Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 17: The Engagement – The Injury**
17. The Engagement – The Injury**
A young soldier swung his sword.
Katrina staggered as she tried to deflect Leo's sword. Although she didn't show it, she was quite surprised. The sword she had just clashed with was stronger than it appeared.
‘His swordsmanship isn't extraordinary... Could he be an Expert at this age?’
Katrina reevaluated her opponent.
To become a knight, one must at least be an Expert. Experts, infused with mana, were faster and stronger than others of similar size.
Becoming an Expert required talent more than effort.
The talent of the body—the ability to absorb mana faster.
Mana, said to be bestowed by the gods and present everywhere in the air. All living beings could absorb mana, and with enough time, anyone could become an Expert.
However, most people lost their physical strength to aging before reaching the Expert level due to varying degrees of mana absorption ability.
[ Achievement: One Knight - You become stronger when fighting knights. ]
Leo Dexter wasn't an Expert, but Katrina misunderstood due to the achievement he gained from killing Deroth.
‘If I'm not careful, I might die here...’
She realized things had gotten tougher. She now understood why Deroth couldn't handle just five men.
But she wasn't intimidated. She intended to avenge her foolish junior.
Leo clumsily blocked Katrina’s counterattack. Despite her injuries, she easily overpowered him.
“Haa!”
Only when Lena joined did the balance of attack and defense even out.
Katrina started to grow anxious. Another squad might arrive soon, and her wounds were worsening with every movement.
Time was not on her side.
She needed to quickly deal with these pests and retrieve Deroth’s body for retreat.
Katrina conserved her energy, waiting for an opportunity.
‘The girl is slightly weaker.’
Having made her decision, Katrina shoved Leo hard to break his balance and charged at Lena.
Lena tried to block calmly, but it wasn’t a sword coming at her, it was a kick. She swung at the incoming leg, but it was a feint.
Standing on one leg, Katrina spun her body. She twisted her body with only the strength of her ankle.
Startled by the knight’s unnatural movement, Lena hurriedly raised her sword, but Katrina was a beat faster.
Her upward-slashing sword cut through Lena's arm.
Lena’s forearm flew through the air.
“Lena!”
“Oh?! You crazy b—”
Ignoring her flying arm, Lena threw herself at Katrina. The sudden charge knocked Katrina down.
Leo also threw himself at her. He pinned down Katrina, pressing her sword with his hand.
Katrina twisted to pull out her sword, but it wouldn’t budge.
Leo’s hand quickly became covered in blood. His thumb was gradually being sliced off by the blade.
But he didn’t let go.
“Lena!”
Lena, stumbling to her feet, lifted her sword with one hand and brought it down, while Leo kept Katrina immobilized.
Desperate struggling was felt beneath him.
- Thud!
A fountain of blood sprayed over Leo’s back. Lena, panting, collapsed beside him, blood flowing from her severed arm.
“Huff. Leo. We got her. We killed a knight...”
“Your arm!”
Leo hurriedly stood up, pulling out bandages to tightly wrap her arm. Despite missing a thumb, he managed to stem the bleeding from Lena’s arm.
“Your... of all times, your right thumb...”
Lena seemed more worried about Leo’s missing finger than her own arm.
Her forearm lay on the ground.
Seeing a severed arm on the ground for the first time had shocked Leo, but his emotions had numbed from the horrors of war.
But seeing the familiar arm of a loved one on the ground was a different kind of shock. The incongruity of the scene left him speechless.
If there had been a priest, they might have been able to reattach it. But since the Church opposed the war, no priests were on the battlefield.
To reattach it, they’d need to leave the front and find a church in the city, which would take at least a week on horseback.
And they had no money for such treatment.
As Leo stared at the fallen arm, Lena gave a bitter smile.
“Should we bury it here as a memento? Along with that knight?”
Though her face was pale, she didn’t stop joking.
“Let’s throw in your thumb too.”
“This is no time for jokes. We need to get back immediately. Can you walk?”
Though the excitement of battle and the shock of losing her arm had left her dazed, Lena needed immediate treatment.
Just then, footsteps were heard from a distance.
Leo tensed and tried to make Lena lie down.
“Lena, play dead.”
“Who would fall for that? Just let me die.”
“Why die? Shut up and lie still.”
He was on high alert, but fortunately, it was their own soldiers who appeared. Lena and Leo were transported to the rear.
The battlefield was left with the body of the red-haired female knight and a severed arm bleeding from red hair.
*
“Oh dear. Lost a finger, eh? Must have hurt.”
Lena and Leo received treatment upon reaching the barracks. Lena was taken further inside, while Leo met a military doctor who handled his missing thumb casually.
“This might sting a bit. You’re not going to ask for alcohol for such a minor surgery, are you?”
Though afraid of getting his wound stitched raw, Leo gained courage from the doctor’s relaxed demeanor.
“No, I don’t need any.”
“What’s with the solemnity? Hehe. Bite on this, don’t ruin your teeth.”
Luckily, the stitching finished quickly.
It hurt immensely, but he bit down on the cloth the doctor gave him and endured it.
“All done. I’ll remove the stitches once it heals, so don’t strain it too much until then. Avoid alcohol if possible.”
“Understood. What about my friend’s treatment?”
“That girl with the severed arm? I saw her, she seems fine. The cut was clean, so there shouldn’t be any infection. Don’t worry.”
“...Thank you.”
As the doctor said, Lena recovered quickly.
