Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 104: Chapter 104

The next day, Maxi rushed to the library as soon as she was dressed. She found Ruth asleep on the ground next to the brazier, stretched out like a corpse.

Maxi frowned as she looked over him. She thought it was both sad and pathetic that he would choose to spend the night on the hard stone floor because he was too lazy to descend three flights of stairs to one of many comfortable sleeping quarters.

After glancing around the room, Maxi picked up a stick of kindling and poked Ruth in the back.

“Ruth, it is morning… Wake up.”

“Mmm…”

Looking annoyed, Ruth flipped over and pulled his cloak over his head. Maxi continued to poke his back like a mean child tormenting a squirming caterpillar.

“W-Wake up… If I recall, you were the one who told me to come… as soon as I opened my eyes.”

“Ugh… I had hoped that you would come an hour later…”

He squinted up at her, then suddenly frowned.

“Was that what you were jabbing me with? As though I’m a fire that needs to be poked?”

Maxi swiftly hid the kindling behind her back.

Now completely awake, Ruth grew wide-eyed and sat bolt upright. “I have been thinking this for a while now, but do you not think you are terribly unkind to me?”

“W-Well, you cannot expect me to touch a s-sleeping man who is not my husband.”

“I am sure there are more courteous ways to do so!”

Ruth stared at her in displeasure and heaved a sigh.

“Never mind. Let us get ready for your lesson.”

With that, he rose unsteadily to his feet and began cleaning up the parchments and books scattered all over the floor. Feeling a little apologetic, Maxi quietly went to help him. After gathering the parchment pieces into one roll, Ruth tied them with leather string and tossed them into a large chest.

“Have you finished reading the books I recommended yesterday?”

“I-I was only able to read… about half of them.”

“Had we finished your lessons on Elemental Theory?”

“N-No…”

Ruth stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes. “It would be difficult for you to learn defensive or offensive magic if you do not have the basic knowledge of geometry and Elemental Theory. You will have to at least read all the books that I recommended.”

“I-It would not take long,” Maxi answered eagerly. “Will I be able to learn… offensive magic after I’ve read all of them?”

“I thought it would be best for you to learn the basic self-defense spells,” Ruth said with a shrug. “You should at least have the means to protect yourself in case you are placed in danger again like last time.”

Maxi thought of the wyvern attack and nodded somberly.

Ruth stared at the ceiling before suddenly snapping his fingers. “All right, then. For today, let us try mastering the spells you’ve already learned. I have asked the squires to gather the necessary materials ahead of time.”

“M-Materials?”

Ruth’s smile was almost ominous. “They are special materials that will greatly help improve your abilities.”

Maxi grew uneasy. What on earth was he planning? She eyed him apprehensively as he gathered a few items from under the table and placed them in a sack. He headed straight out the door, and Maxi had no choice but to follow.

“Where… are we going?”

“To see the squires. We are going to pick up the materials I just told you about.”

“Can’t you just t-tell me what the materials are?”

“You’ll know when you see it.”

Ruth hummed as he hurried out of the castle.

Maxi was about to inquire further but thought against it. Just as he said, she would know soon enough. Swallowing her unease, she followed Ruth past the long garden path.

A wooden building soon came into view. Two elm trees towered like watchtowers on either side of the old structure. Just outside, Ulyseon, Garrow, and three other squires were sparring with wooden swords.

Ruth gave them an exuberant wave. “Good day, everyone.”

“Mage Ruth!”

The squires lowered their wooden swords and turned toward them.

“We were actually planning to go see you right after our morning practice,” said Ulyseon as he wiped his sweaty face. “Your request yesterday-”

He stopped when he noticed Maxi, his eyes growing round. He quickly ran over to them.

“You’ve come as well, my lady! Have you been well? I am so glad that you have recovered! You do not know how worried I’ve been, my lady. I should have done better to protect you… You are truly all right now though, aren’t you?”

“Calm down, Uly. Can’t you see that you’re making her ladyship uncomfortable?” Garrow chastised. He gave Maxi a polite smile. “Good morning, my lady.”

“G-Good morning. It has been a while… s-since I saw you both.”

“Might I ask what brings you here, my lady? Is there anything we can do for you?” Ulyseon asked, his eyes bright.

Ruth stepped in when Maxi could not think of what to say.

“We are here to pick up the materials I asked you to gather yesterday. They will be used to help her ladyship practice her magic.”

“Ah, so they were for her ladyship! Please wait here a moment. I shall go get them right now.”

Maxi watched in bewilderment as Ulyseon ran into the dark entrance of the annex. Soon, the squire came back out holding a large pail. Ruth took it from him and opened the lid. He nodded, looking satisfied.

Wondering what on earth it could be, Maxi peeked over Ruth’s shoulder. The pail was full of what seemed to be reddish mounds of flesh. Appalled, Maxi recoiled.

“W-What on earth is that?!”

“They are special helpers that will help you practice detoxification magic.”

With a smile, Ruth placed his hand inside the pail and drew out a palm-sized creature. It was a large, reddish-brown toad with black spots dotted on its back. Maxi shuddered as the black legs of the dead toad sagged limply.

“What… do you intend to do with them, exactly?”

