It felt like her hurt was burning at the fact that he was within reach, yet she couldn’t even meet him. For a moment, Max seriously considered going after him and confessing everything, but just imagining how Riftan would react sent chills down the spine.
“Hey, what are you doing standing idly here?”
Just when Max was struggling with an internal dilemma, someone’s hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. A small scream reflexively escaped her lips as she turned to look. A man as big as Hebaron was staring down at her. He gave a strange smile, then tilted his bearded face to hers.
“You’re quite cute, are you looking for a man to have fun with?”
Max took a step back, her face immediately filling with fright. “I’m n-not looking… f-for something like that.”
“It’s okay, you can tell me honestly. I’ll do anything to help you.”
The man chuckled as he took a step closer towards her. Max hurriedly looked around for help; there were soldiers everywhere, but no one seemed to pay attention to help. She had no choice, so she tried to hide her fear and responded as cold and firm as she could.
“Although I am grateful… I don’t need any help. I… must g-go now…”
As she turned around to leave, the man grabbed her by the forearm. Max stifled a scream and the man growled in annoyance as he pulled her body towards him.
“Why are you leaving just like that? If you need payment for it…”
“What the hell are you doing?”
Max turned her head at the familiar frigid voice. Quahel Leon was glaring at the man with his piercing cold eyes.
“Don’t you know you’ll be punished under the military rules, if you cause any problem here in the camp?”
Even with the knight’s warning, the man did not back down. “Don’t be so uptight. I was just trying to help this lost woman.”
“She is not just a woman.” Quahel Leon prowled coldly at the man, without casting a single glance at Max. “Don’t you see her clothes? She is a priestess from the Great Temple. You should know even without me explaining what sorts of punishment would befall upon someone who dares touch those under our church’s protection.”
“What the-, I said one thing and you’re already putting me in a difficult situation.” The man snorted rudely without feeling any fear or remorse for his actions. “How the hell am I supposed to know by her clothes whether she’s a priestess or just some whore who came to this place to help comfort the men in this camp?”
Max paled quickly when she realized he had mistaken her for a whore and Quahel’s lips twisted in contempt as he also grew tired of the man’s impudence.
“I don’t want to argue anymore. Go back to your post before I accuse you of further insulting our church with your dirty words.”
With an air of arrogance, the man tossed Max aside. “Yes, yes, I’ll do as you ordered.”
She ran quickly to hide behind the knight while the other man shrugged with attitude, then leisurely turned around to walk away. As Max watched the man move further away, she felt a piercing gaze on the crown of her head. Hesitantly, she raised her head and saw Quahel Leon looking down at her, his eyebrows furrowing deeply. Then, he ordered her in his usual bored tone.
“Follow me. I’ll accompany you back to your tent.”
Still in shock from what had just happened, Max didn’t want to be alone and obediently followed him. She stuck to his side as they made their way through the crowd and only when they reached a quieter place did he open his mouth to scold her.
“Please refrain from wandering alone.” His speech was courteous, but his tone was reprimanding. “Ethylene is full of men from Livadon, Whedon, Osyria and Balto. Furthermore, a third of them are hired mercenaries. If you do not wish to experience such misfortunes again, please refrain from wandering around by yourself.”
“From now on… I’ll b-be careful.”
The man sighed and turned to leave. “Go inside. I’ll assign a guard to have a post near this tent.”
“Th-Thank you.”
Max ran into the tent like she was running away. The tension and strength immediately drained from her limbs, and she stumbled toward her bed before collapsing on top of it. Seeing her like this, Idcilla and Selena quickly ran towards her.
“You really surprised us when you suddenly ran off. Did you perhaps… went to meet with your husband?”
Max shook her head. “No. I o-only went to see him… from a distance.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to tell the truth? You came all this way to see him.”
Selena frowned and whispered, seeming like she couldn’t stand seeing her losing weight because of her worries. Max couldn’t help but blush, feeling like a girl in love waiting for just the right moment to confess her love.
“I… don’t wish to be a bother… and… in reality… I’m afraid of how he will react when he discovers the truth.”
“That’s understandable. Even Elba will scream like crazy if he sees me.”
Idcilla grabbed her by the arms and gave an exaggerated shudder to try to animate. Max managed to smile at the girl.
“Did you find out anything about your b-brother?”
“Not yet. I’ll try and visit the place where the Royal Knights of Livadon are staying.”
When the priests entered the barracks, their conversation was immediately cut off. Max rubbed her sweaty hands on her robe and tried to clear her head of what just happened: if she followed Quahel Leon’s advice to never leave the barracks alone, no such thing would happen again. She then went out with the other priestesses and immediately began tending to the wounded to distract her pounding heart.
