-Lance! roared Rainier.

Raising his head, Lev immediately spotted Gentem 's spear. It was a good thing he was a giant, because despite the size of the demons around them, he could still spot it. But more importantly, he knew what his cry meant.

Raising his arm, he caught Rainier's spear in flight. Thrown with phenomenal force, it swept him along, suddenly freeing him from the circle of demons in which he was trapped. The next moment, Cara fell in his place, pulverizing them with her Hammer.

But in truth, that wasn 't the point of the maneuver. Reaching up into the sky, clutching the spear, Lev immediately spotted the problem, in another part of the battlefield.

Away from the others, Vera was struggling with a colossal demon. Armed with a huge mace, it was trying to crush her, with unusual speed for its size. The Sword was in trouble.

Dropping the spear, Lev fell toward the ground, his shield forward. It must have been twenty meters above the demon's head.

Disassociating his body from the pain, he strengthened his shield, calling upon his intrinsic magic. A kind of halo enveloped him, as he shot like a cannonball towards the ground... And he hit the colossus' head with full force. His skull exploded under the impact, throwing his huge body to the ground.

Seen from up close, it was bigger than expected. It must have been about three meters high.

-Thank you, Lev! said Vera.

You're welcome, sister-in-law.

-Shut up!

He laughed as he took off running after her. They had to join the others. Hitting a demon with his shield as it tried to charge him, Lev threw it back so hard that it hit one of his little buddies. He frowned as he surveyed the enemy lines. There were a lot of them today.

-Shield, right!

Listening to Vera, Lev dropped to one knee, raising her Shield above her head. Jumping on it, she trusted her sparring partner to throw her right into the heart of the battle. Perfect.

-Rainier! he roared as he took off running, his sister-in-law landing like a fury in the enemy ranks.

Eleazar's spells allowed them to communicate, no matter where they were on the battlefield. This was an advantage, because several dozen meters away, the Duke of Hastam managed to plant his spear in the ground at the perfect angle. Large and imposing, this weapon was an ideal springboard for those who wanted to do harm.

Running on the shaft of the spear, Lev jumped into the air, much higher than was possible for a human being. Then, as before, he dropped downward, hitting the ground with his shield. The shockwave knocked the demons back several feet.

Gentem 's soldiers, lying in wait, took advantage of the situation to execute them without any further ado.

The Protectors did the most damage, the others did the finishing touches.

-Lev! shouted Eleazar from his collar. Cara needs help!

-Where!?

-Four colossus are on her!

The colossi, he had no trouble spotting. They were taking turns slamming their maces down, probably trying to crush Gentem's Hammer. Given the rate of attack, it should be able to dodge, but not counterattack. Shit!

Reinforcing his Shield in front of him again, Lev charged into the pile. Like a battering ram, he broke through, throwing his opponents around. His hole was clearly visible to the Sword and Spear. Running at full speed, leaning on his armor, Lev arrived in front of the colossi just as Cara stumbled.

Without a moment's hesitation, he threw himself in front of her, raising his Shield above him.

The first mace smashed against the steel, the impact rippling through his knees. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself, while Cara let out an expletive as the second colossus struck.

A rain of blows of titanic force fell on Lev. Holding his ground, he felt the force of the impacts break the ground beneath him. Cara could no longer get out from under his protection, or he would be crushed. He couldn't let go. He couldn't let go! Yet he felt as if the demons were trying to drive him into the ground like a common fence post. The blows were so strong and so fast that he could do nothing but take them.

-On the ground! he shouted at the Hammer, who rolled into a ball.

Leva then fell to one knee, supporting the weight of his Shield as best he could. Cara shouted to Vera and Rainier to get there as soon as possible. The hammers smashed into him, making his arms vibrate, all the way to his shoulders. His thighs were contracting to counter the thrusts that were trying to knock him down, Lev didn't know exactly what was going on above him. But the blows suddenly became less numerous. Blood rained down around them, then there was the thud of huge bodies falling to the ground.

Or was it the sound of his own, as he suddenly found himself looking up at the misty sky of the wasteland?

*

It was a nightmare.

Unusually, Flavia saw Lev return from the fight first. Or rather, three Protectors suddenly emerged from the portal. Her blood froze in her veins as she realized why.

