After burying their comrades and paying respect to them, they returned to the barrack. Mary stood there with a look of worry on her face. She ran to Aldred and hugged him. "Are you okay?"
Aldred nodded. "I am fine. But a lot of my friends didn't survive."
"I heard from Joseph." She then decided to avoid the topic. "You said that we should let the nun disguise as our mage. I think that is a good idea. Not because it's actually good, but because there's no other choice. I consider killing her, but that is very risky. If the heroes found out that we kill their nun, we'd be damned."
"Can't our empires fight against the heroes?"
"We can, but the heroes won't leave flowers in their trail."
He glanced at Mary. Her gaze was serious. The heroes of Montcresia were like nuclear weapons. If they threw one at the Ceraisian Empire, they'd throw a nuclear weapon of their own, devastating both sides as a result.
Aldred shook his head and approached Bartrem. "Bartrem, we cannot do this anymore. In the future, we will fight more battles, and each battle will wound our comrades. We should get some healing potions." Now they had the nun as the healer, but her identity was very sensitive, and the soldiers were very suspicious of her.
"How could we make a chemical of our own?" Bartrem asked. "I never touch an ingredient myself."
"Let's ask from Frey."
Bartrem sighed. "I am sure Pharder has warned him about us. He will treat us just like everybody else."
"We can only try."
Bartrem, Aldred, and Pongo went to the medicine hall inside the fort. It was near the southwest gate as well, so it didn't take them long to arrive. Aldred stepped on the wooden floor and entered through the door. The familiar medicine scent entered his nose.
Bartrem called out for Frey, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a man they didn't know stood at the counter, looking at them with hostile eyes.
"What do you want?" the man asked with an aggressive tone.
"We want a recipe or a formula to make a healing potion."
"No. Go away."
'Fuck!' Aldred was so enraged that he might burn the whole hall right now. "If that is the case then give me a few healing potions."
"10 silver for each small healing potion."
"What? Isn't it supposed to be free for soldiers?"
"Free? Are you kidding me? Only slaves work for free!."
A soldier came inside the medicine hall, greeted the man, grabbed a bunch of healing potions, and left.
"That man left without paying."
"He already paid the day before."
"Bullshit!"
"If you don't have any money go away!"
Bartrem clicked his tongue. He handed out twenty silvers on the counter. "Give me two of those small potions."
The man glanced at the silvers. "If you want to buy two at once, you have to pay double."
Bartrem slammed the table and stared fiercely at the man. "Don't do something you might regret. You're a just puppet in this game, don't risk your life for it."
The man flinched and trembled in fear. "Fine. Take these two potions and leave this place."
Bartrem grabbed the potion and stormed out of the door with Aldred and Pongo.
"I cannot believe that guy is so rude," Aldred said.
"This is why I don't want to visit the medicine hall or any other facilities at all," Bartrem said.
"Is ten silvers a lot?"
"I only earn five silvers a month. The rest were only paid with coppers."
"Damnit! One of These small potions costs two months of your salary? I don't think it's even enough for one soldier."
They arrived at the barrack. Bartrem sighed. "I don't want to return empty-handed after that."
"Pongo."
"Shut up, Pongo. We're in a terrible situation right now."
"Pongo pongo." He vomited a bunch of potions out of his mouth.
"Eh. You stole the potions?"
"Pongo."
"Shit! Quick, get inside the barrack. Don't let anyone see this."
They both grabbed the potions and entered the barrack. Slowly putting the potions on Aldred's bed, they counted the potions to be at twenty bottles.
"Pongo what else did you steal?" Aldred asked.
"Pongo." He vomited more potions out of his mouth. Some had green colors of the healing potion while others had purple, red, and white colors.
"So many," Aldred said. "What are they used for?"
"There's one for healing, strengthening attack, improving defense, and increasing speed. If we have this in battle, we could break through the enemy formation much easier."
"Nice. Good job, Pongo."
Pongo raised his beak high. "Pongo pongo pongo (Bow before me, mortal)."
Aldred ignored the penguin. "Still. All of this will run out eventually. We have to make our own potion to be self-sufficient."
"How can we do that? We don't have alchemists in our rank."
Aldred grabbed one of the healing potions. The green liquid swished inside the bottle. His godly eyes activated and listed out the list of ingredients to make it.
"Green herb, salt, and water," Aldred said. "Where can we find green herb?"
"Are you sure that is the ingredient? Even if you are correct, do you even know how to make it?"
"We can only try."
Mary came inside the barrack with the nun beside her. The nun wore a new dress. It was blue in color, though it still revealed her thigh, and stuck tight to her body which perfectly outlined her full breast. Her slender fingers wrapped around a golden staff with intricate carvings. On the handle, written the word: Hope.
"I got her a new dress," Mary said. "This way people won't know she's a nun." She turned around to look at the nun. "Don't reveal that you are a nun."
"Why?" Mira asked.
"Your identity is very sensitive in this kingdom, and if others knew you will die."
"Why would they kill me even if I do nothing wrong?"
"You are mistaken. It is me who will kill you if you reveal yourself." Mary looked at her like a lioness. Although the empire would be taken over by Aldred in the future, she wanted the balance of power to stay this way. They already had a terrible life in the fort. If the balance tilted to the emperor's side, they might get worse treatment.
Mira did not show any fear, but she did not want conflict or violence. "I will not reveal myself, but let me move freely."
"Your movement will be watched by us, if there is no one watching you, then you are not allowed to go anywhere."
Mira nodded.
"Now, to prevent you from running away." She grabbed a pair of handcuffs and locked Mira's hand with hers. "At night, when we are about to sleep, I will handcuff your hand with mine."
Mira was surprised at how thorough the woman in front of her was in making sure she did not do anything suspicious.
But it wasn't her that they should be worried about doing something suspicious.
Aldred looked at both women. 'Does that mean I get to sleep with both of them?'
It was Aldred.
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