Under the Oak Tree - Chapter 146
Chapter 146: Chapter 146
Maxi’s face fell. Her blood ran cold as though she had been doused with freezing water.
Trolls were monsters with bull-like proportions, possessed of frightening regenerative powers that allowed them to reattach their nearly-severed heads. And yet, Riftan had fought a thousand of them with an army but a fifth of their number. What in the world was he doing?
Instead of feeling relieved by Selina’s words, Maxi felt her heart spasm. She tentatively opened her mouth. “A-And the casualties?”
“Don’t worry. They say that none of the Remdragon Knights were killed during the battle.”
Maxi’s relief was short-lived as Selina added hesitantly, “But… I’m told that some were wounded.”
“D-Do you know who? How many were… Are they seriously wounded?”
“That, I’m afraid, I do not know. The men only told me that some of the Remdragon Knights had been gravely injured and that they stopped advancing after the battle to treat the wounded.”
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Maxi scrubbed her pale face with a trembling hand. The faces of the Remdragon Knights quickly flashed through her mind.
As long as their bodies were not severely mangled, they should have been promptly healed with divine or healing magic. Still, stopping the advancement meant that the injuries were serious.
Maxi was worrying over who the injured were when Idsilla interjected. “Have you heard news of Elba?”
Selina shook her head. “The only thing I managed to find out is that the Livadonian royal knights are camped somewhere near Eth Lene Castle.”
Idsilla sullenly hung her head. Placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder, Selina added reassuringly, “Men from each garrison should come down to Serbin Castle soon for provisions. We should be able to hear more then, so do not worry too much.”
Idsilla brightened a little at Selina’s reassurance. After promising that she would inform them if she learned anything more, Selina hastened away to tend to the tasks she had put off.
Maxi vacantly stared after her for a brief moment before recovering her composure and returning to her work. She dripped with sweat and her cheeks burned from lighting the fire, but she found that the dizzying heat helped to dispel her morbid thoughts.
Boiling herbs in a cauldron, she tried to calm her racing mind. After waiting for the tea to cool and feeding it to the patients, she cleaned their wounds with a wet towel and applied salve. When she was done, she went to help with the meal preparations.
There was barely any time for her to catch her breath. When at last she returned to her tent to rest, she no longer had the energy to even lift a finger. The sweltering tent reeked of sweat and horses. Though the stench made it difficult to breathe, Maxi was too tired to feel repulsed.
Stretched out like a withered cabbage leaf, Maxi mulled over what to do. She could not continue living like this until the war ended. As she listened to snores and the buzzing of mosquitoes in the dark, Maxi felt her resolve dwindling.
Her eyes welled up with tears. She missed Riftan terribly, and she also yearned to be back at Calypse Castle. Even so, it had been her choice to come here. Maxi squeezed her eyes shut, hardening her wavering heart.
***
The next day was busy again. Maxi rose before dawn and washed her face in the stream, then went to check on the wounded.
There were three hundred injured men in the camp but only five hierarchs who were capable of divine magic. As a result, the male clerics focused their attention on treating those in critical condition, while the rest were tended to by the female clerics.
After making sure that none among the wounded had died the previous night, the women gathered at the tent barracks set up at the center of the camp to distribute herbs.
The cleric in charge of directing the female clerics handed each of the women a palm-sized wooden pass as he spoke at length.
“As I’m sure you have managed to gather, most of the men are suffering from fractures. Since many are unable to move without assistance, you will have to feed and bathe them. You are to check their conditions twice a day; once in the morning and once in the evening. If any are not lucid or have a fever, you are to inform me immediately.”
Maxi strained her ears to make sure she did not miss anything as the cleric continued his rapid instruction.
“You must pay close attention to those who are bleeding. Their wounds must be closely inspected for pus or maggots, and detoxicants must be boiled and given three times a day without fail. Also, try to keep the hands and feet of every patient clean as much as possible, and change their dressings at least every three days. Herbs and firewood are stored in the central tent, and you are free to take as much as you need for the day.”
The cleric then divided the women into six groups of seven and assigned each to look after forty wounded. Maxi was luckily assigned to the same group as Idsilla.
“I was told that most of you know how to administer basic treatment. If you encounter anything outside your knowledge, come to me immediately. You will find me near the north gate.”
When the cleric left the tent, the women promptly divided the workload among themselves. They decided that two of them would take turns checking on the wounded while the remaining five would be responsible for preparing the meal and collecting water.
Maxi was assigned to help draw water from the well with two other clerics. Drawing enough water to last a day was in itself an exhausting task.
The women administered remedies to a total of forty injured men, served them their meal twice, washed their hands and feet, squeezed the pus from their wounds, and changed their dressings. Even after all this, their tasks were still not finished; tending to the horses and preparing the soldiers’ meals was also their responsibility.
Days passed as though someone were snipping off chunks of time. Maxi gradually got used to the hard labor. Though life at the camp was far more difficult than she had anticipated, she did not feel the need to grumble.
