Glocara sat by Elin's bed, watching him wake up. Elin's left eye darted around a few times, and after twisting his neck slightly, he finally saw her.
"How long have I been asleep?" he said. "What time is it now?"
"Not long. You've only slept for two hours. It's not even noon yet."
"Oh. Actually, I didn't want to wake up so soon."
"You should have slept more."
At that time, Glocara couldn't bring Elin back to the camp. He passed out halfway there. Over the past few hours, he had experienced a series of waking up, dozing off, and receiving medical treatment. He propped himself up slightly, and Glocara gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Why are you getting up?" she said.
"I'm not getting up. You see, if I sleep facing this way, I have to twist my neck to look at you. I want to change directions."
"Don't move. Let me help you."
"Why be so careful? I can do it myself. The injury isn't that serious..."
Glocara placed Elin's pillow at the foot of the bed, then helped him lie down and change directions.
"Ouch."
"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
"I accidentally pressed my right palm hard against the bed."
"Idiot. You said you didn't need help."
"Is there a mirror in this room?"
"What do you want to do?"
"What else can you do with a mirror, except look at yourself? There should be one, right?"
"What's there to see?"
"I can't care about my own injuries? Give it to me."
Glocara frowned and stood up, handing Elin a small mirror from the table on the other side of the room. Elin held it with his left hand, examining his face, then turned his head slightly from side to side. He handed the mirror back to Glocara.
"I almost forgot they bandaged my left ear too," he said. "No wonder after I turned to this side to sleep, although I could see you directly, I couldn't hear you very clearly when you spoke. You win some, you lose some."
He remembered how his ear was injured: at the time, Tusha had stomped on the side of his head. Although the injury was far from just the ear, he still seemed to be relieved that the blow was not as serious as the kicks he received to the chest, which broke three ribs. If Tusha had exerted more force or chosen to stomp on his face, the subsequent step of gouging out his eyes could have been avoided. The most visible main injuries were the two fractured bones in his right hand. Overall, he didn't feel like he was seriously injured, even though he experienced a very unfamiliar sense of weakness. Perhaps the last time he felt this way was over ten years ago in Southshore.
"What do we do now?" Glocara said.
"What do we do?"
"What do I tell Elaine when we get back?"
"Well, even though I never talk to her, she generally knows the risks involved in this line of work."
"I can't say it. I don't know how..."
"It's okay, I'll tell her."
"How do you plan to explain it?"
"That's easy, let me think. For example, someone fell from the ship into the sea, and there were sharks nearby. I rescued the person from the shark's mouth, but it brushed against my ear. Then," he paused for a moment before continuing, "I held the drowning person and swam from underwater to the surface. At that moment, a seabird was about to dive down to catch fish. It mistook the target and pecked at my eyes. Next, as I swam towards the nearest boat, the person rowing the boat, in a panic, accidentally hit my outstretched hand with the oar, seeking help."
"For someone who just woke up, your brain works pretty fast."
"Of course, if you think that's inappropriate, there's also this: I saw a house on fire, and then..."
"Enough, do you think I'm actually praising you? Besides, Elaine won't believe such nonsense. She'll suspect it was me who caused his father..."
"What are you talking about?" Elin lifted his left hand to gently stroke Glocara's face. "You saved me. It was a mistake for you to go there alone at night, but if it weren't for you, I'd be dead. It's as simple as that."
He remembered how Glocara looked before she cut under his eye. He wasn't accustomed to someone enduring such torture because of him.
Glocara looked at Elin, forced a smile, then shook her head. So far, they hadn't discussed the topic that should have been unavoidable: Tusha. Elin understood that Glocara's headshake was a denial of something. There was nothing simple about this whole situation. Just then, his left eye caught Niaes entering the room.
"Glocara," Elin said. "I need to speak with Captain Niaes alone. You know, it's necessary."
She looked at him for a moment, then got up and walked out of the room. As she passed by Niaes, Niaes greeted her, but Glocara didn't respond.
"Very sorry, Mr. Elin," Niaes said, sitting on the chair by the bed. "I should have insisted on having two guards protect you during the investigation."
"No need for everyone to come in and apologize to me. I intentionally didn't bring my own men, and you see they didn't come in and say sorry for not being diligent. Doing so only adds to the burden for the upcoming work."
"I understand that. But I think I should at least apologize to Miss Glocara."
"Alright, Niaes. Both of you are women. You know that apologizing to her at a time like this will only make things worse. What's really worth discussing between us are just matters of business, right?"
