“Sit still,” I said as I rolled the bandage around Lucius’s burnt forearm.

“It’s nothing major, Annie. The other knights are worse off. You should go help them instead.”

“The other knights didn’t save me from getting baked by that blond mage. Now be quiet and let me treat you.” I gently dressed his singed skin with thin white cloth.

The rocks we used as chairs weren’t what I would call comfortable, but they were better than sitting on the sand. The flame flickering ten paces away tinted his burn red-orange, making it look more severe than it probably was.

Our search party was camped close to Portus, waiting for the main force to join us. Normally, the smaller group should move to join the larger one, but most of the knights in our party were injured and needed rest. In fact, only I had gotten away without a scratch after that chaotic battle with the terrifying mage. Moreover, Kari had fled from this location, so the search party would eventually pass here to chase after him and his companions anyway.

Companions.

That was the right word, as much as I wanted to deny it.

I recalled Kari holding Sabre’s reins with a smile.

The Valmaz girl tightly embraced him from behind.

He didn’t appear to be held against his will.

In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Back in Arthas, Kari only wore such a pleasant expression when we were alone together.

Was that an effect of mental magic?

Was he under that bitch’s control?

Or was that what my brother really wanted?

Was she important to him?

Was she more important than me?

I couldn’t erase Kari’s satisfied smile from my mind. I saw it each time I closed my eyes, as if the image had been branded behind my eyelids.

I stopped myself from blinking to escape. My eyes met Lucius’s. He was crying.

“W-What’s wrong!?”

While keeping a straight face, he hurriedly buffed away the tears under his eyes with his free hand. “Nothing.”

I looked down and gasped. The bandage on his burnt arm was wrapped more tightly than an old wive’s corset.

“Sorry! My mind wandered off for a bit!” I quickly loosened the cloth and inspected his burn.

Fortunately, I hadn’t aggravated the wound with my careless treatment.

“Why didn’t you say something!?”

“Wait, you’re getting mad at me?”

“Of course I am! I’m here to help you, not hurt you. You should’ve told me I was overdoing it.”

Lucius looked away and shyly scratched his cheek. “I thought it wasn’t knightly to complain about free treatment from a lady.”

“Do you think it’s more knightly to cry in silence like a battered housewife? You’re making me look like a bad guy! Look, the other knights are looking away awkwardly!”

“They’re probably just jealous,” said Sir Richter as he approached us from the side. “No one else has such a beautiful nurse.”

“Master!” Lucius tried to get up, pulling me up along with him.

Sir Richter lightly waved his hand. “Sit down and rest. No need for salutes in camp.”

Lucius paused halfway and slowly sat back down. “Thank you for the consideration.”

The knight master glanced at me. “How’s his wound?”

“I’m completely fine, Master.”

“I wasn’t asking you.”

“The burn isn’t that bad, but I’m worried it might fester if left alone. Don’t we have any healing encantus?”

“We brought along some potions, but those are reserved for more serious injuries. Sorry, but you’ll have to endure for now.”

Lucius stiffened up. “Not at all! The other knights have more pressing injuries and should be prioritized. They risked their bodies to fulfill their duty, while I… I did nothing but drag you down, Master.”

“Saving me, the daughter of House Corvider, is nothing to you?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s not what I meant!” He flapped his free hand around in an attempt to appease me. “I just felt sorry for getting in Master’s way. If it weren’t for me getting injured, no, if I didn’t take you to the battle, Master would’ve defeated that witch.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” said Sir Richter, “but I would’ve lost if the fight continued.”

“Impossible! You’re the strongest knight in Arthas!”

“With Kardus gone, you’re probably right, but Lilac Gromwell is one of the most powerful mages in the world. I got too engrossed in the battle and forced myself to continue despite being outclassed. I should’ve retreated after I failed to kill her the first time. She and I have some history, you see. Makes it hard to back off. I calmed down after you and Annabelle showed up, so I should be thanking you. More knights would’ve been hurt if I delayed the retreat any further.”

“But you seemed to be fighting evenly.”