“It’s called the Detoxification Magic Training Technique. The black-spotted swamp toad has potent poison. After practicing with a few of these fellows, you should be able to neutralize most poisons easily.”

Ruth waved the dead toad for Maxi to see. The sight of the creature’s slimy legs swaying back and forth made Maxi’s stomach turn.

She backed away toward the path they had taken. What she truly wanted to do was turn around and flee, but Ulyseon and Garrow were watching her with intense curiosity. She could not bring herself to run away, not after exaggerating her past encounters with monsters to make them believe that she was brave.

Maxi gulped and desperately tried to appear calm as she asked, “”W-What… sort of t-training will we be doing with that frog, exactly? Y-You… are not planning on poisoning people with that, are you?”

Ruth snorted. “Of course not. Who on earth would agree to cooperate in such a barbaric training method?”

He nodded at the squires.

“Could one of you get me some water? It doesn’t have to be in a pail. A basin, brass bowl, pot… anything will do. Just make sure to fill it.”

Garrow stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”

While he went inside the annex to grab another pail, Ruth lowered the toads onto a tree stump and counted them. There were thirty-one in total. Maxi was on the verge of heaving, but Ruth let out a cry of amazement.

“How on earth did you manage to catch so many in a single day?”

“We used a dead rabbit as bait. Place a rabbit or a bird near the swamp, and these little fiends will flock around the corpse,” Ulyseon explained proudly. “When enough of them have gathered, all you have to do is raise the net set up beforehand to catch them all in a single sweep.”

“What an excellent idea!”

Ruth began showering Ulyseon with praise. Maxi inwardly grumbled to herself that she had not cared to know something as unnecessary as how to catch swamp toads.

“Will these be enough?”

While the two were in the midst of discussing how best to gather toads, salamanders, and various poisonous insects, Garrow returned with a pail sloshing with water.

Ruth took it from him and gave a satisfied nod. “Perfect.”

Maxi watched him warily. After lowering the pail next to the stump, Ruth picked up one of the toads. He then took out a small knife from his bag and drove the blade deep into the toad’s back. Black fluid oozed from the wound and dripped into the clear water.

“Now, my lady, try to purify this water.”

“You want me to… c-cast detoxification magic o-on the water?”

“I am. This is a method frequently used by mages to master detoxification magic.”

Maxi kept her eyes fixed on the pail. The sticky fluid was now spreading over the water’s surface like ink.

When she reluctantly hovered her hand above the pail and summoned her magic, she felt a faint resistance. She cocked her head. This felt different from when she had cast magic on people; she was uncertain where she was supposed to draw the rune.

After silently watching her struggle for quite some time, Ruth offered a piece of advice.

“Try to infuse your magic from the edges and move it in a circle until you reach the center. Once you get the hang of it, it might even be easier than casting magic on people.”

Following his instructions, Maxi slowly let her magic flow from the edges of the pail. A blue glow radiated from her palm and began purifying the dark energy that was dispersing in the water. After about ten minutes, the contaminated water returned to its clear state.

Ruth dipped his finger into the pail and tasted it. “Well done, my lady. The only flaw was that you wasted too much mana, but that should be rectified with more practice.”

“We are… going to keep doing this?”

“You must do it again and again, my lady,” Ruth replied firmly, tossing the dead frog he was holding onto the stump. “The squires have gone to the trouble of catching these toads for us. Don’t you think we should put each and every one of them to good use?”

Her face pale, Maxi stared at the heap of toads. Was he telling her that she needed to keep doing this until they used up all of those? Maxi’s shoulders slumped in dread when she noticed Ulyseon looking proud of himself, oblivious to Maxi’s dismay.

“Feel free to use them all, my lady. We can catch more for you whenever you wish. After all, it is a knight’s greatest joy to be able to serve a lady.”

“Please bring us some long-tailed lizards next time.”

“Leave it to me! There should be plenty in the southern caves,” Ulyseon cried, thumping his chest.

Maxi smiled stiffly. Ruth was apparently determined to see her abilities improve before he left for the campaign. He picked up another dead toad, and a long tongue slid out of its mouth. Maxi only just managed to contain the urge to hurl.

Ruth used his dagger to cut off the flopping tongue in one swift motion and handed the toad to Maxi. “Would you like to try it yourself this time?”

Maxi’s shoulders tensed. She wanted to shake her head, but she could not show any sign of aversion with the squires looking at her so expectantly.

In the end, Maxi squeezed her eyes shut and accepted the clammy toad. The cold and squishy texture made goosebumps rise all over her body. It was the worst thing she had ever touched in her life. She fought the urge to hurl the thing away and flipped the toad over.

Ruth placed the dagger in her hand and pointed to a spot below the toad’s head.

“Now, drive the dagger here… and create a long lesion.”

Maxi hesitated for a while before thrusting the dagger into the toad’s cold body. The skin was tougher than she expected, and her hand shook with effort as she pushed the blade in. Sticky black fluid began to ooze from the incision.

Thinking that it was over, Maxi was about to throw the toad away when Ruth mercilessly gave the next instruction.

“Please squeeze the toad now, my lady. We want enough poison to flow out.”

Maxi silently vowed that the next time she came upon the sorcerer sleeping, she would pierce a hole through his back with kindling.