Maxi stared at Richard Breston in horror. “Are you saying… those soldiers were used as cannon fodder to assess the monsters’ attack range?”
“Did you think we would order an all-out assault without first understanding the strength of the enemy’s defenses?” Breston drawled, leaning back in his chair. “That knowledge is crucial before we dive in, hence the experiment.” Maxi hugged herself as a chill ran down her spine. The man seemed to regard the soldiers as nothing but pawns on a chessboard.
“This siege is going to be more troublesome than we thought,” Breston added apathetically. “The front and west walls are loaded with catapults and crossbows. The east wall is relatively weak, but access is limited by a steep valley. Positioning our siege weapons there is out of the question. And even if, by some miracle, we were able to get close enough, our weapons would be razed if we don’t find a solution for those blasted flaming arrows.”
“Which means our only option at present is to bombard the ramparts from a safe distance,” said Kuahel, breaking his silence.
The paladin appeared unperturbed by Breston’s chilling remarks. In a flash, Maxi realized that the Knights of Phil Aaron had not acted alone in sacrificing the convicts.
After gazing down at the map with a pensive expression, Kuahel added calmly, “There is also the problem of the night raids. The enemy will wear down our soldiers if they persist.”
“What about a makeshift wall?” Princess Agnes suggested. “There is no shortage of stones in the mountains. If we have the rear unit transport them, we could have one up in a few days. Even just a ten-kevette structure would help. It would also allow the mages to take turns resting as they wouldn’t be required to maintain a barrier around the supplies all night.”
The princess turned to Maxi as though asking for support.
Maxi composed herself and replied calmly, “A-A wall would be nice, but… where would we source the clay or the plaster to build it? And even if we did succeed in building such a thing, 1 doubt it would be strong enough… t-to withstand attacks.”
“There will be an elite unit standing guard outside it, so it does not have to be too sturdy,” replied Agnes. “It only needs to stop goblins from sneaking into camp.”
“Very well,” Kuahel said, stroking his chin. “Since the war is not going to start in earnest anytime soon, we can assign part of the rear unit to construction duty.”
The discussion shifted to the reassignment of the soldiers. Maxi felt like an outsider among a group of strangers. Was war always this ruthless? The commanding officers’ blatant disregard for the lives of not only their enemy but their own men horrified her.
As if sensing her wandering attention, Kuahel tapped the table. “We will position the catapults at the center and the ballistae on either side. A three-pronged attack should make defense a little more difficult for the enemy.”
Maxi snapped her head down at the map and carefully studied the formations. Now was not the time to be distracted.
As soon as the meeting concluded, the army reorganized as planned. While the Remdragon Knights and the Knights of Phil Aaron guarded the camp, some of their forces moved west, and the siege weapons were repositioned.
At long last, they were ready for the second attack. This time, the task of assisting with the catapults fell on Ben and Armin. Thirty catapults inched their way up the hill, and giant crossbows formed rows along the east and west sides. As soon as the tense preparations were complete, the coalition army launched their attack from multiple angles.
“S-Someone bring me hot water and clean linen!” Maxi cried, then gingerly opened Garrow’s eyelid. His eyeball was terribly swollen.
“Goddammit,” Ulyseon cursed.
He sank onto a chair and roughly scrubbed his face, no doubt aware that vision loss from an injury could not be restored.
“How’s the wound?” Anette asked, placing a kettle and a stack of linen nearby.
Maxi soaked a strip of linen with water without replying and began wiping the blood from Garrow’s face.
“Could you not heal him with magic first, my lady?” Ulyseon said anxiously.
“I-I must right the bones first. If I don’t, they will set in the wrong place.”
After gingerly feeling the upper part of Garrow’s forehead, Maxi motioned to Anette, who promptly fetched an array of medical tools. Maxi took a barber’s blade from the leather pouch, wiped it with wine, and made a long incision from the right corner of his forehead to his temple.
She had almost drawn the incision down to his cheek when Garrow suddenly jerked awake. After asking Ulyseon to restrain his friend, Maxi pried apart the skin and began to position the broken bones with tweezers. Fresh blood spilled from the open wound, and Garrow twisted in pain throughout the harrowing process.
Maxi was soaked in sweat by the time she finished reconstructing his skull. She was about to cast healing magic over it when Anette laid a hand over her shaking fingers.
“Let me do the healing. You should rest, you look almost blue.”
Maxi anxiously looked down at the unconscious Garrow before conceding. She struggled to her feet and made to leave the tent when, all of a sudden, her stomach wrenched. She raced outside and around the corner to hurl in private.
Her throat burned, and her limbs felt heavy. Panting, she wiped her lips.
He might lose sight in his right eye.
It would be fortunate if his vision was the only thing the young knight lost. If his brain was indeed damaged, he might never wake again. And even if he did, he could very well find himself crippled. Maxi pressed her face to her knees. The fear she had kept at bay came crashing down on her like a tidal wave.
Ulyseon or Hebaron could be the next person rushed into the infirmary, not to mention Elliot, Ruth, or Riftan. No one was safe. The sobs Maxi had been suppressing burst forth, racking her whole body. She ached to see Riftan.
She wanted to confirm with her own eyes that he was well and feel his comforting arms around her.
