FL - Chapter 25: After the Battle

The Frost Giants lay dead across the snow, their enormous bodies staining the ground red. Soldiers moved through the battlefield, securing the area, while the knights saw to the wounded.

Their preparations had paid off. Casualties were light. Most of the injured had frostbite or shallow cuts, both manageable with the ointments and bandages they had brought. The medics worked quickly, dressing wounds and rubbing warming salve into numbed flesh before the cold could do further damage.

One knight, however—the man the enraged Frost Giant had flung aside—was in grave condition.

His face had gone gray, and blood ran from the corner of his mouth. The Giant's blow had shattered his armor and driven his chest inward. Several ribs were broken, and the damage inside was likely worse. His breathing was so weak that no one could tell whether he would survive.

A medic knelt at his side, his expression bleak. "His injuries are too severe. Ordinary treatment cannot save him."

The other knights gathered around their fallen comrade. Minutes earlier, he had been fighting beside them; now he lay dying on the frozen ground.

"We can't let him die."

Louis's voice came from behind them. When they turned, he was already at the knight's side.

From inside his coat, he drew a deep-green crystal vial. The liquid within gave off a faint, otherworldly glow. It was a Vitality Potion, a treasure capable of rapidly repairing wounds and dragging a critically injured person back from death's door. Even nobles guarded such potions jealously and used them only when there was no alternative.

Louis said nothing more. He knelt and poured the potion into the wounded knight's mouth himself.

The change was immediate. The knight's ragged breaths steadied, and color returned to his cheeks. His caved-in chest began to rise. Shattered ribs knit together, torn organs repaired themselves, and the heart that had nearly stopped beat with growing strength.

Life returned to the dying knight.

"He is out of immediate danger," the medic said, letting out a breath. "How fully he recovers will depend on his own fortune."

The knights stared at Louis. None of them had expected their lord to spend something so precious on a single knight. Their faith in him settled deeper.

"My lord..." Lambert said quietly. "A potion like that shouldn't have been spent on him."

Louis rose with a faint smile. "He fought for me. He fought for Crimson Tide Territory. How could saving him be a waste?"

His eyes moved across the gathered men, and his voice hardened. "Those who serve me faithfully will not be cast aside."

Every knight straightened. They raised clenched fists to their chests in salute. No oath was spoken, yet the gesture bound them more tightly than words could have.

In truth, Louis felt the loss of the potion. Before he had left for the Northlands, his sister from the same mother had secretly given him three life-saving vials. The first had gone to the unconscious Sif. The second had saved this knight. Only one remained.

He had mixed feelings. These were genuine lifesavers; in a desperate moment, a single vial could give him another chance to live. Even so, he had used two without hesitation.

He did not regret it. Sif, the princess of the Cold Moon Tribe, might prove valuable one day. Saving this knight sent an equally important message to every soldier in Crimson Tide Territory: their lord would not abandon them. That knowledge would earn him their loyalty.

"Forget it. The last one is for me," Louis muttered, putting away the empty vial.

It was then time to recognize and reward those who had fought. Louis stood before his people and personally honored everyone who had earned merit.

"We killed four Frost Giants in this campaign. Every one of you played a part. Other lords may not bother with formal commendations, but I am not other lords. Merit deserves its reward."

He paused, studying the expectant faces before him. Then one corner of his mouth lifted. "Though—ah—you all know that I am rather broke."

The soldiers looked at one another before someone laughed. Louis spread his hands. "Still, you earned a reward. You will receive one."

Cheers and applause broke out. The rewards were modest: fresh fish, game, grain, and a few Gold Coins. No one showed the slightest dissatisfaction. Louis had already done more for them than enough. He was not a lord who made empty promises.

He had spent a precious potion to save one of his soldiers. Even with thin coffers, he had found rewards for them. Most lords would grant nothing after a campaign against beasts or barbarians beyond a few days of rest.

Louis was different. Their lord had publicly recognized their contributions and promised better things ahead. That mattered more than the size of the reward.

"It is our honor to serve you, my lord!"

"May the Dragon Ancestor protect Crimson Tide Territory!"

Soldiers and knights alike accepted their modest rewards with gratitude, their smiles unforced.

The Frost Giants' corpses presented another problem. In the Northlands, every scrap of meat had value. Ordinary prey would have been skinned and sent to the smoking sheds at once. Frost Giants, however, were humanoid.

Louis looked at the huge carcasses. The territory's supplies were limited, but not so limited that his people needed to eat them. "We will not eat them. Take the bodies back for processing," he ordered.

None of the knights objected. Their lord had always held to his principles. Still, leaving the corpses to rot would be wasteful. The Giants' flesh contained immense frigid energy, and even in death it retained unusual nutrients.

Louis considered the matter, then found an answer. "If we cannot eat them, we will use them another way. Make them into fertilizer."

"Fertilizer?" Lambert blinked, then gave a thoughtful nod. The Giants' flesh was saturated with mana. If handled properly, it could greatly improve the barren soil of Crimson Tide Territory.

"Take them back and hand them over to Agricultural Officer Mick."

The soldiers began clearing the battlefield, loading the Giants' bodies onto makeshift sleds for the trip back to Crimson Tide Territory.

(End of Chapter)