Rainier was holding her unconscious husband in his arms.

The giant of Hastam ran, Eleazar at his side, while Cara and Vera remained on the other side of the portal to make sure no soldiers were left in the land of demons. Flavia didn't hesitate for a second. She followed the movement, to the kitchen. There, Ingrid the cook didn't take long to understand. Clearing the table, the two women spread a cloth over it before putting her husband down.

-He's alive, the Mage reassured her. But he took some bad hits while protecting Cara.

Clapping his hands, Eleazar disassociated the armor from his husband's body. The heart at the edge of the lips, Flavia discovered the extent of the wounds of Lev. Damaged cervicals, dislocated shoulder, broken forearm on the side where he was holding the shield. A dislocated ankle and a broken leg, in addition to a pulverized patella.

Horrified, she did not try to find out what had happened. It was not the time.

Following the doctor's and the Mage 's instructions, she assisted them in the treatment. Rainier helped to reduce the fracture, using his strength to align the leg bones. Eleazar stopped the bleeding, while the doctor disinfected the wound. Meanwhile, Flavia was busy putting her shoulder back in place. The thud was frightening, and the pain would have made Lev faint if he wasn't already. Feeling her body go limp with unconsciousness, she had to hold back her tears.

She had seen hundreds of injured people. She had treated just as many, just as she had treated Vera.

But Lev...

His position as Shield pushed him to take unimaginable risks.

-We'll have to move him to the room, Duke, the doctorsaid, for Rainier.

The latter nodded, while taking his friend in his arms as gently as possible. Once in the room, Eleazar undertook more profound care. In the curtained room, he cast a bluish glow over Lev. With his hands stretched out over the injured man, the Magus' eyebrows were furrowed and his face pale.

Standing, watching the scene with anguish, Flavia jumped when Rainier took her in his arms. She would have been stunned by this gesture, in other circumstances. But there... He gently caressed her back, in sign of comfort.

-Don't worry about it. He'll get over it.

-This isn't the first time this has happened, is it?

The dark-skinned giant shook his head.

-Unfortunately, no.

They remained silent for a long time. Cara and Vera arrived, only to find Eleazar in the midst of a magical treatment. Both of them embraced Flavia in turn, promising that he would recover.

Finally, they were kicked out by the Mage. He needed all his concentration, and four spectators were getting on his nerves. With her stomach in knots, Flavia didn't want to leave. But she wanted Lev to be taken care of.

Bea and Gaston offered them something to eat and drink. If she could not swallow anything, the warriors had just come out of a battle. So they sat down in a room next to the ducal bedroom.

Upon hearing how her husband had ended up like that, Flavia felt her throat tighten.

-If I hadn't slipped, it wouldn't be in such a state.

-Cara, don't blame yourself, Rainier interjected. You were in a very bad situation and you did what you could, both of you. Do you understand?

- And then think how many times it was you who saved Lev, added Vera. He wouldn't want you to blame yourself. But you are right to be worried.

They nodded, before turning to Flavia. Motionless in her chair, she was swirling the water in her glass, totally absent-minded. They didn't know what to say to cheer her up.

-You know, I have tremendous respect for Lev.

She looked up at Rainier. He was smiling gently at her.

-Lev has the most dangerous role of the Five Protectors. This is part of the reason for his character, by the way.

-What do you mean by that?

- The Five Protectors are here to protect the kingdom of Gentem, repelling the onslaught of demons, Cara explained. In fact, sacrifice and devotion are expected of us. But the people of the kingdom don't really know what that means. They live inland, far from the battles. To them, demons are a distant thing. In fact... They sometimes have trouble understanding why we are Dukes and Duchesses, and why the King gives us so much power.

-They think that our achievements are usurped, and that we are only rich people who are comfortable in their beds, Vera added. Like all the other nobles. This infuriates Lev. He's the one who suffers the most in battle, the one who sacrifices the most on the battlefield.

- His role as Shield means that he can take any blow. And that his attacks are sometimes as dangerous to his body as they are to his enemy, Cara noted.

- We've even forbidden him to use some of the ones we've developed together, Rainier added. He takes his role as Protector to heart. He feels that as Duke of Clypeus, he must sacrifice himself to protect his people, like his grandfather before him. The north is fully aware of this, but the nobles and the people of the interior are not.

