Ruth’s jaw quivered. He clutched his forehead as though overcome with a dizzy spell.

“I heard that you were staying at the monastery, but… Did you really decide to join the monastic order of your own accord? What about Sir Riftan?!”

“W-What… n-nonsense?!” Maxi yelled shrilly.

Surprised by how loud her voice had come out, Maxi nervously glanced about. Soldiers leading horses down the hill darted suspicious looks at them.

Growing anxious, she hastily whispered, “The habit… is so I could follow the s-support unit. I am currently… working as a h-healer’s aid for the camp’s wounded.”

“An aid?” Ruth repeated like a parrot.

Maxi seriously considered giving him a good blow to the head so he could think clearly like he used to.

“I do not have time t-to explain. Before you leave, I want to hear about… everything that has happened. I-Is Riftan… well? Is everyone… a-all right? I was told that some were injured—”

“Wait, hold on!” Ruth shouted irritably, rising from the water. “You can’t just say what you want after appearing out of nowhere like that. I need time to arrange my thoughts.”

He narrowed his eyes and slowly scanned her from head to foot as he wrung his dripping robe. Suddenly conscious of her disheveled hair, clammy face, and ragged clothes, Maxi blushed.

Ruth covered his face with his hands and let out a long groan. “By God… Does Duke Aren know you’re here?”

“I told you… no one else kn-knows,” Maxi mumbled, pulling the hood that had slipped backward into place.

Ruth frowned as though he finally understood what was going on. “Sir Riftan will be furious if he finds out!”

Startled, Maxi covered his mouth again. “Please… keep your voice down.”

Ruth stared up at the sky like a man whose patience was being tested and mumbled a short prayer.

“Why in God’s name are you doing this to me? Couldn’t you have kept all this a secret from me as well? I don’t see why you had to drag me into this.”

Maxi’s eyes narrowed at his overly harsh words. The happiness she had felt at seeing him, which nearly brought tears to her eyes, quickly dissipated.

“I-Is that all you have to say… when we haven’t seen each other for so long? A-And to think I was so worried about you!”

“Did you think that I would dance from joy at finding out?” Ruth retorted sarcastically with a snort.

Indignant, Maxi lifted her chin. “Won’t it be fine… a-as long as I make sure that it does not cause you any trouble? Tell me of the situation on the battlefield. I came this far so I could get a more d-detailed account of what’s going on… but I’ve been too busy to even ask around.”

“Don’t try to change the subject! I don’t know how you managed to join the party undercover, but I can’t turn a blind eye now that I’ve seen you here. You really have put me in a difficult position!”

“Is there a problem?”

Maxi stiffened. One of the soldiers who had been moving the horses was looking at them curiously.

Maxi quickly lowered her head. She could almost feel Ruth hesitating. It seemed that this darn sorcerer was going to reveal who she was.

She squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her hands together. Moments later, she heard the click of a tongue and Ruth’s grouchy voice saying, “No, everything is fine. ”

Maxi sighed in relief, but the feeling was fleeting.

Ruth trudged out of the water and glared at her. “Which tent are you staying in?”

“Th-The one at the east end.”

“I see. I will come to you later when I get the chance.”

“Th-That won’t do. Someone might find it sus—”

“We’ll just have to come up with a suitable excuse,” he shot back. He sighed and added, “I can’t remain here for long. I have important matters to discuss with the men. I’ll come find you in an hour or two.”

Without waiting for a reply, Ruth crossed the gravel path and climbed up the hill. Maxi sullenly watched his receding figure before returning to the infirmary tent. Idsilla, who had been anxiously waiting for her, ran over and asked if she had learned anything.

“I-I will… tell you everything later.”

It was time for the administration of herbal decoctions, and the tent bustled with female clerics. Realizing that now was not the best time, Idsilla silently nodded. Maxi rolled up her sleeves and got to work, but she could not stop her eyes from constantly drifting to the entryway.

Ruth had told her that he would come see her in an hour or two. Was he planning on convincing her to return to Levan?

His reaction had somewhat disheartened her. After all, the sorcerer was the one who had taught her the art of healing as well as magic. Yet, he had seemed disapproving of her using her skills here.

Maxi bit her lip. If Ruth’s reaction was this bad, she could not begin to fathom how furious Riftan would be. She nervously swept loose strands of hair back into her hood.

She fed patients a remedy to alleviate their nausea, and she had just begun dressing changes when Ruth entered the tent.

Maxi grew wide-eyed when she saw him stride in so nonchalantly. The female clerics tending to their own patients all around the tent eyed him curiously, but Ruth did not seem flustered. “I am here to check on the condition of the men. Please, do not mind me and resume your work.”

