Luke and Lyra agreed, heading back to the inn to store their belongings and clean off the mud.
Gideon needed to finish the village cleanup before discussing the Lamia case with them. Lena was still busy preparing an herbal remedy made from garlic, turmeric, and honey to serve as an antibiotic and immune booster for Noelle.
They each did their tasks well. The village surroundings became clean, and Noelle’s condition began to improve.
Lena stepped outside and met Gideon, who had just finished burying animal carcasses.
"Take this," Lena said, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket.
Gideon smiled. He accepted it and wiped the sweat running down from his head. The sun was almost setting, which meant it was time for him and the villagers to stop for the day and continue tomorrow.
"How’s Noelle?" Gideon asked.
"She’s getting better. I already gave twelve pills to Silva. Noelle has to take them twice a day until they’re empty."
"Doesn’t sound like there’s anything to worry about," Gideon replied.
"Of course. Typhoid can be dangerous if untreated, but I’m a doctor. I can handle it easily," Lena explained.
She sighed in relief, and both of them looked ahead, spotting Jack stepping out of his house while handing over repaired tools.
The villagers already knew about the arrival of the new blacksmith family. On his very first day opening the shop, many old men had lined up neatly, asking Jack and Sora to fix their rusty, broken farming tools.
It was an easy job for the two of them.
"He doesn’t seem to be struggling at all," Lena noted.
Gideon nodded, crossing his arms. With Jack and Sora in the village, he and his team could coordinate more easily whenever they needed something, especially bullets.
"Alright. Let’s head back."
He and Lena turned around and walked toward the inn to clean up. Inside, Luke and Lyra were already waiting, having finished their own business and now relaxing.
Night fell over Nemora Village. The villagers began lighting oil lamps to illuminate their homes and streets. Gideon did the same in his room, just as Luke and the others arrived to start their meeting.
"So, the distance from the wolf village to the Lamia village is about one to two days on foot?" Lena asked, and Lyra confirmed.
"It’s not hard to get there. We just need to follow the dirt trail and cross the river," Lyra replied.
"How many Lamia villagers are sick?" Gideon asked.
"The Lamia village has 230 people. About 73 of them are sick."
"Hmm... that’s quite a concerning number. No wonder she pleaded like that," Gideon said.
"How long is the river?" he asked.
"2.4 kilometers from the river’s source. Only about 700 meters of it is contaminated," Luke replied.
"That means the source is still fine."
Gideon nodded. He opened the continent map he had once received from Mitsuko, spreading it out on the bed and pointing to the river east of the wolf village. He tried to confirm.
"Is this the river?" Gideon asked, and Lyra and Luke confirmed.
"I have two plans for this."
"First plan: we dig a trench to create a new river flow that avoids the ruins. But it’ll take a long time without technology."
Gideon stopped speaking mid-explanation. His eyes closed, his head moved slightly from side to side, and his breathing ragged.
Lyra, Luke, and Lena noticed something was wrong. Lyra gave Lena a quick nod, telling her to calm him down.
"Captain. Are you alright?" Lena asked.
Gideon inhaled for four seconds, held his breath for four seconds, then slowly exhaled for four seconds. The unease in his chest began to fade, and he felt better than before.
"I’m fine, thanks Lena."
"Second plan: we build a river filtration system and investigate what’s happening inside the ruins."
Lena and the others went silent, their serious eyes fixed on the continent map spread across the bed. Lena raised her hand to share her thoughts.
"The second plan is more realistic. We don’t know the water pressure or flow speed."
"Lena’s right, Captain. We’d at least need an excavator to dig the ground," Lyra added.
"Besides, swamp soil is peat, soft and unstable. Better to go with the second plan," Luke agreed.
Gideon nodded. It was decided: his team would go with the second plan: building a heavy-metal and chemical water filtration system while investigating the cause of the contamination from within the city ruins.
To make the second plan possible, Gideon and his team needed time to prepare everything. His attention turned to Lyra, the brains behind all the technology they’d need.
"Find a blueprint for the water filter. Work with Luke to make it," Gideon ordered.
"Yes, Captain," Lyra and Luke replied in unison.
A low buzzing sound rang in Gideon’s ears, and a flashback hit; soldiers gathered inside a room in a Middle Eastern city, sitting together exactly like now. It was a painful memory.
Captain? Are you good? one of them had asked.
Target Lion is in sight... we have to eliminate him before the mission extraction time.
Watch out for the sand. It’s messing us up!
Gideon froze again, making Lena and the others focus on him. Lena looked at his hands, trembling uncontrollably as if something terrible was running through his mind.
His heart pounded, his hands shook, his thoughts spiraled — he didn’t know what to do. Gideon felt lost.
"Lena... go to the kitsune village and ask for their help," Gideon murmured.
"Are you alright, Gideon?" Lena asked.
"I’m fine... it’s just... my head hurts," he muttered, unable to continue.
His eyes red, Gideon lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Lena. He needed a certain medication that only she could give, something to calm his heart and mind.
"Lena... give me propranolol and lorazepam."
"Understood," Lena said.
She went to her room to get her medkit. Lyra was curious about what was happening to Gideon, but she stopped when Luke blocked her path, shaking his head.
He didn’t know what was going on either, but he was certain Lyra shouldn’t press the matter.
Lena returned, giving Gideon a safe dose of the two medicines. Gideon took them one by one. Gradually, his racing heartbeat slowed, and the tremors in his hands faded.
He exhaled deeply, standing while leaning one hand against the inn’s hallway wall.
Lena noted the symptoms: palpitations, tremors, cold sweat, red eyes, dizziness. Gideon’s behavior was also different from usual. She could already guess the cause, though she would need to confirm it.
"Could it be that you—"
"Can I rest in your room?" Gideon interrupted.
Lena went silent, then nodded. Gideon gave a faint smile, stepped inside, and lay down on her bed. Lena stood beside him, arms folded.
The lorazepam took effect quickly, making him drowsy and easing him into rest. Lena pulled a blanket over him and let him sleep undisturbed.
She stepped out and returned to Gideon’s room. Luke and Lyra looked over when they saw the door open. Lena entered with a serious expression, having just finished getting Gideon to sleep.
"What’s wrong with him?" Luke asked.
"I suspect... Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."
"PTSD?" Lyra asked, shocked.
"Yes. Many soldiers experience it, especially those stationed on the front lines or in operations."
"Seeing the Captain , I think it’s caused by many things, like guilt over losing teammates and civilian deaths can have a deep impact on someone’s mind," Lena explained.
Luke nodded. He’d once heard Gideon talk about losing team members but never asked more about it. Now he realized that losing comrades could have such a severe effect.
"What can we do?" Luke asked.
"For now, I can’t leave him alone. We don’t know when the trauma might hit again."
"Just act normal, as if nothing happened. Make him feel comfortable."
"No matter what, he’s our Captain. Our leader."