Chapter 128: Chapter 1
Riftan watched the inn staff carefully load kegs of water and fodder onto the carts before finally turning his gaze back to Maxi. His expression was stony, and Maxi tilted her head in confusion.
After gazing down at her irritably, Riftan breathed a low sigh and led her to the horses. He pulled something out from one of his saddlebags.
“I got this for you yesterday. I chose the lightest one, so carry it with you even if you find it cumbersome.”
It was a dagger, the hilt of which was easily a little over a kevette (approximately 30 centimeters) in length. Riftan bent to fasten a sturdy leather belt around her waist, then secured the dagger’s sheath to the belt.
“In truth, I do not wish to give you such a ghastly thing...” he said, his lips twisting as he looked down at her with a clouded expression. “But when I heard that you were lost in the mountains all by yourself without a single weapon, I felt like I’d been plunged into darkness. I thought it best for you to at least have a knife on you.”
“Th-Thank you. I shall use it well.”
“I have no intention of making you use such a thing. I am merely giving it to you as a precaution,” he said sharply, then added with a groan, “Still, I shall teach you how to use it soon.”
Maxi gave him a determined nod. So far, she had felt like a cyst hanging off the campaign, so the mere fact that he was giving her a weapon filled her with joy.
After watching her flushed face with an anxious expression, Riftan shook his head and led her back to the inn where they ate a simple breakfast. They departed the village soon after.
The vast plain seemed to stretch on and on. Maxi galloped through it surrounded by the knights. Compared to the rugged mountain path, crossing the even dirt road patched with grass was like riding on soft clouds.
Maxi looked up at the clear blue sky, then over her shoulder at the two baggage carts rattling along the road. The pair of stallions they had purchased at the village managed to keep up with the warhorses despite having to lug fodder, water kegs, provisions, and firewood.
“Do we... need so much fodder and w-water?
“There will not be any grass or even a puddle once we get a little further,” said Gabel, looking up at the sky as he galloped next to her. “Since it does not seem like it is going to rain anytime soon, even just what we have currently is not enough to water all these horses.”
Rain was not a welcome guest for travelers on the road, and Maxi grew a little worried. Not only did it make for an uncomfortable day of riding in soaked clothes and shoes, but it also rendered their herbs and provisions unusable.
It occurred to Maxi that galloping across a bleak plain under the scorching sun was also an unpleasant experience.
Wiping beads of sweat that were already forming on her nose, Maxi anxiously gazed up at the burning sun. It would grow hotter at noon. Would they be able to endure such heat?
True to her fears, the soaring sun assaulted them with sweltering heatwaves. The horses could not stop panting, and even the knights, who rarely showed exhaustion, were soaked with sweat.
The campaign party rode across the vast, shade-less land before stopping by a stream. They had a simple lunch of bread and jerky while the horses eagerly drank water. Afterward, they set off across the endless plain once more.
Never in her wildest dreams did Maxi think she would come to miss the mountains. Not even a single day had gone by. Thinking of the shade beneath the trees and icy valley streams almost brought tears to her eyes. She heaved a sigh as she gazed over the arid plain devoid of even a single blade of grass.
Her scalp stung from the scorching heat, and her back streamed with sweat. By the time they decided to stop for the night, Maxi felt like a soggy spinach leaf.
The choice of that night’s campground was an area dotted with large rocks. Maxi laboriously slid from the saddle. Her painstaking efforts to clean herself only a day prior had all come to naught. She mused that perhaps it would be easier to give up on sanitation altogether on this journey.
She trudged to where the junior knights had gathered and helped them feed the horses. Ulyseon vehemently tried to stop her, but it made Maxi uncomfortable to do nothing while everyone else was bustling about.
She picked up some of the fodder and hand-fed the horses, then filled a pail with water to let them drink. Riftan had just returned from a patrol, and he frowned when he saw her tending to the mounts.
“Stop doing that and get some rest.”
Taking her arm, he dragged her to the entrance of the tent that had just been pitched.
“Rest inside while the food is being prepared. You will be helping us more that way.”
The look she gave was full of discontent, but she bobbed her head in resignation. She had grown somewhat accustomed to life on the road by now, so she was not as dead tired as she used to be at the end of a long day. Still, her stamina was nothing compared to that of the knights who trained rigorously every day.
As Riftan said, it would be more helpful to the knights if she replenished her energy whenever she could.
Riftan brought her meal to her on a tray as soon as it was ready. The sun set as Maxi filled her empty stomach with bacon potato stew and barley bread. Beside her, Riftan also ate his share.
