Aftereffects (1)
Christine closed the door behind her and slowly walked toward the bed where Maxim lay. She said nothing. With a somber expression, she sat down in the chair beside his bed.
"How's your body?"
"Want me to be honest?"
Christine nodded quietly. Maxim curled one corner of his mouth and let out a short laugh, his hand rubbing the scar on his abdomen.
"It hurts like hell. Feels like someone's constantly searing it with fire. Up until a moment ago it was like being stabbed with a knife, but now it's a bit better."
"Of course it is."
Christine let out a deep sigh and glared at Maxim. "Why did you push yourself like that?"
"Because there was no other choice. You would've done the same if you were me."
Maxim said it as if teasing her. Christine continued to stare at him with a displeased look.
"Don't talk like you're perfectly fine. We barely pulled you back from the brink of death."
Maxim chuckled. As he did, he loosened his patient gown and exposed his upper body. There were more wounds than the last time he'd checked. And running through them all was the long scar that had always been there.
"I figured as much."
Maxim smiled bitterly and traced the scar with his finger. Just like before, black cracks spread out from it. The cracks pulsed like blood vessels. When Maxim realized they were all pointing upward, he frowned. The cracks weren't aiming for his heart. Somehow, he could feel it. Christine, however, seemed unaware.
Christine's face hardened. She wore an extremely heavy expression.
"You'll see when you look."
"See what?"
"The curse. The curse. What I've been desperately holding back has started to progress again, very slowly."
Christine reached out and placed her fingers on Maxim's solar plexus—the starting point of the scar. Gone was her usual playful attitude of asking to see his wounds. With her lips pressed tightly together, she channeled her mana into him. Maxim didn't reject the healing light she poured in and accepted it calmly. The throbbing around the scar gradually subsided.
While infusing the light, Christine continued speaking. "While you were asleep, I tended to the scar all night. After you used Aura, just as expected, the curse began devouring your body rapidly."
Christine withdrew her hand. Maxim met her eyes, silently asking her to continue.
"I couldn't confirm it on the spot, but... after we transported you, when I checked again, you were in a truly dangerous state. The internal injuries were severe."
Christine's voice was slightly choked. Maxim listened quietly, unsure how to respond.
"I stopped it. I thought if I halted the curse's progress and treated the other internal injuries, it would be fine. I thought that, but..."
Christine's words began to tremble. Maxim could vaguely guess what she was trying to say.
"The curse... won't stop."
There was even a hint of fear in Christine's voice. Her hands shook as she gripped the bedsheet tightly.
"It won't stop. No matter what methods I used, no matter how many times I squeezed out every last bit of mana, refined it, and tried dozens of times, the curse that should have stopped keeps progressing, little by little."
"...I see."
Maxim smiled bitterly and pulled his collar closed. Christine looked at his face. It remained calm, as if he'd expected this outcome. The sight made something well up inside her even more.
Maxim watched Christine's tearful face. "Why are you crying?"
"I'm... I'm not crying."
Christine answered in a voice thick with tears. The tears streamed down her cheeks against her will. She hiccuped, drawing in a breath she couldn't control, and answered while crying. She tried her best to hold back the sobs, but she couldn't stop her hand from rising to her face.
"No matter what, no matter how hard I tried... I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry. It's because I'm weak. I..."
Maxim gently stroked Christine's hair. He could feel the soft strands, though they felt somewhat dry from exhaustion.
"I told you I'm not crying."
"Yeah, yeah."
Maxim continued stroking her hair until Christine's sobs subsided. When her trembling eased, he carefully asked, "Has anyone else seen this?"
"Only me. You didn't want anyone to know."
"...Thank you, Christine."
Even in this situation, Christine looked at Maxim with frustration for being able to offer thanks. Maxim saw the reddened, bloodshot eyes glaring at him.
"How much time do you think I have left?"
"You're asking me to say that out loud?"
Christine blurted it out in frustration. Maxim's expression didn't change. Christine lowered her head, thinking she'd made a mistake. Why am I getting angry?
"...It's fine."
Maxim said. Christine struggled to speak. "...It won't progress that quickly. If you don't push yourself further, it'll just shorten your lifespan a bit. But if you keep acting as a knight, if you keep using mana, the curse will progress faster."
