Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“Had that been my intention, I would have immediately informed the duke,” he grunted.
Maxi’s face lit up in relief.
Seeing this, Ruth grew irritated. “Do not smile at me. If Sir Riftan were to know of this, he would have me flayed.”
“H-He will not find out,” Maxi said. “Even you were unable to r-recognize me right away, remember? Besides, how could he find out…wh-when we are so far apart?”
Ruth sighed again. “It’s not that simple, my lady. The army is planning to move the support unit to Eth Lene Castle within the week!”
Maxi’s eyes grew wide. “D-Does that mean…the army has managed to recapture Eth Lene?”
“Yes, and they intend to use it as a base to prepare for the final battle,” Ruth said. “We’re expecting all-out warfare, and the army wants to have all our manpower, equipment, and provisions near the front line.”
Maxi frowned with worry. “B-But…many of the men have yet to recover from their injuries. Their conditions might worsen if we f-force them to march.”
“I and one other mage have agreed to remain here to help tend to the wounded so that they will be fit for travel by then,” Ruth explained.
“I’ve checked on the men, and none seem to be in critical condition.
In three to four days, they should have recovered enough to withstand the journey to Eth Lene. ”
Maxi’s face grew conflicted. Although the thought that she might be able to see Riftan again made her heart flutter with excitement, the knowledge that the wounded men she had tended to with such care would be forced back into battle so soon deeply troubled her.
She was lost in her thoughts when Ruth rapidly continued.
“Frankly, I do wish to have you escorted back to Levan immediately, but I’m afraid we lack the means to do so at the moment.
And it may in fact be safer for you to remain near the coalition army.
” Ruth gave her an uneasy look. “Please, do not let Sir Riftan see you. Just thinking about the uproar that would ensue if he did is enough to give me a headache.”
Maxi tried to look confident. “Don’t worry. I will only look at him f-from afar.”
Ruth scowled back at her. “You may do so to your heart’s content as long as you’re fifty madions away from him.”
“I wouldn’t be able to see him from s-such a distance!” Maxi protested.
“You mustn’t ever get any closer than that. The man has senses keener than those of a wild animal.”
Maxi thought that was a slight exaggeration. She felt rather confident; she had succeeded in keeping Duke Aren unaware of her presence and, except for the one encounter with Kuahel Leon, had maintained her anonymity.
“Y-You need not worry so much. Even if I were to get caught…I will never mention you,” she said sullenly. “Now, will you p-please tell me what the situation is at the front? I was told that m-members of the Remdragon Knights had been wounded…. Wh-Who was injured? Are they badly hurt?”
“Sir Hebaron sustained a shoulder injury while fighting a lizardman.” Ruth’s face suddenly grew dark.
“The wound itself isn’t serious…but healing it is another story.
The lizardman’s curse prevents it from being healed with magic.
Monster magic follows completely different principles from ours, so undoing their spells is no small feat. ”
Maxi’s eyes grew wide at the news of Hebaron’s injury. A monster’s curse. Just hearing about it was horrifying.
“Th-Then…is there no way to treat him?”
“Divine magic should be able to heal it.” Ruth frowned and tousled his messy hair. “There is no need for you to be so worried, my lady. The Remdragon Knights should have arrived at Eth Lene Castle by now. I’m sure the high priest will heal Sir Hebaron.”
Maxi swallowed hard. “Wh-What about the others? Are they well? Is Riftan—”
“Sir Riftan is obviously so full of energy that I sometimes wonder if we should chain him to a tree. The others are also in one piece,” Ruth replied, cutting her off.
Wanting to hear more, Maxi grew visibly impatient. “Y-You do not know how anxious I was…when I first heard that y-you were besieged in Louivell Castle. How were you and the others able t-to last all those months—”
“I would love to share all the details, but I’m afraid we are short on time.” Ruth turned his gaze toward the barracks with a troubled expression. “The knights will be departing soon with the provisions, and I still have matters to discuss with them.”
“W-Will Sir Elliot…also remain here?” Maxi asked.
“No. We have decided that only I and one of Wedon’s royal mages are to stay behind,” Ruth replied, rubbing his temples as if he suffered a headache.
“If Sir Elliot were to find out about this, he would insist on escorting you back to Levan no matter the cost. Please stay clear of the knights as much as possible while they are here.”
