SOTBW - 163

He wanted to kill himself. He couldn’t bear the thought of having brought Najane to this state. He wished he could destroy the part of himself that had caused this.

Maximón buried his face in Najane’s cold hair and sobbed.

His rationality was slipping away.

“Emaydis...”

Maximón muttered incoherently, like a madman. His face was completely devoid of spirit.

“We just met... How can we part like this...”

As he murmured in despair, his emerald-green eyes turned ash-gray. In an instant, the creatures that had filled the field stopped their attacks. The people fighting on the field were thrown into confusion.

Holding Najane’s small head tightly, Maximón pleaded in a tormented voice.

“Please, please, please... Don’t leave me... I haven’t even had the chance to show you how much I love you... You, who have always been so kind, please give me a chance. I’ll prove that my life and time exist solely to dedicate myself to you... Ah, ah... Please...”

Maximón’s voice was so quiet that no one but Najane could hear it.

The knights, though puzzled by the creatures’ strange behavior, saw this as an opportunity and didn’t slow their attacks. The heads of the larger creatures fell one by one.

Only then did Maximón look around. Soldiers were setting fire to the bodies of the decapitated creatures.

“All this, because of these things...”

Maximón whispered softly, then gently pressed his lips to Najane’s blood-stained ones. When he pulled away, his ash-gray eyes shone sharper than ever.

“All of you, disappear.”

At his command, the creatures, as if frozen, began to leave the field. The bewildered people stared in shock as the monsters retreated in an orderly manner. With one incomprehensible event after another, no one knew how to react.

Maximón gazed at Najane, who still showed no signs of regaining consciousness, then looked up at the sound of footsteps. It was Belshua. Seeing the pool of blood surrounding Maximón and Najane, Belshua quickly knelt.

Belshua’s eyes trembled with pain as he looked down at Najane.

“She must have pushed herself too hard. If we treat her with holy water, she’ll be fine. If we ask the Archbishop... No, we need to move her to the fortress now...”

“Mahilen.”

At the call, Belshua, who had been about to rise, froze. He looked at Maximón with a stiff expression, only now noticing that Maximón’s eyes had turned ash-gray.

Belshua’s face, which had been trying to remain composed, twisted in anguish.

“You...”

“Please take care of Emaydis.”

Maximón pleaded with a sorrowful gaze filled with tenderness.

“Emaydis... Please...”

Before he could finish, his eyes returned to their normal color.

Maximón closed his eyes and collapsed alongside Najane.

---

Dawn, still far from sunrise.

The cathedral was in an uproar. Gwyneth, upon hearing that Maximón and Najane had been severely injured, immediately headed to the Romsoa Knights’ headquarters. Though the news of their collapse was still top secret, it wouldn’t be long before rumors spread, as many had witnessed the scene on the field.

When Gwyneth arrived at the estate, he was startled to see the knights gathered around the main gate. All the knights of Romsoa, who should have been fighting on the field, were here.

Gwyneth stared at them in disbelief.

“What are you all doing here? What about the field!”

At Gwyneth’s shout, the knights turned to look. They had been standing there so long that snow had piled up on their shoulders.

Jacob explained the situation on behalf of his comrades.

“The Serith have retreated.”

“Retreated?”

“We don’t know why either. But they left the field as if they were retreating... They completely abandoned it.”

There had never been a case where the Serith, who had attacked the fortress, retreated without reason. They were monsters that attacked humans no matter how unfavorable the situation.

Gwyneth was momentarily stunned, but after seeing Jacob’s earnest expression, he slowly nodded.

“If news spreads that Maximón has collapsed, it won’t be good. Many people dislike him, so I’d appreciate it if at least three or four knights stayed here to guard the estate.”

At this, the knights exchanged glances.

Jacob was the first to voice his opinion.

“Half of us should stay here, and the other half should return to the field.”

The knights agreed with Jacob and added their thoughts.

“Even though the Serith suddenly retreated, we don’t know what might happen next. We need someone to command the soldiers.”

“If either Jacob or Belshua steps up, we can trust them. What do you all think?”

Jacob turned to Belshua and spoke.

“Belshua, if you’re okay with it... I’d prefer to stay by the Commander’s side.”

The knights’ gazes shifted to Belshua. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Belshua nodded as if he had no objections.

“Alright. I’ll go to the field.”

Belshua also wanted to stay, but now wasn’t the time to drag out the conversation. It might be better to head to the field instead. Belshua’s head was pounding from the complexity of the situation.

I clearly sealed Sain’s memories and consciousness, so how...?

Belshua, pressing his lips tightly together, stepped away from the wall.

“Let’s split into groups. Those staying at the estate will report to Jacob, and those heading to the field, follow me.”

Before the response even finished, the knights seamlessly divided into two teams. As they discussed whether anything else was needed, one knight raised his hand and shouted.

“Wait. One of the knights staying here should go to the barracks and inform the others. There might be an emergency.”

“I’ll go!”

A knight immediately responded. Gwyneth watched the knights move diligently with a look of amazement.