Maxim nodded. "That's a problem."
"Yes. That's why I'm saying this. Just so you know, if you use Aura even one more time, the curse will definitely consume your body."
Christine said it in a sharp voice.
"...Can't you stop now?"
Maxim blinked. "You could quit being a knight and go back to your hometown to live. Forget about your ex-girlfriend, forget about Aura, all of it."
Christine spoke as if making a heartfelt plea. "If you keep being a knight, the things you've been hiding will all come to light. Maybe they've already noticed."
Maxim looked down at his hands with a complicated expression. The situation had changed a lot. After the count's declared grace period ended, he could have left the order long ago. But he hadn't. His choices had piled up, leading to this result. Are you still going to turn your back on your own choices and run away?
Maxim met Christine's gaze. "After we return to the capital, I think I'll need some time to think."
Christine sighed in relief, noting that Maxim's answer wasn't a firm refusal. After a brief silence, she clapped her hands lightly as if remembering something.
"Oh, when we return to the capital this time, it looks like you'll get some leave along with the Commander. Probably about a week..."
Maxim furrowed his brow. "We didn't even do proper dispatch work and returned early, and they're giving us a whole week of leave?"
"Isn't it better than burning through sick leave? They're offering it for free. I think the big achievement we brought back had an influence."
Maxim scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Guess we're reaping the benefits of being trapped under that cliff."
"Don't think about doing anything else and just rest at home. Once the report in the capital is done, we might have to return to No Man's Land right away."
Christine said, pouting. "No, I think the best thing would be not to come back here before that and just stay in the capital."
Maxim chuckled at Christine's added remark. "What are you going to do without friends if I'm not around?"
"I have plenty of friends."
Christine answered with a frown. "Don't you have fewer friends than me? The only people you're close with are Sir Paola and Sir Roberto."
Maxim pulled his face back with a startled expression, as if hit where it hurt. "Well, that's beside the point."
"Your skill at changing the subject is no joke, Senior."
Just as Maxim opened his mouth to bring up another topic, Christine spoke. "Come to think of it, Theodora..."
Knock knock. Someone rapped on the infirmary door. Christine glanced at Maxim for permission, then opened it. Maxim recognized the person standing outside immediately.
"Margrave...?"
"You've been through a lot, Maxim Apparte."
Christine glared at the Margrave as she strode into the room. The Margrave paid no mind to the look and walked over to Maxim's bed, folding her arms.
"You made an excellent judgment while isolated and made it back alive. I'm glad you returned safely."
"...Yes, thank you."
The Margrave sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. "Well, putting everything else aside, I wanted to apologize."
Maxim waved his hands at the sudden apology. "Why are you apologizing?"
"I think I misjudged you. I was so annoyed that I deliberately assigned you to a dangerous area."
Maxim let out a hearty laugh. He hadn't expected someone of the count's stature to come personally to apologize like this.
"Should someone whose words and actions carry weight be apologizing to a mere regular knight like this?"
The Margrave faintly smiled at Maxim's attitude. "I'm apologizing because I judged it a situation that calls for one. I'm not the type to refuse to bow my head when it's time. Even if I'm petty, I don't hold grudges."
At her unhesitating self-deprecation, Maxim could only listen dumbly, unable to find words.
"How's your condition?"
"It's fine, except for the throbbing."
"That's a relief. The road to the capital is quite long, so make sure to rest plenty."
The Margrave cleared her throat to change the awkward atmosphere. "Thanks to you... well, it's a bit awkward to say it that way, but because you and Theodora fell off that cliff, we were able to obtain decisive evidence of this anomaly."
"Evidence? You mean evidence in a good way?"
The Margrave shook her head. "Unfortunately, the opposite. The existence of that Deathworm has become the greatest evidence suggesting Behemoth's movements."
Maxim's face hardened. "Why..."
"To put it simply, a Deathworm powerful enough to burrow through rock has no reason to dig into a cliff. It could just make the underground its territory and devour any monsters that wander above ground whenever it wants."
Maxim nodded at the Margrave's explanation.
