Lishia Fahlheit was a member of the new nobility within the Klein Kingdom.
Her father, Niclas Fahlheit, had distinguished himself in combat and was granted the title of Ritter. Since Lishia had also built up her own record of achievements as an Associate Ritter, she was eventually permitted to officially use the title of Ritter herself.
Admittedly, one cannot deny that the chronic shortage of personnel within the Klein Kingdom was also a contributing factor.
On January 17, 3457 of the Continental Calendar, the Kingdom of Franz, which bordered the Klein Kingdom to the west, suddenly violated the border.
The Kingdom of Franz was essentially a vassal state of the Celuroa Kingdom and had a history of crossing the border to provoke small-scale conflicts.
While the Kingdom of Franz was roughly equal in size to the Klein Kingdom, it relied on the national power of the Celuroa Kingdom at its back. Consequently, these types of skirmishes had repeated every few years.
＊ ＊ ＊
In Alban, the capital of the Klein Kingdom.
“Lishia Fahlheit, reporting as ordered.”
Lishia had been summoned by the Kingdom Ritter Commander.
“Umu. Lishia Fahlheit, combat has broken out with the Kingdom of Franz at the western border. You are to head to Stolsk as a member of the Relief Ritter Corps.”
“Yes, sir!”
In addition to Lishia, ten other individuals who had recently attained the rank of Ritter were to be incorporated into the Relief Ritter Corps and sent to the front.
Lishia was selected because of her proficiency with healing magic. Most of the other members were similarly chosen for their skills in the restorative arts.
After a brief training period of only three days, Lishia departed for Stolsk as one of the twenty-five members of the Relief Ritter Corps.
To save time, the training was conducted while on the march. The regimen was so grueling that three people dropped out, but Lishia persevered, driven by her innate sense of responsibility.
Because they marched while training, the journey to Stolsk took only two days. In total, five days had passed since her assignment.
Currently, the front lines were in a stalemate. The Klein Kingdom forces were defending well and holding the Kingdom of Franz at bay. In fact, they were slowly but surely pushing the enemy back.
Upon arriving at Stolsk, Lishia and the rest of the Relief Ritter Corps immediately set to work.
“Water, please!”
“Healing magic, over here!”
“A splint, quickly!”
Stolsk was situated just behind the front lines. The Kingdom 3rd Ritter Corps, three hundred strong, was stationed there. A massive number of wounded soldiers were being carried in.
While a battalion usually has its own dedicated relief squad, their numbers were insufficient for a battlefield of this scale. The Relief Ritter Corps was swept into a whirlwind of activity the moment they arrived.
“‘Cure.’”
“‘Recover.’”
Through training and hard work, Lishia had mastered intermediate healing magic.
“Fahlheit, help over here!”
“Yes! I’m coming!”
Under the relief tents, she moved from patient to patient without a moment’s rest.
“Whew...”
During a rare, brief break, Lishia stepped outside the tent and looked up at the night sky.
She was exhausted, both physically and mentally, yet she felt a deep sense of purpose.
“What I can do... is heal people, after all.”
She recalled the words Jin had said to her when she was transporting wheat from Kaina Village.
“I think you should just do what you can do.”
Ever since then, Lishia had continued to ask herself what her role should be.
“A Ritter protects everyone!”
Those were the words she had cried out back then. She believed there was no lie in them. It had been an impulsive declaration, but perhaps because of that, it felt like her ultimate truth.
“To protect, and to heal. That is... what I can do.”
In the night sky, the moon shone brightly—the same moon she had gazed upon with Jin that night.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next morning, the front line shifted.
Having received reinforcements, the Kingdom of Franz began to push the Klein Kingdom forces back.
“Fahlheit, you accompany the lightly wounded and retreat!”
“Y-Yes!”
Johannes, the captain of the Relief Ritter Corps, shouted his orders.
Those with serious injuries who could not walk were loaded into carriages. The Relief Ritter Corps scrambled to secure every available wagon, even carrying the supplies themselves to make room for the wounded.
(The carts Jin-san made were incredible...)
Lishia remembered the handcarts that could transport a whole village's worth of wheat from Kaina Village to Toka Village in a single trip for the tax payment. She didn't remember the name, but their capacity had been astonishing.
(If our country had that technology, surely...)
Lishia’s thoughts were cut short.
“Enemy attack! Assume combat positions!”
Before their retreat could be finalized, the Kingdom of Franz forces swept in.
“Ah... Those are!”
The reinforcements for the Kingdom of Franz were golems. Furthermore, their design was hauntingly familiar.
“The golems that... attacked us near Toka Village?”
They looked remarkably similar to the golems that Jin had repelled and destroyed with his mysterious magic. There were twenty of them, charging at the head of the enemy soldiers.
“Gwaaah!”
“Gyaaah!”
Screams rang out, blood splattered, and the number of critically injured rose.
Amidst the chaos, the twenty-five members of the Relief Ritter Corps retreated under the protection of the 3rd Ritter Corps. There was no choice but to leave some of the most severely wounded behind.
“Oh, why... why now?”
Tears born of frustration and sorrow rolled down Lishia’s cheeks.
“‘Flame Lance’!”
At that moment, magic was unleashed from the direction they were retreating toward.
The Flame Lances melted through the golems—which appeared to be made of bronze—and mowed down the enemy soldiers.
“Oh, it’s the Magi-Ritter Corps!”
This was a company specializing in magical combat. While their primary role was long-range support, they had rushed forward to assist the 3rd Ritter Corps and the Relief Ritter Corps.
“‘Flame Lance’!”
A volley of Flame Lances slaughtered more than half of the twenty enemy golems.
Seeing the heavy losses, the enemy commander ordered a retreat to regroup.
The Magi-Ritter Corps did not pursue, instead focusing on helping the wounded. Many of their members were proficient in healing magic as well as offensive spells.
“Over here! We need healing magic!”
“Apply a tourniquet! Move!”
The lightly injured were ordered to retreat on their own, while the entire Relief Ritter Corps focused on the emergency treatment of the more serious cases.
“Ugh...”
Freshly opened wounds, blood that refused to stop—Lishia fought back a wave of nausea as she made her rounds. She focused on stabilizing as many as possible rather than attempting complete recovery for a few.
The battle had ended before noon, but by the time she realized it, the sun was setting. Having finished the first round of emergency procedures, the members of the Relief Ritter Corps collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.
(And yet... there were so many we couldn't save...)
Though she was plagued by a sense of powerlessness, Lishia did not regret her actions.
Night fell, and the members of the Ritter Corps rested in the shadows of torn tents and damaged carriages. The Magi-Ritter Corps had already retreated further back, taking as many of the critically injured as possible.
“Fifty-eight wounded remain, and five from our Relief Ritter Corps were injured.”
A total of sixty-three wounded, twenty able-bodied Relief Ritter Corps members, and fifteen soldiers with minor injuries remained.
That was the sum of everyone left at the site. The number of dead was still unconfirmed, but it was certainly no fewer than fifty.
Through it all, Lishia moved among the injured, serving porridge made from the remaining rations.
“I will do my very best with what I can do.”
Muttering this to encourage herself, Lishia continued her rounds.
Two days later, this periodic flare-up of combat came to a tentative close—leaving only senseless casualties on both sides.