Ulyseon weaved through the trees with Maxi on his back. He bent down as much as he could to lessen the strain on her aching body.

Whenever her dangling arm swayed, the excruciating pain in her shoulder made her clench her jaw so tightly that she thought it might break. It occurred to her that fainting might be the less painful option, but the fear that she might never open her eyes again had her fighting to remain conscious.

Ahead, Garrow raised his arm and shouted, “Over here!”

When they caught up to him, Maxi saw a small cave hidden between twisted trees.

Garrow laid his cloak on the ground, and Ulyseon gingerly lowered Maxi onto it as though she were a fragile vase. Despite their efforts, Maxi still felt as though she were lying on a pile of burning coals.

She dripped in cold sweat, and she gnawed at the torn fabric she held against her bleeding nose.

Ulyseon looked down in bewilderment at her limp hand, “Garrow, w-what should we do? I think we’ll have to reattach her shoulder…”

“But neither of us know how. It’s not something we can just try. If we mess up, we might end up breaking bones or causing more pain. We should bind the arm for now to immobilize it as much as possible.”

Sitting on his knees next to her, Garrow tore a long strip from his cloak. “This is going to hurt, my lady. Please try to bear it.”

Fear washed over her as she watched the squire reach for her arm. The pain was unbearable even when lying still. The thought of someone moving her arm filled her with dread. Even so, she knew there was no other way.

Garrow gently folded her arm across her chest and used the torn strip to secure it in place. Maxi bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. The pain was so excruciating that her breath caught in her throat. Seeing her reaction, Ulyseon hastily shrugged off the bag on his back.

“Hold on, my lady. There should be some restorative herbs here. ”

Ulyseon shakily pulled out a pouch and rummaged through it for the dried restorative. Maxi watched him with bleary eyes, then removed the fabric she had been holding on her face. Thankfully, 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 them to her one by one. Although Maxi could not taste the restorative’s bitterness as she chewed and swallowed, she felt sick the moment it passed down her throat. Gagging, Maxi regurgitated the unpleasant herb.

“My lady!”

The vomiting intensified the pain in her aching ribs. Ulyseon was close to tears as he watched her writhe in pain.

“I-I’m sorry, my lady. I shouldn’t have given you the herbs…”

“This won’t do. I think we’ll have to risk being tracked and light a fire. She’s too cold. The mana depletion symptoms are getting worse.”

“I-I’ll do it!”

“No, you keep watch. Your eyes are better than mine.”

In a trance, Maxi was barely able to register their conversation as she wiped the sticky vomit from her mouth. After swaddling her in the cloak he had laid on the ground, Garrow went out to gather firewood.

Ulyseon slipped out of his cloak and bent down to cover her. He suddenly froze. Seeing his fellow squire turn to stone, Garrow threw him a perplexed glance.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s blood…”

Was her nose bleeding again? Maxi forced her drooping eyelids open. Her blurred vision could only make out the darkening forest. It felt like she was trapped under dark water.

“Please pardon me, my lady.”

Pushing a frozen Ulyseon aside, Garrow crouched next to her and pulled off the cloak. Unable to think straight, Maxi could not comprehend what they were doing. She lay slowly blinking her eyes.

Garrow felt the hem of her dress and took in a sharp breath. He quickly bundled her with the cloak once again and hoisted her onto his back.

“We must take her to a healer as soon as possible,” he said, panicking. “She’s losing too much blood.”

‘IL-Let me carry her!”

“I’ll be faster in the mountains. You guard the rear!”

True to his words, Garrow ran down the slope at a frightening speed. Each step he took felt like a horse kicking her chest, but Maxi no longer had the energy to moan. Her breaths came shallowly as she swayed like a doll on his back. Everything was growing faint. She could not even tell if her eyes were open or shut.

“Goddammit!” cried Ulyseon. “Trolls! They know we’re here!”

Maxi’s eyes fluttered. Something in the dark was charging after them, snarling. She soon heard the clash of steel.

“Keep running!” said Ulyseon.

The sound of the monsters’ roars, grunts, and clanging steel continued. The thuds across the ground made Maxi break out in a cold sweat. As Garrow darted down the steep slope, it felt as though they were plummeting. The violent movement caused Maxi to briefly lose consciousness.

The next thing she knew, a hand was tapping her face. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. Her eyes opened to find everything blanketed in darkness. She heard Ulyseon’s breathless voice in the pitch-black night.

‘You must stay awake, my lady, or your temperature will drop even further,” he muttered, wrapping a cloak around her.

Though the pressure of Ulyseon’s arm on her side was unbearable, she merely bobbed her head. He sat behind a rock to catch his breath and wrapped his arms around her to warm her as much as possible.

They continued their descent in haste, with Maxi drifting in and out of consciousness. Time passed either in agonizing flashes or stretching eternities.

The squires traversed the dark forest without a moment of rest. The sound of their rhythmic footsteps, heavy breathing, and the bone-chilling cold were the only things Maxi’s senses could register.

Why did their journey back feel so long when it had not been so the other way? She was vacantly mulling this over when she saw a far-off light.

“It’s our cavalry!” Ulyseon exclaimed, sounding profoundly relieved. “They must have gotten our message.”

Rushing out of the trees, he cried out, “Trolls in pursuit! We request protection!”

“Are you deserters?”