For several days, Lena had to have pus drained a few times, and just yesterday, the military doctor sniffed her wound and declared she was no longer in need of intensive care.
The military doctors' skills were beyond expectations.
Interestingly, many of the tools they used were identical to those in modern society.
Although the overall level of medicine in this world had declined since the appearance of priests wielding divine power, this was not the case in the military.
No matter how many priests there were, it was impossible to treat all the injuries sustained on the battlefield. The kingdom knew this and had been steadily training military doctors.
Treating wounded soldiers was crucial from a strategic standpoint. With proper treatment, an injured soldier could be ready for deployment within weeks or months, a resource that was indispensable on the battlefield.
It took Lena and Leo two months to reach the war front, and although the war had been going on for over four months, many soldiers had yet to arrive at the battlefield.
With both countries' ability to replenish troops determining the outcome of the war, they couldn’t afford to abandon the wounded already on the field.
Leo frequently visited Lena’s hospital room.
Regaining her strength quickly, she received permission from the military doctor to go outside after just two weeks.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, I’m much better.”
The two of them enjoyed a leisurely time in the sunlight.
It was a bright day, with the intense heat slightly abated. They remained silent for a while.
Leo was the one to break the silence.
He shared with Lena a story he had heard while on duty as a guard at the barracks.
“The prince is coming.”
“Really? That’s good.”
Lena didn’t show much interest.
As silence began to settle again, she asked quietly,
“We’ll be going home soon, right?”
“...I’ve applied for leave as well.”
Lena was expected to receive orders to return home once her treatment was complete. Despite the desperate need for soldiers on the battlefield, a warrior who lost an arm couldn’t be used as a combat soldier.
Leo intended to return with her. Losing a thumb usually wasn’t enough to grant leave, but as a volunteer, he was eligible to apply for leave with this injury.
“Yeah... I want to go home.”
Lena gazed northward, the direction of home, with a sorrowful expression.
Leo stayed by her side without saying a word.
*
A few days later, Prince Arnulf de Klaus arrived at the front with reinforcements. The prince inspected the front lines, held meetings with generals, and boosted the morale of the soldiers.
The prince also visited the barracks.
The high-ranking visitor meant the barracks were busy all day. They cleaned, washed bedding, checked equipment, reeducated emergency procedures, and even rebuilt palisades.
Everyone lined up neatly to welcome the prince’s arrival.
[ Achievement: First Meeting with the Prince - Slight Favorability from All Princes. ]
[ Achievement: Meeting Arnulf de Klaus - Slight Favorability from All Nobles Serving the Klaus Royal Family. Slight Favorability from Arnulf de Klaus. ]
As the prince passed Leo, these achievements popped up. Simultaneously, the prince noticed Leo and stopped.
“This soldier looks fine. Why is he here?”
Most of the soldiers in the barracks were injured, but Leo appeared the most intact among them.
The barracks administrator explained Leo’s situation.
“Unfortunately, this soldier lost his right thumb in battle. He is a commendable soldier who killed two knights.”
The administrator slightly exaggerated Leo’s achievements.
“Killed two knights? As a soldier? That’s remarkable. It’s truly a shame for such a warrior to lose a thumb...”
The prince looked at Leo for a moment before moving on.
The next day, several soldiers from the barracks were called to a parade. The parade aimed to boost the morale of the reinforcements brought by the prince, ending with a ceremony honoring wounded soldiers with distinguished service.
Lena was also called but was kept off the stage to avoid dampening morale, leaving Leo to represent them.
Leo was lauded as a hero who had killed two knights on the front lines and was spontaneously granted honorary knighthood by the prince. Generous rewards were promised to Lena and other meritorious individuals.
Thousands of soldiers cheered.
Leo felt no joy.
*
Leo’s application for leave was approved. He coordinated the date with the barracks administrator to leave with Lena.
The administrator was more courteous than ever.
Without needing bribes, he exempted Leo from duties and allowed him to stay at the barracks.
Whether it was because of his honorary knighthood or the achievements awarded by the prince, Leo didn’t care.
Exempt from duties, he spent every day by Lena’s side. Her wound had almost healed, but the treatment was not yet complete.
“I want to leave soon, but they said I can’t go until they remove these things inside.”
Several silver clamps were inserted into Lena’s wound during the suturing process. It was said that silver inside the wound significantly reduced infection.
The silver clamps held the wide wound together from the inside, and the sutures were made over them. Once the wound healed, they would make a small cut to remove the clamps.
“They probably can’t let such expensive items go. Shall we just run away?”
Lena chuckled.
Their light-hearted banter didn’t last long. Lena soon spoke softly about her future.
“When I get back, I want to learn cooking.”
“...Cooking?”
“Yeah. I want to open a small shop. A place where you can have simple meals and light drinks.”
“You’ll probably end up serving more drinks than food.”
“No way! I can cook really well!”
She placed her remaining arm on her hip and proudly puffed out her chest. It was a pose she often struck when she was confident, though she used to lift both arms.
“You’ll give me free food, right?”
“Of course! Friends get everything free.”
And she had started calling me her friend at some point.
“Wow, you’ll go bankrupt in a month.”
“No way! And I got a lot of reward money, so it’s okay if I fail a couple of times!”
“Hahaha, planning to fail a few times, huh?”
Lena went on to detail how she planned to live. It seemed she had thought a lot about it while bedridden.
There was no talk of marriage.
Chapter 17: The Engagement – The Injury**
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