Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

The rapid sound of hooves rang out, and the cavalryman, clad only in chainmail, dismounted.

"Sir, there are no ambushes ahead, and we have discovered a village."

Everyone perked up.

"That's a Holstein village..."

………………

As the other party continued speaking, the atmosphere became tense and tense.

Chapter 10 A Doctor

A low, mournful scream echoed from the dilapidated house. It was a typical wooden hut common among forest dwellers, with a dry thatched roof that risked leaking during heavy rains. While adequate for daily living, it appeared exceptionally run-down; even the thatch piled on top was rotten and moldy, seemingly untouched for years.

Outside the house stood a Hols man with an anxious expression. He had started a fire on the stove and was constantly adding firewood to boil the water in the pot. A wooden basin and a blackened towel were placed next to it. The Hols man would occasionally glance back at the room, his heart aching at the low screams coming from inside. But he dared not leave without permission. At least for now, the doctor's words were enough to keep him in check.

With fuel added without regard to cost, the large pot of water quickly boiled. He used a wooden ladle to pour the boiling water into a basin, let the towel soak for a while, then added some cold water and began to wash the towel and several white bandages. He stopped washing when the water became murky, poured out the dirty water, and carefully rinsed the basin with boiling water before carrying the large basin of hot water into the room.

On the low wooden bed were their best bedding, which, though still tattered and blackened, was enough to keep them alive in the cold winter, thanks to a few hunted pelts.

His wife lay on the bed screaming, her face flushed red, her flaxen hair plastered to her cheeks with sweat, struggling violently in agony. Several experienced elderly women from the village were helping; one of them took the basin from the man's hands and continued to urge him out.

"Get out of here for Aphrodite's sake! You're getting in our way. And don't forget to boil those twoleaf clovers in the pot; we'll need them later."

Before the man was kicked out, he saw the most striking sight in the room: a voluptuous and tall figure directing everyone. She wore a simple gray dress that reached her ankles, and a leather corset accentuated her slender yet powerful waist. The originally loose fabric accentuated her full curves, and a small deerskin herb-gathering pouch hung from her ample hips. Her breathtaking curves exuded an undeniable feminine charm.

Her long, pale blue hair was tied back with a deer bone hairpin, revealing her slender, white neck. Two slender but not very sharp ears extended from her temples. In this dimly lit room, they were not very noticeable, and one might easily overlook them if not paying attention.

This woman was the village doctor, or rather, a witch doctor... and now, she was the only person in the village who could ensure her child's safe delivery, even if...

The man shook his head, dismissing his slight hesitation, and returned to the stove. He grabbed a handful of green grass leaves from the wicker basket beside him and put them into the pot. In the blink of an eye, the clear boiling water turned into a bluish-blue color, and this color continued to deepen.

Giving birth to this child was not easy, especially in this forest...

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The worst-case scenario still occurred. His wife failed to give birth until nightfall. Her once loud cries of pain had become weak and feeble, clearly indicating that she had run out of strength. The man paced anxiously outside the house, even trying to rush in several times, but was stopped by the old women.

Just as he was feeling helpless and extremely anxious, he suddenly stopped what he was doing. His long, thin ears twitched slightly, as if he had heard something… and a look of panic quickly appeared on his face. To confirm his guess, he pressed his head to the ground, and then he clearly felt the thunderous vibration…

In the blink of an eye, the tremors turned into real thunder, and the sound of hundreds of iron hooves pounding the ground began to echo throughout the village…

…………

The woman lying on the bed was already quite pale, but under the tall woman's direction, the other elderly women poured a large bowl of bluish-green liquid down her throat, which quickly improved her complexion. Then they prepared to continue what they hadn't finished: giving birth to the child.

"cavalry!!!…………"

A scream of extreme fear suddenly echoed throughout the village, followed by the loud banging of the iron pot hanging at the village entrance. The crisp, sharp sound filled the small village, and then more panicked shouts and cries rang out, instantly turning the quiet village into a bustling hubbub.

But just as the clanging of the iron pots continued, a thunderous, storm-like sound engulfed the entire village. A large number of ferocious warhorses began to surround the small village. Their hard hooves trampled swathes of grass into the soil, leaving deep marks on the ground. In this terrifying storm-like sound, everyone panicked like blades of grass in the air. The women dropped what they were carrying and ran out of their doors.

