had enough food to sustain an army of fifteen thousand men for a month and a half.
If the monsters took it all over, not even the coalition would be able to survive.
Maxi hugged his shoulders as a shiver ran through his body.
At that moment, he heard Garrow's voice calling from below on the wall.
"Uly!
We've lured the ghouls to a single location!
Bring your ladyship now!"
Looking over the edge, Maxi saw five or more soldiers gathered at the bottom of the stairs.
Ulyseon guided her by the arm once again as they descended the stone stairs.
When Maxi finally managed to get back to ground level on shaky legs, Garrow and the soldiers promptly surrounded her.
"The clergy and patients have been evacuated to the north end of the camp.
You too must take shelter until everything calms down, my lady."
Holding her with one hand, Garrow quickly moved forward.
Maxi hurriedly tried to keep up.
As they passed through the dizzying tumult, Maxi saw knights with spire-shaped spears and soldiers carrying spears ten kevettes high.
Maintaining formation, they directed the ghouls to a single location.
It was comforting to see their side organize with such precision even in the face of the abrupt ambush.
If they could defend the walls until the coalition army returned, they could protect the provisions and lives of everyone in the city.