North x Northwest

Now laying down, Levi tapped Ed’s shoulder.

“Edgar. Edgar!”

Seeing no reaction, Levi continued by checking his pupils and raising his uninjured knee. When she noticed the blood stains on the horse, she repositioned him.

“He’s bleeding excessively and is barely conscious. Everyone, get out of the way. Shail, get a blanket.”

Whereas Alain and Jericho backed away from Ed, Lil didn’t. Meanwhile, Levi was about to touch his bandages when her hand paused.

“What’s going on? What’s wrong with his shoulder?”

“…Shoulder?”

Instead of answering, Levi quickly cut open Ed’s bandages and shirt. The area between his upper arm and shoulder was hollow as if the bone had been crushed. Levi muttered as she poured some disinfectant over it in order to stop the bleeding.

“…How did he endure horseback riding? Especially at that speed…”

Levi palpated a few more points and tilted her head.

“His shoulder blade doesn’t seem to be in good condition either. Do you know how he got this fracture?”

It was the first time Lil heard such a cold voice coming from Levi. But thanks to that, she managed to calm herself down and catch her breath. Lil then bit her lip, recalling the time she fell from the tree.

“I fell from a high place, but Ed caught me midair and we rolled on the ground with his arms wrapped around me.”

“How about you, are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine.”

“…How is he?..”

As soon as the battle was over Linhardt came and knelt beside Levi. After checking Ed’s condition, he asked with a worried face.

Levi answered.

“He was bleeding from earlier injuries to begin with. With the addition of this new fracture, he’s certainly in rough shape. He must’ve sacrificed his already injured arm, not expecting it could lead to this and thinking that it would allow him to at least use one arm properly. The pain must’ve been terrible… Fortunately, all the major blood vessels were missed. We need to move him to a clean place first.”

Levi finished stopping the bleeding from Ed’s leg and entrusted the stretcher to the surrounding soldiers. As she was about to follow the stretcher, her eyes fell on Alain and Jericho.

“All patients follow me.”

“..?”

Lil nodded her head at Alain, whose eyes were unsure.

Tearing her eyes away from Levi’s back, Lil could finally let out the breath she had long been suppressing and the chilly air swirled around her chest.

“…Maxwell, where is he?”

Linhardt answered her a beat later.

“Levi saved him, but he won’t open his mouth.”

“…”

“Who is he though? I get the impression you know.”

Lil unfastened her rifle from her holster and felt devastated when she said it out loud.

“A royal guard from Obernyu.”

“Obernyu? As in the Eastern Principality of Obernyu?”

“…”

“But they have nothing to do with him, do they? Or did Edgar do something crazy again? He said he went to the South, but what has that got to do with the East…”

“The connection was through me this time.”

“…What?”

“I’m from Obernyu.”

“What?!”

Linhardt unintentionally blurted out in disbelief before shutting his mouth.

“Then the reason why you’re both heading to Obernyu…”

Lil just nodded and carried on, followed by Linhardt, who straightened up his posture as they tailed Levi. Even though Levi had always been a similar height as Linhardt, the latter’s larger build was big enough to cast a shadow over her head.

Lil looked over her shoulder at the scene being cleaned up.

“There must be a reason why the Imperial Army was brought in, right?”

“Oh, we were late because I had to wait for those annoying guys. I apologise…”

“…”

It was a situation that Linhardt shouldn’t be sorry for, so Lil looked up at him with much sincerity. Linhardt, however, was trying to make up for the situation by spewing nonsense at a rapid pace.

“But it didn’t look like he was dying, so that’s a relief. Actually, judging by the way Edgar normally behaves, his condition is actually pretty good.”

“Why does Edgar act like he has ten bodies?”

“He’s been like that since he was ten years old. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about it by now, right? Levi even said it herself, that she was relieved. So it’s going to be okay.”

‘If it came from Levi, then it’s indeed relieving.’

Lil asked as she watched the imperial army tie up the prisoners who engaged them in a battle.

“They aren’t your ordinary smugglers, are they?”

“The imperial nobles take detours through them, that’s also the reason why we’re late. To be exact, we had to wait for imperial troops who weren’t involved.”

“So, there’s rotting everywhere. Gualtiero was in a similar state. How is the Empire holding out like this?”

“Is His Majesty’s niece discussing the decline of the Empire?”

It was a title she hadn’t heard in years. Lil wrinkled the bridge of her nose and looked back at Linhardt.

“Are you serious?”

“Obernyu is the closest to the Imperial family among the principalities near the Great Lakes, after all.”

“It’s not that close to me.”

“Didn’t you represent Obernyu in the Pontenbach war?”

‘It seems like Shail told him about my participation, perhaps their conversation flowed that way when they discussed the possible backgrounds behind the attack… I don’t usually talk to Linhardt alone, but now he appears to have a lot of questions regarding me.’

“What questions have you been holding back on until now?”

“Rather than holding back, let’s just say I’m asking now that I have the chance. It has been amazing to see how much Edgar has changed in such a short period of time because of you. So it would be a lie if I didn’t even wonder what kind of person you are.”

“It’s been a long time since I entered the war as a carabiner, and I was forced to quit it anyway.”

“What an unpredictable career. In that case, what on earth happened in the South? I was suspicious when the guy who had ignored even His Majesty for years suddenly declared he was going to the South. I remember thinking that he must’ve another purpose. From the very beginning, was it because of you…”

“It’s a long story.”

Lil put it that way as it wasn’t something she should be sharing in the middle of the forest. She then grabbed the reins of her horse to get going.

“…Is it because it’s dangerous?”

“…What?”

“If so, then I should know too.”

Lil climbed onto the saddle of her horse without answering and turned her reins towards the rear of the retreating troops. Soon, Linhardt came alongside her again. The fog cleared and the forest poured out vivid greenery. Even though she breathed in much fresher air than before, the rain fog still filled her.

“The one who instigated Maxwell’s attack was Venua Obernyu, the Prince Regent of Obernyu, and his goal, as everyone knows by now, is to get rid of Edgar.”

“Prince Regent? Then…”

“My brother.”

“…”

“I don’t know why he’s acting like this. If I had known…”

“…”

‘…No, declaring I wouldn’t have stayed with Ed if I had known, is only in vain…’

Lil answered as honestly as she could.

“…It’s just that, I would’ve been more careful.”

Although Lil was looking ahead, she could feel Linhardt’s eyes on her. It was a gaze filled with a mixture of concerns about his blood relative, whose life had almost ended by meeting the wrong woman, and his doubts regarding Lil.

Linhardt, who seemed to be choosing his words carefully, finally opened his mouth.

“I don’t want to be rude, but…”

Immediately interrupting him, Lil turned to her side and added.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let something like this happen again.”

“Honestly, it’s hard to believe. He’s my cousin and he lives on his own terms, so he’s at a political disadvantage. Isn’t Obernyu a monarchical family with a longer history in the Eastern Principality than the Empire? Your family must’ve a lot of influence on Sesbron.”

“We didn’t start this without knowing.”

“But you didn’t know it was going to end up like that, did you?”

“Do you think I’m happy about it? I know that. You wouldn’t have been this angry if it was me who broke my arm. Would you like to hear me say the other way around? You don’t have to press me for that. I mean, I too will save Edgar’s life even if it means risking myself being ‘like that’.”

Linhardt, who looked ahead again, adjusted the reins for no reason.

“Well, now that you’ve said it, not everyone has the guts to fall from a cliff together, especially when the chances of survival are uncertain…”

Lil reiterated as if she had made a commitment to herself.

“…Because I vowed to never let him go. Never again…”

***

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