Ulyseon sneaked between the trees with Maxi on his back.
He bent over as much as he could to lessen the pressure on her aching body.
Every time her arm swung, the excruciating pain in her shoulder caused her to clench her teeth so tightly she thought she might break them.
It crossed her mind that passing out might be the least painful option, but the fear of never opening her eyes again made her fight to remain conscious.
Ahead, Garrow raised his arm and shouted, “Here!”
When they reached it, Maxi saw a small cave hidden between twisted trees.
Garrow spread his cloak on the floor, and Ulyseon carefully lowered Maxi onto it as if he were a fragile vase.
Despite their efforts, Maxi still felt like she was lying on burning coals.
She was drenched in cold sweat and was chewing on the torn fabric she held against her bleeding nose.
Ulyseon looked at his fallen hand in bewilderment.
"Garrow, w-what should we do?
I think we'll have to reattach her shoulder..."
"But none of us know how.
It's not something we can just try.
If we get it wrong, we could end up breaking bones or causing more pain.
We should immobilize the arm for now to reduce the pain as much as possible."
Sitting on his knees beside her, Garrow tore a long strip from his robe.
"This is going to hurt, my lady.
Please try to bear it."
Fear invaded her when she saw the squire reach for her arm.
The pain was unbearable even when lying still.
The thought of someone moving her arm filled her with terror.
Still, she knew there was no other option.
Garrow gently folded his arm across his chest and used the torn strap to secure it in place.
Maxi bit his lip so hard it made it bleed.
The pain was so excruciating that his breath caught in his throat.
Seeing her reaction, Ulyseon quickly took the backpack off her back.
"Wait a moment, my lady.
There should be some restorative herbs here."
Ulyseon trembled as he took out a bag and rummaged through it looking for the dried restorative herb.
Maxi watched him with blurry eyes, then removed the fabric he was holding to his face.
Fortunately, the bleeding seemed to have stopped.
She wiped the blood from her face with the crumpled cloth.
Ulyseon found the herb and broke it into smaller pieces, feeding it one by one.
Although Maxi couldn't feel the bitterness of the restorative herb as she chewed and swallowed, she felt sick the moment it passed through her throat.
Choking, Maxi regurgitated the nasty weed.
“My lady!”
The vomiting intensified the pain in his aching ribs.
Ulyseon was close to tears as he watched her writhe in pain.
"S-Sorry, my lady.
I shouldn't have given you the herbs..."
"That's not going to work.
I think we'll have to risk being tracked and lighting a fire.
She's too cold.
The mana depletion symptoms are getting worse."
“I-I’ll do it!”
"No, you must be on guard.
Your eyes are better than mine."
In a daze, Maxi could barely register their conversation as he wiped the sticky vomit from his mouth.
After wrapping her in the cloak he had placed on the ground, Garrow went out to gather firewood.
Ulyseon took off his own cloak and bent to cover her.
Suddenly, he froze.
Seeing his fellow squire turn to stone, Garrow gave him a perplexed look.
"What it was?"
“There’s blood…”
Was your nose bleeding again?
Maxi forced his drooping eyelids open.
His blurry vision could only make out the darkened forest.
It felt like she was trapped under dark waters.
“Please forgive me, my lady.”
Pushing a frozen Ulyseon aside, Garrow crouched down beside her and took off his cloak.
Unable to think straight, Maxi couldn't understand what they were doing.
She lay there, slowly blinking her eyes.
Garrow felt the hem of her dress and sighed.
He quickly covered her with the cloak again and lifted her onto his back.
“We have to get her to a healer as quickly as possible,” he said, panicked.
“She’s losing a lot of blood.”
“L-Let me carry you!”
"I'll be faster in the mountains.
You guard the rear!"True to his words, Garrow descended the slope at a frightening speed.
Every step he took felt like a horse kicking her in the chest, but Maxi no longer had the energy to moan.
Her breaths came shallowly as she bounced like a doll on his back.
Everything was getting weak.
She couldn't even tell if her eyes were open or closed.
"Curse!" shouted Ulyseon.
"Trolls!
They know we're here!"
Maxi's eyes narrowed.
Something dark was charging behind them, growling.
Soon she heard the clash of steel.
“Keep running!” Ulyseon said.
The sound of the monsters' roars, grunts, and clashing steel continued.
The bangs on the ground made Maxi break out in a cold sweat.
As Garrow walked down the steep slope, it looked like they were falling.
The violent movement caused Maxi to briefly lose consciousness.
The next thing she knew, a hand was slapping her face.
She had no idea how long she had been unconscious.
His eyes opened to find everything shrouded in darkness.
She heard Ulyseon's breathless voice in the dark night.
“You need to stay awake, my lady, or your temperature will drop even further,” he murmured, wrapping a cloak around her.
Although the pressure of Ulyseon's arm on her side was unbearable, she just shook her head.
He sat down behind a rock to catch his breath and wrapped his arms around her to keep her as warm as possible.
They continued their descent in a hurry, with Maxi going in and out of consciousness.
Time passed either in agonizing flashes or in stretched eternities.
The squires crossed the dark forest without a moment's rest.
The sound of their rhythmic footsteps, heavy breathing, and the freezing cold were the only things Maxi's senses could register.
Why did the journey back seem so long when it hadn't been that way the other way?
She was thinking about it vaguely when she saw a light in the distance.
“It’s our cavalry!” exclaimed Ulyseon, looking deeply relieved.
“They must have received our message.”
Hurrying out of the trees, he shouted, "Trolls in pursuit!
We call for protection!"
“Are you deserters?”
The voice was incongruously calm amidst the urgency of the situation.
