Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 315: Chapter 76

Maxi narrowed her eyes.

When she did not go to speak, Riftan said impatiently, “Your answer?”

She stared down at his blunt-toe sabaton before calmly asking, “How many knights… will you be sending?”

“About fifty.” Relief flashed across his face, mistakenly taking her question for assent. “Charon will go with you, and I’ll hire a maidservant to attend to you during the journey.”

“Thank you… but I shall have to refuse. I won’t be going back,” Maxi replied softly.

She plucked her books out of his hands.

Riftan’s eyebrow twitched. He leaned close, his voice dropping low. “Come again?”

“I-I will not be going back.”

Clutching her books to her chest, she stepped backward.

She saw his jaw clench. Before he could say anything, she said quickly, “D-Does it make sense for you to divide your men at such a time? Yes, the royal army is coming… but those knights are not loyal to you. You should be consolidating more men under your command, not—”

He snorted. “Are you trying to instruct me in military affairs?”

The look he gave as he gazed down at her, combined with the imperious way he spoke, made him appear infuriatingly arrogant.

Maxi lifted her chin. “S-Seeing as you’re planning to send seasoned knights away when we are bracing for war… I thought y-you needed the advice.”

His eyes flared with rage. “I do not need your advice,” he snarled.

She felt like a fool for having waited so desperately to talk to him. Turning her back, she stormed out the door and down the corridor, leaving him standing in the library. But as she soon found out, her strides were no match for his long legs.

“Is this your answer to my humble request?”

He fell into step beside her.

“H-Humble?” Maxi looked up at him incredulously, gritting her teeth. “Y-Y-You, sir? Clearly, you do not know the meaning of the word!”

“Fine! Then, 1 command it. Go back to Anatol!”

“I refuse!” she shrilled.

Servants passing through the corridor stopped to watch out of curiosity, but Maxi was far too angry to care about appearances. She glowered at him defiantly and continued marching along.

Trailing a few steps behind, Riftan’s next words carried a subtle threat.

“I am your husband.”

“Th-That is surprising,” said Maxi, snorting. She quickened her pace. “I had assumed you’d forgotten.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

’ W-What do you think?”

She haughtily raised her chin, glaring at him.

“I am in no mood to play word games with you,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Then… there is nothing for us to talk about!”

She was almost running down the corridor by then. Riftan grabbed her arm, sending all but one book toppling to the ground. Neither of them gave the mess a second glance. He backed her into a corner and placed a hand on the wall beside her head, blocking her escape.

“You have no intention of ever listening to me, do you? You always have to get your way.”

“I-It is you who refuses to listen!” Maxi shouted.

She forcefully tried to push him away, but he did not budge. This only infuriated her further. A brick wall was more pliable than this man.

“I, at least, wanted to discuss it with you! But you… do not even try to take my thoughts into consideration! Despite me telling you countless times… h-how worried I get for you… y-you never listen! My words mean nothing to you… do they?”

Riftan’s face turned a deep crimson. He opened his mouth wide, ready to retort, before clamping it closed again when he saw tears shining in her eyes. A groan rumbled from his throat.

“It’s not like that. I’m… worried that the past will repeat itself. I never want to see you hurt.” His eyes clouded. “I would go mad if something like that ever happened again.”

“I knew… nothing of war back then,” Maxi mumbled.

Her shoulders sagged as memories of the past flooded back

“I know you are worried about me,” she said carefully, pacified somewhat. “But… I cannot let you make such a sacrifice. At least… let me remain here. That way… you won’t have to spare so many of your knights to protect me.”

“That is not an option!” Riftan bellowed without warning.

Maxi looked up at him in shock She had thought this a huge concession on her part, so she was taken aback by his heated response.

He glared at her. Then, his voice thick with frustration, he said, “I will not leave you here. Have you already forgotten what happened last time? There are crazed mages out there creating undead monsters! How could I leave you here knowing that?”

Maxi looked up at him hopefully. “Then, the only option is… for me to go with you.”

His face twisted viciously. Rubbing his forehead as though to dispel a headache, he firmly spat each word.

“Return to Anatol.”

“If I do… will that really bring you peace of mind?” she said softly. “Don’t you think., the journey back would be more dangerous? Even when I was traveling with the Temple Knights, the way to Anatol was treacherous.”

Her heart leaped in elation when she saw him waver.

“Being amongst thousands of seasoned soldiers may just be the safer choice,” she continued. “And… you would likely feel more at ease if I stayed within sight.”