Only the pregnant woman, who was still unable to move, and the doctor remained in the room; no one else, including the pregnant woman's husband, appeared...

The pregnant woman was terrified and even started talking nonsense. Her face was covered in sweat and tears. She even tried to get out of bed, but her body was so weak and in excruciating pain that she couldn't move.

"Lie down."

A slender yet strong hand pressed against her chest, guiding her back to her bed. The doctor continued his work calmly, showing no intention of running away.

"Follow my instructions and keep pushing. Our only chance of survival now is for you to give birth to the baby and then we can run together... Hurry up."

Because she had been giving instructions all afternoon, the woman's voice was slightly hoarse, but it carried a reassuring power that put the pregnant woman at ease. With a painful scream, perhaps the crisis had unleashed her potential, and the baby, which had been motionless all afternoon, was born smoothly from the birth canal this time.

Unsettlingly, the baby remained motionless and showed no sign of crying, causing the mother to panic and cry out. The doctor, however, remained calm. His slender, white fingers moved with surprising dexterity and strength as he swiftly severed the umbilical cord with a small, gleaming scalpel. He then grabbed the infant by the feet, lifted him upside down, and gave him a few light slaps on the bottom. Several red marks quickly appeared on the pale skin, soaked in amniotic fluid, and some cloudy fluid flowed from the baby's nostrils. After a few coughs, a loud cry immediately filled the room.

The mother used a large towel to cleanly and neatly dry the baby's body, and then placed him in her arms. The baby, who had been crying incessantly, immediately quieted down upon feeling the familiar scent and curled up his entire body as if desperately trying to stay still.

The new mother was still weak, but they dared not delay any longer. Just as the doctor was about to help his patient up, a sound of metal scraping against metal suddenly came from the side.

The doctor stiffly turned his head towards the doorway, revealing his young, fair, and delicate face. A tall man, clad entirely in heavy armor and bearing a jagged scar on his face, had been standing there watching them for a long time. Several heavily armored cavalrymen stood silently behind him, their weapons gleaming with a blinding cold light…

Chapter 11 takes a short break.

The moonlight shone on her smooth scales, reflecting a delicate, fragmented light, like sunlight peeking through leaves. It was light and ethereal, but unlike sunlight, it didn't bring warmth. Instead, it sent chills down her spine, a coldness spreading from her spine throughout her entire body.

These exquisitely crafted steel objects were designed to take lives from the moment they were created, especially in this chaotic world. Anyone could tell that these terrifying soldiers were up to no good, especially the leader, whose horrifying stench of blood almost made her faint. A gruesome wound on his face revealed the bone beneath.

The sound of the armor rubbing against each other sent shivers down one's spine. The woman in labor beside her could barely stand. Her already weak body, coupled with such a horrific scene, had caused her to faint. She held her child tightly in her arms, showing no intention of letting go even in unconsciousness.

The newborn baby, feeling discomfort from the mother's sudden increase in pressure, cried loudly, disregarding the surroundings. The child's loud, piercing cry instantly shattered the tense atmosphere. The cavalrymen exchanged glances, and the man at the front spoke first:

"Let this mother who has just given birth go back to bed. We won't hurt you... Besides, if I really wanted to hurt you, you wouldn't be able to escape."

The doctor silently helped the woman back to bed, and after calming the crying baby, he looked uneasily at the man who had already sat down on a stool.

"Sir...may I ask what brings you here?"

The girl carefully chose her words, not wanting to anger this terrifying soldier. An almost instinctive intuition made her realize that this man had killed countless people. People like him valued life very little and were willing to take lives at any time, so she had to be extra careful.

"Oh, I heard that you are the only doctor in this village, so I would like to ask you to take a look at my wound."

The man leaned casually against the wall. The so-called chair beneath him was just a piece of dried-up log. The silvery moonlight from the window illuminated his face.

The most striking feature of his sleek and strong face was his pair of eyes, which resembled those of a hawk circling in the clouds. The corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, yet they were extremely bright, exuding a captivating power and aura. Below his straight nose were thin lips, and his beard was neatly shaved, revealing a clean-shaven chin with strong lines.