Her heart ached when she looked at the men who faced becoming crippled, and she was sorry that she could not be of much more help. Had it been possible, she would gladly have healed all of them with her magic.
However, that was impossible with her meager mana supply. Just healing three or four men was so exhausting that it would barely leave her enough energy for her remaining duties.
In the end, Maxi made the grim decision to refrain from using magic as much as possible. It simply would not do for her to exhaust her energy on a few men when there were dozens of them in her charge.
She tried to lessen her guilt by meticulously checking wounds whenever she could and giving them herbal tea at hourly intervals to numb their pain. One day, after days of endless activity, Idsilla secretly came up to Maxi.
“Lady Calypse.”
Maxi looked up inquiringly from a remedy she had been preparing. Idsilla placed a finger over her mouth and motioned with her head for Maxi to come out quietly. After glancing about, Maxi stepped out of the tent.
The hot summer sun stung her eyes. Maxi paused to rub her throbbing forehead and wipe the beads of sweat on her nose.
“This way,” Idsilla called impatiently.
The girl walked around the camp and stopped near the city walls. She hid behind a bush and pulled Maxi down, forcing Maxi to crouch next to her.
“W-What on earth… are we doing?”
“Look over there,” Idsilla replied, pointing beyond the bush.
It did not take long for Maxi to realize why the girl had brought her here. A line of knights was entering the wide-open gate.
Idsilla leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “They are knights from Wedon who have come to collect provisions.”
Maxi grew wide-eyed. True enough, the knights’ surcoats bore the crest of Wedon. Her heart raced at the thought that Riftan might be among them.
“They will probably leave as soon as they’ve collected their rations.”
“S-So quickly?” Maxi asked in surprise.
Idsilla nodded. “Now would be the only time for us to talk to them. What would you like to do?”
Maxi bit her lip. Even if Riftan were not among the men, she would be able to hear news of him. Concealing her face further beneath her hood, Maxi cautiously stepped out of the bush.
“I’m sure no one would notice me… i-if I pretend that I am helping. I might be… able to o-overhear some conversations.”
“I will go with you.”
Maxi shook her head. “T-Two would be conspicuous. You should return to the tent… before anyone notices your absence. If I hear news of the Livadonian knights… I-I will be sure to tell you.”
Idsilla seemed to consider this for a moment. Seeing the logic in Maxi’s words, she obediently turned around to leave. Maxi hastened to where the Wedonian knights were. As she approached the knights’ barracks, she heard Duke Aren’s booming voice.
“It must have been a tiring journey. Come inside. You should try to get some rest while the soldiers load the provisions onto the wagons.”
Hiding behind a wagon, Maxi watched the knights as they entered the tent one after the other. She intended to approach one of them to inquire about the situation on the frontlines. She was eyeing each one to find the mildest looking among them when one of the last to enter caught her attention. Maxi’s eyes widened.
“Sir Elliot?”
Sir Elliot Charon, who had been among the men trapped inside Louivell Castle, led soldiers through the city gate. The sight of his familiar face that she had not seen in months made her well up with tears.
Although Riftan had apparently managed to rescue them, Maxi had still been worried that some of them might be gravely injured. She wondered if the rest of the men were also all right. She was dying to rush over to ask about the others, but she knew that Sir Elliot would send her packing to Levan if he saw her.
Maxi was about to creep away when she caught sight of Ruth’s weary face and found herself unable to move. Her heart filled with joy as she gazed at the face of her sorely missed friend.
How worried she had been for that pesky meddler!
Ruth’s gray hair was longer, messily covering his neck. His normally lean face was thinner, and he looked exhausted.
He let out a long yawn and dismounted from his horse. Maxi smiled; although she stood at quite some distance, she could hear him grumbling about something.
He said something to the knights and headed to the stream. She hesitated for a moment, then dashed after him.
Ruth fanned his face as he got to the stream and noisily washed his face once he reached the water’s edge. After making sure no one else was around, Maxi cautiously approached and crouched beside him.
With her shabby clothes and grubby face, Ruth did not immediately recognize her. Thinking that she was just a female cleric collecting water, he flicked an indifferent glance at her before continuing to splash about washing his dirty hands and feet.
Frowning, Maxi nudged his arm. Only then did his blue-gray eyes focus on her.
Maxi blinked and awkwardly smiled at him. “I-It has been a while, Ruth. I am glad… to see you well.”
Ruth sat bolt upright like a man struck by lightning, and his mouth dropped open as though he were about to scream.
Hopping like a rabbit, Maxi quickly covered his mouth. Her motion sent Ruth’s scrawny body plunging into the stream. Maxi’s robe got soaked in the process.
She gazed up at him beseechingly, tears in her eyes. “P-Please… do not make a scene. No one else kn-knows… that I am here.”
Ruth stared at her as though he could not believe what he was seeing, then gaped when he noticed her monastic habit.
