The Allied Tribes made their way back to the Weeping Shrine in hopes of escaping their pursuers.
Great Chieftain Adrian’s face was grim as he held the reins of his family’s wagon.
Although they succeeded in killing over a thousand enemies, hundreds of their warriors had also perished in that battle.
The atmosphere of the caravan was heartbreaking as the mothers, wives, and daughters of the warriors who had died mourned for them.
Ethan had also lost consciousness and was currently sleeping inside Safiya’s wagon with Lily.
Despite his amazing performance, it was still impossible for him to single-handedly fight an entire army on his own.
He had also suffered injuries, but they were minor ones. The blows that managed to bypass the protection of his wizard robe had caused bruises and cuts to appear on his body.
Some of these injuries were incurred when Ethan actively tried to protect Lily, Rex, and the other warriors who were holding the rear of the formation.
There was one particular deep cut that Lily had discovered only after she removed Ethan’s robes.
It was a cut that was as long as an index finger, and it was located on Ethan’s left arm.
A dawn of realization appeared on Lily’s face because she finally remembered how Ethan received this injury.
The two of them were fighting side by side and, amidst the chaos, a group of warriors attacked them from their blind spot.
Lily was able to react on time and froze three of their attackers, but the fourth warrior was able to swing his sword in her direction, threatening to sever the arm that was holding her wand.
That was when Ethan suddenly appeared in front of her and used his right arm to block the blow before stabbing the warrior with his trident.
Ethan had done it so effortlessly that Lily thought that he had used some kind of protection to prevent his arm from getting sliced off his body.
She wasn’t aware that he solely relied on the boost that Magna Amplifico gave him, which allowed his body to become stronger and sturdier than normal.
Lily cleaned the wound properly before applying some medical herbs to it. She then used a clean piece of cloth as a bandage to tie it up.
She then continued to apply medicine to the shallow cuts on the young man’s body.
The young lady was quite certain that these cuts would heal in time, but the one on Ethan’s shoulder might leave a scar due to how deep it was.
‘If it really leaves a scar, we can just go to the infirmary in the Academy to have it removed,’ Lily thought. 𝞸𝒱𝓵xt.𝓬𝚘𝑀
She could still remember the words that Ethan told her before he closed his eyes to sleep.
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“After you recover, make sure to wear this bracelet. Ethan doesn’t have a way to replenish his magic right now aside from kissing you. Unfortunately, he kissed you recently, so he has to wait for a week before he can borrow some of your powers.
“Since we don’t have the liberty to wait that long, you need to slowly charge this magical bracelet for the time being. He’s going to need all the help he can get. I need to hibernate for a while, and I won’t be appearing for two weeks.
“Until I return, make sure to keep him safe. I have over-extended my stay and pushed him to his limits. Still, I don’t regret it. Being nice in this world will just get him killed.”
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Although Lily didn’t know who that Ethan was, she still took his words seriously. During the battle, Lily had not used her Demi-Wolf form. If she did, her fighting ability would have definitely skyrocketed.
However, this ability wasn’t something that she could use without consequences.
If she transformed into her Demi-Wolf form, she would definitely fall into a state of bloodlust due to how thick the blood was in the air.
Although it would take her a while before she lost her control over her senses, she didn’t dare take that risk.
If she somehow lost herself, she would definitely go on a rampage and kill everyone, not caring if they were friend or foe.
If she were only fighting dozens of people, it would still be fine.
Heck, she could even maintain her composure even if she fought against hundreds of warriors.
However, they were up against thousands, and it was different from fighting against hundreds.
Also, it was not only the enemy’s side that would have casualties. Their side would also take some deaths. And with that, it was likely that she would lose control and start a massacre.
Aside from that, she also didn’t want Ethan to see her in that state. If she were alone, she would definitely use her ability without a care in the world.
But for some reason, Ethan’s presence was keeping this wild side of her at bay.
He was like an anchor that ensured that she wouldn’t be swept away by the storm.
Perhaps, this subconscious belief was formed because Ethan was able to defeat her in a duel.
To make things simple, Lily only recognized the strong. Even if the handsome young man won because of a fluke, a win was still a win.
Lily wasn’t someone who made excuses.
A few days later, the caravan arrived at the Weeping Shrine. Everyone was tired, so the Great Chieftains asked a few warriors to scout to see if their enemies were still pursuing them.
For the time being, all they wanted was to take a rest and mourn for the warriors that they had lost in battle, if it was possible.
This was also when Ethan woke up, and the first thing he did after waking up was vomit, despite the fact that he hadn’t eaten anything for the three days that he was unconscious.
Lily made sure that he wasn’t dehydrated and poured a few drops of water on his lips from time to time.
When it was time to eat, the mere smell of meat was enough to make his face turn pale, so Lily asked them to just give him fruit for the time being.
Ethan’s current state was a mess, and he was also afraid of sleeping alone. Lily would accompany him to sleep, but this didn’t help much.
The young man would often wake up screaming, which would sometimes wake up the members of the Allied Tribe.
Clearly, he was reliving the nightmarish battle in his dream, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Whether he was awake, or asleep, the blood, the smell, the horror, as well as the brutality of the battle, haunted him like a ghost that wouldn’t stop unless he joined them in the afterlife.
The only saving grace was that the Three Great Tribes seemed to have retreated back to their camp for the time being, allowing the Allied Tribe a brief moment of reprieve.
Ethan’s body trembled as he held back his sobs. He was currently seated in the very corner of the room, with his head buried in his knees and his hands wrapped around his legs.
If Lily were to describe his condition with a single word, it would be…
Broken.
Yes, Ethan had finally broken down.
He was standing on the edge of a cliff, and a single push would be enough to send him to the Abyss, which he could no longer come back from.
At this moment, when he was about to slip into that Abyss, the sound of rustling clothes reached his ears.
A moment later, a pair of delicate hands cupped the side of his face.
Ethan slowly raised his head, but his vision was blurred with his tears. He was in a daze and seemed to not recognize his surroundings.
“It’s going to be okay.”
A kind and gentle voice reached out to him.
“You’re going to be okay.”
Lily pulled Ethan’s head to her chest and gently patted his head. She then hummed a tune, similar to a lullaby that would put a baby to sleep.
The young beauty had removed her upper clothes, allowing Ethan to feel the soft, smoothness, and warmth of her skin.
Ethan’s trembling lessened, gradually calming down as Lily held him close, not caring that the young man’s head was buried between her breasts.
If other men were in his position, they would definitely feel very lucky and blessed.
Some of them might even say that they could now die happily due to the kind of service that they were experiencing.
Ethan, on the other hand, had no time to think about these things.
He held onto Lily as if she was the only one who was keeping him afloat on a stormy sea that threatened to pull him to their dark depths.
The reason why Ethan was so sick and battered was due to the backlash that he received from his other half’s attempt to save his life.
As if that weren’t enough, he had to live with the guilt and horror of what he had done in the form of nightmares that plagued him every day.
Ethan wasn’t really a mentally strong person.
He wasn’t mature enough.
He hadn’t suffered any traumatic experiences or hardships.
Aside from the fact that his magical circuits were destroyed and that he was abandoned by his mother, he lived a fairly comfortable life in the countryside with his grandparents.
Tears fell from his eyes as he held onto Lily tightly.
The young lady continued to pat his head, not caring that his warm tears were sliding down her body.
Her gentle hum soothed his exhausted and weakened spirit, giving him a sense of security that mothers gave to their children.
Not long after that, he fell asleep.
This time, his nightmares didn’t visit him, for there was a beautiful young lady who held him firmly in her embrace and kept the darkness from further harming his broken soul.