The knights preparing to return to the field checked the swords at their waists and the condition of their armor.

“By the way, there are still many injured soldiers on the field. Since the gates are open, wouldn’t it be better to move them to the relief center?”

One knight muttered as if talking to himself while finishing his preparations. The others didn’t miss his words and picked up on the idea.

A fellow knight nodded in agreement.

“I don’t think the Serith will attack again. The snow is getting heavier, so it would be good to move the severely injured soldiers as he suggested.”

“Then I’ll handle transporting the injured.”

“Any other opinions?”

“None of us are injured, right?”

One knight casually asked, but no one answered. Instead, the knights rolled their eyes and began counting heads.

Jacob, who had been silently observing his comrades, answered in a quiet voice.

“No one’s injured, but two of us are dead.”

The area around the wall fell silent as if cold water had been poured over it. The knights finally realized that some familiar faces were missing and closed their mouths. No one cried, but neither did they act as boisterously as usual.

Gwyneth, observing the scene, took out her rosary and asked Jacob,

“What are the names of the fallen knights?”

“Beren and Ferrando.”

“I see... Let us have a moment of silence for them, then move to our positions.”

Clasping her hands together, Gwyneth began to pray. The knights straightened their postures and bowed their heads.

In the stillness, white snow swirled through the air.

Standing in the snowfall, Belshua, who had been silently offering her respects, opened her eyes first.

“Let’s move out.”

At her command, the knights began to march. The knights remaining at the manor watched their comrades’ retreating figures before spreading out widely along the walls with the soldiers.

There wasn’t a single person out of place. Everyone seemed to know exactly what they needed to do.

Gwyneth admired their impeccable coordination.

“Maximón seems to have trained his knights better than I thought. Is he inside?”

“Yes, he is, but he has yet to regain consciousness.”

Jacob answered politely. Without hesitation, Gwyneth entered the manor. The maids bustling about the manor hurriedly greeted her as she passed. From one of the inner rooms came the sound of someone sobbing.

“And Najane?”

“He is in the bedroom. To be honest, his condition is far more critical than the commander’s. I’d ask that you see to Najane first.”

“What, is he that close to death?”

“Based on the amount of blood loss... yes, he is.”

“Goodness...”

As Gwyneth entered the bedroom, the stench of blood stung her nose, causing her to furrow her brow. Amelia sat by Najane’s bedside, clutching his hand tightly and weeping.

Gwyneth calmly examined both Maximón and Najane in turn. Maximón appeared uninjured on the surface, but the real problem was Najane.

Gwyneth quickly removed her coat and rolled up her sleeves.

“The holy water?”

“It’s ready.”

Didina, who had been managing the maids, quickly stepped behind Jacob and answered. Jacob stepped back to avoid interfering with the treatment.

Didina brought over a box full of holy water bottles and approached Gwyneth. Najane’s pale complexion resembled that of a corpse. As Didina took out a bottle of holy water, her hands trembled faintly.

Seated on a chair, Gwyneth gazed down at Najane for a moment. As Jacob had mentioned, Najane’s lips were deathly pale, a sign of significant blood loss.

But something seemed off. If Najane had lost enough blood to be at death’s door and remained unconscious for so long, his soul should already be teetering on the edge of life and death.

If Najane were truly dying, Gwyneth would have noticed the signs. Yet, while Najane’s face and limbs were drenched in blood, there were no visible wounds.

Gwyneth narrowed her eyes as she examined the blood-soaked hem of his clothes. Najane appeared to have simply fainted and suffered from prolonged exposure to the cold. Other than that, he was surprisingly fine.

No—more accurately, his condition seemed to be improving rapidly.

Still, Gwyneth wasn’t entirely certain, so she began preparing the healing ritual once more. Didina, who had been waiting quietly to assist, asked hesitantly,

“...Shall I remove the knight’s clothing?”

Gwyneth nodded. Amelia, having stopped crying at some point, closed the door. Didina used scissors to carefully cut away the blood-soaked, frozen garments.

As the frozen clothing fell away, the bandages wrapped around Najane’s chest were revealed. Amelia, noticing the moment, handed Didina a towel soaked in warm water.

Gwyneth reached for the stopper of the holy water bottle but suddenly paused as if sensing something.

She felt it—a strange presence emanating from within Najane’s body.

Gwyneth’s expression subtly shifted.

“...The two of you, please leave the room for a moment.”

Didina, who had been preparing clean bandages, nodded at Gwyneth’s words and gently tugged Amelia’s hand. Even as Amelia left the room, she couldn’t take her eyes off Najane.

When the door closed, a heavy silence settled over the bedroom.

Without a word, Gwyneth placed her hand on Najane’s chest. Beneath the cold, lifeless surface of his body—deep within, in a place the eye could never see—something was churning.

Setting the bottle down, Gwyneth carefully lifted Najane’s body. As she pulled away the bandages wrapped around his back, an unfamiliar ritual inscribed there came into view, its mechanisms turning like interlocking gears.

Gwyneth’s light purple eyes flickered slightly with unease.