Chapter Twenty-Three #5
Idsilla bit her lip, looking as though she might burst into tears. As she tried to reassure the girl, Maxi glanced at the ashen faces of the other women. Many were missing.
Idsilla sobbed as she clung to Maxi’s arm. “We were only able to evacuate…h-half of the injured men from the infirmary. Those who couldn’t move were…”
When Maxi tried to recall how many of the wounded men had been immobile in their cots, a terrible ache began thumping in her temples. She clutched her forehead, reeling. Ulyseon hurried over to steady her.
“Don’t worry, my lady. The others will also be hiding somewhere safe. I will go look for them once things die down.”
Distraught, Idsilla latched on to Ulyseon and bombarded him with questions. “How did this happen? We heard the alarm signaling an invasion. Didn’t the coalition army drive all the trolls north? Our army hasn’t been defeated, has it?”
Ulyseon quickly waved his hands. “Of course not! If our army had fallen, the monsters wouldn’t have taken the long way around to the southern gate. They’ve been waiting for a chance to attack while most of the knights are away.”
“Then what will happen to us now? Will we be able to hold them off with the remaining men?”
Idsilla’s fiery voice rang through the tent. Terrified, some of the female clerics began to weep.
When the noise grew out of hand, the knight commanding the soldiers outside the tent barked, “Be quiet! We are doing our best to fight the monsters. Once we’ve wiped out the ghouls, we will immediately assume defense. Keep your wits about you and do as you’re told!”
The sobbing gradually died down at his commanding rebuke. Managing to regain some semblance of self-control, Idsilla murmured an apology and returned to her place among the women.
Time passed by at an agonizing pace. A minute felt like an hour, and an hour felt as long as a day. Just as Maxi was convinced that the howls of the ghouls and bellows of the knights would go on forever, two soldiers came rushing into the tent.
“We’ve got the ghouls in one place,” one of them announced.
The relief in the tent was short-lived as the soldier added, “But many of our men are injured. They require immediate treatment.”
The commanding knight ordered the female clerics to see to the wounded at once.
The women’s faces were a mix of uneasiness and determination as they filed out of the tent.
Ignoring Ulyseon’s objections, Maxi followed after them.
Outside, a ravaged camp awaited them, with soldiers rushing about the wreckage.
The men cleared the mangled tents and made temporary cots for the wounded.
The female clerics, along with Maxi, immediately got to work.
There were about thirty-two injured in total.
Considering that there were currently a little over four hundred men at Eth Lene Castle, the damage was not insignificant.
After inspecting the conditions of the wounded, Maxi used her magic to heal those with minor injuries first. Bolstering the number of healthy, battle-ready men was the biggest priority. She was immersed in the task of healing when a familiar voice cried out.
“Those damned monsters were dead set on humiliating us!”
Maxi jerked her head up. Not far from her, Hebaron was bellowing at the top of his lungs. He clutched a giant claymore in one hand.
“Stop your nagging, sorcerer! What are you, my wife?”
“It’s you who should stop acting like a stubborn child, Sir Hebaron! How are you going to fight with that wound?” Ruth appeared equally livid as he fumed at the knight. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Is that it?”
“Goddammit! This little scratch is nothing! I’ve spent enough time being useless in bed!”
Maxi hurried over to them. The two men immediately shut their mouths when they saw her approaching. Before they could speak, Maxi stared up in disbelief at the burly knight clad in heavy armor. “Wh-What on earth do you think you’re doing? You are still wounded.”
“Not you, too, my lady.” Sheathing the huge claymore on his back, Sir Hebaron heaved a sigh. “I’m good as new thanks to the remedy you gave me.”
Maxi frantically shook her head. “Th-That remedy…only numbs the pain! If you keep moving around, your wound will reopen—”
“We are in a crisis, my lady,” he said flatly. “I will obediently receive treatment again once this fight is over.”
Ruth cursed out loud. “You think you’ll survive to receive treatment? Don’t make me laugh. You’ll be the first to die if you fight in that state, Sir Hebaron!”
“Pray for it, why don’t you?” Hebaron hissed through gritted teeth, glowering at Ruth.
“You said it yourself! There’s a high chance that the monster that cursed me is out there right now.
It would be a hundred times faster for me to slay that fiend myself than to wait for you to find another way to break the curse! ”
Ruth glared back. “Damnations…. Fine! Do as you wish!”
Hebaron shrugged and briskly made his way toward the city gate. Maxi was about to go after him when Ruth grabbed her arm.
“Let him go, my lady. He won’t listen to anything we say.”