"But the fact that it deliberately dug into the cliff, that it tried to weaken the ground to expand No Man's Land. And..."
The Margrave looked down at Maxim with sharp eyes. "The fact that it persistently targeted and attacked humans."
Maxim recalled that moment. That Deathworm had definitely attacked him and Theodora as if it held a grudge.
"...None of that could have happened without orders from a higher entity capable of controlling monsters."
"And that higher entity is..."
The Margrave nodded. "Yes. The only higher entity that could command monsters of that level would be Behemoth."
"...This is serious."
"It's more than serious. It's a situation that could determine the kingdom's survival."
The Margrave shrugged. Despite her words, she accepted the reality with a fairly calm demeanor. "Still, we should have some time. A year... I'm not sure, but at least within a month, Behemoth won't suddenly invade."
We should be grateful for the time to prepare, the Margrave said, turning her gaze out the window. "It'll also give us time to gather forces in the capital... If we can just capture Behemoth, the situation in No Man's Land will improve a little."
The Margrave unfolded her arms and wrapped up the conversation. "Well, don't you have any questions? Anything you want to ask?"
Maxim glanced at Christine. Christine narrowed her eyes as if asking why he was looking at her. Maxim turned back to the Margrave.
"Theodora... I mean, how is the Commander?"
The Margrave raised an eyebrow. "She's a bit better off than you lying there. She suffered a serious injury to her right leg, and there are quite a few fractures and lacerations besides, but the Vice Commander and the medics worked hard and she's recovered a lot."
Maxim turned to Christine to express his thanks, but Christine deliberately avoided his gaze.
"She's at the point where she can get out of bed and walk with crutches now. Her recovery is incredibly fast, as expected of a knight."
The Margrave paused for a moment. To Maxim, she seemed to be struggling to say the next words.
"So, she asked if it would be alright to visit you. I said she could just go, but she insisted on asking you first."
Maxim's words caught in his throat for a moment. How should I reply? Tell her it's okay to come...
Maxim shook his head. "No."
His voice was firm. "I'm sorry to say this to you, Margrave, but..."
Even if Theodora had learned some of the truth, he couldn't face her right now. That was precisely why he couldn't meet her now.
"Please tell her we can't meet."
"Well then, take good care of yourself."
The Margrave left those words behind and exited the room, leaving Maxim behind.
It was evening. The sun was setting beyond the window, painting the sky red and creating a scene that suited the landscape of No Man's Land. In the corridor of the infirmary bathed in sunset light, the Margrave spoke to a person sitting blankly on a chair in the hallway.
"Did you hear?"
The person sitting on the chair was Theodora. She looked exhausted, as if she hadn't slept, staring down at the floor. Her right leg was wrapped tightly in bandages. Beside it, a pair of crutches lay discarded. Theodora weakly nodded at the Margrave's question.
"Why do you look so down? I told you it wasn't your fault."
"...I'm sorry."
Theodora answered in a completely subdued voice. The Margrave sighed, clicked her tongue, and looked at Theodora. "You take care of yourself too. You're the Commander, after all. Don't show such a defeated appearance in front of the knights... Go back to your room now."
When the Margrave approached as if to take her away, Theodora shook her head and refused her help. "I'll go back soon. I'm fine, so you go ahead, Margrave..."
The Margrave sighed. What kind of change of heart had occurred? She stared at Theodora for a long while before turning and leaving the infirmary. Theodora listened to the sound of the Margrave's footsteps fading away. She had no way of knowing what was happening right now. Neither the reason Maxim had suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed, nor the meaningful words he'd said to her before that.
Theodora was trembling. It felt as if something was her fault. Theodora curled up and shook. Just like when she'd been trapped in the cave with Maxim, she wrapped her arms around her left leg and trembled. Time passed. Theodora continued sitting there, unaware that it had grown dark outside.
Creak. The door to the room where Maxim lay opened. The person who came out was Christine. Theodora quietly turned her head to watch Christine emerge, then met her eyes.
"...Commander?"
Christine called out to Theodora in surprise at the unexpected encounter.
"...Vice Commander."
Theodora's voice was small but desperate. "What's happening to Maxim right now?"