Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 105: Chapter 105

After Ruth left for the construction site, Maxi was finally able to return to her chambers. She was thoroughly exhausted. Even though she washed her hands several times, she could not seem to rid herself of the slimy sensation.

She immediately cast off her clothes, which were soiled with toad fluids, and scrubbed herself from head to toe in hot, soapy water. Her whole body felt unclean. How much more of this appalling training must she continue to do? The sorcerer was not concerned with propriety; he might bring lizards next, or venomous snakes and spiders.

Rubbing the goosebumps on her forearm, Maxi resolved that she would move onto the next phase as soon as possible. For her to do so, however, she had to finish studying the basics.

After rinsing the soap, she slipped into crisp new clothes and sat at the desk. She rummaged through the drawers and took out a book, parchment, and an ink bottle. Ludis walked in bearing a steaming cup of tea just as she finished arranging everything on the desk.

“A tea from Mage Ruth, my lady. Please try it.”

Maxi gave the maidservant a look of appreciation and wet her lips with the warm tea. The bitter liquid had a refreshing scent and seemed to help her forget about the unpleasant experience. Sipping the mandrago tea, Maxi began to peruse the text-laden pages of the book.

The considerable mana use had tired her out, but this was not the time to dawdle. She intended to finish reading the book that very day so that she could persuade Ruth to teach her defensive or offensive magic tomorrow.

About three minutes into reading, a knock came at the door. The steward’s voice filtered through.

“My lady, it is Rodrigo. May I intrude for a moment?”

Maxi looked up from the desk and called for him to come in. Rodrigo cautiously entered the room and deferentially bowed his head.

“Forgive me for interrupting your rest, my lady.”

“I-It is all right. Is something the matter?”

“A message has arrived from his lordship. He said that visitors will be arriving and that they will be staying in the castle for about two days. I thought it best to inform you ahead of time.”

“V-Visitors? Do you know w-where they are from?” Maxi asked, flustered.

Rodrigo gave her an embarrassed look. “His lordship did not mention which household they are from. Only that we are to prepare rooms, baths, and food for three knights.”

Maxi’s face fell. Had the king already sent his command for Riftan to dispatch his knights? The thought that they might be royal messengers was bone-chilling. It had only been three days since the news.

“Please do as his lordship has i-instructed… and prepare rooms on the second floor. And please tell the k-kitchen to pay extra attention to the meal.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Maxi sat by the window after the steward left and peered down at the grounds. A few moments later, five men on horseback entered the garden.

They were too far away to see their faces clearly, but the two men at the front appeared to be Remdragon Knights, while the three behind them were the newcomers.

The men bore a triangular orange banner. Maxi squinted at it; it did not contain the golden bird, the royal family’s emblem. It still felt familiar to Maxi, however, and she surmised that it belonged to one of the noble families of Wedon.

She wracked her brain to remember which household the crest belonged to, but soon gave up and rose to her feet. If they were messengers sent by the crown, it was her duty as the lady of the castle to welcome them.

Maxi left her chambers after asking Ludis to arrange her hair. She was just descending the stairs when Riftan led the guests into the castle. Maxi searched his solemn face before looking over the guests behind him.

An aged but stoutly built knight and his two younger subordinates inspected the hall. From their wary expressions, Maxi did not think they were from a noble family that was on friendly terms with Riftan.

She nervously approached them. “Riftan… I was told… that we had guests.”

Noticing Maxi, Riftan furrowed his brow. He strode to meet her and touched her still-damp hair. “We must have disturbed your rest. They are from Ruigen. They are only staying for two days, so you need not trouble yourself.”

The blatant dismissal in front of the guests made Maxi feel flustered. The guests themselves did not seem offended; the middle-aged knight stepped forward and kissed her hand.

“Greetings, my lady. I am Aeron Levia. We have come under the command of the Earl of Loverne.”

“I-It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Aeron… I hope your stay here will be comfortable.”

The Earl of Loverne was one of the king’s vassals who had a sizable estate not far from Anatol. Why had the earl sent his knights here? Feeling both curious and wary, Maxi studied the deeply lined face of the knight and was about to speak again when she heard Riftan’s sharp voice.

“Did you rush to such a dangerous place to make small talk with someone else’s wife?”

“I was merely greeting the lady.”

“Didn’t you say it was an urgent matter? Stop dawdling and follow me.”

He spun on his heel and began climbing the stairs. The guests sighed. They respectfully nodded to Maxi and followed after Riftan. Maxi surmised that these were not welcome visitors and dragged her feet back to her chambers.

It was late in the evening when Riftan returned. Maxi had been pinching her thigh in an effort to stay awake, and she leaped out of bed to rush over to him. He looked exhausted.