They all nodded their heads. All three of them were in the same situation. Sacrifice, devotion, and the lack of recognition of some, they knew.

- Nevertheless, we are the Protectors, and without us people would already be dead, added Vera, leaning back in her seat. That's why Lev makes it a point to remember his title, his function, and the respect he is due. As you know, sister, the Protector families tend to forget this, because they would like to take the advantages of the ducal title. But they also forget the duties that are incumbent upon us.

Flavia nodded. That explained Lev's attitude, both with his own father and with hers. How could he tolerate being spoken to badly, when he was sacrificing his body and his life for the protection of all of them?

- I have the greatest respect for Lev, Rainier repeated once again. And that's why at first your marriage to him worried me.

She looked up, to see the Duke's gentle gaze upon her.

-We need our spouses to support us. My own marriage never gave me that. I was afraid that Lev's would be the same. But... I'm reassured now. You are made for each other.

Despite the circumstances, she blushed.

-We're counting on you to take care of this big jerk, Cara added with a smile.

The rest of the day was spent worrying. He did not wake up. The others went home. Vera took Eleazar home. The magician staggered out of the room. The magic had exhausted him. She spent the night at her husband's bedside. Lying in a ball at his side, she held his hand, as if to make sure it didn't turn cold. Alone in the half-light of the room, lit only by the moonlight, Flavia watched, eyes wide open.

Even though they had been married less than a week, she knew Lev better than many people. It wasn't presumptuous of her to think so, she knew.

For they had been corresponding regularly for five years. Regular? No... Weekly. Every week they wrote back to each other. Every week, she waited impatiently for the mail to arrive, to receive her letter.

How did it start? Ah... She remembered it very well. She handled the affairs of the Duchy of Gladia for her sister most of the time, except for very specific political matters. In fact, she used to open all her mail. No one knew her function, largely because Vera did not want to be bothered. Moreover, she had disappeared from good society for a while by then.

One day, while Vera was on a mission in the wastelands, she had received a letter stamped with the seal of the Shield. What little she had heard of the Duke of Clypeus at the time was mostly gossip about his appearance and character. A frivolous man, so handsome that he had no brain. And he didn't need one, his beauty was everything. Nothing very interesting, really. His only distinction, in Flavia's eyes, was that he was her sister's teammate as Protector.

This letter, she kept warm with the others, in a box hidden in her room in the fortress Gladia. The starting point of their story. The seal she had broken was quite official.

The content was less so.

Vera, you cowhide! You lost your bet, and you know it! You owe me forty gold coins! It's not about the money, it's about the principle! If you don't pay me, I'll come all the way over to your house and raid your safe!

It was a better missive.

She had been taken aback. Partly because she didn't understand how someone could address her sister in this way. But also because she had never read such a vindictive missive for such a trifle.

Very professional, she answered that it was useless to come to that. Moreover, she had enclosed the requested amount.

What a surprise it was to receive a reply shortly afterwards!

"You're a week late, missing interest."

For the blow, she would have made him eat his letter. Nevertheless, she had answered him again, asking him what could be the interest for such a bet, whatever it was. Bottles of wine from the duchy, and not just any bottles, as it turned out. The affair closed, Flavia had believed the story finished. But she had received, a few days later, a letter of thanks. He thought that she would have provided him with some piquette and not a great vintage. She had told him that the honor of the Gladias implied to provide the best, even to odious characters.

Strange as it may seem, this is how their correspondence began. The letters had grown softer over time. They had told each other a lot of things, in five years, even if it was trivial, for the most part. What life was like in their respective duchies, depending on the season. The family annoyances. The festivities to prepare, the abundant or not so abundant harvests of the year.

In an insidious way, he had come into her life through their correspondence. The more time passed, the more interesting their discussions became. This man she had never seen, who was known to be so handsome and so dumb, was brilliant. Dedicated. And temperamental. She didn't even count the number of letters where he grumbled about the guinea pigs at dances he'd been to, and where he regretted not having seen her.

Years had passed, but one thing had never changed.

At the bottom of the letters, his name had never appeared.

She had always signed her name as Vera.

Eyes in the darkness of the room, she clutched Lev's hand in hers, full of anguish. She had to tell him the truth. Would he be disappointed?