His gaze faltered for a moment before it suddenly landed on the photo next to the object, which caused Sanum to divert his eyes away from it and exhale a deep sigh.
"...Am I..
really worth a life, Dad?"
His stoic countenance faltered for a quick second before the once shaky palm, which hovered over the chest was now steadying itself.
"Just a little more.. and I'll see you again."
————
As Yenna continued to walk down the yellowish-clearing of the encampment; she found herself distracted not by the repeated murmurs, whispers and gasps of the appalled militias but the noisiness of her own head flashing back recent encounters, which caused a certain emotion to resurface on her chest that caused the lass to downcast her gaze a little.
"SIR SANUM STATED THAT HE WOULD ABSOLVE ME OF ALL THE CONSEQUENCES IF I COULD JUST CAPTURE THAT BASTARD!"
- Hamilvan yelled, making the little Yenna quake on her greaves.
"wha..what..?" - Yenna muttered.
"THAT IS WHY I REFU— Ugkk..!!"
- The barely-healed scars scattered all over Hamilvan's stature began to gradually open up.
"Si-Sir Hamilvan..!" - Yenna runs over to the crouched commander who kept wincing in face of such excruiciating sensations, but before she could hover her palms above the commander's freshly opened wounds; A familliar voice uttering a set of words abruptly echoed inside of her mind;
"This might sound like overkill; But do not under any circumstances heal him. He can and will definitely survive those wounds. If you do, he will just find the strength to act up once again."
- Therefore Yenna quickly closed her eyes and then grasped her hand over her chest. Resisting the urge to heal such maggot-infected scars.
"Bri..Bring me..To Sir Sanum..!! He will so-solve this..!!"
"Sir Hamilvan! Please cooperate for now..! This is for your own sake..!"
"Un..HAND ME!!"
"Kya..!" - Yenna is then thrown away while her belongings bursted everywhere
"You low-rank Bumpkin!! You're really testing my anger..!!" - Hamilvan roared, causing Yenna to shudder before her hand landed on a certain handkerchief. -
A scene depicting; Foryan handing her a piece of fabric replays inside of the lass'es mind.
"If. Negotiation fails, use this."
— "..A..towel?" -
"Only at first glance, therefore I don't recommend you even 'accidentally' covering your mouth with this." - Yenna cautiously takes it before pocketing.
"W-why..?"
"Proklan Essence. Capable of making even a wild boar fall unconscious."
—
Yenna grabs it with newfound vigour before lunging towards Hamilvan. Such display of defiance caused the Commander to temporarily freeze on his position due to the shock allowing the lass to close the distance before wrapping the handkerchief around his mouth.
"Mmmphh..!!'
- Hamilvan attempted to weakly pull her forearms away from shoving the handkerchief up his nose. To no avail;
"Did..Did it work..?"
Hamilvan's arms slowly lost their power before hanging loose to his sides.
"It..It worked..! Thank goodness.."
- Yenna smiled as she heaved a deep sigh before a large gust of air caused her to be launched away.
"E..En...gh...-ENOUGH..!!" - Hamilvan, with half-squinted eyes exclaimed before he grabbed the handle of a bloody shortsword with a spiky hilt hanging on the wall. "I'LL SHOW..YOU WHAT IT MEANS TO LIE TO ME..!!" - Hamilvan yelled and then raised the weapon with his silver eyes glazed; as if he was seeing something else at that moment instead of the lass who trembled beneath his presence.
..! - Yenna closed her eyes shut her armoured forearms hovering above her face.
"[Breath of Drudaka!]"
- An index finger from the obscurity of the hallway flicked.
"[BURST OF FAUNA]"
- Causing the overgrown moss protruding on some cracks to rapidly grow into immense sizes before concentrating into a rope-like apparition that circled around the body of the commander.
"wha..what the..heck is this...!?" - Hamilvan winced as he felt his entire body being pricked by sharp yet tiny objects that drilled deep into his skin.