"So... the target of that troll was indeed me?"
"Did I say that?"
"You did. When they started treating your injuries, I was there, and that's what you said."
"Oh, I forgot. But that doesn't necessarily count. The murderer has a point, like gradually resolving the guards just to create an opportunity to assassinate you. You see, he's very cunning, so this claim only indicates one of his possible actions. It may sound harsh, but to him, your life and a guard's life are no different. No matter who he kills, it's to continue putting pressure on Galin."
"I understand. So, he attacked you to..."
"He didn't want to attract the Seventh Bureau here."
Elin could only lie. When they first arrived at the sanctuary, Niaes suspected his purpose for coming here.
"Listen," he continued, "you'd better strengthen your self-defense and try to stay outside the valley as little as possible. If the killer kills you, then Prince Galin might not be able to portray you as a traitor anymore. Everyone will think you sacrificed yourself for the country, and even suspect Galin's involvement. If that happens, Stromgarde will not only lose you but also more initiative. We mustn't let that happen."
"Thank you, I'll be careful. Also, I've spread the news of Varokar's suicide. I heard that Prince Galin hasn't directly responded yet."
"I've said this before. Varokar was a minor character. No matter what Galin plans, he doesn't need Varokar. Listen, Niaes, here's what I think you should do next. Release the news of my injury, and be sure to mention that I came face to face with that troll. Don't mention my name. Just say it was a Seventh Bureau agent."
"Do you have a plan?"
"My last meeting with Galin was a complete failure, and he made it clear he didn't want to see me. But now he has no choice, because I know who that troll is. This has been delayed for too long, and I won't let him postpone it anymore."
"What do you aim to achieve through this meeting?"
Elin pinched his nose with his left index finger. "Let me ask you, Niaes. How would you define closure in this matter?"
Niaes lowered her head, pondering for a moment, her hands crossed over her upper arms.
"I hope it never happened. I hope I didn't make a mistake. That no one took advantage to steal the Tolkar Sword."
"I didn't ask you to fantasize. I asked you to face reality."
She lifted her head. "The prince retrieves the sword, captures the mastermind behind the tribes. No one considers me and my soldiers as traitors."
"That sounds reasonable. I might be able to help you achieve these three things. The second and third points are essentially the same. If you can merit capturing the culprit, then Galin should change his strategy towards you. And certainly, getting the sword back benefits everyone."
"Mr. Elin, I know there are things I shouldn't ask, or perhaps need not know. You've already helped me a lot, and I don't intend to inquire about your true purpose here, but there's one thing I still want to understand."
"Go ahead."
"According to the enemy's claim, there's a person named Lawrence who assisted the prince in experimenting with soldiers' corpses. Is this true?"
"You only want to ask about this?"
"Yes."
"It's true. I don't see any reason to conceal it. If we want to resolve this matter, Lawrence will inevitably show up. The question is where he is and what he's doing... These are things I need to clarify with Galin. That's all I'll say."
"Thank you. That's enough for me. At least, I know I'm not questioning the prince over something that doesn't exist. So, when do you plan to leave?"
"You're more eager than I am, almost pushing a patient out of bed so quickly. I'll rest for another two or three days. It doesn't matter if I have injuries, but I can't appear too weak in front of Galin. Also, remember what I suggested earlier?"
"Of course. Confronting an agent of the Seventh Bureau with the enemy and spreading the news of your injury."
"It's a serious injury, make sure it's publicized as such. Please take care of it immediately. Also, if you see Glocara nearby when you leave, let her in. I want her to accompany me."
"Understood."
Niaes stood up, but just as she turned away, Elin spoke again.
"Niaes."
"Is there something else?"
"I just said if you assist in capturing the enemy, Prince Galin will drop the treason charges... Maybe my mind isn't completely clear yet, this speculation may not be accurate. We all know there are no strict rules limiting Galin's actions. As a sovereign, he doesn't need much conscience. What I mean is, you should be mentally prepared for any situation. Understand?"
"I understand. After all, I'm a soldier."
"Wait, I'm not finished yet. You know, I met your father at Stromgarde. He gave me a sword, saying it was one you used as a child. Take it, find my men."
"Is it a short sword?"
"That's right."
"What did he say to you? To use it to chop off my head?"
"Uh, pretty much."
"Because I've heard that line more than once before leaving home. Anyway, thank you, I'll take it."