“That’s because you’re still a greenhorn.” Sir Richter pulled out his longsword halfway from its scabbard, exposing its blade to the light of the campfire. “Using this sword’s enchantment on myself robs a lot of my stamina. I would’ve collapsed from exhaustion after two or three more times.” He sheathed his blade with a clank. “If she had gotten serious, none of us would be alive. I could probably take her arm or leg with me, but that’s a bad deal no matter how you look at it.”

Lucius’s jaw hung open for a few moments. “I can’t believe there’s someone stronger than Master out there.”

“There are a lot of monsters in the world, and Gromwell is pretty high up in that list. I don’t think anyone in this continent could defeat her, much less kill her. In the first place, I shouldn’t have taken you two to Portus, even if it was only a guess. My hunches are usually on the mark. I knew Gromwell was also after Karius and that our meeting would probably end up in a fight.”

“You seem to respect this witch a lot,” I said.

“Respect? No.” He made a wry smile. “I’m just wary of natural disasters.”

“You know a lot about her though.”

“Like I said, we have some history. Wipe that look off your face. It’s nothing like you’re imagining. Women and their gossip.” Sir Richter shrugged.

It better not be.

Sleeping with my married mother was wrong enough. Two-timing with a witch was beyond salvation. If possible, I didn’t want to despise the man Lucius admired so much.

Sir Richter handed a shield to Lucius.

“What’s this?”

“It’s an enchanted shield. It’s yours now.”

“Y-You’re giving something this valuable to me?”

“I rarely use it ever since I got this.” He tapped his sword’s hilt. “My longsword is too big to use with one hand. That shield will be better off with you. I’ll teach you how to use it starting tomorrow morning, but you should get a good feel of its weight as soon as you can.”

Lucius’s eyes sparkled brighter than the stars above. “Thank you, Master!” He looked over the shield, forgetting he was in the middle of treatment.

As if to scold him for overreacting, Sir Richter said in a low pitch, “Lucius, did you come all the way here for revenge?”

Lucius and I turned to stone. Overcoming the pressure from the infamous knight, I gulped down my saliva and managed to breathe again. Lucius closed his eyes for a moment before moving his lips.

“I don’t know.”

“Compare the pain of your burn to that of your desiccated sword-hand before deciding what road to take. I have no right to tell you what to do, but you should know that I decided to give you that shield after seeing you save Annabelle.”

“Master…”

“Rest up. The dove’s letter said the main party will arrive tomorrow. We will head west to join the scouts who are on Karius’s tracks.” Sir Richter turned about face and headed for the tents.

Hearing my brother’s name made me recall the things I wanted to escape from. I remembered that the person who saved my life twice now was on a journey of vengeance against my brother.

If Kari really did leave willingly… If he really did abandon me for that girl, what would I do?

Would I be able to stop Lucius from getting revenge?

Tears rolled down my cheek and fell onto Lucius’s bandaged forearm.

“What’s wrong?”

“...Sorry, Lucius. I’m so sorry.”

“What for?”

“You got hurt because of me.”

“This wasn’t your fault. If I was a bit stronger, I wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“Not that… You can’t use your sword-hand anymore because Kari chose that girl over me.” My voice broke to pieces as I confessed my regrets to the only other person who saw Kari’s face as he escaped Portus. “If I treated him better, if I stood up for him against the other kids back home..!”

Lucius flinched. My fingers, still clinging to his arm, felt him tremble.

I knew about Lucius’s feelings for me, but I didn’t have the leeway to be considerate. The terror of facing a Kari I didn’t know filled my head and heart. Still, I had enough wits to know how deeply my words cut him. My fingers lost strength and released his bandaged arm.

“I have no right to blame you.” Lucius awkwardly placed his broken right hand on my back and stroked it. “I was one of the people who drove him away.”

He had none of Kari’s gentleness, but his large calloused hand slowly wicked away the anxiety oozing from my core. I rested my forehead on his shoulder and cried my heart out.

“Let’s find him first, Annie. Answers and apologies can wait until then.”