Ruth scowled back at her. “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!” Maxi protested.
“You mustn’t ever get any closer than that. The man has senses keener than those 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,” she said sullenly. “Now, will you p-please tell me what the situation is at the front? I was told that m-members of the Remdragon Knights had been wounded…. Wh-Who was injured? Are they badly hurt?”
“Sir Hebaron sustained a shoulder injury while fighting a lizardman.” Ruth’s face suddenly grew 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.”
Maxi’s eyes grew wide at the news of Hebaron’s injury. A monster’s curse. Just hearing about it was horrifying.
“Th-Then…is there no way to treat him?”
“Divine magic should be able to heal it.” Ruth frowned and tousled his messy hair. “There is no need for you to be so worried, my lady. The Remdragon Knights should have arrived at Eth Lene Castle by now. I’m sure the high priest will heal Sir Hebaron.”
Maxi swallowed hard. “Wh-What about the others? Are they well? Is Riftan—”
“Sir Riftan is obviously so full of energy that I sometimes wonder if we should chain him to a tree. The others are also in one piece,” Ruth replied, cutting her off.
Wanting to hear more, Maxi grew visibly impatient. “Y-You do not know how anxious I was…when I first heard that y-you were besieged in Louivell Castle. How were you and the others able t-to last all those months—”
“I would love to share all the details, but I’m afraid we are short on time.” Ruth turned his gaze toward the barracks with a troubled expression. “The knights will be departing soon with the provisions, and I still have matters to discuss with them.”
“W-Will Sir Elliot…also remain here?” Maxi asked.
“No. We have decided that only I and one of Wedon’s royal mages are to stay behind,” Ruth replied, rubbing his temples as if he suffered a headache. “If Sir Elliot were to find out about this, he would insist on escorting you back to Levan no matter the cost. Please stay clear of the knights as much as possible while they are here.”
Maxi’s shoulders sagged, but she begrudgingly nodded. “I-I understand. I shall stay inside the tent…u-until Wedon’s soldiers are gone.”
Ruth’s gaze suddenly turned skeptical. “Are you sure you will be all right in such a humble place?”
“Yes. A-After all, I am not…the only woman staying there.”
“But, my lady, you are…” Ruth clamped his mouth shut. He looked conflicted as his gaze swept over her ragged attire. “Then again, I doubt anyone would suspect you of being a duke’s daughter in your current guise.”
Maxi briefly considered whether to take his words as an insult. Before she could retort, however, Ruth turned away from her.
“Well, then. I will come again after I’ve seen the knights off. Try to remain inside the tent until then.”
Following his warning with a grave look, Ruth strode away through the trees. Pursing her lips, Maxi made her way back to the tent.
—
When the soldiers from Wedonleft with their wagons loaded with provisions, Ruth immediately got to work treating the patients. A handsome mage named Vaylon assisted him.
They quickly identified those with severe injuries requiring treatment with magic, then prescribed mandrago extract to those with minor wounds. The clerics also offered aid by healing patients with divine magic.
To a certain extent, Maxi felt as though her tireless efforts of preparing medicine for the men several times a day, slathering pungent salve on their wounds, squeezing yellow pustules, and applying warm compresses had all been in vain. Only half a day after Ruth had rolled up his sleeves and set to work, a third of the injured had fully recovered. Seeing her so demoralized, Ruth gave her a sardonic smile.
“I am one of only ten mages in the Western Continent praised as an extraordinary talent. The fact that you would compare me with a fledgling mage who just began her studies last year is an insult!” he quipped. “So stop torturing yourself with unnecessary comparisons and focus on what you can do, my lady. If you and the female clerics had not provided such attentive care, half of these men would be dead by now. They owe their lives to the women here.”
His comforting words did not make Maxi feel any better. The bitterness of knowing that she would have been more helpful if she had been a better mage, even a lesser one than Ruth, hung over her like a storm cloud.
During her time at camp, she had buried a total of six men. It was a frequent occurrence for a man who looked fine one evening to be dead by the next morning. They had died before Maxi could do anything for them, and guilt relentlessly preyed on her mind. If she had healed them with magic, even if it meant overexerting herself, perhaps they would be alive right now.
Remorse had weighed especially heavy on her heart as she watched a young soldier of eighteen being buried in a corner of a ravaged city. Melric had told her that the moment a healer had it in their head that it was their duty to save everyone around them, their lives would be plagued with despair. She had tried to keep this lesson in mind, but it was of little help when faced with the brutal reality of war.
