A Temporary End to the Conflict

King Adrian was still standing still in silence. He witnessed the aftermath of the battle. Although the majority of his men were still alive, this was the first time they lost people ever since they came to this world.

"My King...I...apologize for my failure in protecting you," Braum said and got down in one knee.

"You protected me, Braum. It's not your fault." King Adrian walked forward to the see the dead bodies closer.

'My old body is catching up to me...Never again.' Braum thought in his head. His face was furious.

"H-here! Green is alive!" One knight shouted after trying to lift one body of the fallen knights. It seemed one of them managed to survive...but barely.

The man was shot from the back of his neck.

King Adrian approached the man.

"Knight Green...are you still with us?" King Adrian touched both of the knight's shoulders.

One of the knights tried to touch the arrows behind him but he suddenly pulled back his hand. "Ugh! It burns!" He said.

Knight Green opened his eyes slowly. The first sight he saw was King Adrian. "Y...your...Majesty..." He muttered weakly.

"I'm here. I'm here. You're going to be fine now." King Adrian said to reassure him.

"Y...our...Maj...es..ty" Knight Green repeated his previous sentence.

"Yes. I'm here. I won't leave any of my men behind." King Adrian crouched down and looked Knight Green in his eyes.

"I...I'm drifting off...." Knight Green's eyes were starting to lose focus.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! You're fine! Tell me, do you have any family members?" King Adrian asked in a hurry.

"I have.....a son...Gregorius...wife....Jolly..." Knight Green replied weakly.

"You're going to meet them again, you hear? I'll make sure your family have a nice life from now on. I'll reward you with a medal and you won't ever have to work again...just enjoy your time with your family." As King Adrian said that, the only healer in the party approached Knight Green's back and casted healing magic.

"I-it's not working!" The healer said.

An elf who noticed what was going on approached them.

"Let me try elven magic!" The elven woman stated. She crouched down and started casting elven healing magic with ancient language.

After a while, she stopped. She looked at King Adrian and shook her head.

King Adrian noticed this and started to drown in sadness.

"Let's get you to my Pegasus...I'll fly you to your family." King Adrian was about to carry the man but the man's hand stopped him.

"This...is as far as I go...please take...care of...my family....it's been...a..n...honor....serving...Vathria...My King..." Knight Green closed his eyes.

"Hey! You're fine! Hey! Hey! Your family's waiting!" King Adrian shooked the man's shoulders repeatedly with no response. Braum approached the King and put his hand on the King's crouching shoulder.

"My King...He's gone...it's better if you honor his request...and stay strong." Braum said.

King Adrian's head stayed down.

Meanwhile, Renna was still crying over the dead body of her brother, Aimer.

"Brother...please come back..." She did not scream any further but only muttered those things repeatedly with a weak voice.

King Adrian raised his head as he noticed the girl's cries. King Adrian started to stand up. "Braum. Please bring the knights back to Vathria. I will catch up later." King Adrian started walking towards the girl.

Braum understood immediately what the King was about to do. "Yes, Your Majesty!" He replied. Braum started to help the other knights carry the body.

King Adrian approached Aimer's body and picked him up. Renna was surprised. "B-brother!" She looked up to see it was the King. She calmed down a bit knowing he was their initial survivor.

"Please follow me." King Adrian said to the girl while carrying Aimer's body. He started to walk somewhere. The girl followed him.

King Adrian whistled loudly. Suddenly, a pegasus emerged from inside the forest. King Adrian put the man's body at the front and started to get on the Pegasus.

"Come here." King Adrian reached his hand out to help the girl get on the Pegasus. The girl followed him but rode on the back of King Adrian and away from her brother's dead body.

The pegasus then started to flap his wings and fly off.

--

"B-boss...why are you touching your fingers like that..." A mercenary said to a long-haired man, it was Slaven.

"This finger...it doesn't work anymore." Slaven was pointing at one of his pinky fingers. The pinky finger had gone dark purple as if it belonged to a dead body.

"Blood stopped circulating to it..the tissue is also almost completely dead...the muscle here seemed to be cut off...it seemed that person truly did cut into my soul..." Slaven said while examining his fingers.

They were currently at their base somewhere. Slaven was sitting inside his tent. The tent did not have any decorations as there were only beds and Slaven's equipment.

"B...boss...what are you going to do about the twenty runaways? They haven't come back yet." The mercenary asked. He was referring to the twenty mercenaries who managed to escape the Vathrian knights.

"If they come here, kill them. If you spot them, kill them." Slaven was still fixated on his pinky finger.

"A..and our plans for the elves?" The mercenary asked again.

Suddenly, Slaven pulled out a dagger and cut off his pinky finger. Blood started to pour out of his injury.

"Eeek!" The mercenary was shocked to see such a grotesque sight.

"We'll pull back for now...lay low....when I give my mark...we'll start being aggressive...I can't wait to let that person pay for what he did to my finger here." Slaven smiled.