His eyes grew wide when he saw that she was not asleep. “Why are you still awake?”

“I… I was waiting for you to return. I wanted to know what was going on…”

Riftan’s brow furrowed slightly as he perched on a chair and began removing his armor. Maxi placed a kettle full of water over the fire so he could wash, then went over to stand behind him. When she placed her hands on his waist to help him undress, Riftan, who was untying the joints of his vambrace, awkwardly pushed her hands away.

“You don’t have to mind me. I can do it myself.”

“It is a wife’s duty… t-to attend to her husband.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Maxi’s face flushed at the thought that she might have sounded too brazen. She could not count the times he had attended to her; she could not say the same for herself.

She hastily added, “I am rarely able to do so… because you… return late and leave early in the morning… But it is normally a w-wife’s duty to make sure… her husband is able to rest in comfort.”

With that, she snatched the heavy armor from his hands without waiting for a reply. The weight made her fumble, and she barely managed to maintain her posture as she staggered over to the armor stand. She hung the chainmail and neatly placed the vambrace and greaves over it.

It took less than twenty steps to move to the stand, but droplets of sweat dotted her forehead. She wondered how Riftan was able to walk around with something so heavy weighing him down.

“Just leave that there,” Riftan said when she tried to pick up the last item she was about to put away. It was his sword.

“You won’t be able to carry it.”

Maxi looked skeptical. Compared to the massive swords that some soldiers strapped to their backs, Riftan’s looked ordinary. The blade was roughly four kevette (approximately 120 centimeters) long, and neither the unadorned hilt nor the leather scabbard appeared to be of much heft.

“N-Nonsense,” Maxi retorted. “I may not be able to swing it… but I doubt that I… w-won’t be able to pick it up.”

Riftan, who was pulling his sweat-soaked tunic over his head, eyed Maxi’s slender arms and arched an eyebrow. “You can’t.”

Fuming, Maxi grabbed the hilt. Not only was she unable to lift the sword, but she could barely keep it upright.

Surprised by the unexpected weight, she tightened her hold on the grip. She had thankfully not dropped it, but her wrists were shaking as if they were about to break. Her face grew red with the effort. The tip of the sword shakily rose an inch from the ground.

“S-See? I told you I could lift it.”

“You call that lifting?”

Riftan clicked his tongue incredulously and took the sword from her hand.

“Give it here. You’ll hurt yourself.”

With that, he propped the sword up next to the bed in one quick movement as if he were moving a feather. The immense difference in their strengths left Maxi stunned. How could one person be that strong?

“A-Are swords… usually that heavy?”

“Mine is much heavier than the average bastard sword. A special smelting method was used to increase its strength, and it adds to the weight. A wider blade, too. Even I had a hard time wielding it at first.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips as he poured the water Maxi had boiled into a basin. After soaking a towel, he began wiping himself down.

Maxi took a change of clothes from a chest and placed it next to him. “May I ask… why the earl… s-sent his knights here?”

Riftan nodded calmly as he wiped the back of his neck. “He sent his men to request an alliance. It seems like he’s having a tough time dealing with the growing number of monsters.”

“A-An alliance?”

“He’s offering to pay a certain amount of compensation in return for the Remdragon Knights helping him stamp out the monsters. He has also offered to actively support my construction project.”

Maxi inwardly released a sigh of relief that the knights were not here to conscript Riftan to the campaign.

“Then… do you intend to… a-accept his offer?”

“I told them that I would think about it. It is not a bad offer, but I’m not sure it’s worth dividing Anatol’s troops for…”

“Because… y-you might have to leave for another campaign soon?”

Riftan paused from rinsing off the soap to look at her.

Maxi quickly added, “I-I heard that monsters… are r-raiding people in the north, and that… the Remdragon Knights might also be called to join the fight against them…”

“Who prattled to you about such matters?” Riftan asked, his voice sharp.

Maxi hunched her shoulders and replied hesitantly, “I-I accidentally overheard it… while I was treating the scout.”

She did not mention that Ruth had given her a comprehensive explanation after that. It would only subject him to unwarranted ire. Riftan clicked his tongue lightly and tossed a towel on a chair.

“We do not know yet for certain if we will have to join the campaign.”

“If… the king were to send a command…”

Maxi swallowed past the lump in her throat. Though Ruth had already told her that it would be another knight who would be leading the campaign, Maxi still wanted to hear Riftan confirm it.

“W-Will you be… leading the knights, Riftan?”

Riftan watched her as if he were trying to figure out the intention behind her question before slowly shaking his head.

“No. I intend to send Ursuline or Hebaron in my stead.”