---

17. Engagement – Injury

A young soldier swung his sword.

Katrina staggered as she tried to deflect Leo’s blade. Though she didn’t show it, she was quite shocked. The sword that clashed with hers was stronger than it appeared.

‘His swordsmanship isn’t impressive, but… could he be an Expert? At this age?’

Katrina internally adjusted her perception of her opponent.

The minimum requirement to become a knight is to be an Expert. They have mana embedded in their bodies, allowing them to exhibit much greater speed and strength even if they share a similar build.

To become such an Expert required more than just effort; one needed talent.

The talent of the body. A talent for absorbing mana more quickly.

Mana, which is said to reside anywhere in the air, can be accepted by all living beings, and anyone could become an Expert if given the time.

The only thing that varied was the degree, and most people lost their strength to aging before reaching the level of an Expert.

[Achievement: One Knight – Becomes stronger when facing knights.]

Leo Dexter wasn’t an Expert, but due to the achievement he just earned by defeating Deros, Katrina misunderstood his capabilities.

‘If I’m not careful, I might die here…’

She sensed that the situation had become serious. Now she understood why Deros couldn’t handle just five soldiers.

But she wasn’t intimidated. She was planning to avenge her incompetent junior.

Leo quickly defended against Katrina’s incoming strike. Despite her injuries, she pushed him back with ease.

“Haap!”

Only when Lena helped from the side did their struggle become evenly matched.

Katrina began to feel anxious. Another squad might come, and the more she moved, the more her wounds opened.

Time wasn’t on her side.

She had to deal with these scoundrels quickly, retrieve Deros’s body, and retreat.

Katrina held her breath, looking for an opportunity.

‘The women are a bit weaker.’

Having assessed her opponent, Katrina pushed Leo hard, throwing him off balance and charging straight at Lena.

Lena tried to block calmly, but what came flying wasn’t a sword but a kick. She swung her sword at the incoming leg, but that was just a ruse.

Katrina’s body spun as she balanced on one leg. With just her ankle strength, she forcibly rotated her body.

Startled by the knight’s abnormal movement, Lena hastily positioned her sword, but Katrina was one step ahead.

The sword she swung sliced through one of Lena’s arms.

Lena’s forearm flew through the air.

“Lena!”

“Wha?! You crazy…”

Ignoring her flying arm, Lena threw herself at Katrina. The sudden charge knocked Katrina down.

Leo also threw himself, covering the fallen Katrina and forcing her sword down with his hand.

Katrina twisted to pull out her sword, but it wouldn’t budge.

Leo’s hand quickly became covered in blood. His thumb was gently sliced off by the blade.

But he didn’t remove his hand.

“Lena!”

Lena, struggling to rise with unsteady legs, swung her sword down with one hand while Leo pressed down on Katrina to keep her from moving.

Desperate thrashing could be felt below.

– Thud!

Blood gushed forth from Leo’s back. Gasping, Lena slumped beside him, blood streaming from her severed forearm.

“Phew. Leo. I got her. We took down the knight…”

“Your arm!”

Leo jumped up hastily, grabbing bandages to tightly wrap her arm. Although it took longer due to the missing thumb, the flow of blood from Lena’s forearm slowed.

“You… of all things, your right thumb…”

Lena seemed more worried about Leo’s finger than her lost arm.

Her arm lay on the ground.

When Leo first saw an arm on the ground, it shocked him, but the horrors of war had dulled his sensitivity.

At some point, he had become desensitized to seeing limbs or eyeballs lying on the ground.

However, seeing the familiar arm of someone he loved lying there was shocking. The awkwardness of something out of place left him speechless.

If there had been a priest, they might have been able to reattach it. But since the Cross Church opposed this war, no priests participated in the battles.

To reattach it, they would have to leave the battlefield and find a church in the city, which would take about a week on horseback.

And he had no money to treat such a serious injury.

As Leo stared at the fallen arm, Lena chuckled bitterly.

“Shall we bury it here for a commemoration? With that knight?”

Though her face was pale, she didn’t stop with the jokes.

“Let’s bury your fingers with it.”

“This isn’t the time for jokes. We need to retreat immediately. Can you walk?”

In the excitement of battle and the shock of her arm being cut off, Lena was still focused on getting treatment quickly.

At that moment, footsteps were heard from a distance.

Leo tensed up, ready to move Lena into a lying position.

“Lena, pretend you’re dead.”

“Why would I pretend to be dead? Who’s going to fall for that? Just let me die.”

“Why die? Shut your mouth and lie still.”

He was on high alert, but fortunately, those who appeared were from their side. Lena and Leo were evacuated to the rear.

The battlefield left behind had the body of a female knight bleeding from her red hair and a severed arm.

*

“Uh-oh. A finger’s gone. That must have hurt.”

Upon arriving at the barracks, Lena and Leo received treatment. Lena was taken into the inner ward, while Leo met a medical officer who handled his missing thumb with nonchalance.

“It’s going to sting a bit. You wouldn’t ask for alcohol for such a minor surgery, would you?”

Leo was scared of having the severed end sewn up raw, but the medical officer’s relaxed attitude gave him some courage.

“No. I don’t need it.”

“Why so serious? It’s a matter of course. Hehe. Just bite on this, or your teeth will rot.”

Fortunately, the stitching was done quickly.

It hurt like hell, but he gritted his teeth on the cloth the doctor gave him.

“All done. When it heals, I’ll remove the stitches, so until then, don’t strain yourself too much. Try to avoid drinking if you can.”

“Alright. But what about my friend’s treatment?”

“The girl with the severed arm? I saw her pass by; she doesn’t seem to have any major issues. The cut is neat, so there shouldn’t be infections. You don’t have to worry.”

