Gavin, on the other hand, rode the horse and headed straight for Lowe. There had been no proper communication between him and Aldan before they separated. He knew that since the men already knew someone had kidnapped their companion, they would give chase. He didn’t know how much time Aldan would be able to buy, so he could only ride straight to Lowe.
He was hoping the supply camp was still stationed on the outskirts of Lowe. If it was, he could rush inside—he knew a few men from his unit. No matter how skilled the pursuer was, he wouldn’t stand a chance against a group of soldiers.
With that determination, Gavin rode without stopping for a break.
Strangely, even after riding for so long, the sick man didn’t wake up. Gavin found the situation odd, but he didn’t dare stop to check on him. If the man dies, then so be it, he thought.
It was only in the early hours of the morning that he reached the outskirts of Lowe. He looked toward the place where the camp should have been and was shocked to find it empty.
"What do I do now?" Gavin frowned. He touched the sick man’s body—feeling warmth—then let out a deep breath. The man was still alive.
With no better option, Gavin entered the deserted camp. Though empty, he soon noticed footprints. He dismounted; he needed to investigate. After all, he and the commander had agreed to meet here. He couldn’t rush to the front lines without understanding the situation.
After checking around, Gavin concluded that the camp must have moved out the previous day at the latest. He also noticed signs of haste: two fireplaces still smoldering, the wood not properly extinguished.
After thinking for a moment, he brought the sick man down, gathered some wood, and started another fire. Seeing that the man was burning with fever, Gavin gave him a little water to drink. As a guard, he always kept a water bag tied to his waist. This time, he had prepared it in advance after Anastasia told him about her decision to flee. Read complete versıon only at novelFirｅ.net
After giving the man water, Gavin suddenly remembered a serious problem—he had been so focused on escaping that he had forgotten about the princess.
He hurriedly took out a small piece of paper and scribbled a message. Then he whistled, calling the messenger bird. This time, the message was for Aldan.
Once the bird flew off, Gavin made his way to the camp’s water source. Fortunately, those who left had done so in a hurry, so a few bowls and buckets were left behind. He fetched some water and returned, dipped a cloth into it, and began cleaning the man’s face, hoping to get some clue about his identity.
Gavin was shocked. Though the man’s face was covered in bruises, he could recognize his captain anywhere.
Gavin frowned. It didn’t make sense for his captain to be with such suspicious men. Although he sensed something was wrong and had questions that needed answers, the man was barely conscious.
He couldn’t leave him unattended, so he continued lowering his temperature with the wet cloth, waiting for Aldan’s reply.
Then he decided to examine Eldric’s injuries. Only when he opened the clothes and looked carefully did he realize they didn’t look like battle wounds.
"Torture," Gavin murmured, understanding at once.
His frown deepened. The camp was gone, yet the commander had been captured and tortured. Even if Eldric had been leading the unit, there was still a deputy. How could they have moved on with the captain missing?
A troubling thought crept in—had the captain betrayed them? After all, the carriage had been heading back to Wiwell. And Eldric wasn’t from Wiwell. What was going on?
Looking closer at the untreated injuries, Gavin shook his head. If those men were truly close to the captain, they would have at least treated his wounds.
He thought long and hard but couldn’t find a solution. He had no choice but to push the thought to the back of his mind.
Not wanting to take any risks, he tied the captain’s hands and feet and hid him well. Then he rode around to ensure no one had been watching his actions. Once satisfied, he left the camp to enter the village in search of a physician.
No matter what, he couldn’t let Eldric die—he needed answers.
Gavin rode to the village and returned with a medicine man. It took him more than three hours to find one. Though Lowe was a large village with a few physicians, not many would agree to treat a soldier. Military men usually had their own doctors, and any deviation from that raised suspicion. Pretending to be a traveler was risky too—with the current fear of spies in Lowe, he could have been arrested before finding help.
So Gavin had chosen carefully. He avoided physicians with status and instead threatened an old medicine man into coming with him.
When they returned to camp, the medicine man immediately examined Eldric and began treatment. His skills weren’t impressive, but a little medicine was better than none.
"His injuries are infected. Only a skilled physician can treat him," the medicine man said nervously. He was scared. He felt certain that these two men weren’t good people and didn’t want to get involved.
"If he dies, I’ll bury you with him," Gavin said coldly.
He wasn’t a fool—he could tell the man wasn’t entirely incompetent and could at least stabilize Eldric.
The medicine man shivered. He understood now—bad men had no regard for human life. "I will do my best," he said quickly. He had never been so thankful that his skills were limited. He decided to try his best to keep the man alive.
Fortunately, he had deliberately knocked over his inkstone before leaving. By the end of the day, someone would surely notice his absence. They would alert the guards and begin a search party.
Seeing the man was seriously taken care of Eldric, Gavin took a deep breath in relief. Before kidnapping this medicine man, he had observed and realized that he did not seem to have anyone living with him. Moreover, when he threatened him, he already guess that he was someone afraid to die. So no matter what he would not play tricks.
Now that he had taken care of Eldric, he suddenly frown remembering that it had been so long since he sent a message to Aldan. The Bird has not returned, which means he most have found him but unable to deliver the message. "What could be wrong?" Gavin question as various possibilities began to run through his mind.