Her short black hair was combed back, revealing a broad forehead, and her long, thick, sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards, occasionally twitching slightly due to the pain in her forehead.

Overall, this soldier, who looked like a ruthless killer, was surprisingly good-looking, perfectly fitting the Empire's aesthetic standards. The doctor, who had been to an Imperial city before, knew the Empire's views well, and the man in front of him looked almost exactly like that template, even a little too good-looking.

The only thing marring his appearance was the horrific wound. A cut ran across most of his face, from his forehead down to his cheekbone, even severing his eyelid in two, making one wonder how he ever slept. Moreover, the wound's condition was clearly not optimistic; although it had stopped bleeding, it had a chilling, deathly white hue, and the bone beneath was clearly visible.

Such a terrible wound would be enough to render a strong, middle-aged man unable to move due to the intense pain, but the soldier in front of him remained unfazed. Although his forehead twitched from time to time, his face remained calm and composed, as if he had only been bitten by a mosquito.

"What? Is there any hope for me?"

The man's voice carried a hint of laughter, seemingly quite relaxed. But the doctor keenly heard the sound of the fully armed cavalrymen tightening their grip on their weapons. Their menacing aura almost made the doctor drop everything and turn to flee. One of the tallest men even glared at her menacingly.

It seemed that as soon as she agreed with the man's judgment, these soldiers would immediately do something terrible. Fear made her tongue tremble, and she couldn't speak for a long time.

"Alright, you guys, don't scare the doctor. Go outside and wait for me... Don't worry, I believe this doctor won't do anything irrational. She seems like a smart person."

She immediately breathed a sigh of relief; the terrifying pressure, carrying the scent of blood, vanished in an instant.

Without the slightest hesitation, the soldiers immediately withdrew from the room and closed the door. Only after the clanging of armor had completely subsided did the man turn his head to look at her and continue speaking:

"Doctor, please tell me your name. You can't be nameless, right?"

“My lord, my name is Tarina… To Tarina… that’s my name.”

The man placed his fingers on his chin, giving her a look of keen interest as he sized her up. This intensely aggressive gaze immediately made her think of something unpleasant, and her fingers gripped a sharp knife in her herb-gathering pouch…

“You don’t look like a Holsian… Holsians are usually more slender than you.”

“My father is an Imperial, sir, and my mother is a Holstein.”

The soldier nodded, seemingly having instantly resolved his doubts, and then continued with a smile:

"Then, Talina, come and stitch up my eyes... or if you have other ideas, that's fine too; I'm open to the doctor's advice on this."

The man in the darkness beckoned to her. Despite his striking good looks, Tarina trembled with fear. But after he called her a second time, she went over.

"Please forgive me, madam, but I cannot tell you my name. This is for the good of everyone here. The less you know, the better, so that you can survive more easily."

Talina, the only one in the village who had seen the world, immediately understood what the other person meant. At the same time, she was filled with a joy of surviving a disaster. The other person's words meant that they did not intend to harm their lives, which greatly reduced her fear.

"Please forgive me, sir, but the condition of your wound is not good. It should be washed with boiling water made from clover to prevent contamination, and then it should be stitched up..."

The man nodded:

“That sounds like a good idea, but do you have any of those plants called double clover here? Otherwise, we don’t have time to look for them.”

"Yes, yes, that's what's being cooked in that pot outside... It was originally meant for this new mother, and it's already cooked."

The soldier immediately shouted outside, and a moment later the tall cavalryman came in carrying a wooden basin full of blue solution, put it down, and left immediately.

"Then treat me, doctor, just go ahead and do it."

The man rubbed the corner of his eye and said calmly.

Chapter 12 - A Brief Break (2)

After the steaming hot medicine cooled slightly, it was used to rinse the whitish wound. Soon, Tersolius felt that his forehead was no longer so numb, and the coldness that had been coiled on his face like a snake had subsided considerably. As the steaming water flowed down his face and dripped into the basin from his chin, the whitish flesh at the wound slowly returned to its red color, and even a little blood seeped out, just like when he had just been stabbed.