The same applied to her as well. She recalled her extreme anxiety when Riftan had failed to return from the reconnaissance mission. Now that she had experienced that awful feeling of her heart shriveling in her chest, the thought of living in such a state for months was distressing. In that moment, she resolved to go with Riftan no matter what.

“If it worries you so much… I shall promise never to go near the frontlines. I-I will help the war effort from the rear as part of the medical unit.”

His lips drawn into a thin line, Riftan seemed to consider it for a second. Then he said brusquely, “No, enough of your quibbling. Anywhere would be safer than the battlefield. I will not take you with me to that hell.”

“I also… cannot allow you to go to war with little over a hundred knights.”

Angered by his adamant refusal to make any concessions, Maxi shot him an icy glare.

The tendons bulged from his strained neck His voice dropped to a dangerous growl. “And how exactly do you intend to stop me?”

Something within her snapped. She hurled the book in her hands with all her strength. The spine knocked him squarely on the chin, and he stepped back, cursing. Still too angry to feel sorry, she continued to rage, not caring whether anyone was watching.

“Fine! G-Go ahead, d-do as you please! B-Because I will do the same!”

“Goddammit, Maxi—”

“U-Unhand me!”

She jerked her arm free from his grasp and bolted down the corridor.

Maxi’s immediate next step was to seek out Calto and inform him of her decision to join the coalition army. Calto happily accepted. As it turned out, Anette, Miriam, and Armin had already volunteered.

Maxi glanced at Armin Dolph in surprise. She knew Anette’s reason for joining, but she had assumed Armin would have chosen to return to Nornui. As if sensing the question in her gaze, Armin shrugged.

“I am a craftsman just as much as I am a mage. This is a golden opportunity to see all sorts of siege weapons and much more in action.”

Maxi understood completely. Be it at Calypse Castle or Eth Lene, Armin spent most of his time at the forge. It was also not unusual to find him showing interest in the knights’ weapons. What was more surprising, though, was Sidina’s decision to stay behind. Despite Geoffrey’s relentless attempts to persuade her, she was resolute.

“I want to stay here and translate these records. I find this task far more interesting at the moment,” Sidina explained, pointing to the stack of parchments on the desk. Her iron determination forced Geoffrey to back down.

She was not alone in her decision to remain at Eth Lene Castle. A total of five people, including Royald, Joel, Kiel, and Elena, opted out. One of the mages of Urd chose to stay behind as well. It was a decision made out of necessity, as they would need someone to coordinate the delivery of the records to the Mage Tower.

“Let’s see… that means thirteen mages are leaving for the Pamela Plateau.”

“We have contacted the free mages in the north, so around twenty more should respond if we re lucky,” Anton said. There had been fewer volunteers than he had hoped, and he seemed somewhat disheartened.

“I’m glad you decided to join,” he continued. “Earth mages are rare, so your skills will be invaluable.”

“As I’ve made clear numerous times, I intend to stay away from any fighting,” Anette said with distaste.

There were very few earth-based offensive spells, none of which were particularly strong. It was a wholly inadequate skillset against monsters with astonishing regenerative abilities.

Of course, Anton was aware of this. He gave Anette a bitter smile. “Indeed, but no matter. You earth mages are adept at repairing magical devices, not to mention talented at defensive magic.”

Anette mirrored his smile with a slight curling of her lips.

With the participating mages now confirmed, they dove into war preparations. The low mana concentration in the Plateau meant that those in the offensive unit would need something to amplify their magic. While they worked to solve that issue, Maxi and Anette procured various medical equipment.

Most of the supplies were of southern origin. Having learned early on that healing with magic alone was grossly insufficient, Maxi had studied various treatment methods during her time at the Mage Tower. With the help of Sejuleu Aren, she now procured large quantities of alcohol and clean linen for washing and dressing wounds. Other equipment included tools for stitching lacerations, such as needles, thread, scissors, and tweezers.

Though she ran into Riftan several times, she gave him the cold shoulder. Riftan had taken to ignoring her as well after learning that she had gone ahead and enlisted. A storm brewed whenever they were in the same place, and the heavy atmosphere seemed to surprise even Sejuleu. The Livadonian commander had taken to treading carefully whenever he was around them.

The days passed in that manner, and eventually, the coalition army arrived at Eth Lene Castle. Maxi was making emergency remedies at the training grounds’ infirmary when she heard the blast of a kopel. Sticking her head out of the window, she saw row upon row of soldiers entering the castle gates. A pair of banners fluttered above them — Wedon’s crest of a white bird, and next to it, the Royal Army of Livadon..

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