“We would be grateful for any help!” Ulyseon pleaded. “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 a familiar energy seeping into her body, Maxi strained her bleary eyes to see. An instant later, a stony face enveloped in silver light came into focus.
Maxi briefly met the man’s eyes. They were a stunning green with light brown flecks. When it finally sank 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 pain and weariness consuming her entire being. Maxi finally allowed her consciousness to slip away.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Maxi woke to the soundof sobbing. Slowly, she pried open her heavy eyelids, blearily taking in the yellow tent ceiling above. Confusion washed over her. Had all the fearsome chaos and pain been a nightmare?
Unable to come to her senses, she blinked her dry eyes. The miserable sobbing grew louder. Wincing, 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 stared at the man who 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 thatthe pain was gone, she turned to inspect her shoulder. The arm that 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.” He anxiously looked her up and down. “How are you feeling?”
The tension drained from Maxi’s shoulders the moment she saw the sorcerer’s familiar face. It appeared that she had safely returned to Eth Lene Castle.
With a sigh of relief, she 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 tentatively 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, “Wh-What about…the monsters?”
“Thanks to you blocking off the southern path, we were able to defeat them,” Sir Elliot replied. “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. Maxi’s 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 are…U-Ulyseon…and Garrow?”
“They are both well, my lady,” Ruth assured her. “Theywere 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.”
“Wh-What about Riftan?”
Ruth’s face hardened into a troubled expression. He ran his hand over his mouth and mumbled, “The Remdragon Knights were on the front lines. They immediately returned to Eth Lene after the Temple Knights. Sir Riftan came straight to see you the moment he arrived.” He looked at her hopefully. “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—”
He 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.”
