Chapter 158: Chapter 1
“Come here. You’re letting the rain in.”
Riftan approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. The ticklish sensation of his scruffy chin on her cheek made her hunch her shoulders. Rubbing his lips on her temple, he squeezed her tender breast.
The brewing storm made the air thick, and lightning lit up the night once more. Deafening thunder boomed across the sky. It was so ear-splitting that it made Maxi fear that the heavens would come crashing down on them.
Letting out a soft sigh, Riftan led a trembling Maxi back to the cot and made her sit down.
“I must go. I don’t want you taking a step out of this tent until the storm is over, do you understand?”
Maxi looked up at him, wide-eyed. “You’re... going out? In s-such weather?”
“The horses will be agitated. I’ll have to check the stables and increase our defenses.”
Riftan lit a new candle. While he donned his armor, Maxi sat swaddled in a blanket as she listened to the pelting rain that fell like hooves thudding the ground, the flapping of the tent walls against the fierce wind, and the rolling thunder. Occasionally, she also heard the bellowing of the soldiers.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably. It was as if the world had been thrown into chaos.
Looking anxious, she asked tentatively, “D-Do you think there will be trouble... because of what happened yesterday?”
Riftan paused from putting on his robe and turned toward her.
Lowering her eyes, Maxi added, “If... there were to be trouble in the c-camp because of me...”
“And why would that be your fault?” Riftan replied brusquely. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s Richard Breston. That man has been causing problems even before you arrived at Eth Lene. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but the vice-commander bears me nothing but enmity. Even if you weren’t here, he would have used whatever opportunity he could to get on my nerves.”
Maxi’s face hardened. Anger surged in her chest once more as she recalled the despicable words the barbaric man had flung at Riftan.
“To think he would mock you... w-when you’ve done him no wrong... What a vile man.”
For a moment, Riftan regarded her with a strange expression before shrugging as if to say he was used to such hostility.
“Richard Breston is a scion of a prestigious family that has been around since the Roem Empire, and his father is a knight hailed as Rosem Wigrew’s reincarnation in Balto. It probably affronts him that a man like me is given the same honor as his father.”
A cruel smile twisted his lips.
“I’ve been ignoring him because he was just a pest, but I can’t let this slide. I will hammer it into his head never to approach you again.”
“But... we are at war. If there w-were to be internal strife...”
“I don’t intend to clash swords with him this instant. I’m just going to give him a warning to ensure that he won’t cause any more problems.”
Hearing the ruthlessness in his voice only inflamed Maxi’s worries. Though she did not know what he intended, even a three-year-old would have been able to guess that it would involve violence.
Each flash of lightning lit up his sharp features, making him appear colder and more ruthless than usual. As if sensing her apprehension, Riftan’s face softened, and he knelt on one knee before her.
He stroked her leg with a gloved hand. “How are you feeling? Are you in pain anywhere?”
Blushing, Maxi shook her hand. “I’m... all right.”
“What about your injury?”
“I wouldn’t call it... a-an injury.”
The swelling in her wrist had gone down. Riftan lowered her hand after carefully assessing it.
“I’ll send for Garrow and Ulyseon. I want you to remain in the tent until the storm has passed.”
Maxi nodded, and Riftan pecked her on the lips before he left the tent. She watched him walk into the raging storm. It upset her that he would probably spend the whole day out in the rain and gale.
Plagued by the guilt of being the only person sitting idle in a cozy tent, Maxi paced aimlessly around the cramped space. Soon, a rain-soaked Ulyseon and Garrow entered the tent. Maxi rushed over to them with a handful of towels.
“Thank you, my lady.”
The two squires dried their hair and peeled off their dripping robes to hang them near the entrance. When they strode into the halo of lamplight, Maxi saw Ulyseon’s despondent expression and drooping shoulders.
He regarded her with crestfallen eyes. “You must have been quite frightened yesterday, my lady. Please accept my sincerest apology. I should not have allowed those animals to insult you so...”
“N-No! As I said yesterday... you are not to blame, Ulyseon. You bravely defended me. If anything... I am grateful.”
“My lady...” Ulyseon choked out, looking close to tears.
Maxi gave an awkward chuckle when she recalled how the squire had snarled like an angry hound at the men who towered a head above him.
As he gazed at her with his guileless, puppy dog eyes, she wondered where the gallant knight-in-training had gone.
Garrow studied her as he draped his wet towel over a chair. “Are you hurt anywhere, my lady?”
Maxi shook her head. “N-No, I am perfectly fine. I was just... a little shocked.”
“We will make sure nothing of the sort ever happens again.”
Giving them a grateful smile, Maxi led the two young men to the table. After lighting another candle on the table, the three of them ate breakfast while listening to the cacophony outside. They ate their fill of bread and wine, then began the work of covering the gaps in the tent with a tar-coated sheet to prevent the rain from seeping in.
The squires tried vehemently to dissuade her, but Maxi insisted on helping. She simply could not sit by while the two of them did all the work. Time flew as they laid the fabric on the floor and hauled items that were in danger of getting soaked to the middle of the tent.
Half a day passed before the rain began to ease and the thunder withdrew. Maxi peered through the tent flap and saw that the dark clouds were gone. Faint rays of light streamed down from the gray sky. Rain still fell in white sheets over puddles, branches, and the barracks, but the fierce gusts had died down.
Maxi threw on her robe and drew the hood over her head. Ulyseon noticed her and stopped in the middle of polishing Riftan’s armor.
He darted over to her. “Do you wish to visit the infirmary, my lady?”