It looked familiar, but Maxi couldn't place it.
Still carrying her on his back, Ulyseon ran to the man and knelt down.
“We are squires of the White Dragons,” said Garrow.
"Lady Calypse was seriously injured while we were traveling through the forest.
Please help us!"
Maxi could barely open his eyes.
In a fog, she could make out torch-holding figures on horseback.
The knight at the head of the group dismounted, and his armor clinked as he approached them.
"We are about to go into battle.
We can only provide emergency treatment."
"We would be grateful for any help!
His lordship has lost a lot of blood."
There was a pause.
"Very well.
I will heal you with divine magic."
With that, the man knelt in front of her.
When she felt the familiar energy penetrating her body, Maxi strained to see.
An instant later, a stone face shrouded in silver light came into focus.
Maxi briefly met the man's eyes.
They were green with light brown spots.
When it finally sunk in that this was the commander of the Temple Knights, she closed her eyes, relief flooding her.
Their presence meant that the coalition army had arrived earlier than expected.
They were saved.
As her tension dissipated, she could no longer fight the overwhelming tiredness.
Maxi finally allowed his consciousness to slip away.
Maxi was awakened by the sound of sobbing.
Slowly, she opened her heavy eyelids, staring dazedly at the yellow roof of the tent above.
Confusion took over her.
Had it all been a nightmare?
Unable to get her bearings, she blinked her dry eyes.
The sobs got louder.
Maxi flinched and turned toward the sound, finding a terrifying sight.
A woman dressed in black knelt at the foot of the cot, pulling her disheveled hair as she cried.
Maxi shouted.
The woman's form crumbled and dispersed like black ash.
“What happened, my lady?!”Maxi looked at the man who hurriedly entered the tent.
Sir Elliot Charon, who had gone into battle with Riftan, stood before her, fully armed.
O cavaleiro parecia mais surpreso do que ela.
Um momento depois, ele saiu correndo da tenda.
“Mago Ruth!
Lady Calypse está acordada!”
Maxi se encolheu e se curvou.
When he realized the pain was gone, he turned to inspect his shoulder.
The arm that had previously hung awkwardly at his side was now perfectly aligned.
She touched it gently, surprised that she didn't feel any pain.
Quando ela tinha sido curada?
Ruth ran into the tent as she moved her arm.
"You are awake, my lady.
How are you feeling?"
The tension left his shoulders the moment he saw the sorcerer's face.
It looked like she had returned safely to Eth Lene Castle.
With a sigh of relief, Maxi opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came from her parched throat.
Ruth approached the cot and held a cup of water to her lips.
Maxi se apoiou e deu um gole.
As the cold water descended into his stomach, his hazy consciousness became clearer.
She looked slowly at Ruth and Sir Elliot before stammering hoarsely, “What about…monsters?”
"Thanks to you blocking the southern path, we managed to defeat them.
The remaining men inside the city dealt with the monsters trapped outside the walls, and the coalition army took care of the rest."
Placing the cup on a tray, Ruth pulled up a chair next to her.
His relief evaporated when he saw her pale face.
A shiver ran down her spine as she suddenly remembered the sobbing banshee at the foot of her cot.
"D-Did they...
hurt anyone?
Where is...
U-Ulyseon...
and Garrow?"
“They are well, my lady,” Ruth said calmly.
"They were injured during the fight with the monsters, but they have already recovered.
We were lucky.
The Temple Knights came with the cavalry as soon as they received our message."
“What about… Riftan?”
O rosto de Ruth endureceu.
He passed his hand over his mouth and murmured with a worried expression, "The White Dragons were on the front lines.
They immediately returned to Eth Lene after the Temple Knights.
Sir Riftan came straight to see you as soon as he arrived.
Don't you remember, my lady?"
Maxi tried to sort through his jumbled memories, but it only gave him a headache.
Ela não conseguia se lembrar de nada.
When she slowly shook her head, Ruth let out a low sigh.
"I suppose it's not surprising.
You were unconscious for a week, my lady, worse than a corpse." Ruth began speaking quickly, as if recalling the events made him angrier by the minute.
"You had two broken ribs, bruises all over your body, and your left shoulder was completely dislocated.
And if that wasn't enough, in addition to suffering from severe mana depletion, you“"
Ruth se interrompeu, esfregando rude a testa.
Ele recomeçou em uma voz muito mais calma.
"Things could have gone terribly wrong if you hadn't found the Temple Knights when you did.
Sir Riftan practically went crazy with worry."
“I-I’m so sorry… I just…” Maxi mumbled, her face pale.
His heart sank as he imagined Riftan's reaction.
Seeing his expression, Ruth lowered her head tiredly.
"I'm not scolding you, my lady.
If you hadn't caused that landslide, everyone in Eth Lene Castle would have been massacred.
Therefore, I must thank you."
Contrary to her words, however, Ruth seemed conflicted.
After looking at her as if he had a lot to say, he sighed and shook his head.
"I think I talked too much when you just woke up.
I'll go get some porridge.
In the meantime, try not to think too much and rest.
I've been infusing you with restorative magic regularly, but you'll still be feeling weak.
You haven't eaten anything for a week."
“O-Onde está… Riftan?”
Ruth stiffened.
He stared at her darkly for a moment before replying curtly, "He's in a strategic meeting.
He should be back soon."
Maxi swallowed.
She was afraid that Riftan might be angry.
Out of habit, she reached into her pocket, intending to hold the coin, when she realized that someone had changed her clothes.
She anxiously ran her hands over her new dress.Ruth looked at her, murmuring uneasily: "Sir Riftan served me for a long time, but I never saw him so distraught.
He was like a madman."