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At the foot of the mountain, within the regular army camp...
The floating water gradually transformed into mist. Under Linda's incantation, the mist slowly enveloped Mengdie's arm wound, aiding its healing. On the other side, Edward lay on the ground under the care of Dubo and Sisko, surrounded by six or seven magicians. Each of them conjured similar spells to Linda’s, striving to heal his wounds.
"Phew... Miss Mengdie, no offense, but you were really too impulsive. Couldn't you have waited for us to arrive?" After finishing the emergency treatment, Linda clapped her hands, dispersing the mist.
Mengdie smiled, glancing at the dozens of girls sitting in the camp, wrapped in blankets, holding hot water, and shook her head. Out of politeness, she replied, "Don't worry, my wounds heal automatically when I'm asleep. You should go and take care of your master, Edward. His contribution was the greatest in successfully rescuing these girls."
(Indeed, whether it was delaying time or the final coordinated combat, without this blockhead, we really couldn't have done it.)
Linda noticed Mengdie's gaze on Edward, who was half-unconscious, and smiled faintly. She couldn't tell that Mengdie's look was purely out of admiration and thought that this young girl had finally developed feelings.
"Hmm? Linda, why are you smiling?" Mengdie asked curiously.
Linda didn’t respond, understanding that at her age, it was best to remain silent at times. So, she simply wrapped up Mengdie's wounds in the tent, bid farewell, and went to take care of Edward with her husband.
It was already the afternoon of the next day, and the bandit camp was tightly surrounded by the regular army. The investigation of the camp and the whereabouts of the Black Flame Snake were handed over to the regular army, marking the end of the mercenary group's mission. As for whether members of the Black Flame Snake were arrested by the kingdom's army and how many, Mengdie had no way of knowing.
After resting at the foot of the bloody valley for one night and another day, the mercenary group began to prepare for withdrawal. Perhaps due to Edward's injuries not improving immediately over these two days, he didn't ride a horse but traveled in a three-horse-drawn carriage. The mercenaries also packed up and followed the carriage back towards the Silver Moon Kingdom.
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"Ouch... it hurts... really hurts..."
Since the return journey was not rushed and Edward's carriage couldn't be jolted too much, the troop's movement was quite slow. Even so, Mengdie could still feel the pain radiating from every joint in her body as she rode her horse at a leisurely pace. She adjusted her posture on the horse, bending her thighs, gently rubbing her right heel.
That day, she had kicked Viba three times using that spot. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but once her life was no longer in danger and she relaxed, she deeply felt the pain in her heel. Her cloth shoes were torn, and the heel was bruised and bleeding. Although the bleeding had stopped after a night's rest, the bone was still painfully sore, needing occasional rubbing to alleviate the discomfort.
But compared to the pain in her foot, her body was in even worse shape. This was the first time she had engaged in such prolonged physical activity since regaining this body. Every bone in her body felt as if it had come apart, each aching and numb. Her muscles were swollen, and the discomfort was much worse than when she fought Viba.
Such physical condition made her miss her original body even more. But what was the use of reminiscing? The whereabouts of the necklace were still unknown. Although Nia mentioned it might be in the royal treasury, who could be sure? Cough... Now all she could do was to return to the city quickly, get the money, and find a way to explore the royal palace...
Mengdie lay lazily on the horse, letting it walk slowly, unwilling to get up. Watching her long hair sway with the horse's movements, her mood became increasingly gloomy.
The day’s journey ended like this. At night, Mengdie, as in the past two days, borrowed a tent from the regular army and slept alone. She noticed that Edward's injuries seemed severe, as magicians kept entering and leaving his tent all night. However, seeing their calm and unconcerned expressions, she knew that Edward, despite his serious injuries, was not in grave danger, so she didn't worry too much.
The return journey passed day by day, and finally, on the afternoon of the seventh day...
※※※
Sisko emerged from Edward's carriage, his expression much more relaxed than seven days ago. He hopped off the carriage and exchanged a few inconsequential words with Dubo, who was driving. Then, he walked slowly to Mengdie, who had stopped riding and was walking on foot.
"Miss Mengdie, are you alright?"
Mengdie turned her head lazily and looked up, appearing very lethargic. Since seeing White Shadow again, she had been reminded of her lack of strength, so she didn’t care about her body's fatigue. She would seize every opportunity to train before setting up camp and after breaking camp each day. Starting from the third day, she had stubbornly stopped riding and chose to walk instead. Such exercise naturally left her feeling physically and mentally exhausted, and in agony.
Mengdie shook her head, her hair clip holding her bangs appearing somewhat disheveled, indicating she hadn’t groomed herself properly that morning.
"Don't call me miss... huh... what's up?"
The bearded magic uncle chuckled and exchanged a knowing glance with his wife, who was riding behind him. They smiled at each other. Then, he whispered softly, audible only to Mengdie and himself, "My young master is now able to get up."
"Oh..."
Mengdie shook her head to clear it, trying to look more alert. After a while, she came to her senses, turned to Sisko, and asked curiously, "Wait, if he's awake, why did you come specifically to tell me?"
Realizing he might have misspoken, Sisko quickly waved his hands, "Yes, yes, I won't say more. Please take care of yourself, Miss Mengdie."
After speaking, Sisko turned and walked away. Although Mengdie found it strange, she didn’t probe further. She appeared extremely exhausted and was considering whether to mount a horse to rest when suddenly, the curtain of the carriage was pulled open.
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