First Day

“Maintain only the minimum perimeter, and let everyone rest freely.”

It was a puzzling order, but the members didn’t question it.

The members who had gathered at the campsite returned to their places with the commander’s order.

Their places were just somewhere on the ground in the campsite, but they gathered in groups of three or five to talk or prepare for their next shift.

The atmosphere of the campsite was strange, filled with the leisure of rest and the tension of what was to come.

The commander headed for the only tent pitched in the campsite.

Anna and Judah followed behind him.

The commander entered the tent, sat on the bed, and bent over.

Fatigue was evident in the commander’s deeply sunken eyes. It seemed that being active with an injured body had taken a toll.

“Commander, are you alright?”

Anna asked cautiously, as he hadn’t seemed too bad when they returned.

“It could be a temporary loss of energy from not having a proper meal.”

Judah, who had brought bandages and medicine, reassured Anna.

Judah unwrapped the bandages around the commander’s body.

Blood from the roughly stitched wound had stained the bandages.

“I’ll disinfect it.”

While Judah dabbed cotton wool to disinfect the affected area, Anna took in the commander’s exposed skin.

A body covered in countless minor scars on a firm canvas. It was a condensed representation of the life he had lived.

Anna’s eyes, staring intently at it, were filled with a mixture of sympathy and lust.

“Still, it doesn’t seem like the wound has festered. The bleeding seems to be from riding the horse without being fully recovered.”

“When do you think it will heal?”

The commander asked.

“Assuming you don’t overexert yourself…”

Judah held up two fingers. The commander nodded as if he understood.

“Then I’ll change the bandages.”

He tightly wrapped the disinfected area with bandages.

Judah, who was in charge of treating the cavalry, was very meticulous.

“It’s been a long time since the commander was injured.”

While applying the bandages, Judah chuckled.

“Has it.”

“Yes, it has. It’s good that you don’t get hurt often, but every time you do, it’s a serious injury. I even think it would be better if you got minor injuries more often.”

“…I’ll try my best.”

“If you can even joke, you’ll recover soon. You must eat, even if it’s hard. Anna, please take care of that.”

Because the commander would obviously not take care of himself. Anna nodded in agreement with Judah’s words.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Judah, who had organized the medicine box, bowed and left the tent.

“Ah, Commander. When are you planning to pack up the campsite? I think I should check the wound one more time before we leave.”

With the tent half-open, Judah turned his head as if he had suddenly remembered.

“I’ll let you know when I decide.”

“Yes.”

After Judah left, Anna brought a chair that was roughly placed in the tent and sat in front of the commander.

The commander, with his arms resting on his thighs and his body bent over, stared intently at the floor.

“Are you thinking about the next expedition? Or…”

“Are you thinking about catching the traitor?”

Anna whispered, lowering her voice.

She already knew that the cavalry had been abandoned by the kingdom. But no matter how powerful the kingdom was, it couldn’t possibly convey the cavalry’s ever-changing movements to the empire.

Such information could only be obtained by someone moving with the cavalry, and sadly, there was a member of another organization mixed in with the cavalry.

“I have to catch them… I guess.”

The commander’s voice, muttering in vain, had no strength.

Anna knew how much it meant to the commander that one of his comrades, who had shared the battlefield shoulder to shoulder, was a traitor.

“I will find the traitor within three days. So, Commander, you just need to focus on recovering.”

Anna puffed out her cheeks and thumped her chest.

“Anna Irwena.”

“Yes?”

“What would you like me to do?”

It was a sudden question.

“What do you mean?”

Anna narrowed her brows.

“If it were the me you know, if it were the commander leading the cavalry, how would I have overcome this situation?”

It was a sudden question, but Anna straightened her posture at the obsession contained in the question.

A hint of fear flashed inside his tired eyes. Anna’s heart dropped.

The commander had collapsed. The commander’s will, which seemed unbreakable, had been broken.

“We will follow whatever decision the commander makes.”

“That’s the problem.”

She spoke to reassure him, but the commander shook his head.

“…My rash judgment could put the members in danger. So, I want you to tell me. What decision would the me you know have made?”

The commander was seeking an answer. Anna closed her eyes.

The commander’s voice, asking for help, lingered in her ears. She wanted to give him some kind of answer, but Anna couldn’t.

The cavalry had to move according to the commander’s will.

“…Commander.”

Anna, who had opened her closed eyes, smiled, raising the corners of her lips.

“I’ll come back when dinner is ready. It seems that resting is the priority now.”

After saying goodbye, Anna left the tent.

Haa-

The unnecessarily clear sky only made her head spin.

Why is the sky so blue, damn it.

She grumbled inwardly.