“How are your aches?”
“They... are not as bad as before, a-and I have grown used to the long rides.”
The truth was that her inner thighs were still sore, and her shoulders ached, but Maxi did her best to look unbothered. Riftan studied her with narrowed eyes as if to discern whether or not she was telling the truth.
He rose to his feet. “Good. Then let’s have a brief lesson on how to use your weapon before you sleep.”
“N-Now?”
“Are you too tired?”
Shaking her head, Maxi hastily got up and followed him out of the tent. Riftan stopped a short distance away.
“Come, draw your dagger.”
Maxi awkwardly glanced about. The knights eating by the fire watched them with interest.
Maxi cleared her throat, then gripped the hilt of the dagger at her waist with fumbling fingers. She wanted to unsheathe it gracefully, but yanking the blade from the tightly encased leather scabbard proved difficult.
Flustered, Maxi grabbed the scabbard with one hand and pulled the dagger with the other. The metal grated as it came out.
Riftan watched her with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed.
“You have it the wrong way. This side of the blade should face down,” he said, pointing to the gracefully curved edge.
Maxi hastily flipped the dagger over in her hand, but the deep crease on Riftan’s forehead did not soften. He studied her awkward posture with a grave expression.
“A dagger is meant for stabbing, not cutting. You can’t wield it like that. More like this...”
Placing his hand over hers, he tipped the blade until it was almost parallel to the ground, then took three steps away from her.
“Good. Now try stabbing me with it,” he said calmly.
“You- You want me to do what?”
“I want you to stab me.”
“I-Isn’t that dangerous? W-What if you get hurt?”
Riftan’s lips curled up in amusement at her alarm. “You won’t be able to hurt me with that thing even if the sky were to split in half, so stop worrying and come at me.”
Maxi’s face flushed. He was right. It was certainly impossible for her to wound the greatest knight on the continent, but his overly condescending tone stoked her ire.
She glared at him, then squeezed her eyes shut and charged. She barely managed two steps before her foot caught on a stone, sending her lurching forward.
Maxi frantically flailed her arms to regain her balance, sending the dagger flying toward the spectators. Balancing their bowls of stew in one hand, the knights hastily dodged the assailing dagger. Riftan quickly caught her before she fell.
...
He sighed incredulously. “Why would you close your eyes before attacking? Especially when you’d be lucky to strike your target with them open...”
Maxi felt her ears burn. “B-Because it was my first try. I will do better... th-the second time.”
Riftan cocked an eyebrow. Then, as if goading her to give it her best shot, he released her and backed away.
It did not take long for everyone to discover that she possessed no talent for swordsmanship. Her wildly swung dagger rebounded upward whenever it hit Riftan’s gauntlet, then fell out of her hand.
In a show of patience, Riftan taught her the correct way to wield it and how to efficiently stab the vital points. Despite the lesson, Maxi failed to improve no matter how many times she attempted an offensive.
Clutching her sore wrist, she nervously studied his face. She was afraid that she had only reinforced his presumption that she was a weak and inept noblewoman.
“It’s hopeless. We’ll just have to do our best to protect her,” Hebaron muttered under his breath, shaking his head.
He had been watching from a rock, munching on jerky. Although he probably had not meant for her to hear, his naturally resonant voice carried over.
Her shoulders sagged in dismay. It appeared that Riftan agreed with Hebaron, but he, at least, did not voice his opinion out loud.
Riftan picked her dagger off the ground and slid it back into the sheath at her waist. “Let us stop here for today. You must be exhausted. Get some rest.”
Afraid that he would give up on teaching her, Maxi hastily said, “I-I will do better tomorrow. You will... teach me again tomorrow, won’t you?”
...
“We will see,” he answered vaguely, then nudged her back to the tent.
Maxi gave him a subtle look. “What about you? A-Are you not... coming in with me?”
Riftan’s lips thinned into a contorted smile.
“I shall join you later. You should go rest first.”
Maxi looked up at him, wondering if he intended to sit up all night outside her tent again, but meekly retreated. She was utterly spent and did not have the energy to argue. After rubbing her aching wrist, she removed her boots and pushed them into a corner.
What she wanted more than anything was a bath, but right now they had to conserve water. She pushed down the urge as she removed her belt.
She lay on the bed with her bag as a makeshift pillow. Even though the sun had completely set and had taken the heat with it, her damp clothes clung to her body. It made falling asleep difficult.
Right until the moment she dozed off, Maxi repeated fervent prayers for them to find a stream tomorrow.
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