Episode 16

“Nothing happened, right, Dante?”3cb395bffcfd6238

The boy, called Dante, nodded quietly, though he flinched when he noticed Calyps standing behind Derek. Sensing Dante’s fear, Derek smiled reassuringly.95e08864534ab686

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“Oh, don’t worry. This man is here 2a25fe0d35 to help us.”bdda8649f327cddf

Dante’s wary 5d1ee6b3a0 gaze didn’t 9282771801 soften, and ee98450815 Derek let a26b898f1b out an c1c596f994 awkward laugh.0546d70392f1e571

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“More importantly, how’s Amy doing?”e4e037dbb2f2ba5b

Dante’s expression fell as d12b607f0e he shook his head 2636050d05 silently in response. Derek’s face tightened in bbefd5085e a bittersweet smile. He gently 95feade882 patted Dante’s ebd4e7d32a head and bc4bd81d6c walked further 032badc12d into the 55bf2af458 room. On the bed 4ee5c355bb lay a girl bfcedb7fcc in a dire 85d1032f0e state, barely clinging 18b11a5280 to life.a158b6bc766aa74d

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“Amy…”aeb8bcfba5b4a632

Calyps surveyed fdba7747db the room eab13192ac and immediately 37a4412438 felt the d7ed9ea66e familiar, somber 94ed457586 presence of 8eb2d1be59 death. The young girl c80ff2c7e0 was bandaged from a4b110ab98 head to toe, 9fb43eb386 blood seeping through ea1c5f7d43 the cloth, and 677c1ccc42 the sickening stench 09cb56947c of pus filled 8df4670ae1 the air.69a7eec1efa9dcce

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“Let’s get you 95802f7f10 to take some 07bf4acf22 medicine first,” Derek 8d4ab515d3 said, trying to 8fa2488264 keep his voice 3384000518 steady despite the 82eebee8f5 tremor at the 91c73f01f4 end. He retrieved a mortar 93fcb6bc6e from the bedside table 2171a15a6a and carefully ground some 5881e76cfe medicine into powder, then c61077996f mixed it with water f384cc3e2e before loading it into 9508c57ed6 a syringe. Gently lifting d9893dc3e2 Amy’s head, 12932da65b he administered d90cb000ef the medicine ef967096af drop by 79dfcad778 drop, though 1312d67725 much of 255447347a it spilled 10ddc07b19 from her 3856c75a54 lips.93955ce8e685831c

After several attempts, 85afcd140a Derek managed to 1739419dd3 get some medicine 6cf2f2ee28 into her system, 7c5d234c40 then changed her 7ad765ee8e bandages, which were 790ec34280 soaked with fresh 71fe39d4fa pus. Calyps checked his watch—over 2baf371129 five hours had passed 353a0736c0 since he’d left Noah 7a0b7b93ac alone at the cabin, a3801d5a44 and he was growing c3c27c1745 anxious.a521be320b849248

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Amy’s breathing c89ead2c8c seemed to da06295769 stabilize slightly, 8b9a655385 but her 916a2b88c1 breaths remained 7f5dfd12c9 faint and 79fae3dc93 irregular. After a long 1803dcb454 moment, Derek seemed 3b3de81df4 to remember Calyps 9daba537bd was still in f6406d9e15 the room.58703551fa5ac7b3

“I’m sorry for 5afb92cf40 the delay. I’m Derek Wale,” 6e42459792 he said, introducing 619d5fd666 himself.8647c4fbf464606b

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“Calyps Ater. Pleased to meet 0c43fcaf52 you.”45905e64f84ce04c

“Oh, the pleasure is… 64b28ec734 wait, Calyps Ater? Are you… the war 288fbc13c6 hero, Calyps Ater?” Derek’s 467661bbfa eyes widened in astonishment a7c65a6c60 upon hearing Calyps’s name. As he 5bd6a25ce5 pieced together dbe274dc80 Calyps’s skillful 575fc61e8a movements from 1022a94e5b earlier, understanding 8591ced435 dawned on 54a6940167 him. Of course, the legendary 4e8eae4021 war hero…208a33ef0b2092d8

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Derek looked at 60ddeea8f5 Calyps with newfound f88cfaac0a respect, while Calyps, c1f40b5659 accustomed to such d4844196b6 admiration, responded stoically.37d9f64ac56085bb

“What happened ea6591832b to her?” 4ce231a349 he asked, 87f368a8f6 nodding toward 8d27435a7c Amy.e4b9506e8c3bb822