"As expected. A simple scent wouldn't be enough to contain this monster." - A familliar female intonation caused Yenna's eyes to burst wide open and quickly look back.
Only to see two lean militias standing side by side of a smug Foryan.
"I must inject the toxin." - Foryan uttered, focusing her gaze on the tiny spikes that pierced through Hamilvan's skin and even the open wounds.
"..I...I feel..so..di-di-dizzy..!!" - Hamilvan thought, his vision blurring as he felt an overwhelming drowsiness terminate his defiance.
"Anyway..Good job Private Yenna." - Foryan declared.
"I will be taking over from here."
————
The murmurs continued as Yenna's grip on the bag she was carrying tightened; Her head remaining downcasted either out of obedience or shamefulness, it could only be either or both.
"Miss Foryan.." - Yenna thought with a pleading tonality.
*murmur* *whisper*
"Whe-where are—"
"HALT! WAIT FOR ME!" - Just then, a female voice called out from behind which caught the attention of all the onlookers, Yenna and even Calestro.
What emerged from the entrance of the cellar was Foryan, with the white robe that was cradled above her shoulders having more freckles and markings of blood compared to Yenna's.
Her expression was stoic as she treaded through the yellowish clearing without a single angle of slouch in her posture.
"I told you to wait for me!" - Foryan exclaimed, though eyebrows are furrowed.. there hinted no annoyance on her tone.
Aside from the white robe, there also sat on top of her shoulder a bag with much more horrific torture tools; spiky ones, bone-breaking ones, crimson-tainted chains as opposed to Yenna's rusty but not bloody buzzsaw.
As Foryan reached a dumbfounded Yenna, she loudly declared.
"Thank you for carrying MY tools Private." - She then smiled before assuming lead on the three,
Yenna could only hesitantly nod as she continued to gaze at the Commander with confusion-filled irises before shakily handing over the bag which she carried; towards Foryan.
"what..!?" - "So..So Miss Foryan really did order it..!" - "Which means...That private over there..had nothing to do with it..?" - "She..maybe was just carrying tools for Miss Foryan.. " - "She..She's innocent..!" - "I..Knew it!"
*murmur..* *whisper..* *whisper..* *murmur..*
"With that..Onward! To the medical tent!"
- The two lean militias that carried Hamilvan's stretcher then saluted before proceeding.
After a momentary pause, Yenna ran to catch up to the Female commander with a slight squeak before her eyes landed on the four which looked at her with worried expressions from the run-down shack;
...
—before the lass flashed them with;
*..its alright.*
A soft smile.
Which caused Charlotte, Layla and Mila to collapse in exhaustion as if they had just ran a marathon.
"Whew...I almost..thought.." - Layla muttered to which Mila mumbled in response, both breathing raggedly.
"..I'm..i'm glad..it isn't..sis yenna.."
"Haaah..!" - Charlotte, with a tired expression laid her forearm on the frame before cradling her face atop her palm.
Calestro took notice of the three's reaction which incurred a small, soft smile from the young man before he internally muttered to himself;
"..you...you had me there.."
————
"Alright. Lay him down there." - Foryan, Yenna and the Two Lean militias finally made their way inside the tent with Hamilvan still remaining unconscious.
The two militias then proceeded to lower the stretcher before carefully inserting their arms below Hamilvan's body.
"One.."
"Two..!"
"Hup!"
Before they in unison lifted it up, despite the visible muscle on their arms it still proved to be a struggle even though Hamilvan's body was just slightly more toned compared to the two.
They slowly lowered him down to an empty, wooden bed that had spotless white sheets folded beautifully on it.
"Haa..Well..anything else Miss Foryan?" - One of the two asked while he wiped a sweat off his chin.
- The female commander responded with a slight smile before dismissively waving her hand.
"That would be sufficient, you have my thanks."
- To which the both saluted with puffed-up chests.
"Always grateful to be of assistance!"
- Before they both turned around and left.
- "whew..that was quite the work.."
