The war with the goblin tribe inflicted heavy losses on the soldiers of Regit.
Under Marcus and Catherine's organization, all the soldiers who were not severely injured took on the role of medics.
They received herbs and bandages from the two transcendent beings and began dressing the wounds of soldiers who had lost limbs.
Nearby, Knight Horst, unable to bear it, sent all of his subordinates to assist the soldiers of Regit, helping to treat the wounded.
George, supported by Horst, sat down on a relatively clean patch of ground to rest.
At this moment, Catherine, who had finished tallying the casualties, walked up to him.
Looking at George, who seemed utterly exhausted, she asked with concern, "My lord, are you alright?"
Earlier, she had witnessed the attacks George had suffered. After such a violent explosion, Catherine didn't think George could have come out unscathed.
George weakly waved his hands, trying to show that he was fine: "I'm alright, Catherine."
But to Catherine, it seemed like he was just trying to reassure himself.
Pushing down her heavy heart, Catherine began to report the casualties from the war.
"My lord, earlier we had a total of 42 armed infantry, 3 scouts, and 24 cavalry, making a total of 69 soldiers."
"After the battle with the goblin tribe, we lost more than 30 men, including 21 armed infantry, 9 cavalry, and one apprentice transcendent."
Such a heavy loss of personnel would make Regit's security and defense very fragile.
George sighed and instructed Catherine, who was standing nearby, "Give the families of the fallen soldiers one or two Derli coins as compensation."
In the Dylan Kingdom, there were three main currencies in circulation: Marion copper coins, Kailos silver coins, and Derli gold coins.
The names of these currencies are derived from important figures in the kingdom's history.
Marion was the greatest mage in the kingdom's history, who founded the mage profession.
Kailos was the second king of Dylan, known for many reforms and achievements, such as allowing commoners to become transcendent beings, founding schools that admitted commoners, and leading humans to conquer half of the orc territories. He was beloved by the people.
Finally, Derli was the founder of the Dylan Kingdom, and as the first knight to reach the fifth tier of the Epic level, his strength was unquestionable. He was the one who shattered the stereotype that humans were an intelligent but weak race, comparable only to goblins.
Before Derli, humans were regarded as a race with intelligence but lacking in strength, barely stronger than goblins.
It was Derli, the great human leader, who led humanity in establishing their own kingdom.
For convenience, people often refer to the currencies as Marion coins, Kailos pens, and Derli coins.
"Yes, my lord," Catherine nodded, acknowledging his order.
George then asked, "Did you mention that Reid also died?"
"Yes, my lord, he was killed by that lowly goblin transcendent," Catherine said, speaking with great sorrow.
"Sigh... another future transcendent lost," George said, looking helplessly at the sky.
The losses from this battle were immense. Not only were there the compensation costs for the soldiers, but the depletion of troops and potential transcendent candidates meant that Regit would take a long time to recover.
After reporting the situation to George, Catherine returned to assist with the rescue efforts.
As dusk approached, the setting sun cast its glow across the battlefield, adding a different hue to the heavy atmosphere.
After burying all the fallen soldiers, George and his group, along with Horst's team, left the forest.
In Maiko Village, the villagers, who had worked all day, were returning from the wheat fields. Children ran home after being called by their mothers, and the elderly villagers remained seated under trees, enjoying the evening.
In this peaceful atmosphere, George and his troops walked into the village.
The villagers stared in astonishment at the battle-worn group, wondering what kind of enemy could have wounded this once-mighty force so severely.
Moreover, some villagers noticed that a group of cavalry, looking quite energetic, was following George's team. Their leader, riding a fine steed, was conversing with Lord George.
"Who is that noble?" a villager asked.
"That's Lord Horst. Lord George's uncle. I didn't expect him to return," replied an elderly villager, who had lived through three generations of rulers in Regit.
Soon, George and his team passed through Maiko Village, heading toward the castle.
The villagers, who had just paid their respects, lost their appetite for dinner and began speculating about what had happened in the forest.
"Grandfather Dis, you are the wisest person in our village. What kind of monster do you think Lord George encountered to be injured like that?" a young villager asked in confusion.
"Hmm, maybe it was a bear goblin, who knows? When I was young, I ran into such a monster. They are incredibly strong, and even a hundred soldiers wouldn't be able to defeat one," said the elderly villager.
The young villager quickly became interested: "So, Grandpa, how did you escape?"
The old villager puffed on his pipe, gazing at the sunset, and said, "Back then, I used my wisdom to trick that monster, and that's how I escaped."
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeve to show a long scar to the young people around him.
"Look, this is the mark left from that time."
Indeed, the young villagers looked at him with admiration.
"Wow, Grandpa Dis, you're amazing! I really want to go on adventures like you."
The old man's boast didn't last long before one of his companions exposed his lie.
"Don't believe this old man. That scar is from when he accidentally cut himself working on the farm. It's not from any bear goblin," said the companion.
The exposed old man glared angrily at his friend: "You wait, Etem!"
The scene quickly turned into a boastful exchange between the elderly and young villagers.
It wasn't until the village elder could no longer bear it that the commotion was ended.
......
Back to George and his group.
When they returned to the castle, Butler Gis had already led a group of servants to greet them at the gates.
The wounded were quickly transferred into the castle's medical room.
Physician Lim and his two assistants were overwhelmed by the sudden influx of so many injured, and they had no choice but to ask the castle servants for help.
On the other side, Horst was personally escorted by Gis to a bedroom to rest.
Catherine and Marcus, though they had participated in the battle, had been suppressed by the atmosphere and suffered no injuries.
As for Lord George, he was forced to stay in the medical room.
In fact, George's body had already recovered earlier, but he had kept up the act of being weak throughout the journey, fooling everyone.
So, when he was helped into the medical room, he quickly exchanged a glance with Lim.
Lim, who was George's family's personal physician, understood immediately. He dismissed everyone and helped George into a private room.
"My lord, what happened to you...?" Lim asked, slightly puzzled.
"Lim, I'm fine. This matter must not be shared with anyone."
"Yes, my lord." Lim, suppressing his doubts, nodded and left the room.
To avoid arousing suspicion from Horst, George had no choice but to stay in the medical room for a while.