Chapter 104
By the time the sun had set and the stars began to twinkle, numerous campfires had been lit across the Beria Plateau, illuminating the night that had descended.
All around us, the corpses of antfolk were piled high, while the low groans of suffering soldiers echoed through the area.
At the temporary encampment, wounded soldiers were being carried in and treated. However, hardly anyone had escaped injury; everyone had suffered wounds of one degree or another and was wrapped in bandages.
"Romelia, we've finished taking in the soldiers. Thirty-three are dead, and around seventy are seriously wounded. This is the list of the dead, and this one is for the critically wounded."
Velli-sensei had compiled the casualty report for me.
Thirty-three dead. The number of casualties would probably increase further after this.
Considering that we had faced nearly two thousand enemies, it could be called a small number of casualties. We had initially estimated twice this many. It was only thanks to the soldiers' valiant efforts that we had kept the losses so low.
But the number did not matter. No matter how few our casualties were, each of the dead had given up their one and only life.
Whenever I thought of the dead, my chest tightened, and I felt a sense of loss as though I were sinking.
I was the one who had brought them here and told them to fight. All responsibility rested with me.
"Romelia."
Velli-sensei tried to comfort me, but I raised a hand to refuse his words of consolation.
"I'm fine."
We had known from the beginning that fighting would result in casualties. The same was true for the soldiers. They had stood on the battlefield prepared to die. To grieve their deaths excessively would sully the resolve they had shown.
"We've won the battle. Once we've finished tending to the wounded, let's eat. Don't skimp on today's meal. You may allow a reasonable amount of alcohol as well."
More soldiers would probably die as the night went on, but those who had survived had every right to be glad.
"All right. We'll serve all the sheep we brought. Alcohol is bad for wounds, so I'll tell them to take it easy, but whether they'll listen is another matter."
As Velli-sensei scratched his head and grumbled, he suddenly raised his face and turned his gaze to the left.
I followed his gaze and saw a group of armored knights approaching us. Leading them was Hardy of House Dostra, with his magnificent beard.
"Lady Romelia, allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Hardy of House Dostra."
The knight bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for your assistance in the battle, Sir Hardy. I would also like to thank you on behalf of the soldiers for helping treat and retrieve the wounded."
Hardy had been helping with the treatment and retrieval of the wounded. The more healers we had, the more lives could be saved. We could not exactly be called allies, but I was willing to bow my head for the soldiers' sake.
"You honor me with your kind words."
Hardy bowed once more, then looked at Velli-sensei.
"You must be Velli of House Niccolo. It is a pleasure to meet you. Your handling of the troops earlier was truly magnificent."
Hardy bowed, and Velli-sensei looked at me.
"Ah, it's been a long time since anyone addressed me by my family name."
Velli-sensei's birth family, House Niccolo, was a fairly prominent one. However, he had been so dissolute that he was practically disowned, which made him look uncomfortable.
"Sir Hardy, I'm honored by your praise, but I wasn't the one commanding this battlefield."
Velli-sensei flatly denied it.
"Really? But that can't be!"
Hardy stared at me in astonishment.
"I am indeed here as a military strategist, but only in a supporting role. Romelia was the one who commanded the battle as a whole."
Velli-sensei looked at me, and Hardy was left speechless. He probably could not believe that a woman could command the battle. Besides, even I had not been myself at the time.
The moment the battle ended, that sensation vanished as well.
It had been a strange phenomenon, even to me. I had felt as though the battlefield lay in the palm of my hand.
But I had no idea what had caused me to experience that sensation.
"Th-then, is it true that the soldiers who led that cavalry unit were commoners?"
"Yes, it's true. In fact, they were conscripted as recruits this year. Romelia trained them."
Hardy opened his eyes wide, unable to believe it.
However, saying that I had trained them was misleading. I had not done anything in particular. The soldiers themselves were the ones who had grown stronger.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask them yourselves. I'll introduce you to them. We'll be serving alcohol tonight, too, so stay and enjoy yourselves. Romelia, you don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not. Please invite your men as well."
They had fought alongside us, so they had every right to join us. Velli-sensei hurriedly led Hardy away.
