The War Nun rose at once and saluted when Philip appeared. He waved a hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities. The slight commotion also startled Andesa from what seemed to be her reverie. She turned her head, her gaze settling on Philip.
She struggled to raise her upper body, seemingly intending to sit up, but before she could complete the motion, the fully armed young nun pressed her back down.
"Lie still—your injuries are far more serious than you think."
"It would be best to follow the doctor's orders right now," Philip said as he approached the couch and looked down at Andesa. He casually pulled over a chair and sat down. "I didn't expect we would meet under these circumstances."
"Neither did I..." Andesa said, her face pale. Yet her voice was far clearer and stronger than when she had first awakened. Clearly, the subsequent treatments had worked—though she could not tell whether it had been the emergency care from her subordinates or the dozens of healing spells the young nun beside her had cast with a "warhammer" aimed at her. "What an embarrassing state to be in. I've made a fool of myself before you."
"Let's not talk about that," Philip said, waving his hand. "Let's discuss the current situation. Something has gone wrong with Typhon's God of War Church. Religious contamination has caused your troops to lose control—we already know that. But it now seems the actual situation may differ from our assessment. I want to hear about that."
Andesa parted her lips. Looking at Philip's face, which was nearly as young as her own, she nevertheless saw behind it another empire armed to the teeth. She drew a quiet breath, and in that instant, she suddenly realized... she had never left the battlefield.