Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 272  Chapter 33

Riftan picked up his coat and threw it on. Seeing he was about to leave with his knights, Maxi hastily rose from her seat.

She was tempted to go after him, but what would she say? She could already tell from his walk how furious he was. She knew she would have to explain herself at some point, but she could not gather the courage to face his rage just yet.

After anxiously watching him leave, she turned to Kuahel. When she regarded the Temple Knight commander with a look that conveyed she had much to say, a light crease formed between Kuahel's brows. After glowering at him, Maxi looked away to address Calto.

"Master Calto… were you aware this whole time… that uncovering the secrets of the past war was not this expedition's sole purpose? Why keep such details from us?"

"I would also like to know," Anette chimed in. "Frankly, I feel deceived."

As if displeased at the accusatory atmosphere that had formed around the elder, Celric came to his defense.

"Though we admittedly have not explained everything, there was no deception! When we were still forming the expeditionary party, the chances of war were slim. We only learned of the monsters' unusual movements after we arrived at Anatol. As nothing was set in stone, we thought it best not to disclose anything to avoid causing a panic."

When Anette moved as if to shoot back an angry retort, Celric quickly added, "The situation is indeed far more serious than our original brief, but our primary objective remains the same. Our task is limited to investigating the traces of the dark mages to locate the allied monster army. Anything beyond that is the Temple Knights' jurisdiction."

"Are you saying our role is concluded once we find the monster army's main base?" Nevin, a senior mage of Segrew, asked with a look of relief.

Miriam gave a loud, exasperated snort. "What cowardice. If war breaks out, hundreds and thousands of lives will be endangered. It's only right that we fight as well!"

"But that was not the original agreement!" Nevin said heatedly. "No one told me we'd be charging into monster territory!"

"You needn't worry about that," Kuahel said calmly. "Once we locate the monster army's base, high mages with campaign experience from across the Seven Kingdoms will join the coalition army. Your task is nothing more than going to the Plateau to help us locate the monster army."

Ben, who was known for being the most prudent of the mages, cautiously asked, "Would it not be better to create a new party with more seasoned mages?"

Calto shook his head. "It was unclear how the monsters were gathering their information, so we had no choice but to select from those who were left at the Tower. Had we summoned our mages currently deployed across the continent, the lords they serve would have gotten wind of the situation…"

Lucain, a Kabala mage, broke his silence to finish Calto's sentence. "…And that would have affected the upcoming conclave."

He was a man of a shy and particular nature, known only to talk to Albern, with whom he shared a workshop. His thin face set into an irritated scowl directed at Kuahel.

"Let us speak plainly. Concealing your plans from the monster army was not your only concern. You wanted to keep it hidden from the nobles lest it completely shift the outcome of the conclave. Is that not why you sought a party of mages with no connections to any noble houses?"

A faint sneer formed on Kuahel's lips at the accusation.

His green eyes glinted as he spat derisively, "Even if that were true, would that be so detrimental to your cause? I should think the mages would also wish to prevent the Orthodox faction from winning the papacy."

Unable to refute the knight's point, Lucain pressed his lips together in displeasure. In an attempt to take the wind out of the hostile air, Geoffrey, another mage of Sigrew, frantically waved his hands.

"Now, now, there's no need to get testy. At the end of the day, we are in the same boat. We must thwart the dark mages to prevent another persecution, and Reformed Church must deal with the monster army and curb the influence of their Orthodox brothers. We share a common interest. Such hostility is entirely unnecessary."

"But if the mages of Urd and the Temple Knights continue to withhold details," Armin interrupted woodenly, unfolding his arms, "we cannot blindly follow orders for long. You must share all new information in a timely manner. If we're to be ready for anything, we need to have a clear understanding of the situation. I would rather not be thrust into danger again so unprepared."

"That was a lapse in judgment on my part," Calto readily admitted. "I give you my word. I shall not withhold anymore."

With the discussion concluded, the mages filed out of the dining hall. Having rushed to the courtyard, Maxi found it bustling with activity, meaning the viscount had returned from his night watch.

Her head swiveled this way and that through the crowd of knights. Soon, she spotted him talking to the viscount. She silently watched from a distance until his head jerked in her direction. His gaze was so cold that it made her freeze over, draining all her courage. She hunched her shoulders. When he eventually turned back to the viscount, Maxi became unstuck and fled.

It would be better for her to wait until he approached her first, she reasoned. With the Remdragon Knights traveling with them to the Pamela Plateau, there would be more opportunities to talk. Maxi tried to console herself with the thought.

The next day, the party departed from Sevron with all haste. Though the viscount made it obvious he wanted to host the illustrious knights in his castle for a few more days, no one in the party wished to stay a day longer. Even Ruth, as sick to death of being on the move as he was, appeared thrilled that they were leaving.

"The stench is finally gone!" he cried in uninhibited joy.

The other mages all turned to look at him. Even as they set off, whenever he opened his mouth, they continued to eye him as though he were a fascinating creature.

Feeling pressured by the attention, Ruth tugged his hood lower and whined, "Though I fear I'm now in a worse hell."

"You brought it on yourself," Maxi replied harshly while keeping her gaze glued to Riftan, who was riding ahead.