She turned to him with wide, panicked eyes. “B-But…we can’t let him fight in that c-condition. You know it, too, don’t you? He’s not in any state to wield a—”
“Nothing is going to stop that obstinate man from swinging that massive weapon of his. I doubt he’d bat an eye even if his very flesh were to fall off,” Ruth said sourly, then sighed. “We’ll have to pray that the magical devices will hold up for as long as possible.”
Hearing the bitterness in his voice, Maxi anxiously watched Hebaron’s receding figure.
Astonishingly, the knight betrayed no indication that he was wounded as he mounted his horse and took position next to Duke Aren, who was organizing the men.
The soldiers’ grave expressions as they prepared for battle made Maxi’s blood run cold.
“Wh-What did Sir Hebaron mean…when he said the m-monster that cursed him might be out there?”
“Exactly that,” Ruth answered after a while. He roughly scrubbed his face, then pointed.
Maxi turned in the direction he indicated and gasped. The pile of ghoul corpses was beginning to squirm despite the spears skewering them.
Staring at the writhing monsters, Ruth said calmly, “They keep coming back to life even though the high priest has performed the purification ceremony. That means there’s a high chance the necromancer controlling them is currently outside the city.”
“A n-necromancer?”
“An occultist, my lady. There are certain monsters capable of advanced dark magic. It’s highly likely that the necromancer is the same black lizardman that cursed Sir Hebaron.
” Ruth’s face suddenly grew grave. “We are dealing with a creature that is far more dangerous than the average monster. Besieging our gates is a being with powerful magical abilities that can lead and command a legion of monsters that cannot be killed as long as the necromancer is alive.”
Maxi shuddered. How dangerous must the monster be for one of the greatest sorcerers of the continent to describe it so?
“H-How long will it take…f-for the coalition army to get here?” she croaked.
“We’ve already sent word, but as to whether they’ll arrive in time…”
Just then, an earsplitting roar rang out. Maxi recoiled and covered her ears. Sparks flashed beyond the gates, followed by a violent gale that crashed against the barriers. Ruth swore.
“We must strengthen the magical devices at once!”
At his command, the mages rose in unison and rushed toward the rampart stairs. Wanting to help with her meager mana, Maxi was about to follow when Ruth blocked her path.
“You must stay here, my lady. It’s too dangerous.”
“N-Now is not…the time to be worried about such things,” Maxi insisted. “If the barriers fall, E-Eth Lene will be destroyed. If I could be of assistance—”
Ignoring her, Ruth looked past her shoulder to call for Ulyseon and Garrow. “What are you two doing, not escorting her ladyship to safety?”
At his reprimand, Ulyseon grabbed her arm. Startled, Maxi looked up at the squire with wide eyes. Ruth spun on his heels and climbed up the stairway. Maxi despairingly watched him leave as Ulyseon began dragging her in the opposite direction.
“Wh-Where are you taking me? Please let go of my arm!” she cried out, utterly shocked by the squire’s discourtesy.
Paying no heed to her objections, Ulyseon remained silent as he led her to an isolated area. Maxi furiously tried to free her arm while glaring at him.
“D-Did you not hear me? I said, let go!”
Ulyseon did not bat an eyelid. “Please forgive my insolence, my lady, but we must get you out of the castle.”
Maxi stared at him in shock. The two squires quickly took her past the isolated forest path and toward the city walls. Up ahead, soldiers waited for them with three horses. Ulyseon quickly rushed over and took the reins.
“Get on, my lady.”
“Do you r-realize what you’re saying? Are we…trying to flee…when everyone else is fighting?” Maxi asked in utter disbelief.
Ulyseon’s face grew dark. He pressed his lips together and cast his eyes down. After a moment, his face grew determined. “We are not running away. Since the carrier pigeon might have failed to reach the army, we are going to seek the Remdragon Knights to inform them of the invasion.”
Maxi frowned. His words did not make any sense. “Th-Then why are you taking—”
“Pardon me, my lady.” Garrow gripped her waist and hoisted her onto a horse. “This is an emergency. Please trust us for now.”
Their obstinance prevented Maxi from asking any more questions. She clutched at her reins as Ulyseon and Garrow mounted their own horses. They signaled to the soldiers with their eyes.
At their silent command, the soldiers ran their hands over the stone wall and pushed in a loose brick. A portion of the wall slid to one side, revealing a small opening.
Ulyseon entered the passageway and called over his shoulder, “Seal the entrance once we’re out.”
The soldiers nodded. “Yes, sir.”