Although the battle had crippled and terrified the surrounding Wilderness Natives who coveted the iron mine, the Feder Tribe had also paid a terrible price. After the war, like a wounded lone wolf, the tribe began to lick its wounds in solitude.

Although summers in the Wilderness tended to be cool, the midday sun was still scorching. To prevent a plague from the piles of corpses, everyone worked without stopping, gathering the bodies of the Wilderness People to be burned.

The bodies of the Feder Warriors, on the other hand, were collected for their families to claim. They would be given a collective burial at a later time.

In this regard, the culture of Debei was not so different from his past life. They believed that burial with an intact body showed respect for the dead, while also giving the living a place to focus their grief.

This was unlike the Saint Misa Kingdom to the west, where it was believed that only through cremation could a soul reach the Divine Kingdom to continue serving the Gods it had worshiped in life.

"Tina, do we have the casualty report?"

Having washed the dried blood from his body, Levi called out twice in the camp but received no answer. It was only when he reached the area where the soldiers’ remains were being held that he saw Mier, his face streaked with tears, cradling a corpse.

The corpse’s chest and abdomen had been brutally sliced open, so much so that its stilled heart was visible.

Baisitina was at his side, comforting him.

As Levi drew closer, he finally saw the face of the deceased. It was terribly young; in his past life, the boy would have been considered a minor. Among the Feder Remnants, who averaged one-point-eight ren in height, this youth was only a little over one-point-six, marking him as short and frail.

His face, however, showed no pain. Instead, it held a trace of relief and pride, a kind of tranquility Levi had never seen before.

"This was Mier’s friend; they grew up together. Although he was much frailer than Mier, his dream was to become a Knight renowned throughout all of Debei."

Baisitina sighed.

"He killed four of the Wilderness People. In the end, a Lizardman that scaled the wall slashed through his Leather Armor with a Curved Saber, nearly cleaving him in two. He was almost gone by the time we reached him."

’At first, seeing so many familiar faces lying in pools of blood had brought her uncontrollable grief, but now she was gradually growing numb. Far too many had died in this war...’

’Then again, if it weren’t for Levi, her Tribe would have been annihilated or forced to become Vassals of another tribe. Their fate wouldn’t have been any better than their current state.’

"He was a brave Warrior. Many Knights pale in comparison. May he rest in peace." The Lord placed a clenched fist over his chest in a salute.

’He had seen countless Knights during his time in the Western Territory and the south. Some had titles so long they could fill an entire page of a genealogy.’

’But those characters possessed not a shred of the knightly spirit, and their courage was far from what one would expect.’

’Faced with a seemingly impossible battle like today’s, at least thirty percent of them would have seized the first chance to desert.’

’For a boy so young to overcome his fear and fight so valiantly deserved everyone’s respect.’

Levi saw regret, confusion, and helplessness in Mier’s eyes.

Though Mier said nothing, Levi could guess why.

"All that was before died with yesterday. All that comes after is born today."

Levi patted Mier’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eye. "It’s pointless to dwell on regret, to think that if you had only learned Martial Arts and been by his side, he might not have died. It’s better to focus on the present and cherish the future. You still have your sister and other companions who are precious to you."

Levi looked up at the blazing sun, dazzling and scorching. In this heat, if the wounded weren’t treated quickly, their injuries were highly likely to become infected.

And with medicine so scarce in the Wilderness, an infected wound was practically a death sentence.

’Enough lives have been lost today. It would be a cruel joke to lose more to something like this.’

Mier silently picked up the body and left.

Levi didn’t know if his words had reached Mier, but he knew that in situations like this, a person ultimately had to rely on themselves.

"Tina, what’s the condition of the wounded?"

"With Sam here, the lives of the most seriously wounded have been saved. The lightly injured are having their wounds bandaged."

"Good," Levi said sternly. "Remember to boil the white cloths for the bandages for at least twenty minutes. And if there’s any strong alcohol, use it to clean the wounds." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

In this weather, infection was a far greater threat than the injuries themselves. Levi had no choice but to treat the matter with the utmost gravity.

"And the casualties...?" Levi finally brought himself to ask the grave question.

"One hundred and fifty-six dead, and over forty with serious injuries," Baisitina replied, her expression filled with sorrow.

’Many of the dead were uncles who had watched her grow up, and some were companions from her childhood.’

’She knew almost everyone in the entire Tribe, and now, so many were gone in an instant.’

Levi just patted her head to comfort her.

Feeling the reassuring weight of his hand on her head, Baisitina felt her heart calm significantly.

The two continued talking as they quickly arrived at the place where the wounded were being cared for.

It was a makeshift wooden shelter, with thick logs embedded in the earth as load-bearing pillars. Planks laid across the top provided shade, while the four sides were left completely open for ventilation.

This was something Levi had demanded. A place where the wounded gathered had to be kept well-ventilated to reduce the risk of infection.

"Old Man Sa, come have a bowl of water."

Inside the shelter, Muto held out a bowl of water to Sam.

In the Physician-starved Wilderness, Sam’s Healing Technique made him invaluable. It was thanks to this Shaman that the seriously wounded had been saved.

Zat, for his part, had naturally adopted a better attitude.

"You big oaf. Guess you have a conscience after all."

Sam glanced over at Zat, seeming to recover some of his old, high-and-mighty airs.

He had just taken the bowl and was about to drink when a hand clapped down on his shoulder. He turned his head and, upon seeing it was Levi, trembled so violently that he almost dropped the water.

"L-Lord..." Sam stammered, his mouth suddenly dry.

’In his mind now, Levi was a Demon in human skin, more terrifying than any Undead.’

"You’ve done well."

Levi offered only that single word of praise before turning his attention away from Sam and toward the wounded men lying on the planks.

"Lord!"

The wounded men who noticed him cried out and tried to salute, but Levi gestured for them to remain down.

Some of the wounded were missing arms or legs; one had a large chunk of flesh torn from his neck. It was clear that after recovering, about half of these men would be lucky to perform simple labor, let alone return to the battlefield.

Yet, their gazes were fixed on Levi, burning with fervor.

After this battle, Levi’s image was deeply seared into their hearts. Recalling their Lord’s actions on the battlefield, they saw him as something akin to one of the Gods.

It was only because this god-like Lord had led them that they had won a war that, by all accounts, should have been a resounding defeat.