She was still sulking over being ignored earlier in the day. What was even more galling was that, owing to the needlessly sunny weather, he looked even more magnificent under the brilliant sunlight. He was helmetless today, his lush, raven hair and chiseled face on full display.

Maxi felt a pang of annoyance when she caught Sidina glancing at him. She watched as the girl turned to whisper gleefully into Anette's ear. Though she knew Sidina was merely keeping herself entertained with a favorite pastime of hers — observing handsome men — it still made Maxi simmer with anger.

She eyed Kuahel Leon scornfully. If only the man would lower his hood, then Sidina would have someone else to drool over. Though Riftan was undeniably the more dashing of the two, Maxi was aware of her friend's preference for men with a more youthful beauty like the Temple Knight commander. He would undoubtedly draw her eye away from Riftan.

Right at that moment, Kuahel looked over his shoulder to give a warning.

"This area is rampant with owlbears and man-eating wolves. Be ready to cast a barrier at any time."

Shamefaced, Maxi hastily dropped her gaze. This was no time to be wallowing in jealousy. She shook off her tumultuous emotions and prepared her magic to be unleashed at a moment's notice. As it turned out, the rest of the day passed with no wild beast nor monster sighting.

By sunset, Maxi felt deflated as she dismounted and began setting up camp. It was the mages' turn to cook supper that night. She prepared a thick stew by mixing flour, butter, bacon, potatoes, dry vegetables, and herbs into a pot of water Armin had collected. Meanwhile, Kiel and Sidina sliced the bread and cheese, and the rest of the mages distributed the food once it was ready.

As Maxi was serving the stew to the knights, she spotted Riftan tending to his horse a short distance away. She promptly grabbed the biggest bowl and filled it to the brim with hot stew. She forced the ladle into Miriam's hands and walked over to Riftan, being careful not to spill anything.

"R-Riftan…" She paused to clear her throat, then continued in the steadiest voice she could muster. "You must be hungry. Here, I brought you—"

Her breath hitched as he slowly turned around. Bathed in the glow of sunset, his skin glistened from gold to bronze, and his windswept, blue-black hair was tinged an otherworldly purple. It was hard to believe that such a beautiful man was her husband. The year she had spent with him was now a distant memory. Had everything merely been her delusion? Even the passionate kiss they had shared at Sevron Castle felt like a dream.

"I can get my own food. You should take care of yourself first."

His curt tone snapped Maxi out of her thoughts. Though her face momentarily grew warm from the rebuff, she did not give up. She pushed the bowl into his hands.

"Mine is ready as well… so you take this."

Riftan scowled but accepted the bowl. Maxi scurried back to the pot to ladle out her share. Before hurrying back, she grabbed a few loaves of bread and cheese.

She found him in front of the Remdragon Knights' tent, already eating the stew. When she cautiously walked over, Elliot quietly rose to leave. Hebaron and Ulyseon were not far off, waving enthusiastically as they made their way over to join them in front of the tent. Elliot grabbed the pair and dragged them away.

Maxi shot him a look of gratitude before taking a seat next to Riftan.

He did not look up, opting to keep his gaze on his bowl and shovel stew into his mouth. When she realized he was not going to meet her eyes, anxiety got the better of her, and she spoke first.

"Do you like it? I made it."

Riftan's hand paused for a moment. Maxi silently waited for any reaction from him, but he resumed eating without saying a word. Hiding her embarrassment, she began chatting enthusiastically.

"D-Do you… remember the last time we ate stew together like this? It was raining… and you made it by boiling herbs and sausages in a flask. D-Don't you think this tastes similar? I sometimes found myself missing that flavor, so I came up with this recipe after several attempts. People… generally seem to like it whenever I make it for them."

"…"

"I did my fair share of cooking at the Mage Tower, you see. The novices take turns… and I struggled in the beginning since I've never cooked in my life. I don't think… I have a natural talent in the kitchen. The others would prepare remedies for ill digestion in advance whenever it was my turn. Still… I think I've improved quite a bit. Wouldn't you agree?"

Maxi tried to laugh off her embarrassing experience, hoping it would lighten the mood. To her dismay, Riftan's face grew even colder. Attempting to draw even a hint of a smile, she continued her story.

"The mages are rather inconsiderate… One of them even hawked digestion remedies next to me while I served the meal. It's thanks to them that I got into cooking a lot more, and each time, my friend over there — her name is Anette — would taste them for me. Anette has younger brothers who are twins, and they often—"

"Aren't you going to eat?" Riftan said woodenly, cutting off her rambling.

Maxi flinched and closed her mouth.

He lowered his empty bowl and leveled his icy gaze at her. "We are to ride again at daybreak. I suggest you eat and sleep instead of this chatter."

"I-I was only hoping to talk to you for a little—"

Before she could finish, Riftan picked up his sword, rose to his feet, and marched to where the knights stood guard. After blankly watching him go, Maxi's face twisted into a tearful expression, and she began to wolf down spoonfuls of the tepid stew.

He didn't even notice I gave him the biggest piece of meat.

Holding back her tears, she hurriedly finished her meal and retreated to her tent.

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