Tersolius knelt down, cooperating with Talina's treatment. The girl, who had been terrified just moments before, seemed to have transformed completely after the treatment began. Her expression was so serious and meticulous, her slender fingers deftly cleaning the wounds on her head with a clean white linen cloth. Her emerald green eyes were fixed on his forehead without blinking. As the cleaning was completed, she even gently lifted his head with both hands. At that moment, her courage was frightening.

As the girl bent down to wash the linen in the basin, Tersolis suddenly noticed how adorable her profile was. It had just the right amount of plumpness, but it didn't make her cheeks look bloated at all, like a perfectly steamed bun... This analogy might be a bit inappropriate, but that's really what he thought at that moment.

Unlike the slender Holsteins of the average age, this girl was remarkably well-developed. She was voluptuous yet without any excess fat, possessing a perfect sense of proportion throughout her body. She was also tall and graceful... It could only be said that this girl did not seem to have lacked nutrition during her growth, which made Tersolius momentarily lose himself in admiration.

He only came to his senses after the other person took out their small bag and pulled out the suture needles inside.

"What kind of thread did you use to stitch the wound? Was it hemp thread or cotton thread?"

Tarina realized the other person was talking to her, and she continued to take out a bundle of white silk thread from her small bag:

"No, that's not it. To suture a wound, you need to use fine thread extracted from sheep intestines, and it must be scalded with boiling water before it can be used. During this process, you need to use Freud's Primary Protection spell to protect the sheep intestine thread so that it won't be completely burned. Afterwards, you need to keep it sealed with magic, and it can only be opened when it is needed."

Her clean, white fingers deftly threaded the translucent white thread through the silver needle eye. The girl muttered something to herself as she looked at the needle until a glimmer of blue light appeared at the tip, at which point she stopped, satisfied.

When she turned her head, she found that Terthorius was staring intently at her fingers, his expression so stiff and surprised, as if he was utterly shocked by the spell she had used.

Tersolius was truly shocked. This was the first time he had ever heard of magic in this world. Even after being ravaged by battles involving tens of thousands of people, he had never encountered any trace of magic during those experiences. Logically, with such immense power, why wouldn't he use it in war?

He thought it over and over and came to believe there were only two possibilities: one was that the power was not yet mature enough, or even too weak; the other was that the spell was only applicable to a very narrow range, such as medicine, and could not be used in other areas, otherwise it would be inexplicable that it was not seen in war.

It wasn't until warm fingers pressed against his temples that he realized he was about to be stitched up... He raised his head, even leaning slightly back against the wall, letting those slender fingers press on his forehead. As the sharp needle pierced his skin, the shocking wound on his forehead was gradually stitched up. He was no longer as horrified as before. The girl was completely focused on stitching up the wound on his forehead, her body very close to his. A unique herbal fragrance wafted into his nose, and his sensitive ears could even hear her soft breathing. The warm air rushed against the skin on his forehead, making the back of his neck suddenly itch and his whole body feel a little uncomfortable.

He merely furrowed his brow slightly and made no other move. This furrowing of his brow made Talina's fingers tremble. She thought she had inserted the needle too deeply and hurt the man in front of her, so she could only be more careful and the stitching speed was much slower. But no matter how slow it was, the wound would eventually be stitched up. After making a beautiful ending, the girl cut the thread and looked at the wound on his forehead with satisfaction.

Thesoris reached out to touch her, but the girl slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch it, it will make the wound flare up..."

Before they could finish speaking, both of them froze. The girl stared at her hands in surprise, a pale color gradually appearing on her face. She even lost her balance and looked as if she was about to fall to the ground at any moment.

At that very moment, the girl had already resigned herself to her fate… Those terrifying cavalrymen would hack her to pieces in the blink of an eye, dump her body in the wilderness, and then have the wild beasts of the jungle devour her until only bones remained… Why had she suddenly become so bold as to actually dare to strike them? It was as if she had lost her mind…

Just as the girl was trembling and about to cry, Thesolius's lips curled up into a smile, and he chuckled.

"Hahaha!!... Doctor, you're really funny. You did a great job, I should repay you properly..."