Maxi looked at Richard Breston in horror.
“Are you saying… that those soldiers were used as cannon fodder to evaluate the monsters’ attack range?”
“Did you think we would order an all-out attack without first understanding the strength of the enemy defenses?” Breston replied, leaning back in his chair.
“This knowledge is crucial before we dive in, hence the experiment.”
Maxi hugged himself as he felt a chill run down his spine.
The man seemed to see the soldiers as just pawns on a chessboard.
“This siege is going to be more troublesome than we thought,” Breston added apathetically.
"The front and western walls are full of catapults and crossbows.
The eastern wall is relatively weak, but access is limited by a steep valley.
Getting our siege weapons there is out of the question.
And even if, by some miracle, we managed to get closer, our weapons would be destroyed if we don't find a solution to those damned flaming arrows."
“Which means our only option at the moment is to bombard the walls from a safe distance,” Kuahel said, breaking the silence.
The paladin seemed indifferent to Breston's cold remarks.
In an instant, Maxi realized that Phil Aaron's Knights had not acted alone in sacrificing the damned.
After looking at the map with a thoughtful expression, Kuahel added calmly, "There is also the problem of night attacks.
The enemy will wear down our soldiers if they continue."
“What about a makeshift wall?” suggested Princess Agnes.
"There is no shortage of rocks in the mountains.
If the rear unit transports them, we could build one in a few days.
Even a structure of ten kevettes would help.
This would allow the mages to rest in shifts without having to maintain a barrier around the supplies all night."
The princess turned to Maxi as if asking for support.
Maxi composed himself and replied calmly, "A wall would be nice, but...
where would we get the clay or plaster to build it?
And even if we could build something like that, I doubt it would be strong enough to withstand the attacks."
“There will be an elite unit keeping watch outside, so it doesn’t need to be too tough,” Agnes replied.
“You just need to stop goblins from entering the camp.”
“Very good,” said Kuahel, stroking his chin.
“Since the war isn’t going to start in earnest anytime soon, we can assign part of the rear unit to construction.”
The discussion turned to the relocation of soldiers.
Maxi felt like a stranger among a group of strangers.
Was war always so ruthless?
The officers' evident disregard for the lives of not only the enemy, but also their own men, horrified her.
As if noticing his scattered attention, Kuahel knocked on the table.
"We will position the catapults in the center and the ballistae on each side.
A three-pronged attack should make it difficult for the enemy to defend themselves."
Maxi lowered his head to the map and studied the formations carefully.
This was no time to be distracted.
As soon as the meeting ended, the army reorganized as planned.
While the White Dragons and Phil Aaron's Knights guarded the camp, some forces moved west and siege weapons were repositioned.
Finally, they were ready for the second attack.
This time, the task of helping with the catapults fell to Ben and Armin.
Thirty catapults slowly ascended the hill, and gigantic beasts formed ranks on the east and west sides.
Once the tense preparations were over, the coalition army launched its attack from multiple angles.
Maxi prepared to throw a shield around the supply wagons in case of wyvern attack.
Although a counterattack came quickly, as Richard Breston had predicted, it fell short of the coalition army's ranks.
On the other hand, the monsters seemed barely affected.
By the end of the hours-long siege, the coalition had barely made a dent in enemy forces.
It was already night when they reorganized the battalions, forming a defensive line of spearmen and cavalry at the front to prepare for a possible night attack.
The soldiers withdrew their siege weapons to the rear and began lighting fires around the camp.Just like that, another day passed.
There were few casualties in the second attack, saving the mages from staying up tending to the wounded all night, but Maxi still woke up feeling exhausted.
Between worrying about Riftan and fear of a nighttime attack, she only managed two hours of sleep.
He dragged himself to the infirmary to check on the remaining patients and then ate bacon and onion soup.
When the sun rose, the soldiers who had been keeping watch overnight retreated to their tents.
Their well-rested companions emerged carrying weapons.
This time, the central battalion tried to approach the city gate while catapults attacked the walls.