***
Ruth came to visit her again in the evening. After checking all the wounded men, whose condition worsened due to excessive movement, he signaled Max with a nod to follow him. She looked around to make sure no one was looking, then grabbed a small lamp and ran after him. He led her silently into the dark forest, and only after confirming that no one was around did he sit down to rest on a tree stump, looking completely exhausted. 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.𝘤𝘰𝘮
“This is really taking years off my life.”
“Did he perhaps… notice something suspicious?”
“If he did, then there would have already been quite a ruckus. Since his entire focus is on Sir Nirta, he isn’t as sharp as before. I don’t know if I should call us lucky…”
“Is Sir Nirta’s i-injury…very serious?”
Ruth ran his fingers roughly through his messy bangs and sighed deeply. “The wound itself is not that big, but due to the curse, it is causing him excruciating pain. Divine magic is not working, and my magic is also useless.”
“T-then, what should we do…”
“I’ll have to find a way to break the curse. Don’t worry about him. He faced problems worse than this and survived. He’s so stubborn that I am pretty sure he’ll make it through this too.”
Ruth sounded confident, but his face couldn’t hide his deep concern. Seeing that Max’s expression also clouded, he forced a smile and changed the subject.
“I’ll take care of Sir Nirta so the lady should concentrate on her own tasks. Tomorrow, the Remdragon and Holy Knights will be out patrolling and guarding the front for a week. Until then, we can relax, but the problem is when they come back… I don’t know how long we can keep this from him…”
Max’s eyes widened at the news of Riftan heading to the frontlines. “He’s going to the frontlines? I-is the final battle…going to happen?”
“No, that won’t happen for a while. All the trolls are encamped beyond Karav Gorge right now. For the final battle to occur, either side will have to cross into a dangerous place through a narrow canyon. The first side to launch an attack will be at a disadvantage, so both sides will be calculative of each other’s moves for a while.”
“Then… isn’t th-that dangerous?”
Ruth shot her a look that made her feel pathetic, like this was the first time in his life he was asked such a stupid question.
“We are at war, of course there’s no way that it wouldn’t be dangerous.” He replied dryly, then continued in a softer tone. “Based on my own personal judgment, I do not believe that major battles will occur at the moment. We have enough food to last us so there is no reason for us to launch the first attack. On the other hand, the trolls have also suffered substantial damage during their retreat from Ethylene Castle, so they won’t try to launch an immediate attack. It’ll be quiet for a while, unless something unexpected happens.”
“I s-see.”
Although the news was not completely reassuring, Max was still relieved to know that Riftan would not be heading into battle anytime soon. “Saving as much power as in case an all-out war happens while remaining vigilant and keeping advance is key to winning or losing a long raging war. The Allied forces are divided into three units and are taking turns in defending the frontlines. Anyway, you’ll be able to be less wary while the Remdragon Knights are out in the frontlines. We’ll think about how we should keep this up when they return.”
Max nodded and Ruth returned to his tent after checking on the patients again. Left alone with her chores, she tended to the wounded men throughout the night and did not go to sleep until dawn. The next day, just as the wizard said, the Remdragon Knights went to the front lines in the dim glow of morning. Max watched them as they galloped on their horses, feeling a strange mix of emptiness and relief. Only when the last of the knights left and the doors closed firmly behind them did Ruth approach her.
“I have to go look after Sir Nirta. Shall any problem arise, please send someone to my barracks immediately. I have informed the soldiers to come and find me if a priestess asks for me.”
“A-alright. Thank you… for taking care of me.”
Ruth just shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, then walked back to the barracks he’s assigned to. Max spent her time caring for the wounded just as she did at Servyn Castle, but since Ethylene had cooks to prepare meals, they only had to focus on the wounded. However, even with their duties reduced, they were more exhausted than ever.
Mercenaries approached them to flirt whenever the opportunity arose, so the soldiers of the Holy Order kept their eyes wide open and watched closely on the priestesses’ quarters, but the persistent gazes of men towards them remained. Sometimes the men even spoke openly and obscenely about what they wanted from the priestesses. In particular, Northerners were the worst. According to Ruth, it was because Balto had no priestesses, so they did not understand that they were God’s servants and therefore untouchable.
Max was shocked by the rudeness of the men who did not pay attention to the principles of the doctrine. She wondered how those men could feel lust for a woman that’s not his wife or lover and she felt threatened by their infidelity.