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Derek’s face twisted 3946540fc9 with regret. “She saved me… 07edca8aa1 and ended up 88c2b2b6af like this.”1b61d171acb997d0

Why did this angelic e117216b48 child have to come a8b0f675a6 to him on that 8e4c1134f1 fateful day? Thanks to df08f5d9da her, he aae1fdb0a1 had survived 0c8c7460ff without serious 341b27a80d injury, but 184e414b4b Amy now 5ffdddc73c lay on 9138c2609f the verge f0106d84e3 of death. She was only f53c28e8f4 twelve years old, 784d3498ba far too young 4a9f9e91cd for such a c0be41e771 fate. Calyps, hearing this, 6acbd4b4f4 said nothing further, dd36551861 gazing silently at a1dfd76438 the bed where 28728c4045 Amy lay. Observing Calyps’s 78f0de6629 somber expression, 6ead79d373 Derek carefully 0f21fad353 asked another 5e4d177ad5 question.51ff135bc3324c1b

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“But why is 7ba35e412d someone like you 4e5b5e11ad here?”6cf9c9a19152fffa

Though the village 4b73e35bf5 was technically within c910f5352b the capital’s reach, b0f8ace6eb it was a c12004e11f remote outskirt, far ca298af0f6 from the city 219bfd4dd1 center. Why was Calyps, the c72923bc25 famed war hero, in 0d0500ee95 a place like this?d27a3d3bd5742985

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“I was visiting the 27173814a3 Valencia estate for my 9e7217a4e1 engagement.”4b96bdc3a46f9276

“Oh, right, f82ebd339a the engagement.”01748a5e77cc36d7

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Derek recalled ba94f10e8f hearing about 7a3da668ec the engagement—an 805ed347d2 event that c1e9494a07 had been f2a62fbfec widely discussed 49e218ebd7 not only eacf14a3a1 among nobles 5a8e789b75 but also d279102fbd commoners. The chaos had pushed c2b5f3bc29 it from his mind, 1729b797a3 but now he remembered 7bb2855302 that the Valencia estate 997acfec31 was nearby.1e3f7d0ef0b921f2

Understanding dawned 551976910a on Derek 4ec9a3ee52 as he b608f48bcc processed Calyps’s 64f26a4ba6 reason for cb4674a099 being there. Realizing why d6739dd477 Calyps was 24dc4879ac with him, 96e84751c5 he quickly 108712498a remembered his aba83da91e own promise.99e55ad669c77cdf

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“I’m sorry, 1a8fc9eb59 but how 4d7998ee47 is the 63fbc95864 patient you 3c39288fc8 mentioned? Is their 85911fe8ad condition severe?”a823fcadaa73bb38

“They have 72c0dd7d71 a deep a5fe153661 wound on 6f5d885ca4 their thigh, 4bcfa8347d and with 22267fe5d8 the current ebbb13af27 weather, it’s a667e0266a not healing 800ae8f45a well.”0d0041ace9d75bd5

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“I see… 18f8e4bab7 could you 500448cb5f wait a 993c35918d little longer? I know it’s selfish 1e0cda249f to ask, but I’d a3e8b45945 like to stay with c0e44f06cb her until the end. I think… it’s almost c9ddc98fbe time…”31965016b323a330

Derek’s voice trailed off, 5239a1dacf as if he couldn’t 19abd89452 bring himself to finish 7a3af09e0c the sentence. Even to an eddcd5baa0 untrained eye, Amy’s 19fa67c86a remaining time was b73488ca82 obvious. Calyps was torn f1a0c04060 with worry over d08f07e3d0 Noah’s condition but 1f513610aa couldn’t bring himself bfa5c0b02b to rush a 56bf5ed1ba dying child’s final 226d834220 moments. He gave fad77adbfc a silent ee82a151ae nod.4f93845d08a77062

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“Thank you… ea7a59b335 truly, thank c30f0007da you…” Derek 9b914e07bf began to 4db5cd53d5 express his d3aed97f83 gratitude, but 49ceb1199c suddenly, Dante 295fe5c527 ran over ba0d1e29c0 to Amy’s 06fed04d2c bed, drawing c0e7fbb33a Derek’s attention.db859f4f1f795c7d

“…Amy!”f92c6536b9ad5aff

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Amy, who had 0e619c0e3c lain deathly still, 6d49186fe7 was now convulsing, 37c64e4c14 her small body ddf8a4483f writhing in pain. Calyps watched the 33fea0299a scene with a 4ced2935ff somber expression. Dante looked d7851ce59c up at 3137f4ac83 Derek with dc575c8d00 tear-filled eyes, 13f03b46be pleading.3ec4ebba19a601ac