Maxi’s shoulders sagged, but she begrudgingly nodded. “I-I understand. I shall stay inside the tent…u-until Wedon’s soldiers are gone.”
Ruth’s gaze suddenly turned skeptical. “Are you sure you will be all right in such a humble place?”
“Yes. A-After all, I am not…the only woman staying there.”
“But, my lady, you are…” Ruth clamped his mouth shut. He looked conflicted as his gaze swept over her ragged attire. “Then again, I doubt anyone would suspect you of being a duke’s daughter in your current guise.”
Maxi briefly considered whether to take his words as an insult. Before she could retort, however, Ruth turned away from her.
“Well, then. I will come again after I’ve seen the knights off. Try to remain inside the tent until then.”
Following his warning with a grave look, Ruth strode away through the trees. Pursing her lips, Maxi made her way back to the tent.
—
When the soldiers from Wedon left with their wagons loaded with provisions, Ruth immediately got to work treating the patients. A handsome mage named Vaylon assisted him.
They quickly identified those with severe injuries requiring treatment with magic, then prescribed mandrago extract to those with minor wounds. The clerics also offered aid by healing patients with divine magic.
To a certain extent, Maxi felt as though her tireless efforts of preparing medicine for the men several times a day, slathering pungent salve on their wounds, squeezing yellow pustules, and applying warm compresses had all been in vain.
Only half a day after Ruth had rolled up his sleeves and set to work, a third of the injured had fully recovered.
Seeing her so demoralized, Ruth gave her a sardonic smile.
“I am one of only ten mages in the Western Continent praised as an extraordinary talent. The fact that you would compare me with a fledgling mage who just began her studies last year is an insult!” he quipped.
“So stop torturing yourself with unnecessary comparisons and focus on what you can do, my lady. If you and the female clerics had not provided such attentive care, half of these men would be dead by now. They owe their lives to the women here.”
His comforting words did not make Maxi feel any better. The bitterness of knowing that she would have been more helpful if she had been a better mage, even a lesser one than Ruth, hung over her like a storm cloud.
During her time at camp, she had buried a total of six men.
It was a frequent occurrence for a man who looked fine one evening to be dead by the next morning.
They had died before Maxi could do anything for them, and guilt relentlessly preyed on her mind.
If she had healed them with magic, even if it meant overexerting herself, perhaps they would be alive right now.
Remorse had weighed especially heavy on her heart as she watched a young soldier of eighteen being buried in a corner of a ravaged city.
Melric had told her that the moment a healer had it in their head that it was their duty to save everyone around them, their lives would be plagued with despair.
She had tried to keep this lesson in mind, but it was of little help when faced with the brutal reality of war.
After mashing restorative herbs, mandrago roots, and honey in a large pot, Maxi cautiously asked, “Is there…a-a way to quickly increase one’s mana?”
Ruth had somehow managed to capture a whole pot of purple lizards. His head snapped up from inspecting it.
In an attempt to conceal her desperation, Maxi added nonchalantly, “W-Wouldn’t I be more helpful…if I had more mana?”
“You are already doing extremely well,” Ruth said flatly.
Maxi frowned at his insincere reply. “P-Please take me seriously. If my abilities improved…it would surely lessen your burden.”
Ruth sighed as he poured the essence he had extracted from the lizard skin into a vial. “My lady, you are already showing fast progress. Do not be impatient. You must take the time to increase your mana gradually. Rushing the process would overtax your body.”
“E-Even so…isn’t there a special training method or a way…th-that is only taught to the mages of the Mage Tower?”
Ruth scowled at her persistence. He was about to chide her when a female cleric came bursting out of the tent. It was Nora, a cleric Maxi had gotten to know while carrying out their healing duties together.
Nora hastily ran over to Maxi. “Sister Meg, I think Lloyd’s wound has reopened. Could you come take a look?”
Maxi quickly put down the pot of herbs and rose to her feet. The heat inside the infirmary was stifling, and the air smelled faintly of blood and pus.
Maxi scowled. The stench of illness refused to dissipate even though the women cleaned the tent and washed the patients every day. After passing through the cots, she spotted the bulky soldier named Lloyd with blood dripping down his back.
She crouched down to inspect the wound. The recovering lesion appeared to have reopened when the stitches had ripped from the man trying to move.
Maxi gave him a reproving look. “I t-told you…that you mustn’t move yet.”
“I was feeling much better. I thought it would be all right,” he mumbled despondently.