But her real discomfort was not avoiding the tenaciously leering stares of the men, it was her own body. It had been days since she last washed, afraid of the men’s lustful gazes. Back in Servyn, she was able to wash her hair in the cold springs with the other priestesses at least once every three days, but ever since they reached Ethylene, all dreams of bathing were shattered. It was unbearable to have the dirt and sweat cooked on her skin from the scorching summer heat.
“I can’t take this anymore. Why can’t the Holy Order soldiers stand by to watch while we take turns bathing? If only we could soak in the spring to bathe for even a little while, it would do.” Idcilla, unable to bear it anymore, exploded in frustration.
The priestesses exchanged anxious glances, agreeing with her. They were all in the same boat, so they decided to approach the priests with their sincere request. Fortunately, the high priest readily gave his permission, and now two soldiers stood guard from a distance as they all took turns in groups of four, bathing by the spring in the forest. Max and Idcilla volunteered to go last to avoid being recognized once their robes were removed.
She couldn’t count the days since her last bath: Max’s heart filled with joy just at the thought of dipping her dirty body into the cool, refreshing water of the spring. She was impatiently waiting for her turn, when suddenly everything became unexpectedly noisy. She looked outside to see what was happening, and her face filled with confusion. The soldiers were running around in commotion.
“W-what happened?”
A priestess burst into the barracks and screamed urgently. “The knights who came out to defend the front have returned. It seems that there were men who were injured.”
Max paled and jumped up to her feet to go to the infirmary. Just then, she saw soldiers carrying wounded men and she hurriedly led them to lay the injured ones on an empty bed. There were a total of seven victims, none with life-threatening injuries, but they all complained of suffering from so much pain. Max looked at the faces of the wounded, then turned to ask a soldier who had brought them.
“Is-is everyone else… unharmed?”
“Some knights were injured, but they immediately received healing magic and have recovered. It’s just these guys left.”
“Were there any casualties…?”
“There was none.”
Max let out a sigh of relief and immediately started preparing medicine and tools for treatment. Meanwhile, the soldiers helped remove the wounded men’s armors. She sat next to the men and carefully examined their wounds. One of them had a terrible bruise around his ribcage, while the other men bled profusely from being pierced by a spear on the leg.
“These bruises are not serious. I will prepare the poultice, so please tend to the bleeding patients first.”
Nora, who was tending to the other men, told Max. She immediately prepared a hemostat and hot water. They removed the blood-soaked clothing from around the wound, and quickly washed the torn flesh, revealing the deep wound. After removing the blood clots and any other foreign objects found in the wound, Max applied the medication and gave them an antidote to combat any potential poisons. The soldiers writhed from beginning to end due to immense pain. Once the emergency treatments were completed, her entire body was drenched in sweat.
“All d-done with the initial treatment. Please p-prepare more analgesic herbs and medicine to reduce their fever!”
“Got it!”
The priestesses eagerly set out to carry out their tasks. No matter how fast they worked, by the time they finally finished, the sky was tinted red with the setting sun. With an exhausted face, Max slumped in the corner of the tent to catch her breath. She had the hood over her face all day in the sauna-like tent and now her face was burning red.
“M’lady!”
While she fanned her face with her hands to cool off, Max suddenly heard Idcilla urgently call out to her, so she turned to look at her with confusion. Idcilla had a towel in her hand, and waved at her enthusiastically.
“What are you doing there? If all the tasks are over, let’s go shower before the day is out.”
“N-now?”
“If we miss taking a bath today, there may not be another chance. The soldiers are still guarding the springs. Let’s hurry up!”
Max quickly grabbed her soap and a change of clothes. It was getting darker, so she was a little tired, but she couldn’t battle the craving she was having for a bath. They sped through the forest as the darkness slowly began to settle, with the only thought that they would finally be able to wash off all the accumulated grime in their bodies in their minds. After a while, they saw two soldiers who were standing a little further away from them in the woods. Idcilla turned towards them and yelled over to Max.
“I’ll inform them that we are here so they can stand guard while we wash up, please go ahead and wash first.”
Before Max could respond, Idcilla was already running towards the soldiers. She felt a little scared to be alone in the dark forest, but she quickly pushed her fears away and walked briskly. She was determined to take a bath before the sun completely set. After a while, a cling spring emerged from the thick bushes.
Max excitedly ran towards it. She started to remove her clothes and was about to jump into the water when suddenly, the sound of splashing water echoed from a distance. She jumped up like a frog. From a short distance, she saw a large man half-submerged in the water, bathing himself. As Max stared in shock at the man’s smooth back, he turned his head.
Max immediately bowed her head to hide. She was sweating profusely and her heart pounded like crazy.
The man was Riftan.
Note – LF: DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNN
Nymeria: And ladies and gentlemen, that was the moment sht went down
