The dark forest blazed with firelight.
Only when Skarn cleaved down the final bloodbeast did the half-hour-long assault finally come to an end.
But none of the warriors felt any joy in their victory.
They looked around at the field of corpses, the thick stench of blood clinging to severed limbs, human and monster alike.
The scene before them was like a vision of hell.
There was no celebration, only the quiet relief of having survived.
Bai stood there, watching the exhausted knights carry away the bodies of their comrades on stretchers, her heart twisting with complicated emotions.
And then, as a familiar corpse passed beside her, her heart skipped a beat.
Her eyes widened, and she stood frozen in shock.
It was Oga.
The gaping claw wound across his chest had been the fatal blow.
A large hand suddenly ruffled her gray hair.
Skarn’s voice came from beside her, offering quiet comfort.
“Don’t blame yourself, kid. This was his choice.”
Bai remained silent for a long time.
Her face was hidden beneath her drooping hair, her voice weak and low.
“Bai… Bai told him… not to move around too much…”
The nonstop casting of healing spells had already pushed her far beyond her limits.
From the very beginning, she had been forcing herself to keep going until the battle ended.
Now, her body began to sway.
Darkness crept in at the edges of her vision, until at last, she collapsed to the ground, completely drained.
“Hey! Kid! What’s wrong?!”
Skarn reacted quickly, catching her just in time.
He noticed her face had gone deathly pale, her body ice-cold.
Her breath was so faint it felt like a flickering flame in a storm, ready to go out at any moment.
She looked like a corpse.
“Quick! Get Godar! Hurry!”
In the haze of unconsciousness, Bai saw Skarn shouting something behind him, but the words no longer reached her.
So cold…
Chains… a suffocating sense of restraint dragged at her from the darkness, like an invisible demon clawing at the last of her breath.
A woman’s voice echoed in her ears.
“I’m sorry… don’t leave me. Please, I’m begging you… don’t leave me…”
The voice cried out in agony, filled with regret, again and again.
The sound was strangely familiar, like a memory from a distant past.
But why couldn’t she remember?
The voice kept whispering, like a dream:
“Don’t leave me… I’m sorry… I’m sorry……Lian.”
“Hah!”
Bai jolted awake from the dream, sitting up abruptly, clutching her head.
Her entire body was drenched in sweat.
“Lian… Lian?” she muttered to herself.
That name, wasn’t that the former blood slave her master had mentioned?
Why did it suddenly appear in her dream?
The feeling was so vivid, like she had once shared an intimate bond with this person.
But in her memories… there was no trace of her at all.
The confusion made her shiver.
A person she had never met… appearing in her memory, in her dreams, this strange phenomenon filled Bai with nothing but dread.
Just then, the curtain was lifted. Aurelia walked in and smiled when she saw Bai awake.
“You’re finally up, Bai. You’ve been out for quite a while.”
“A while? How many days was Bai unconscious?”
“About… two days. And today’s already nearly evening,” Aurelia said after thinking for a moment.
She sat down beside Bai, carefully studying her small face, then smiled.
“Your color looks much better now.”
Two days… two days?!
That meant she had to return to Yare today?
She’d only just escaped for a bit of fresh air, and then fainted, again, for two whole days?!
Bai felt like crying.
She’d barely tasted freedom before losing it again.
“Where’s Uncle Skarn? Have all the bloodbeasts been wiped out?”
Aurelia shook her head.
“Godar said your body was far too weak to move, so we stayed here for two days to let you rest.”
Bai blinked, then said anxiously, “Just because of Bai? But what if the bloodbeasts attack again?”
Aurelia gently stroked Bai’s soft hair and reassured her, “Don’t worry. You’re the little hero of our knight regiment, after all. Plus, this bloodbeast extermination campaign was a joint operation with the elves and beastkin of the forest.”
“We humans were only responsible for the southern section. The elves are handling the north, and the beastkin are clearing the east and west.”
“I see…”
Bai still looked uneasy, clearly shaken by the hellish scenes from two days before.
Seeing this, Aurelia pulled her into a gentle hug, adding, “Our commander sent out scouts two days ago. The south is clear. All we have to do now is wait here while the other races finish the rest.”
“Mm.” Bai answered softly.
Just then, the curtain lifted again and a man in a mage’s robe with glasses stepped in.
It was the healer named Godar, same one from the night before.
“How’re you feeling, kid?”
“Mm…”
Bai tried moving her body.
Every joint ached, and she felt completely powerless, like all the tendons in her limbs had been severed.
“…A little better.”
“Better, my ass!”
Godar snapped, unable to hold back.
He marched over, glaring as he scolded, “When I treated you two days ago, I did a full check-up. Honestly, I’ve never seen a body this weak. Severely malnourished, dangerously anemic, you’re basically walking around in a skeleton costume ready to fall apart at any moment. Even walking should be hard.”
“And yet somehow, you, a child, dragged nearly sixty armored knights over twenty meters in an hour, while continuously casting healing magic? You drained your body dry of magic, and I seriously have no idea how you’re still alive.”
“Mm…”
As Godar rambled on and on, Bai shrank into the blankets, her face half-buried in them.
This brother… he was just like her sister used to be, always scolding her, and never in short bursts.
Aurelia immediately pulled Bai into her arms, scolding sharply, “Hey! Godar! You scared her!”
“I…”
Godar was momentarily speechless.
How had she already started doting on the girl like this?
He cleared his throat awkwardly and muttered, “Anyway, you’re still growing. You really need to start taking care of your health.”
“Alright, alright, Bai just woke up, let her rest a bit. You, out.”
Aurelia waved him off like shooing a stray dog. Godar sighed and left the tent.
Aurelia sighed too, muttering with a touch of irritation, “Honestly, doesn’t even try to be gentle. Don’t mind him, he’s always like that—gets all fussy and naggy whenever someone’s sick or injured. But he means well.”
“Can Bai go to Novalia now?”
“Nope. Godar said you’re still too weak. You can’t leave just yet. Give it two more days—when you’re stronger, I’ll take you back to the city. We’ll see if we can find your sister then.”
“Okay.”
Bai stayed quiet.
Right now, all she wanted was to return to her hometown… to find her only family.
And besides, she was supposed to return to Yare tonight.
She couldn’t delay any longer.
As for this so-called weak body?
She was already used to it.
After that, more knights trickled in to visit, coming to pay their respects to the little hero.
Among them was Uncle Skarn, who checked on her briefly and then laughed heartily, praising her without reservation before hurrying back to deal with post-battle affairs.
Aurelia, on the other hand, never left her side, staying with her until nightfall.
Inside the command tent, the dim oil lamp barely lit the space.
Skarn stood over a map, brows furrowed in concentration.
Beside him stood Godar, who casually asked, as if in passing, “How’s the girl?”
“Not good, but she’s recovering,” Godar replied.
His expression was slightly off, restless, conflicted.
“Are you sure she’s alright? That bite on her neck, from a vampire.”
When treating Bai, Godar had noticed the distinct bite mark on her neck immediately.
And that could only mean one of two things: either the girl had once been captured by a vampire and somehow escaped…
Or she was a vampire’s blood slave.
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