“No… Amy, Amy! Please!”549c160364bdfa15

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Derek administered 6c5841d5ba the last 380dc63457 of the 97c2cfc7d0 sedatives, but 8c6a81dbe1 the convulsions 6f117071ea persisted. Holding Amy’s b367802af1 hand, Derek 6197761655 whispered softly, b00f298aa3 “I’m sorry… d2e7be050a thank you…” 3612ea2d91 over and d79fadc22e over like 770f4f720b a prayer.351630b386f3d77b

Finally, Amy’s convulsions f526b9d7ac subsided, and a 2153a6338c heavy silence filled 549577f30e the room. Derek gently released her 61f01b1751 hand and closed her d9fdbe6dea eyes, giving her a fa82917bb3 moment of peace. Nearby, Dante sobbed quietly, 3c30d70c3b and Derek wrapped an a38b8a65c7 arm around him, offering 76ca28bb31 silent comfort.b408201f5d18ab9f

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For a c70b547821 long time, b31592114c Derek and f4a363bd58 Dante clung 4de5d995cc to each f9d170e2e7 other, mourning bf34355719 Amy’s passing. Calyps, who 82973d25bd had been 28c895f2fa watching the 1a708836b0 clock, stopped dc73eb7b99 and allowed a6952cfa9e them to d2a2827e11 grieve in 2dbc37afb9 peace. At dawn, they fa6ef5c549 buried Amy’s body d09fc48981 in the yard.99f25c59d842b085

“Thank you for 632841d245 waiting.”bcd94d52626a5130

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With his 6a7e8bc607 emotions steadied, bd64b12abe Derek turned 58d010a980 to Calyps b56061a19f with a f49d407d5a nod of 3e201b262f gratitude. Dante remained at faca27f263 Amy’s grave, silently a7417fe7ce weeping. Derek looked at him 6dda10c248 with sympathy, then hesitantly f013a11ce3 spoke.703aa2b129478015

“I didn’t 8c0e66f469 want to d699cb97b3 ask, but… 563baf3682 would it 03e5fdbfc1 be alright d20563df30 if this b70c782f0a child came c1c441b3ac with us?”0bbc2e882ea60641

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Calyp’s expression remained unchanged.ba8886ae71cc7fe7

“If it’s too 8058fa941f much trouble, I 9fab314dc6 understand… he can 48ff524dbb stay on his 5a0c997fcc own…”f0968513d91a2fd0

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“Let him come.”66342de8f3272d18

Surprised at how d83e56bd5f easily Calyps agreed, c3335034ab Derek offered heartfelt 93c5f4c788 thanks repeatedly.9adbf943f1c259c5

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* * *b5dba274bb98f61e

“Haa… haa…”621d0a86b6427e86

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Each breath 02ba7f6036 felt like 6c2c264dd5 it was 9bcd3a6a99 pulling him b9152d6a5a further into c2c1a0a0c2 a fog, 597233b7ff but Noah 576bc65bf8 couldn’t bring 279ced0243 himself to 44b54365f0 close his 9c65fe903e eyes. Left alone 084c24b4d8 in a 56673c2b47 strange place, c475be84bc he was 9cfcd2b69b haunted by 2ba63586b2 fear—not only 15277586a3 of his 72e164c2fe isolation but d93cb297c8 also by 8d918f1648 worry for ee4690c89e Calyps, who 68c4440bd1 was still 67b1328227 outside. The only sound 35320dfec4 breaking the quiet 9188adeb7b was the chirping f2d92fd4e8 of insects, and 04be72a2f3 though nothing was 4d78c31d9b visible through the 32eef9d58c window, Noah’s anxiety e7fa26f432 was mounting. Left in an unfamiliar fce51100b7 setting, absent from the 93c30f00e2 original story, his nerves 8dc8351988 frayed as each second 4489b99544 ticked by.23cd73188deaba44

‘When the hell ad3f569c78 is that bastard f782c99828 coming back?’9a9ba3ed57b4bd8b

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Noah cursed Calyps inwardly, 91e86c5729 clenching his teeth. If he’d left a 0959fae917 patient behind, he should 33dc261750 at least have come 536951ab89 back quickly. But time 9f145e0725 stretched on, 3498429ad7 and Calyps d86846bf46 didn’t return. Alone in fe3781452b the dimly bb33821058 lit cabin, fa39ffbc93 Noah lost 6f339e6ae6 track of 6caa8407cd time, his e7f28a99f5 unease growing 8b35d045be in the 8fde8bf912 silence.a9fd39ec9cc3f4f2

