My Ex-Girlfriend Was Appointed as a Knight Commander

Chapter 38

Christine and the search party were racing across the wilderness.

The horde of monsters that had ambushed them earlier mysteriously vanished as they approached the site. Christine found this even more unsettling. Her heart pounded furiously. It felt like something irreversible would happen if they didn't reach their destination as fast as possible.

"Kiieeeek!"

Amidst the silence, the cries of the monsters continued to echo across the wilderness. The terrifying roars that had threatened their prey now morphed into wails of pain.

"...Doesn't the sound seem a bit different?" a soldier from the desolate zone asked as he ran. Paola nodded.

"It sounds like they're in pain."

"...Could other monsters be attacking them?"

Paola shook her head.

"No, absolutely not. How many creatures do you think could inflict painful wounds on a massive Death Worm that burrows through rock? At least among the ones I've faced since being deployed here, none would pose a threat to a Death Worm. Even if they were transported by the cartload, they wouldn't be a match for it."

"So, what you're saying is..."

Paola narrowed her eyes.

"...We can't be sure yet. So, we'd better move faster."

Paola picked up her pace.

"Lieutenant Commander, we might need to prepare for combat."

Though she was in charge of the search party, Paola was technically subordinate to Christine. Christine nodded. She was already gathering light in her hands. Paola, seeing Christine's intent, gripped her mace. The bloodstained silver mace gleamed as it caught the sunlight.

"Everyone, prepare for battle."

The knights drew their weapons. The sound of metal clashing against metal resonated across the wilderness.

"Our priority is not to kill the monsters but to rescue lives. And above all, protect your own."

Paola led the team with ease, her voice carrying an inherent authority despite her lack of formal rank.

"Let's go."

They traversed the high and low hills, eventually reaching a gentle slope. Christine looked down at the ground beneath her feet. The dry, hardened earth was cracked. Pebbles scattered underfoot.

"The ground is shaking..."

Christine muttered.

"Yes," Paola replied briefly. Once again, the monsters' cries filled the air.

"Kiiiiiik!"

As the death throes of the creatures echoed, the search party caught sight of the enormous Death Worm in the distance.

"What the hell..."

The sight of the Death Worm thrashing about resembled a small hill in a frenzy. The ground trembled as if an earthquake had struck the wilderness. Dust rose like a tidal wave. The wave of dust, growing larger, spread in all directions despite the lack of wind.

Christine squinted, trying to make sense of the scene through the swirling dust.

At first glance, it appeared as though the Death Worm was thrashing alone. The ground beneath it was sinking and cracking, with large boulders being hurled into the air.

But then she sensed something.

Christine's eyes widened as she gradually realized what was happening. She breathed a sigh of relief, tears welling up, but the sight of Maxim battling reignited her anxiety. The team members began murmuring.

"Is someone riding on top of it?"

"Are they fighting?"

"Who is it? Is it the Commander? Whoever it is, they're alive."

Paola frowned, realizing who it was atop the Death Worm.

"It's Maxim. I don't know how he ended up on top of that thing, though."

Christine's eyes trembled.

"Where is the Commander? Where's the Commander?"

"If Maxim is alive, the Commander must be too. Don't worry."

"No, that's not it."

Christine shook her head fervently.

"Why isn't the Commander the one fighting?"

Christine carried Maxim away. Step by step, as Christine moved forward, Maxim's limp body moved farther from Theodora. Theodora stood there, frozen, as if struck by a hammer. She couldn't process everything that had happened in the past few minutes. The pain in her hand, where Christine had slapped her, was the only thing telling her that this was real.

Maxim had collapsed. He had collapsed, coughing up blood.

And it wasn't from fighting a monster.

The Death Worm had certainly been a formidable foe, but with aura, it was not an impossible opponent to defeat. If Theodora had been in good condition, she could have sliced it in half with a single powerful technique.

Why?

What had gone wrong?

We fought well. There were no direct hits, and the plan to provoke the enemy and finish it off was executed perfectly.

Knights swarmed around Theodora. Her vision blurred. She couldn't think straight. Her head spun. She tried to take a step forward, but her legs refused to cooperate. Staggering, Theodora collapsed forward.

Thud.

Even as she fell to her knees, Theodora tried to move forward.

Maxim had collapsed.

That scene replayed over and over in Theodora's mind. The sight of Maxim's sword dance under the full moon, the Death Worm's body split into two, and then the empty gaze of Maxim as he stood on the carcass of the fallen beast, staring back at her.

"Commander!"

"Commander, are you alright?"

"Someone, help! Do we have a stretcher?"

Theodora tried to crawl forward, dragging her injured leg. She wanted to say something, to call out Maxim's name. But her throat felt as though it was blocked, preventing any words from escaping. She coughed, struggling to breathe.

A dull humming sound filled her ears, the remnants of the aura that had resonated from Maxim's sword still ringing in her head.

Why, why, why, why, why.

The word "why" echoed endlessly in Theodora's mind. The sight of Maxim collapsing, the dark, almost dead blood that had trickled from the corners of his mouth, played over and over again.

Her vision began to blur. Theodora couldn't tell whether she was touching the ground or the sky. Her heart pounded erratically. Her breathing grew shallow and frantic. Several footsteps approached her, their urgency evident.

"Commander!"

"Hurry! Get the stretcher!"

As the world around her faded to white, the last thing Theodora heard before losing consciousness was Christine's words.

"You don't deserve this."

Theodora's eyes slowly closed, and she fell into darkness.

It was morning.

Maxim shot up in bed as if he had been pulled from underwater, gasping for air.

"Guh—Hah... Hah..."

A sharp, searing pain flared in his abdomen, forcing him to collapse back onto the bed.

"Ugh...!"

Maxim clutched at his chest, groaning in agony. The pain was long and excruciating, twisting his body until it began to subside. As the pain eased, Maxim slowly regained his senses.

A bed.

Maxim looked around, still breathing heavily. It appeared to be a hospital room. He recognized it as the medical unit in the desolate zone that he had visited once before. Sighing in relief, Maxim tried to relax.

So, I was rescued.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what would happen when I unleashed the Aura Blade.

Did Theodora manage to fire the signal flare and hold out?

Maxim speculated, trying to comfort himself, though his body still felt far from comfortable as he once again attempted to sit up.

"Damn it."

The pain was still there.

And now, I’ve used the aura.

Maxim looked down at his abdomen with a grim expression. Though his torso was covered by the hospital gown, he suspected the damage was severe. As he hesitated, reaching to lift the gown to inspect his injuries, the door to the hospital room opened.

Maxim turned his head.

Standing in the doorway was Christine, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.