The soldiers charged up the hill brandishing siege hammers, even under a hail of flaming arrows.
Maxi tended to the injured as deafening explosions ripped through the air.
The coalition army attacked again, ending in yet another failure and filling the infirmary with hundreds of soldiers.
There was no bone in the human body that Maxi hadn't seen or touched.
Crushed legs, cracked skulls, and exposed organs were familiar sights, and she spent more time in bloody clothes than in clean ones.
The more he worked, the more insensitive to it all he became.
Her arms moved mechanically, and she had no idea how much time had passed when Anette appeared behind her.
“Let me take over now, Max.
You should rest.”
Maxi looked at her friend through heavy eyelids and said hoarsely, “Who’s helping with the catapults?”
"The mages from the offensive support unit have volunteered.
You are free to rest for the rest of the morning."
“I doubt I’ll be able to sleep.”
"Look at you.
At least try, or you'll end up fainting."
Anette forced Maxi to her feet and pushed her towards the exit, just in time to find soldiers helping an injured man into the infirmary.
The color drained from Maxi's face as he recognized Garrow.
Recovering from the shock, Maxi ran towards the young knight.
"What happened?"
Ulyseon, who had entered the tent behind the group, took off his helmet and threw it on the ground.
“The fool fought all night despite a head injury,” he explained through gritted teeth.
After looking at Ulyseon in surprise, Maxi quickly led Garrow to an empty treadmill.
Garrow swayed as if dizzy before passing out.
Maxi felt his heart shrink with fear.
She desperately prayed that he hadn't suffered brain damage.
These traumas often resulted in debilitating disabilities, even with healing magic.
Once Ulyseon gently laid Garrow down, Maxi knelt down to examine the wound.
A cry of despair escaped his lips.
There was a visible depression above his right eye where the bone near the eye socket was completely crushed.
“Someone bring me hot water and clean linen!” Maxi screamed, then carefully opened Garrow's eyelid.
His eye was terribly swollen.
“Damn it,” Ulyseon swore.
He threw himself into a chair and rubbed his face hard, aware that the loss of vision due to injury could not be restored.
“How is the wound?” Anette asked, placing a kettle and a bunch of linen nearby.
Maxi wet a strip of linen with water without responding and began to wipe the blood from Garrow's face.
“Couldn’t you heal him with magic first, my lady?” Ulyseon said anxiously.
"I need to align the bones first.
If I don't do this, they will set in the wrong place."
After carefully examining the upper part of Garrow's forehead, Maxi motioned to Anette, who promptly brought out an assortment of medical tools.
Maxi took a barber blade from his leather bag, cleaned it with wine, and made a long incision from the right corner of his forehead to his temple.
She had almost finished the incision down to her cheek when Garrow suddenly woke up.
After asking Ulyseon to hold his friend, Maxi separated the skin and began positioning the broken bones with tweezers.
Fresh blood oozed from the open wound, and Garrow writhed in pain throughout the harrowing process.
Maxi was drenched in sweat by the time she finished reconstructing Garrow's skull.
He was about to cast a healing spell on him when Anette placed her hand on his trembling fingers.
"Let me do the healing.
You need to rest, you're about to faint."Maxi looked anxiously at the unconscious Garrow before relenting.
She stood up with difficulty and left the tent, when suddenly her stomach dropped.
He ran outside and hid behind a corner to vomit.
His throat burned and his limbs felt heavy.
Panting, he wiped his lips.
He may lose vision in his right eye.
It would be lucky if vision was the only thing the young knight lost.
If his brain was truly damaged, he might never wake up again.
And even if he woke up, he could end up incapacitated.
Maxi pressed his face against his knees.
The fear she had kept at bay crashed over her like a wave.
Ulyseon or Hebaron could be the next to be taken to the infirmary, not to mention Elliot, Ruth or Riftan.
No one was safe.
The sobs Maxi had suppressed exploded, shaking her entire body.
She desperately wanted to see Riftan.
She wanted to confirm with her own eyes that he was okay and feel his comforting arms around her.