Return of the General's Daughter
Chapter 124: The Healer Who Wielded The Sword

Chapter 124: The Healer Who Wielded The Sword

When Lara returned to the infirmary, it was overflowing with the wounded. The air was thick with the sharp tang of blood and herbs, mingling with the low groans of soldiers in pain. The two larger tents, once used as barracks, had been hastily converted back into medical stations. Canvas flaps hung open, revealing rows of men lying on makeshift cots, their bodies broken and battered.

Though the battle at the front had ended with the retreat of the Estalis forces, the fighting raged on to the east, west, and north.

General Odin had already diverted troops to the western front, where Northem forces had taken to the edge of the mountain, using the rocky terrain as shield and vantage point. Defeating them was proving difficult — they could vanish into the foothills, regroup, and strike again like shadows slipping through the cracks.

Lara looked for her master but did not find him. A soldier, his face pale and slick with sweat, pointed toward the west. "He’s fighting alongside General Odin."

She nodded, relief washing over her. Her master was capable — she had no doubt he could hold his own.

When she inquired about Bener, the news tightened her chest. The battle to the east proved to be difficult, but Bener and the three thousand elite soldiers with him were pushing the enemies to retreat to the mangrove forest.

Lara stepped into the infirmary. The first thing she saw was Asael helping dress the wound of some of the injured. Lara frowned. He was still a patient. What was he doing?

When Asael met Lara’s glare, he just shrugged. He felt useless. He had not contributed anything to the battle. At least he wanted to help in his limited capacity.

Two unfamiliar doctors moved through the chaos, their hands stained red. Lara guessed they were the ones who had been sick when she visited Hainai. Without hesitation, she rolled up her sleeves and set to work.

Lara started working on the most severe cases that needed urgent suturing. She worked fast, and the doctor beside her was surprised to see that at such a young age, she could suture beautifully at such speed.

"Where did you learn to suture?" The doctor asked curiously.

"In the mountains." She answered briefly as she cut the silk thread and finished the suture.

"Mountains?" The doctor frowned. ’Is he joking?’

"I practiced on the injured wild animals," Lara said and the doctor’s jaw dropped.

"Their wounds are more challenging because they are not clean like a cut of a knife or a sword. And with practice comes mastery." She tightened the last knot and stood.

Before the doctor could respond, a commotion erupted at the tent’s entrance. Two soldiers stumbled in, each carrying a wounded comrade. Blood soaked their armor, dripping onto the ground. The new arrivals were barely recognizable, their faces slashed and hands nearly severed.

One of the doctors instructed the medics to transfer those who were already treated and whose wounds were not serious to another tent that had just been set up.

The medics were efficient. In no time, five patients were moved out.

Asael’s breath caught in his throat. He rushed forward, trembling hands searching for a pulse. "Kellan... Berlin..." His voice broke.

Sensing his panic, Lara spoke reassuringly. "Bener is strong. If anyone could make it through this, it’s him."

Asael squeezed his eyes shut. Bener was strong — but so were Kellan and Berlin.

Lara pressed two strips of cloth into his shaking hands. "Brother, put pressure on their faces first. I’ll work on their hands as they are more serious."

While Asael worked, Lara grabbed a jar of hemostatic powder and sprinkled it over the gaping wounds, staunching the blood flow. Her needle flashed again, slipping in and out of flesh with practiced ease. Asael’s fingers pressed hard against Kellan’s forehead, but his mind spiraled elsewhere. If Kellan and Berlin had fallen, what of Bener? Was he still alive? His breathing quickened.

Hearing Asael’s rapid breathing and how hard he was pressing on the faces of Kellan and Berlin, Lara could guess what Asael was worried about.

Thirty minutes had passed when Lara finished with Berlin and Kellan. The wounds on their faces were superficial and needed only ten stitches. Perhaps it was because of the helmet that the enemy was not able to inflict a penetrating wound.

After attending to three more seriously injured soldiers, Lara rose to her feet, wiping her hands on a bloodied cloth. "Stay with them." She squeezed Asael’s shoulder. "I’ll be back."

Lara slipped out of the tent. The sun cast long shadows across the battlefield. Aramis stood nearby, binding a soldier’s arm. The wounded lined the outside of the tent, their injuries less severe, awaiting basic treatment. Lara said nothing as she passed him, heading toward the horses.

When she comforted Asael earlier, she also could not help but worry about Bener. If Kellan and Berlin were injured, it could mean only one thing. The soldiers assigned to guard the eastern side were outnumbered.

Chestnut, the steed she’d ridden earlier, nickered softly as she approached. Lara ran her fingers through the horse’s mane. "Did you miss me, boy?" she whispered. The horse nudged her shoulder in response. With one fluid motion, Lara swung onto Chestnut’s back.

Aramis caught up, mounting his own horse. "Where to?"

"The east." Lara nudged Chestnut forward. Dust swirled in their wake as they galloped across the plain.

The eastern side of the Gwamuros plain was a vast mangrove forest that covered more than 20 hectares. The distance from the camp to the mangrove forest was ten kilometers.

Based on the plan, Bener’s group would ambush the enemy halfway between the mangrove and the camp.

Lara felt that there was something wrong. They might have been lured to go to the mangrove forest.

When they reached the ambush site, the ground was littered with bodies, but only a handful of soldiers remained — most of them wounded, tending to their fallen brothers. Lara dismounted, approaching the nearest soldier. His leg was bandaged hastily, blood seeping through the cloth.

"Where are the others?" she asked, kneeling beside him as she applied salve and rebandaged his wound. She handed him a tube of medicinal paste and strips of cloth.

The soldier winced as he took the supplies. "They pursued the enemy into the mangroves over an hour ago."

Lara’s heart sank. "Thank you. Can you help the others?"

The soldier nodded, gratitude in his eyes. "Yes. Be careful."

Lara mounted Chestnut once more. Aramis fell in beside her. The mangrove forest loomed ahead — dark, silent, waiting.

Without another word, they rode into the shadows.