Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 790 A Moment of Respite
When Benny woke up again, he was lying in an empty tent.

It was noisy outside, with many people bustling about, and occasionally a loud shout could be heard... Combined with the strong smell of disinfectant alcohol filling his nostrils, Benny knew he was already inside a field hospital.

He tried to move his body, but the next second every muscle in his body burst out with intense soreness, and sharp pain came from the joints and bones, making him cry out in pain.

Undoubtedly... this is the real side effect of frequent use of short-acting stimulants.

The torment wasn't fatal, but there was no way to alleviate it; one could only grit their teeth and endure it.

The horrific wound that ran across his chest had mostly healed, and Benny knew very well that this was not the work of the medics, but rather the work of Lieutenant Nelson, who secretly concealed his identity as a church priest but served as a low-ranking officer in the Northern Army.

"That guy probably took advantage of my serious injuries and unconsciousness, and ran away because he was afraid of being exposed..."

Just as they were muttering to themselves, the tent flap was suddenly pulled open, and Lieutenant Nelson limped in, leaning on his cane.

"You're awake? How are you feeling?"

Benny didn't answer, but instead subconsciously reached out and touched the edge of the bed, but unfortunately there was no handy weapon for self-defense.

Nelson, seeing this, couldn't help but chuckle. "What? You don't think I'm here to silence you, do you? Wouldn't it be easier to just leave you in the trench to die? I think you've taken too many stimulants and your brain has been fried."

God knows that Nelson himself also broke ribs, injured his lungs, and had his knees and ankles pierced by shrapnel from the explosion, bleeding profusely. In order to get Benny to the rear for treatment, he dragged the cart and crawled for more than a mile.

Just when they were about to give up, they ran into the second supply team that had come to deliver supplies, and the two were saved from their desperate situation.

Benny coughed awkwardly twice, the pain from his wound contorting his face.

“I am very grateful for your saving me... but one thing at a time, I will still report your concealment of your church background to my superiors.”

Nelson plopped down next to the stretcher and shrugged indifferently, saying, "I have no objection. I never intended to keep my identity a secret from the beginning."

He paused, his relaxed expression suddenly turning serious, and said earnestly to Benny, "But I have a request... Could you wait until this battle is completely over before reporting my situation?"

Ok?
Benny paused for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "You're still planning to go to the front lines? Your injury... wait! Aren't you afraid I'll expose your secret? Fabricating an identity and deceiving the Ministry of Military Affairs is a serious crime, punishable by a military court. Those military police from the military law department aren't pushovers."

Nelson chuckled and shook his head, saying, "His Majesty the Emperor has long since pardoned the past sins of the Church's moderates. As long as they are willing to join Saint Valen and fight alongside you against the alien races... in a sense, this is a way to atone for their sins."

“That’s true… but aren’t the priests and clerics sent by the church all serving in field medical centers? Why would you give up a safer job as a military doctor and insist on going to the front lines to risk your life?” Benny didn’t understand the other person’s intentions at all. He only felt that the person whose brain had been really damaged by stimulants was probably this Lieutenant Nelson, who seemed to come from a good family… or should he be called Reverend Nelson?

Seeing his strange expression, Nelson patiently explained, "I was originally just an ordinary priest at the monastery north of Grace City. On the eve of the alien calamity's invasion of the holy city, I happened to be entrusted to go to a small village in the countryside of Liad to treat people with fever. Although I escaped the calamity... all my close friends and colleagues died at their hands, and a great fire burned the monastery to the ground. I didn't even have the chance to collect their remains and hold a requiem mass."

He spoke slowly and calmly, but a deep-seated hatred gradually emerged in his eyes.

"If I merely respond to His Majesty's summons and hide behind the battlefield to treat the wounded... it will not be enough to quell my hatred for these monsters. If I cannot personally kill them one by one and drive them back to the far north wilderness, I am afraid I will never be able to face my own heart again and will completely betray the faith I have upheld."

Inner...faith...

Benny, who had been listening silently, immediately picked up on two important "keywords," and shuddered as if electrocuted. He straightened his face and said angrily, "You are not allowed to mention any church beliefs in front of me. This is something His Majesty has strictly forbidden... Don't you know that?"

Nelson was speechless, rolled his eyes and scoffed, "His Majesty strictly forbids open proselytizing in the army! He doesn't forbid soldiers from having their own personal beliefs. Do you think I can't recite the entire disciplinary regulations by heart? Or is it the newly revised third edition...?"

Goodness, I almost forgot that this "charlatan" is actually a cultured person.

Benny awkwardly shut his mouth again, quickly changing the subject to cover up his overreaction, "How long have I been unconscious? What's the current situation on the front lines?"

The water glass was immediately handed over, but he couldn't muster any strength to lift his hand to take it. Nelson could only lift his hand to gently support Benny's head and feed him water with a somewhat disgusted expression.

"You've been unconscious for almost half a day. The supply team has already gone to the front line, and the third batch of reinforcements arrived two hours ago. By now, the soldiers in your battalion should have already been rotated out for rest."

Benny breathed a sigh of relief, and just as he swallowed a mouthful of water, his stomach suddenly churned violently, and he turned and vomited violently by the bedside.

A patrolling nurse heard the commotion, lifted the tent flap, and came in. "I've told you repeatedly before that short-acting stimulants should not be taken in excess. You took three pills in twelve hours. I think you really don't care about your life..."

Benny's face was covered in snot and tears, and he nodded repeatedly with a pained expression. "Doctor, is there any way to relieve this? Even an anesthetic injection would be fine. I feel worse than if I were dead."

Just moments ago, he only felt soreness in his muscles and bones, but now his internal organs were churning violently. In addition to severe nausea, his brain felt as if someone had reached in and was rapidly stirring it, making him extremely dizzy and lightheaded.

The strong and sturdy patrol nurse walked to the bedside with a stern face, pressed him back down, and said expressionlessly, "There's no way to alleviate it, you can only tough it out... Before the side effects of the stimulant subside, even if you were given an anesthetic strong enough to knock out a camel or ox, it wouldn't have any effect."

Nelson leaned close to Benny's ear and whispered, "The anesthetic isn't working. Maybe I can just punch you... knock you out and that'll be fine. Don't underestimate me just because I'm a priest. I've always been pretty good at fighting since I was a kid. I almost got selected for the Inquisition Knights when I was an adult."

(End of this chapter)