“…Thank you.”

Lena, as the medical officer said, recovered quickly.

She had to have her pus drained a few times over the next few days, and just yesterday, the medical officer sniffed her wound and declared there was no need for concern and removed her from the intensive care list.

The medical officers’ skills were beyond imagination.

Among the tools used by them, many resembled those used in modern society.

Since the advent of priests wielding divine power, the overall medical level in this world had declined, but not in the military.

No matter how many priests there are, it’s impossible to treat all the injured on the battlefield. The kingdom knew this and had been continuously training medical officers.

The treatment of injured soldiers was also crucial from a strategic perspective. Once healed properly, an injured soldier could return to active duty in just a few weeks or months, making them indispensable forces on the battlefield.

It took Lena and Leo two months to reach the frontline, and now, more than four months since the war broke out, many soldiers still hadn’t made it to the battlefield.

In a situation where the replenishment capacity of both nations determined the outcome of the war, they couldn’t afford to abandon the wounded already on-site.

Leo frequently visited Lena’s hospital room.

Having regained her strength quickly, she insisted they go outside after receiving permission from the medical officer after two weeks.

“Is your body okay?”

“Yeah. I’m feeling much better.”

The two basked leisurely in the sunlight.

It was a sunny day, a slight relief from the oppressive heat. They sat in silence for a while.

Breaking the silence, Leo shared news he had heard while stationed as a soldier.

“I heard the Prince is coming.”

“Oh really? That’s good news.”

Lena seemed uninterested.

As silence was about to fall again, she quietly asked.

“Are we heading back now?”

“…I’ve applied for a return too.”

Lena would be receiving orders to return home once her treatment was complete. No matter how desperate the need for soldiers on the battlefield, they couldn’t use a warrior who had lost an arm as a combat soldier.

Leo also intended to return with her. Losing a finger usually wouldn’t warrant a return command, but being a support soldier, he qualified for a return request with just this level of injury.

“Yeah… I want to go home.”

Lena gazed up at the distant north, the direction where her home lay, with a gloomy expression.

Leo stayed by her side in silence.

*

A few days later, the support troops led by Prince Anolf de Klaus arrived at the front lines. The Prince surveyed the battlefield state, held meetings with the generals, and encouraged the morale of the soldiers.

The barracks also received a visit from the Prince.

Thanks to the noble’s arrival, the barracks were busy all day. They cleaned the barracks, washed the blankets, re-inspected the equipment, retrained emergency protocols, and even built new barricades.

And everyone lined up neatly to welcome the Prince’s procession.

[Achievement: First Meeting with the Prince – Gained a slight favor from all princes.]

[Achievement: Met Anolf de Klaus – Gained a slight favor from all nobles serving the Klaus royal family. Gained a slight favor from Anolf de Klaus.]

When the Prince was about to walk past Leo, an achievement notification appeared. At that moment, the Prince stopped, taking notice of him.

“This soldier looks fine, so why is he here?”

Almost all soldiers working in the barracks were injured, but Leo was the most unscathed among them.

Next to him, the administrative officer of the barracks recounted Leo’s situation.

“Unfortunately, this soldier lost his right thumb during combat. He’s a commendable soldier who has achieved the remarkable feat of taking down two knights.”

He exaggerated Leo’s achievements a bit.

“Did he take down two knights? A soldier? Quite impressive. How unfortunate for such a warrior to lose a finger…”

The Prince looked at Leo for a moment before departing.

The next day, a few soldiers in the barracks were summoned for a parade. This was a parade to boost the morale of the reinforcements led by the Prince, and at the end, there would be a time to reward the wounded who had distinguished themselves.

Lena was also called, but it was decided that a soldier with a severed arm would not boost morale, so only Leo was sent up to represent.

Leo was publicly praised as a hero who took down two knights on the frontline, and he received an honorary knighthood from the Prince on the spot, with generous rewards promised for all the distinguished soldiers, including Lena.

Thousands of soldiers erupted in cheers.

Leo felt not a trace of joy.

*

Leo’s request for return was approved. He had asked the administrative officer to schedule a departure date to leave with Lena.

The administrative officer was even friendlier than before.

Without bribing him, he exempted Leo from duties and allowed him to stay in the barracks.

Was it because he had become an honorary knight or due to the achievement from the Prince? It didn’t matter to Leo.

Exempt from duty, he spent every day by Lena’s side. Her wounds had nearly healed, but treatment was not yet complete.

“I want to go back quickly, but they say I can’t until those things inside are removed.”

A lot of silver clips had been put in when her wound was stitched. It was said that silver reduces the chances of inflammation significantly.

The silver clips held the wide wound from the inside and stitched it over. Once it healed, they would pull out the clips in small bits.

“I guess they can’t just let you leave with expensive clips inside. Should we run away like this?”

Lena smiled brightly.

Light-hearted banter followed, but it didn’t last long. She spoke in a slightly lowered voice about the future.

“When I get back, I’m thinking of learning to cook.”

“…Cooking?”

“Yeah. I want to open a small shop. A place where people can enjoy simple dishes and have a drink or two.”

“I feel like there will be way more alcohol than food.”

“No way! I can cook really well!”

She placed one arm on her hip, puffing her chest out. This was a pose she often struck when she was feeling confident, though she used to raise both arms.

“Surely, you’ll serve me for free, right?”

“Of course! Friends eat for free.”

And from some point on, she began to call me her friend.

“Oh dear~ It won’t even last a month.”

“Nah! And since I’ll receive a big reward, it’s okay if I go bankrupt two times over!”

“Hahaha. I was thinking of trying to fail a few times.”

Lena elaborated on how she planned to live moving forward. It seemed she had thought a lot about it while on the hospital bed.

There was no mention of marriage.