Chapter 173: The Creeping Limit
The battle over the Baumgarten Territory’s second castle wall was growing ever more intense.
“Hurry with the reloading!”
“Yes, sir!”
All eight ballistae continued to operate at full capacity, and the exchange of arrows and magic escalated.
The first to reach their breaking point was Thea-sama’s healing squad. The potions they had stockpiled during peacetime had long since been depleted, and the Healing mages’ Holy Power was exhausted.
However, wounded soldiers were brought in one after another. Healing mages without Holy Power could do nothing for them.
Perhaps unable to bear watching the situation, it was, surprisingly, the women’s association of the Baumgarten Territory who volunteered to treat the wounded soldiers. They triaged the injured, ranking them by the severity of their wounds, and offered to treat those with relatively minor injuries.
Their methods of treatment were, to put it mildly, crude. They stitched up soldiers’ wounds with needle and thread as if mistaking them for torn rags, and tightly wrapped bandages to staunch the bleeding. It was a folk remedy passed down in the frontier regions, where users of Healing magic were scarce.
Of course, such methods wouldn’t heal the wounds instantly. However, it certainly stopped the bleeding and could prolong life. The urgency decreased, and it helped reduce the burden on the Healing mages.
Among the wounded soldiers, there were even some who returned to the front lines simply because their bleeding had stopped.
“How powerless I am…”
“Thea-sama…”
However, the chronic shortage of Holy Power among the Healing mages remained unchanged. The sight of lives, which they could have easily saved before, slipping through their fingers gradually corroded their spirits.
“If only he were here…”
An elderly Healing mage affiliated with the church muttered weakly.
The lord of this frontier territory, who had now become the man of the hour, Dietfried Baumgarten. If he were here, how many people could have been saved…?
“We mustn’t say such things. We are the ones entrusted by the Lord-sama. Let us do what we can.”
“Thea-sama…! You are right. I apologize. I spoke out of weakness.”
The last bastion for the wounded soldiers. The healing ward, amidst the thick scent of blood and the stench of death, was desperately struggling.
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“Messenger! The enemy is strengthening their offensive to the west! Send Rudolf!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Cassandra, who was commanding the overall battle from the Baumgarten Mansion, was intermittently using her Gift to assess the battle situation and was swamped with responding to it.
Her complexion was pallid, and dark circles were clearly visible under her eyes. It was evident she had been commanding the battle without proper sleep.
Cassandra’s Gift allowed her to view the situation on the ground from a bird’s-eye perspective. To quickly identify enemy offensive points and allied weak spots, and to respond, there was no better Gift.
However, the power of that Gift was consuming her.
In short, she felt anxious if she wasn’t constantly watching. What if their forces exposed a fatal weakness while she wasn’t looking…? The thought made it impossible for her to sleep.
“My Lady, wouldn’t it be best for you to rest now? You look as if you could collapse at any moment.”
However, Cassandra’s condition looked truly painful to behold for Kurt, who served by her side as the Baumgarten family’s steward.
He desperately wanted her to rest. Kurt admonished Cassandra with determination.
“Old Man… I’m sorry. Just a little longer…”
“You said the same thing yesterday and the day before. Today, you will rest.”
“But…”
“My Lady, can you not trust Rudolf-sama, who came from your family home? Can you not trust Achim? He may be an unworthy son, but his desire to protect Baumgarten is second to none. Can you not trust everyone who is protecting Baumgarten? Even the officers and soldiers fighting on the front lines are taking breaks in three shifts. If you do not rest as well, My Lady, you might collapse at a crucial moment.”
“I know. I know, but…”
“First, let me have some warm soup prepared for you. Once you’ve eaten that, let’s have you lie down for a bit. Just for a little while, please trust and entrust things to the officers and soldiers protecting Baumgarten.”
“Old Man, I…”
Gently urged by Kurt, Cassandra headed towards the bed in her room.
As she sat on the bed, Cassandra was suddenly overcome with exhaustion and found herself unable to stand. Once she acknowledged it, she couldn’t fight it anymore.
“My Lady, here is today’s soup. The head chef said it’s his finest work.”
“Thank you… After I drink the soup, I’ll lie down for just a little while, just a little.”
“Very well, My Lady.”