“I want to make sure... the men are all right. Do you think I can?”
“Security was heightened after yesterday’s incident, so it should be fine, my lady.”
The squire surveyed the vicinity to check for anyone suspicious, then nodded. “And everyone, including the Baltonian knights, is currently in an emergency meeting in the central barracks. I don’t think anyone will try anything with us.”
“A-An emergency meeting?”
“The monsters are acting strangely,” Garrow chimed in. “According to the scouts that returned at dawn, a portion of the troll army has moved west. The meeting is to figure out what their plans are.”
“D-Do you think it will go smoothly? The Baltonian knights... seemed v-very angry...”
“The Remdragon Knights are a great deal more incensed than they are,” Ulyseon replied, his purple eyes flashing coldly. “Even so, we are not foolish enough to fight among ourselves when our enemy is right in front of us. I am sure that man Breston isn’t so foolish, either.”
...
Maxi furrowed her brow. She doubted that the vice-commander was in possession of such good sense. After all, had he not harassed and intimidated another man’s wife despite being a commanding officer of a knightly order?
As if that were not bad enough, the man had barraged Riftan with insults and even publicly challenged him to a duel. He certainly seemed like a supercilious man.
I wonder if Ulyseon is right.
Maxi’s eyes clouded with concern. Contrary to her fears, no news of a duel came even as the sun began to set. The urgent situation had forced the men to put their animosity aside.
Riftan returned to the tent late that afternoon.
“A battle has broken out at the front,” he said as he hastily changed clothes. “I must depart at once.”
Maxi had been preparing herbs on the table. She turned to look at him with wide eyes. Though it was still hours away from nightfall, gray clouds blackened the sky. The thought of Riftan riding into battle through the rain in pitch darkness chilled her to her bones.
“W-Will it be an all-out war?”
“Not yet, but I’m going to turn it into one,” he replied apathetically as he swapped his wet boots for a new pair.
Beside him, Maxi nervously fidgeted with her feet. “Turn it into one? W-What do you mean?”
“It’s likely the monsters are simply trying to provoke us, but I intend to turn this into a decisive battle. I’m going to end this tedious war as quickly as possible.”
...
Anxiety curled in her chest at his determined tone. “Promise me... y-you won’t do anything reckless.”
It had taken mere seconds for Riftan to get changed. He now threw on his armor as he turned to look at her.
His frown morphed into an incredulous smile. “I’m not sure if I’m the one who should be making that promise.”
Sensing the rebuke in his statement, Maxi blushed. “Are you... s-still angry with me?”
“Did you think I’d be placated so easily?” he said with a snort. “I’ve been trying to keep my anger in check, so don’t think I’ve forgiven you for coming here against my wishes. I will not be satisfied until you’re safely back in Anatol unscathed.”
“B-But last night-”
Maxi caught herself and clamped her mouth shut. Color rose in her cheeks. A strange silence descended on them, and Maxi awkwardly smoothed her dress as she sneaked a glance up at him.
To her disbelief, a hint of red colored Riftan’s cheekbones. He irritably ran a hand through his wet hair.
“Do you not know what I go through when you’re in front of me? I’ve been celibate for months in this wretched place! Every day, I imagine you next to me whenever I lie down to rest!”
He strode up to her until their noses were touching.
“It’s like waving a bone in front of a starving dog,” he growled. “But I didn’t want to do that with you in a place like this! I didn’t want to embrace you like I was merely satisfying my desire. But, when you’re right in front of me, I just can’t...”
Seeing the shock on her face at his fervent admission, Riftan clenched his jaw. He scrubbed his face, looking exhausted.
“I’m going to end this damned war within a month, so promise me... that you’ll be careful.”
Unable to speak, Maxi bobbed her head. She watched him stride toward the entrance, sword in hand, before snapping to her senses.
She rushed over and wrapped her arms around his waist, gazing up at him with anxious eyes. Riftan stiffened.
“You mustn’t... leave while you’re so angry. W-We might not be able to see each other for a while... We don’t know when the battle will end...”
Riftan’s expression seemed somehow vulnerable as he returned her gaze.
Cupping his cheek, she said beseechingly, “Please promise me... that you’ll return unharmed. I give you my word... th-that I’ll be careful too, so-”
Maxi was so choked with emotion that she was unable to continue. When she rested her cheek against his back, Riftan turned around and drew her into a tight embrace. His cold, armored hand pushed into her hair and longingly caressed the lines of her neck.
She felt his shaky breath on her nape as he mumbled, “Once it becomes an all-out battle, only the barest number of men will remain to guard the castle. Anything can happen, so always take Garrow and Ulyseon with you wherever you go. Ruth will also stay back, so go to him if anything happens.”
Maxi nodded without looking up.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said after a long pause.
He kissed her earlobe. She clung to him like a baby monkey clutching its mother, and he had to pry her away.
Wanting to see him off, Maxi threw on her cloak.
“The Knights of Phil Aaron will be leaving with us,” Riftan said, stopping her at the entrance. “Don’t come outside.”
“B-But I’ll only-”
“Stay inside,” he said firmly.
He then gave instructions to Ulyseon and Garrow who were waiting just outside. Standing at the entrance of the tent, Maxi watched as he trudged away through the wet darkness.
Beacons blazed atop the ramparts, illuminating the procession of soldiers on warhorses making their way toward the city gates. Soon, the knights began their march out of the enclosed city.
The remaining knights stood guard near the ramparts with extra vigilance, and mages came out to inspect the magical devices installed on the walls. Eth Lene Castle was now on full alert.
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