Hearing Plague Doctor's grim verdict that "her life is in no danger for now," Mia's nerves, stretched to their limit, finally loosened completely.
An indescribable warmth, mixed with immense relief and a sense of collapse, swept through her whole body, almost making her faint again.
With difficulty, she turned her head and looked at Webber, who was sitting beside her with his back against a tent pole, his face full of exhaustion as if he might fall asleep at any moment. Using all the strength in her body, she squeezed a barely audible voice, yet one filled with sincere gratitude, from her dry throat.
"Big brother Webber... thank you... thank you..."
Hearing her, Webber slowly turned his head and met her eyes, damp and hazy from the high fever, yet flickering with the light of surviving disaster.
He did not speak. He only, in utter weariness, tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile so brief it was almost invisible, carrying the roughness unique to a man of the battlefield.
That smile soothed Mia's fearful, uneasy heart more than any ornate words could have.
"You saved my life... twice... three times... I can't even count anymore..." Mia's voice choked. Tears slid silently from the corners of her eyes, mixing into the messy hair by her temples. "I... I have nothing now... I don't know... how I can repay you in the future..."
Webber gently shook his head. His voice was low and calm, yet carried a reassuring strength. "Don't say foolish things. Repayment or not, in these chaotic times, the fact that we could meet and survive together is a heaven-sent fate."
He paused. His gaze swept over the other wounded in the tent who were struggling to survive, and his tone became even more practical. "When we