Under the Oak Tree



Chapter 34: Chapter 34

Maxi turned around to see Ruth crouching under a tree, scraping moss from between the roots. He stood up with a sack in his hand.

“Everyone’s armor and clothes were all stained black. I half thought we’d have to change the name of our order from the Remdragon Knights (“Rem” means white) to the Black Dragon Knights.”

“Mage Ruth!” Ulyseon exclaimed, running toward the sorcerer. “What are you doing here?”

“I am making a reagent for the trees on her ladyship’s request,” Ruth replied, lifting the sack. “But did I interrupt? It seems she was in the middle of recounting the fierce battle against the ogres.”

Maxi blushed from head to toe, wishing she could crumble into dust and be blown away by the wind. Ruth, who had seen her vomit and faint, could call her bluff if he wished. The squires, however, seemed oblivious to her embarrassment and continued to chatter away.

“Yes! We were just at the part where Sir Riftan killed ten giant ogres in the blink of an eye!”

“Ten giant ogres, you say?” drawled Ruth.

Maxi’s heart pounded and her eyes darted from side to side as she tried to think of an excuse to leave. Ruth gave a knowing look before continuing with a straight face.

“Then I guess her ladyship hasn’t told you about the battle in the mountains.”

“Battle in the mountains?”

“We were crossing Anatolium when a pack of werewolves charged at us. Now, how many of those beasts were there? My memory’s been failing me lately. Lady Calypse?”

“I d-don’t remember…”

“Ah yes, there were simply too many to count. Their fur carpeted the whole mountain.”

“That many werewolves in Anatolium?” exclaimed Ulyseon.

Maxi stood frozen, cold sweat dripping down her back.

“I think her ladyship is better equipped to recount the finer details,” Ruth said, smiling.

The youths looked at her expectantly, but Maxi’s face was now flushed crimson. She did not have the nerve to concoct stories in front of Ruth. Ruth seemed to take pity on her, for he soon came to her rescue.

“But her ladyship has many affairs that require her attention. We mustn’t take so much of her time.”

“Y-Yes, I-I do have some m-matters to attend t-to…” Maxi said hastily. She straightened up to leave, but Ruth stopped her.

“That reminds me… I have a message for you. Your tale was so enchanting that I forgot I had news for you, my lady.”

“N-News?”

She looked at him distrustfully, half expecting him to start mocking her. Ruth, however, simply pulled out and unfolded a small piece of parchment.

“Sir Riftan used the magical device at the royal palace to send this letter to my tower. He plans to leave the capital as soon as the victory celebration is over. The journey will take a fortnight at most. But at their pace, I expect we’ll be seeing them in ten days’ time.”

Maxi’s embarrassment faded at the unexpected news. Beaming, she took the parchment from Ruth to see Riftan’s date of departure and travel route.

Ruth shook his head and sighed. “He really does plan not to stay a second longer than necessary.”

“I-Is that a p-problem?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to help King Reuben save face while he’s there.”

Ulyseon quickly came to Riftan’s defense. “With werewolves roaming the borders of Anatol, I’m sure Sir Riftan is only concerned about our security. I can only imagine how worried he must be.”

Wishing to avoid this change in topic, Maxi brought the conversation to an end.

“Th-Thank you f-for t-telling me. It’s t-time for me t-to visit the forge now…”

“Of course, my lady. I am very much aware that you are busy.”

Ruth’s sarcastic words echoed behind her as she left with quickening steps. The lightness of her feet surprised her. She resisted the urge to hum a tune, conscious of the young squires following behind her.

***

After completing her inspection of the castle, Maxi returned to her room to organize her list of orders. And as soon as she awoke the next morning, she rushed to the library and asked Ruth to check the list for errors. The sorcerer was fast asleep on the threadbare carpet with books piled on top of his body in place of a blanket. He scowled when she woke him but scanned the list without a word of complaint, using an ink-dipped quill to mark out a few items.

“The steward has stocked enough oil and candles. We also have spare tableware in storage. And pray tell, my lady, who will be using all this soap and scented oil?”

“The kn-knights seemed t-to enjoy baths and s-saunas…”

“Ha! Can you imagine those men using expensive things? They’ll scowl if you put anything with a floral scent under their noses. You should just order enough for yourself.”

