“I’ve eaten enough.”

A soldier should eat well whenever he/she can. “Tomorrow is also a forced march.”

She only had one bowl of stew. He’s been watching her eat the most savory food in the world with a forced look on her face.

“I…… already had enough…….”

When he saw her with a really troubled look on her face, he felt an unexpected anger.

“Eat this, too.”

On Christa’s plate, two large pieces of well-grilled deer meat were placed.

It was a deer that Unit 2 caught earlier. Of course, Ragnar got the best part for himself. He wanted to feed it to her.

“…….”

She already had a face as white as a sheet of paper.

“I’ll be watching you until you finish eating.”

In the end, Ragnar fed Christa two pieces of deer meat, which was not enough, so he fed her one more whole boar and one more piece of wings of a wild grouse. He let her go only after he saw her eat it all up.

“Well…… Captain. Now, it’s really…….”

Her complexion was now bluish and more weary.

‘This isn’t it…….’

In addition, he could see fellow knights sitting around her, staring only at the bottom of the water.

Everyone fell at a certain distance, as if a radial shield had been placed around Ragnar and Christa. The knights who were bowing their heads and rolling their eyes were all trembling with anxiety.

Only then did he remember his own iron rule that he must not stay with low-ranking knights during their free time. He didn’t want to look like a boss like this, but how did this happen? Ragnar got up with a small cough.

“Excuse me. Anyway, eat and drink as much as you want tonight. Today’s credit is due to you, Sir Palmaril.”

“……Yes.”

She grabbed her stomach, barely able to respond. He’d rather refuse an order than feel so sick.

But Christa Palmaril had constantly insisted that she could no longer eat. He just forced her to eat this and that because of his greed. He felt even more shabby to see himself shifting the blame on her.

“For some reason, the leader even took care of his subordinates’ eating habits.”

An idiot suddenly appeared in the place where junior knights were relaxing. It was also a kind of disaster that the chief of the Knights, the highest ranking official, intervened senselessly. All the knights, including Christa, could not hide their embarrassment.

“I don’t know. She’s done a great job.”

‘Damn it.’

Ragnar quickly entered the barracks, swearing inside.

He took medicine out of his pack. It was an indigestion medicine. And he took out the Aubrisian wine that he had saved. He ordered it to be delivered to the Knight Palmaril.

‘Causing her to get sick and giving her medicine.’

It was the worst. He might have been excited because the long tension had eased.

“I’m such a fool.”

It was only after she received the goods handed over by the servant from afar and watched her, that he was relieved.

That’s how the day ended.

He cared about her anyway. It was a lie if she didn’t bother him. To that extent he was aware of himself.

☆*: .｡.  .｡.:*☆

The war was like a long tunnel with no end in sight. Ragnar has just received a report from the search unit. It was said that the passage to the enemy’s camp was blocked. He asked, pointing at the map.

“Is this the only bridge?”

Chief of staff Mervin Ferride touched the river stem marked on the map.

“If we go back east, we’ll find a shallow pool, but the forest across the street is quite suspicious.”

“There’s a good chance of an ambush.”

“Yes.”

“How long will it take to repair the bridge?”

Mervin calculated the date by nervously turning over the pile of papers.

“About three days…… No, it will take two days if we do well.”

“Try to shorten it as much as possible.”

He had to choose whether to go forward by fixing the bridge or going where it was obvious that it would be a trap. It was about three days after the rear reinforcements arrived, but time was running out to wait for the reinforcements that might or might not come.

“Let’s split in two. The first, second, and third units go east with me and cross the river. The 4th and 5th units join the rear reinforcements, repair the South Bridge with second Lieutenant Aibar.”

“It could be a trap.”

Mervin said with a stiff look on his face.

“Maybe it is. But there’s no other way.”

If they delay further, they will be stranded again due to a lack of supplies. Rather, he decided to make a forced breakthrough.

Ragnar’s choice was largely correct. His judgment was for the majority of his subordinates to survive.

Arriving in the shallow waters of the east, he chose a night attack instead of rushing straight toward the forest. The operation succeeded, but the number of enemy troops was smaller than expected. It was half the force he expected.

The other half was ambushed at the broken bridge. Hearing that the battle had begun in Unit 4 and Unit 5, which had been entrusted with the restoration of the bridge, he quickly moved the entire army. If he held out a little longer, support would have come from the back.

‘If you can hang in there a little longer.’

It occurred to him for a moment that he wished she was alive in Unit 4. He ran straight on the horse. He bit his molars hard. It wasn’t good to think nonsense now.

However, once the tide began to open, it would eventually overflow as if a large bank had burst.

When Ragnar arrived at the battlefield, he saw a familiar figure at a glance. It was Christa.

It was no exaggeration to say that her situation was a desperate crisis. Surrounded by two enemy troops, with shield nowhere. She was fighting with a sword of blood alone.

Her abdomen was covered with one hand, bleeding, as if it had been a fatal wound. But her expression was still surprisingly calm.

“She’s really……!”

Suddenly there was a seething feeling with a burning sensation.