I still had to decide what to do about Hardy. I wanted to buy some time, but judging from the way he had fought, he seemed like a capable man. He wouldn't be fooled by mere words, so I had to figure out what to do.
It was another troublesome matter, but I quickly changed my focus. What I needed to think about now was the matter in front of me.
After letting out a small sigh, I drew a breath and steeled myself. What I was about to do would be more difficult than fighting another battle.
I headed to the section at the edge of the encampment where the wounded had been gathered.
Cloths had been spread across the ground, and the injured lay upon them. People with medical training moved among them, washing their wounds with clean water and binding them with cloth.
They were the soldiers in the third category of my classification.
Their injuries were relatively minor, and their condition could be stabilized through treatment such as stopping the bleeding. Since they were judged unlikely to die once treated to some extent, healers had placed them lower on the priority list.
I offered words of thanks and encouragement to the wounded as I made my way farther inside.
About fifty soldiers lay farther in, groaning and writhing in pain. Healers rushed among them, desperately continuing their treatment.
When a healer held a hand over a bleeding wound, white light appeared. The blood stopped, and I could see the wound closing.
They were the severely wounded in the second category. Their injuries were serious enough that they might die if left untreated, so four healers were working tirelessly to treat them here.
"Karlman."
I called out to Karlman, who was directing the treatment at the front.
"Lady Romelia, thank you for coming. Everyone, Lady Romelia is here to see you."
Karlman called out to the wounded as he continued treating them.
The suffering soldiers raised themselves up, and when they saw me, the expressions of pain on their faces changed into smiles.
"Everyone, you fought hard today. I will never forget what you have done. Rest well tonight, and make sure your wounds heal properly."
At my words, the soldiers' spirits lifted.
Though my words were brief, I spoke to each of them in turn. Whenever I did, the wounded soldiers put on a brave front, insisting that injuries that were clearly serious were only scratches.
"Thank you, Lady Romelia. The wounded are encouraged when you come to see them like this."
When I finished speaking to them, Karlman bowed his head. But was I not getting in their way?
"Is that so? Aren't I merely making them force themselves to act brave?"
I appreciated their desire to show me their best, but perhaps I was only making them waste their remaining strength.
"No, not at all. Once they can start mouthing off again, their spirits recover as well. More than anything, whether a person has the will to live is what determines life or death."
Karlman told me that my encouragement might save some of their lives.
"Are you all right?"
Karlman's face was deeply marked by fatigue. Since the battle ended, he and the others had probably not had a moment to rest.
"I'm fine. Two people from Hardy's unit came to help. I won't let anyone here be moved any farther in."
Even though he was utterly exhausted, Karlman rallied his spirits.
Indeed, Karlman's work was remarkably efficient.
He had been the one to quickly assign the patients and sort them into categories. Even now, he first stopped the bleeding of every patient to stabilize them, then began treating the more seriously injured in order.
At this rate, no one else here might die.
"More importantly, I'm worried about Mia-san."
Mia-san was farther in than this. Those ahead were the people classified in the first category.
"I'll go check on her. Please take care of things here."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
I left this area in Karlman's care and headed farther in.
About twenty wounded soldiers had been brought to the first category.
There were no screams here. I could hear only ragged breathing. Their injuries were so severe that they did not even have the strength to cry out.
Some had internal organs protruding from their bodies, while others had half their heads crushed. Still others had suffered grievous wounds all over their bodies and had lost so much blood that they had gone white as paper.
Two healers were treating the patients here: Mia-san and one other healer.
Mia-san had finished treating one patient and was rising to move to the next. But when she stood, her feet wobbled, and she nearly fell. I hurriedly supported her.
"Are you all right, Mia-san?"
"Lady Romelia? Yes, I'm fine."
Mia-san forced herself to stand unaided.
"Everyone, Lady Romelia has come to see you."
Mia-san spoke to the patients lying down, but few responded to her voice. They could not even hear her.
"I have to go to the next patient."
Mia-san tried to move toward the next patient on unsteady legs.
"Mia-san, rest for a while."