- "so many people were looking at us.. did we become famous?"
- "i hope..so..!"
— "Ahh.." - Foryan heaved in accomplishment— "The Montaul Brothers..always so stupidly assistive." - Before she softly cackled.
Yenna however, found it rather hard to laugh as her eyes darted from a nonchalant Foryan and a half-dead hamilvan with a body resembling to that of a freshly butchered hog in redness.
She continued to fiddle with her fingers before;
"Private."
- Foryan called out to her in a solemn voice, devoid of any traces akin to humor which was enough to cause the young lass to jerk upwards.
"ye..yes..? Mi-miss Foryan.." - Yenna looked up from her downcasted head.
"Fufu." - The female commander scoffed before she uttered; "Medical Division Girls can call me Sister."
- Then she smiled.
"You may drop the honourifics."
Yenna paused, looking at her for a few short moments before muttering out a response;
"Aren't..Aren't upper ranking officers like Lieutenant Charlotte, First-Class Salpha and Second-in-Command Seraphia the only ones that can refer to the Commander as; Sister..?"
Foryan's smile stayed, unwavering.
"I am very well aware."
- Causing Yenna's confusion to proliferate on her countenance even more.
"The...then..why..? Commander..? if..if you don't mind me—"
- Yenna then trailed off as her mind slowly deciphered the meaning behind Foryan's, small, yet unwavering smile.
"..wait..cou-could..it be..?" - Yenna's eyes slowly widened.
*Fwoosh..*
*Smile..*
"Hansilth, Yenna. Today in the; Third Thirteenth of Summer. Year One Hundred and Six, I hereby promote you from Private;
To Medical Division; Executive!"
Yenna stayed unresponsive for a few moments, just sustaining her wide-eyed stare towards the proclaimation of the female commander.
.
.
.
.
.
?
??
??????????????????????????????????????
Yenna's face quickly became a breeding ground of sweat.
"WHAT....!??"
- Yenna resonantly screamed, piercing through the tent and even causing some birds resting on the trees at the distance to fly away.
"Never knew you could be that loud..Fufu." - Foryan inserted her pinky finger inside of her ear as she fiddled with it.
"Ex..ex..ex..ex..ex..EXECUTIVE..!?" - Yenna nearly stumbled backwards.
"You..you may stop..bullying me..uu..I don't really like being disappointed..uuh" - Yenna sniffed, to which Foryan tilted her head in response;
"But I am Serious though?"
Yenna's disbelief filled-eyes that had widened so far caused the female commander to almost want to burst out giggling however she resisted, not wanting the lass to misunderstand her laughter.
".....Haah..." - Yenna sighed. "..I..i..need..a break..miss foryan.."
"Nuh uh."
...
"..si-sis..foryan..this is too much.. for..for my heart.." - Yenna weakly whispered.
"You mentioned you have a bedridden mother and a studious younger brother right?" - Foryan inquired, rendering Yenna motionless as she could only nod in response;
"That..that's true Mi—..sis Foryan.. what..what of it.. may i ask..?"
- Foryan's smile grew even wider.
"Just consider this a reward for your recent performance. You do know high-ranking individuals are compensated more handsomely."
- Yenna diverted her gaze away.
"Ye..yes I know.. but..but it has just been a year since..since..I joined..It..it might be a bit unfair..for the much older..sisters.."
"Hush."
Foryan placed an index finger above her lip, before she approached the young lass.
"Yenna. During a bloody battle, which one would you trust with your life?
A talented yet heartless medic?
who if sees you trapped and hurting, will deem you as a casualty not worth saving?
Or a inexperienced medic with a heart of gold?"
who sees you in pain while despite being a low-ranking newbie still expends Aetherna to heal your wounds?"
- "...I...I..o-of course.. the latter..?"
"Precisely!"
- Foryan laughed, in a triumphant manner.
"First Code of the Azulunian Medical Division;
Judge not based on Talent!
But on Heart!"