He promptly crossed out the items. He scanned the rest of the list, speaking as if he were doing her a great favor.

“The rest seems fine.”

“Then sh-should I p-put in the o-order?”

“Let me add a few items.”

Maxi widened her eyes. It was the first time Ruth had suggested spending more money. Curious, she peered at the words he was scratching onto the parchment. It appeared to be a long list of names. The first thing that crossed her mind was that he was writing a list of slave names. She gaped at him.

“W-What are you wr-writing?”

“Names of scholars. I’d like to order anything and everything the merchants can find written by them.”

Maxi stared at him blankly.

“A-Are you asking me t-to buy p-personal items with the c-castle budget? A-And something so e-expensive and e-extravagant at that!”

“My lady, knowledge is valuable beyond all measure,” Ruth said solemnly. “I assure you, these books are not for myself. They’re for the library, and anyone is free to come and read them.”

Her jaw dropped at his brazenness. Ruth detested seeing visitors in the library. He made no attempt to hide his displeasure even when she, the lady of the castle, entered. In fact, he had practically taken over the library in addition to the castle tower.

“I’ve n-never seen a-anyone but yourself using the l-library.”

“I’m sure more people will use it in the future,” he said matter-of-factly.

Maxi’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. The majority of the castle’s inhabitants were knights who spent their days training outside, seldom venturing inside except to eat. For all his stern interventions in her purchases, Ruth seemed to have no scruples when it came to buying items that he wanted. Maxi snatched the quill from his hand and crossed out the items on his list just as he had done to her. Startled, Ruth snatched back the piece of parchment.

“I’m the sorcerer of this castle! Improving my skills is for the good of Anatol!”

“I-I knew it! Y-You’re ordering these books f-for yourself! A-And… these books aren’t e-even b-books of magic!”

“And how would you know that, my lady?”

“I s-spent twenty-two years in a l-library! E-Even I know th-the names of philosophers l-like G-Gerald or K-Kazaham!”

Ruth’s blue-gray eyes shook. It was a clear sign that the books had nothing to do with magic. Maxi smiled triumphantly.

“G-Give me that list. Y-You said there would be road c-construction next year! We c-can’t afford all these b-books!”

“M-My lady!” Ruth cried, a hint of desperation in his voice. “Aren’t you worried that your future child will grow up to be nothing but a sword-swinging fool?”

It was Maxi’s turn to be shaken. Her face turned red as if someone had poured scalding water over her head. She could almost feel steam rising from her head.

“Ch-Ch-Child? W-What on earth are you t-talking about?”

“It’s only natural that a child should be born between a man and his wife. Unless Sir Riftan leaves for yet another campaign, it’ll be a year or two at most before we hear the first cries of a child in this castle.”

“Ch-Child…”

Heat prickled her eyes. She tried to cool her burning cheeks with her hands, her heart racing at the thought of holding a baby in her arms. As she squirmed in anguish, Ruth grabbed her hands.

“Surely you want to raise your child to be clever and wise?”

“B-B-But the ch-child hasn’t even been b-born…”

“It’ll be too late by then! Children need knowledge to grow! You must prepare a good environment for them in advance!”

Maxi could not understand the rush but, overwhelmed by the sorcerer’s insistence, she could not argue back. Her distracted state provided Ruth with an opening to scribble down a purchase list.

“There. All done.”

After filling nearly five full lines with his requests, he returned the parchment to her with a satisfied look. Maxi took it reluctantly.

“W-What if Riftan gets m-mad because we b-bought too many b-books?”

“Sir Riftan doesn’t concern himself with such trivial sums.”

Maxi stared at him, at a loss for words. She was not a worldly woman, but she knew that books were extremely expensive, far more expensive than glass. Book production required tremendous effort and time. Each line was written letter by letter, and meticulous needlework was needed to bind the pages to a gilded leather cover. Even her father had kept certain books on a display shelf to keep them in pristine condition.

Academic books were handwritten by a handful of scholars. As such, they were not as easy to acquire as romance novels or epic poems that were based on bards’ songs. Even when they could be found, they were prohibitively expensive.

“You said w-we must c-cut spending…”

“Knowledge is more precious than gold, my lady.”