The voice was incongruously calm amidst the urgency of the situation. It sounded familiar, but Maxi could not place it. Still carrying her on his back, Ulyseon rushed over to the man and bent to one knee.

“We are squires of the Remdragon Knights,” said Garrow. “Lady Calypse was gravely injured while we were traveling through the forest. Please help us!”

Maxi barely managed to open her eyes. In a haze, she could make out the figures holding torches 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 offer emergency treatment.” ‘We would be grateful for any help! Her ladyship has lost a lot of blood.”

There was a pause.

“Very well. I’ll heal her with divine magic.”

With that, the man knelt in front of her. When she felt the familiar energy seeping into her body, Maxi strained to see. An instant later, a stony face enveloped in silver light came into focus.

Maxi briefly met the man’s eyes. They were green with light brown flecks. When it finally sunk in that this was the commander of the Temple Knights, she closed her eyes, relief flooding her. His presence meant that the coalition army had arrived earlier than expected.

They were saved.

As her tension drained away, she could no longer fight the all-consuming weariness. Maxi finally allowed her consciousness to slip under.

Maxi was woken by the sound of sobbing. Slowly, she opened her heavy lids, blearily taking in the yellow tent ceiling above. Confusion washed over her. Had everything been a nightmare?

Unable to come to her senses, she blinked her dry eyes. The sobbing grew louder. Flinching, Maxi turned toward the sound and was met with a terrifying sight. A woman dressed in black knelt at the foot of the cot, tearing at her disheveled hair as she wailed. Maxi screamed. The woman’s form crumbled and dispersed like black ash.

“What’s wrong, my lady?!”

Maxi gazed at the man that rushed into the tent. Sir Elliot Charon, who had left for battle with Riftan, was standing in front of her in full armor. The knight looked more surprised than she was. A moment later, he dashed out of the tent.

“Mage Ruth! Lady Calypse is awake!”

Maxi flinched and hunched over. When she realized that the pain was gone, she turned to inspect her shoulder. The arm which had dangled awkwardly at her side was now perfectly aligned. She touched it gingerly, amazed that it did not hurt at all. When had she been healed?

Ruth came running into the tent as she was swiveling her arm.

“You’re awake, my lady. How are you feeling?”

The tension drained from her shoulders the moment she saw the sorcerer’s face. It appeared that she had safely returned to Eth Lene Castle.

With a sigh of relief, Maxi opened her mouth to speak, but no sound escaped her parched throat. Ruth approached the cot and held a cup of water to her lips.

Maxi propped herself up and took a sip. When the cold water entered her stomach, her foggy consciousness grew clearer.

She slowly looked back and forth between Ruth and Sir Elliot before stammering in a raspy voice, “W-What about… the monsters?”

“Thanks to you blocking off the southern path, we were able to defeat them. The remaining men within the city dispatched the monsters trapped outside the ramparts, and the coalition army took care of the rest.”

Placing the cup on a tray, Ruth pulled a chair next to her. Her relief evaporated when she saw his pale face. A chill ran down her spine as she suddenly remembered the wailing banshee at the foot of her cot.

‘W-Was… anyone hurt? Where is… U-Ulyseon… and Garrow?”

“They are both well, my lady,” Ruth said calmly. “They were injured during the fight with the monsters, but they’ve both recovered now. We were lucky. The Temple Knights came with the cavalry as soon as they received our message.”

“W-What about Riftan?”

Ruth’s face hardened. He ran his hand over his mouth and mumbled with a troubled expression, “The Remdragon Knights were on the frontlines. They immediately returned to Eth Lene after the Temple Knights. Sir Riftan came straight to see you the moment he arrived. Do you not remember, my lady?”

Maxi tried to sift through her hazy memories, but it only gave her a headache. She was unable to recall anything. When she slowly shook her head, Ruth let out a low sigh.

“I suppose it’s not surprising. You’ve been unconscious for a week, my lady, barely more than a corpse.” Ruth began to speak in rapid-fire, as though recounting the events made him angrier by the minute. “You had two broken ribs, bruising everywhere, and your left shoulder was completely dislocated. And if that weren’t enough, not only were you suffering from severe mana depletion, but you—”

Ruth cut himself off, roughly rubbing his forehead. He started again in a much calmer voice.

“Things could’ve gone terribly wrong if you had not met the Temple Knights when you did. Sir Riftan practically went mad with worry.”

“I-I’m sorry… I just…” Maxi murmured, her face ashen.

Her heart sank as she imagined Riftan’s reaction. Seeing her expression, Ruth hung his head wearily.

“I’m not chastising you, my lady. If you had not made that landslide, everyone at Eth Lene Castle would have been massacred. If anything, I should be thanking you.”

Contrary to his words, however, Ruth appeared conflicted. After glaring at her as though he had much to say, he heaved a sigh and shook his head.

“I think I’ve said too much when you’ve only just woken 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 had any food for a week.”

“W-Where is… Riftan?”

Ruth stiffened. He regarded her gloomily for a moment before replying curtly, “He’s in a strategy meeting. He should be back soon.”

Maxi swallowed past her dry throat. She was scared that Riftan might be angry. Out of habit, she slipped her hand into her pocket intending to clutch the coin when she realized that someone had changed her clothes. She anxiously ran her hands over her new dress.

Ruth gazed down at her, mumbling uneasily, “I’ve served Sir Riftan for a long time, but I’ve never seen him so distraught. He was like a madman.”