I made her sit and told her to rest. Treating the severely wounded was difficult. It required deep knowledge of the human body and advanced healing abilities. It also demanded that the healers summon every last bit of their strength, leaving them utterly exhausted after treating only a few people.
It would have been good if I could call Karlman, but he was already fully occupied. Besides, healing did not mean that every patient could be saved.
About half of those here had suffered wounds too severe to treat.
It might have been different if we had someone like Elisabeth, who was known as the Saintess, but injuries that were too severe could not be saved even by healing arts.
"But, Lady Romelia, I have to go. I can't let them go any farther than this."
Mia-san tried to stand.
Beyond this point lay the fourth category. Instead of groans of pain, what could be heard there were sobs mourning the deaths of friends and comrades.
They were already dead, so there was nothing we could do for them.
Determined not to let a single person die, Mia-san tried to stand, but I stopped her.
Mia-san was kind. She must have been worried about those who had not received treatment.
"You need to rest for a while."
I was making her perform a cruel task.
I had ordered them to treat the wounded starting with those whose injuries were relatively minor rather than the most seriously injured.
Treating the seriously wounded took time, and many of them could not be saved.
I had prioritized saving the lives that could be saved rather than trying to rescue those who were already on the verge of death.
That was my decision and my order. It was something I had to do.
"Um, Lady Romelia. I'm sorry, but..."
As I let Mia-san rest, two soldiers came over to me. I did not know their names, but their faces were filled with grief.
"All right. Where is he?"
I knew what had happened and what they wanted to ask even before they told me.
I stood and let them guide me to him.
They led me to a soldier lying on the ground.
His chest was covered in numerous wounds, and his entire body was drenched in blood. Perhaps his lungs had been punctured; he could barely breathe, and a sound like air leaking through a crack escaped his mouth.
"Hey, Ran, wake up. Ran! Lady Romelia is here. Lady Romelia came to see you."
The soldier who had guided me shook his friend's body and called out to him.
At the call, Ran opened his eyes a sliver.
"Ran, can you hear me?"
I knelt beside him and peered into his face. At first, he did not seem to know who I was, but after a while he appeared to recognize me. His eyes widened, and he tried to say something, but no words came out; instead, he coughed up blood.
"Calm down. You don't need to force yourself. Do you know? We won this battle. We won because of you. You were in Gran's unit, weren't you? I saw you fighting in the rear of the left wing."
Ran's eyes widened in surprise, and the two soldiers beside him exchanged glances.
Of course, it was a lie. I could not remember the assignments of everyone in the army, nor could I have watched the way they fought. I had only memorized their names, assignments, and positions when I looked at the roster Velli-sensei had compiled.
Tears welled in Ran's eyes, and he reached out as though asking for something. I took his hand in both of mine and drew it close.
"Ran. We won thanks to you. I am happy to have a soldier like you serving under me."
I had told lie after lie, but these words were sincere. They had fought and literally thrown away their lives for the sake of my selfish ideals. I did not deserve soldiers like them.
"Ah, Rome... I... tha...nk... you..."
Ran let out another sob-like sound and spat up blood. Droplets of it splashed across my face, but I did not care.
Suddenly, I felt the strength drain from Ran's hand. I gripped it tightly.
But no matter how tightly I held his hand, I could feel his life slipping away.
No matter how hard I held on, it continued to spill away.
I nearly began to cry, but I held it back. Don't cry. Smile. Smile.
"Are you tired? Rest easy. You fought well."
I spoke to him gently, like a mother, and Ran's face softened as though he had forgotten his pain. He closed his eyes.
Immediately afterward, the hand I was holding suddenly grew heavy, and I knew that his life had completely left him.
I closed my eyes and silently mourned him.
I nearly shed tears, but I could not cry.
What they wanted from me was not the sight of a little girl shedding tears.
I had asked them to fulfill their roles as soldiers, so I had to play the role they expected of me.
I had to be an all-knowing, absolute being; a perfect commander who never made mistakes; a Saintess who embraced everything.
I had to make them believe that they had fought and died for someone worth giving their lives for.
I had to give their deaths great meaning.
Because that was the only thing I could do for them.
That day, I saw eight soldiers off.