With that, Ruth truly did begin walking between the cots and checking the patients’ faces. Maxi wondered why as she flicked glances at him.

He only approached the soldier she was tending to after he had seen all the patients in the tent. Inspecting the long gash on the man’s chest, Ruth said, “A neat stitch. I would say they would be ready for removal after two more days.”

Not knowing how to respond, Maxi simply bobbed her head. Ruth carefully studied the suture, then motioned with his hand for her to continue what she was doing.

Maxi stiffly applied a salve made of mashed herbs on the wound and neatly dressed the area with a bandage.

After silently watching her work, Ruth said in an exaggerated manner, “You are quite skilled at this. If you do not mind, sister, I would like to hear your advice on treatment methods. Would you be able to spare me a moment?”

His terrible acting made Maxi blink at him blankly.

The cleric that was looking after the cot next to them chimed in. “Sister Meg is the best healer among us. There is no herb she is unfamiliar with, and she can stitch wounds in the blink of an eye. She would surely be helpful.”

Not used to receiving compliments, Maxi blushed. She had been completely unaware that the women thought so highly of her skills.

Ruth regarded Maxi with a mystifying expression, then requested in a formal manner, “How reassuring. Then, please, spare me a minute of your time.”

“Very well,” Maxi replied after a pause.

Maxi’s patient winced from the prickling sensation of the freshly applied salve. After asking him to excuse her, she rose to her feet. Ruth promptly guided her out of the tent and sought an isolated area.

Sensing his somber mood, Maxi nervously looked about. Ruth led her through thick trees for quite some time. Just before he stopped, he glanced around to make sure they were alone.

He whirled around to face her. “You succeed in surprising me more every time, my lady. I never took you to be this fearless when we first met.”

Flushing like a reprimanded child, Maxi began rambling her excuses. “A-After I heard that the war would drag on… I-I simply could not sit by and wait. I thought I could gain better insight on… w-what was going on if I were closer to the battlefield.”

“Is that why you secretly joined the campaign party dressed in such rags?” Ruth asked as he blandly eyed the burnt holes in her clothes. They were from sparking embers while lighting fires.

Though it made her ears burn with shame to have him see her in such an unseemly state, Maxi deliberately tried to look calm as she brushed dust off her clothes.

“W-What is wrong with my attire? I am not ashamed… of what I’m wearing. It only shows that I am working hard!”

“I had no intention of criticizing you, my lady,” said Ruth, letting out a long sigh. “You are a skilled healer, and you’ve come this far to take on the heavy burden of looking after the injured. If anything, you deserve praise.”

The relief Maxi felt at his unexpected words did not last long as Ruth stiffly added, “However, I can’t praise you for hiding your identity and secretly joining the campaign party. The basilica must be turning itself upside down as we speak searching for you.’

“I-I have made arrangements! The basilica thinks that I’m currently visiting the home of a friend I made at the monastery, so do not worry.”

Even with her confident reassurance, the frown on Ruth’s face did not soften. “There will be hell to pay if your deception is ever discovered. Duke Aren will surely be embarrassed, and Sir Riftan will be incensed.”

“I-I intend… to formally offer him my apologies after all this is over,” Maxi said, hunching her shoulders.

Ruth had managed to point out the very thing that had been weighing heavily on her conscience.

He shook his head and heaved a sigh. “I doubt the duke ever thought that you would do something so reckless.”

Maxi swallowed hard at his biting tone. “D-Do you… intend to send me back to Levan?”

Ruth clenched his jaw, and Maxi anxiously looked up at him, feeling like a criminal awaiting her verdict. He furiously scratched his messy hair with both hands before letting out a long, pained groan.

“Had that been my intention, I would have immediately informed the duke.”

Maxi’s face lit up in relief.

Seeing this, Ruth grew angry and said irritably, “Do not smile at me. If Sir Riftan were to know of this, he would have me flayed.”

“H-He will not find out. Even you were unable to r-recognize me right away, remember?

Besides, how could he find out… w-when we are so far apart?”

“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. We’re expecting all-out warfare, and the army wants to have all our manpower, equipment, and provisions near the frontline.”

“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. 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, the knowledge that the men she had tended to with such care would be forced back into battle weighed heavily on her chest.

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, don’t let Sir Riftan see you. Just thinking about the uproar that would ensue if he did is enough to give me a headache.”

“Don’t worry. I will only look at him f-from afar.”

“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!”

“You mustn’t get any closer than that. The man has senses keener than that 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. Now, will you p-please tell me what the situation is at the front? I was told that members of the Remdragon Knights had been wounded… W-Who was injured? Are they badly hurt?”

“Sir Hebaron sustained a shoulder injury while fighting a lizardman,” Ruth replied, his face suddenly growing 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.”