It’s over…?
It seemed so.
Just to be safe, Weiss deliberately moved closer and only exhaled in relief after confirming there was no risk of resurrection.
“Weiss.”
As soon as she reined in her presence without waiting to fully calm down, Lortissa turned around impatiently,
“Your wound!”
“Ah…”
Weiss lowered his head, tending to himself.
There was a hole in his chest, and he couldn’t honestly say he was fine—it was impossible to fool a child.
Still, he raised his hand slightly.
“I won’t die anytime soon. With treatment, it’s nothing.”
The painkiller was still taking effect, numbing the area around the wound, so there was no real pain for the moment.
The mercenary youth’s calm demeanor, bleeding but acting as if nothing was wrong, tugged slightly at Lortissa’s heart.
But she said nothing and quickly pulled out a small vial of potion from her traveling magic pouch.
The liquid inside glimmered faintly in the dim light.
By her usual nature, she never carried emergency potions like this.
After all, there was never any need for them.
This one was specially requested from Vice Commander Karin before coming here, prepared for Weiss.
Just in case.
Weiss took the potion without hesitation and drank it all at once.
The effect was immediate.
Though far less potent than healing magic, the chest wound eased and some color returned to his face.
Lortissa then pulled out a roll of bandages from her pocket and began tending to his injury.
Weiss sat down and let her work, but he didn’t stay silent:
“So, how do you plan to handle the aftermath?”
“Usually, Karin is responsible.”
Lortissa’s movements were steady, her gaze fixed on his wound.
“I only need to report to Count Leicester.”
Vice Commander wasn’t just an assistant, but practically the secretary who helped the leadership draft reports… Weiss thought, which made sense.
What really stood out, though, was why Norsen suddenly fused with the Devouring True Lord—not slain and assimilated, but blessed. That was truly curious.
“No—please don’t!”
Murphyana suddenly rushed forward and knelt with a thud before Lortissa.
The female knight’s face was streaked with tears, and her body was covered in dirt.
“I beg you, Chief of Soldiers, please don’t report the truth!”
Weiss was taken aback and only then realized.
Oh right, there was that noble knight lady.
She had guarded Murphyana while dealing with Norsen, planning to team up with her to take Norsen down.
Though the process had some twists thanks to Tissa’s timely arrival,
the outcome was the same.
Indeed, with the female knight’s help and using Norsen’s own “Moon Silver” knight sword, they ended the battle.
Having a fallen knight of corruption die by the very ancestral secret technique sword he took pride in was fitting justice.
Murphyana had contributed to eliminating this source of disaster.
However,
there was not a trace of mercy on Lortissa’s face.
She stopped her movements, her emerald eyes shifting coldly toward the kneeling female knight.
“You followed Norsen’s orders and tried to assassinate Weiss.”
Murphyana’s body shook violently but did not deny it.
She only nodded slowly, as if struggling in despair.
“Reason.”
Lortissa’s voice was devoid of warmth.
“Chief of Soldiers… I… I was only following orders like always.”
Murphyana lowered her head further, hesitating between defense and confession.
“A knight… must not disobey orders.”
Weiss silently twisted open the cap of another potion and took a small sip, while taking the bandage from Lortissa to tie his wound himself.
Though he found Murphyana’s blind obedience leading to evil acts hard to forgive,
he understood the helplessness of a subordinate.
However, whether she acted out of flattery or pure knightly obedience,
she should still be held responsible for her actions.
Weiss thought so, and had no intention of pleading for her.
Besides, Lortissa, as Chief of Soldiers for the border army and the key figure who secured this victory,
was the most suitable person to handle Murphyana’s punishment.
“I will report everything truthfully.”
Lortissa made her final declaration.
The words seemed to drain all strength from Murphyana’s body.
The female knight immediately broke down in tears, crawling and kneeling at Lortissa’s feet, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Please, Chief of Soldiers, don’t do this…”
Seeing the once resolute knight who had plunged a fatal blow into the corrupted knight now so pitifully broken,
Weiss, out of curiosity, asked:
“So… what kind of punishment would someone like her usually face?”
Lortissa wasn’t an expert on the complicated military regulations but wasn’t completely ignorant either.
She pondered for a moment.
“According to standard military law, she erred by following an incorrect order and is considered an accomplice. Given her contribution to the battle and her repentance, under the border army’s sentencing standards, she might not deserve death, but imprisonment or conscription punishment is inevitable.”
Weiss nodded.
For an accomplice, that punishment was arguably fair—provided she truly reformed.
But then Lortissa’s tone shifted suddenly:
“However, the Holy Crusader Knights are not part of the border army.”
As soon as she said that, it seemed to stab Murphyana through.
The knight immediately prostrated herself, banging her head on the cold, hard stone before Lortissa’s feet.
“Chief of Soldiers… if I return to the Knight Hall, my fate will be far worse!”
Weiss glanced sideways at Lortissa.
Even without bias, the young female Chief of Soldiers nodded slightly.
Her gaze turned toward the scorched earth where the corrupted knight had disappeared:
“This time, not only did Norsen fall, but his entire Holy Crusader Knight squad perished. No matter the reason, the Knight Hall only cares about the impact of the outcome.”
With that, Weiss understood.
This was no longer a mere post-war punishment; it was tied to the political consequences of the Purge of the Devouring Tide.
The honorable Holy Crusader Knight Captain, corrupted and fused with the Devouring True Lord.
Such a scandal would surely shake public faith and could never be honestly disclosed.
Not only would the Knight Hall deny it,
but the Siglirwell family backing Norsen would never accept it either.
This created a problem.
The Holy Crusader Knight squad sent to aid the border army was wiped out overnight,
with only Murphyana left alive.
No explanation could justify this.
Would they seriously claim the future head of the Siglirwell family, the knight captain, was inferior to a single subordinate knight?
And what of the other brave knights who died in battle?
The answer was obvious.
Murphyana would likely be treated as a coward who fled.
Her eventual fate would be the noose behind the crucifix.
“Becoming a sacrifice to protect the reputations and interests of multiple parties… huh…”
Weiss muttered the cruel conclusion along the same line of thought.
Lortissa nodded solemnly.
Murphyana looked at the two speaking, her eyes brimming with fear.
As a Holy Crusader Knight, this was a foreseeable outcome.
She pleaded even more earnestly:
“Please, Chief of Soldiers, don’t report the truth… Just say I died along with my comrades. As long as… as long as I can live.”
“Live?”
Weiss couldn’t help but ask,
“You mean fake your death? That way you’d lose your knight status and never be able to return to the kingdom, right? You’re a noble, aren’t you? What about your family?”
“I don’t know… I don’t know…”
Murphyana shook her head repeatedly, tears mixing with dirt, leaving a pitiful trail down her face.
“I… I just want to live!”
She couldn’t be unaware of Weiss’s questions—
all harsh realities she had to consider.
But everything had to be built on “living.”
Just like the sister’s instructions she heard in her moment of despair before.
Only by living could there be a future.
Once more, she bowed deeply, her forehead striking the cold, hard stone until blood flowed.
“Please… give me a chance to live!”
Lortissa’s emerald eyes did not blink, staring at her without a hint of emotion.
After a long pause, the young Chief of Soldiers spoke slowly:
“I do not care about your life or death.”
Her voice was soft but carried the decisiveness of judgment.
“You owe Weiss an apology. Whether you live or die should be his decision.”