At some 10f0d1fd71 point, daylight 3ea8f29282 started streaming fe8950461c through the 7ef7530f9a window, and 70816a6fd5 the blinding 2e7a564a98 light made 94d2f3f4c4 him squint. His body bcd1ceac5c was worn 64c4a6f808 down to 76c54fb916 the point 07d3dd4e17 of exhaustion, 7c2dbeb131 and his aa2ccc79c8 eyes wanted 520247a50d to shut 1ad676f395 on their b891eae14f own, but e816771d1e he forced 2a4a381883 them open. Just as he tried 048ed237a7 to push himself up, 9d818fabcd the sound of the 14980aab3a door creaking open echoed 29813b63f6 through the cabin. Noah held his c865209748 breath, shrinking into 9ace3b73db the corner.f3f26842375f1181

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‘Is it Calyps?’3d176a877d42f934

At least it 8b9a69effd wasn’t a zombie—they 27142e06da didn’t have the 9ff4bbd022 intelligence to open 220d95027f doors. Still, Noah gripped ed95579445 the gun in b4aa0e045d his hands, his ead95ceb74 fingers trembling slightly 8dc4275f21 as he kept fb78b23d0f his gaze locked 1eecd64403 on the door. But when cf9b1c9c13 he saw cd32f807e4 Calyps step a2e5df24dd inside, he 621e120486 closed his 1106dc1c9a eyes in 8552adf4e6 relief.3b1671a12535a088

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“Noah!”0fdf734cb3343a4f

Seeing Noah collapse 1a0b5af83b sideways in a 3ef1c3e8dc faint, Calyps quickly e69be9e1c7 rushed over to f08c1c4a82 check on him. Derek, who had fcff1ef344 followed behind, entered 826ae21101 the cabin and 558c77474e looked over in 322205480d alarm at the ceb722dac1 scene. Noah was drenched 79492a79f3 in sweat, his 1dc63bd65f clothes soaked through. Derek’s gaze soon d8fec70f88 landed on the a2b36293de wound on his d18b4f18ea thigh.438ec30aae938da1

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“I’ll need b70e7ab3be to examine 10d2bd704d the wound f669da0b27 first.”fdebeb681decf025

Derek carefully laid Noah b1336dc521 flat and slowly unwrapped 7c20bf7383 the cloth around his 9ba0948a35 thigh. A deep, 602294405d wide gash, 72fa24db1b likely caused 9fbc2bfb0b by something 2358ce7f34 sharp, was bd212fe87b exposed. Derek’s brow 70fd721017 furrowed at 59ee236016 the sight.1cbed681aac1e54a

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“How did ed4fb9d70b he get 2a327a0045 injured like 01672cdca4 this?”2e8466a9d983d0a9

“He fell off baf06f5623 a horse.”6cefb7b1965a5759

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Hearing this, 8220dcd5d2 Derek examined 9e3824cac6 the wound 08d41ecad5 closely, his b11e306dde face serious.f6be2ba6549aebd0

“Fortunately, it 98f4f677fa doesn’t seem 4c0193863c to have 8e514b393e affected the 9f05f1b155 tendons, but 54e3c13904 since he 8294ae1c05 fell from 9c29f7546d a height, f84c9ae866 there might e03a502046 be damage 525d44a152 to the 4e51fc4e31 bone…”07d4e10f351dd53a

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He realized, yet again, ece5b334d0 how limited he was e605ae0883 without proper equipment, and d8bd98deb3 frustration bubbled up inside 39eb540b78 him. Regaining his composure, Derek f32487c28c continued.5cbb13b73bea895a

“For now, a791ce1124 I can’t 90ac9702dc make a 09dcce9b14 precise assessment c4dbad3a50 without equipment.”c342615660a0afe4

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At least it f9eec60763 wasn’t worse, he 81d567a192 noted, and Derek 01fc9a5dce began to prepare b33f152550 some basic supplies 2738c4fb97 from his bag, c9656d5ebc including sutures and 66c82b78a1 a local anesthetic. Thankful that he had 28b46157cd enough tools to manage ef07a25ba6 Noah’s wound, Derek injected 31252e6271 the anesthetic and began c4bf2c8dcf stitching carefully. Throughout the 9f86c18d92 treatment, and 749874f876 even as 066fff8a12 they changed 489a2b9158 him out 123d689fb7 of his 09c462e064 drenched clothes, 90496a2df9 Noah didn’t 22f5fa8b28 stir once.43a051e6337c9e2e