Chapter 114: Chapter 58.2

It was snowing in the Northern Lens.

The climate was completely different from the capital city of Elmand.

Yernia looked around the white forest surrounding the area with interest.

She liked snow but she tried her best not to show anyone how much she liked it.

They weren’t here to play.

“Where is your father?”

“He was transported for treatment. We couldn’t see him because they had already left before we arrived.”

“I hope he is safe.”

Yernia was worried about Vicil.

Cassian said he was seriously injured.

She didn’t see it with her own eyes, but it was obvious that his condition was terrible.

“Father will be safe,” Cassian said lightly, but she could still sense the concern in his tone. “What are you afraid of? It’s alright. He’s not dead.”

The sudden attack sent Espers and ordinary soldiers to the battlefield.

After the long fight, many people got injured and asked for the rest of the Espers’ help.

Fortunately, there weren’t any casualties yet.

“Yernia, being scared to the point of paralysis will have other people noticing it. Just think of it as ‘I didn’t do well, so I got a toothache.’ Even if getting hurt during combat is my daily routine, I often blame myself when support comes in. It’s better to act like this isn’t a big deal.” Cassian whispered in Yernia’s ear as he pointed at the wounded people seen throughout the barracks.

“Oh, I see.”

Later, he realized that what he told Yernia was a mistake.

Her face was too stiff, and she was acting way harder to pretend like this whole thing didn’t affect her.

He wasn’t in a situation to laugh.

He was also worried but didn’t want to let her know.

“This is where we’ll stay.”

Cassian took Yernia inside the barracks.

As soon as Cassian and Yernia arrived, they greeted the royal army shortly and went searching for a place to stay.

It was Yernia’s first time to enter barracks made out of cloth and remain there for the meantime.

This was also the first time she witnessed ‘behind-the-scenes’ on a battlefield.

Seeing someone as neat as Cassian live in this place made her tremble in shock.

“How are you doing?”

“When you fight in a war, you don’t even realize that it’s dirty. There was a time when I slept all covered in blood. I couldn’t care less who was beside me, whether it was a human or a monster.”

Multiple beds and tables were in the barracks.

The spring cushion was spacious for one person but too narrow for two.

“We’re sleeping together, right?”

“Of course.”

“How will we sleep here?”

“Why? Can’t you sleep?”

“It’s too small.”

“You can lie on top of me and sleep.”

After imagining it for a second, Yernia hated it.

If that was the case, she wondered what it would feel like, but she didn’t complain.

She wasn’t that childish to complain about the narrow bed when they were in the middle of a battlefield.

“Stay here for a while. There are a lot of knights guarding this place, so don’t be afraid.”

“Where are you going?”

This was an unfamiliar place without proper food, shelter, and water.

Yernia was scared he would leave her behind.

Regardless of gender, there should be female Espers and soldiers around here.

“I need to attend the meeting, Yernia.”

“…….”

If he said he was going to the bathroom, she would have said, “Take me with you!”.

But she turned mute when he informed her it was a defense meeting.

Cassian looked back at Yernia following him.

She seemed uneasy.

By the time they reached the barracks’ entrance, he had stopped.

“It’s all right, Yernia.” He whispered affectionately as he wrapped the scarf she was carrying around her face.

“I’ll be right back.”

***

There was no stove for heating food in the barracks.

The candle Cassian left on was not enough.

Yernia sniffed as her scarf covered the tip of her nose.

“Do you need anything?”

Duke Lecardo’s knight stood on guard in front of the barracks, and she was a bit relieved to see a familiar face.

“No. I just want to walk.”

“It’s dangerous, My Lady. The enemies are near.”

“There are a lot of soldiers around here. It’s going to be alright. I just want to stroll.”

“Then, allow me to accompany you, My Lady.”

Now that she had someone familiar to hang out with, she felt less alone in this strange place.

She was ready to go with him.

The road was cleared with snow but was still slippery due to ice.

Yernia walked carefully so she wouldn’t fall and found a bonfire later.

A man and three women huddled close to it.

Yernia decided to approach them.

“Can I sit next to the fire? There’s no stove in the barracks.”

“The bonfire?”

“Yes. It’s so cold out here.”

For a moment, their eyes turned cold.

The woman with her chestnut hair tied to one side smiled.

“I’ve never seen anyone looking for a stove on the battlefield before.”

“It’s obvious that she’s the Marquis’ wife.”

“You can sit down, but there’s no chair left.”

All of them were sitting in wooden chairs with no legs since they were just sitting on a tree trunk split in half.