Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 322: Chapter 83

The soldiers promptly offered the newcomers seats and wine, and the group huddled close to the brazier to thaw their freezing bodies. Meanwhile, the area around them bustled with activity as the tents went up for the night.

Maxi’s shoulders eased. With the windbreak in place, it was no longer unbearably cold. Clutching her cold cup, she stole glances at Riftan between sips of wine. He sat in silence, staring into the fire with his elbow resting on his lap.

She was debating whether to talk to him when Princess Agnes, who had been discussing something with the Wedonian knights, pulled her chair next to his and began whispering in his ear. Whatever it was clearly gained his attention, for Riftan cocked his head toward the princess. Fiddling with her cup, she repeated Ruth’s words in her head.

You are only tormenting yourself. You are only tormenting yourself.

They had to be discussing official matters. If she were to display disapproval now, she would only be painting herself as narrow-minded. You are only tormenting yourself.

As she was desperately trying to maintain her silence, Sejuleu Aren finished conferring with his men and addressed the person sitting across from him.

“Has the scout party returned?”

The noisy tent stilled for a moment.

“They only sent back a message,” Kuahel replied dryly. He continued as he rinsed his hands in a basin brought to him by a young cleric, “Since we will be passing through the ravine tomorrow, they have decided to camp near the entrance to keep watch.”

Riftan cut short his conversation with Princess Agnes and searched Kuahel’s face. “Do you think word has reached the monster city?”

The cleric proffered a towel to Kuahel, who wiped his hands on it as he replied with his usual indifference, “It never hurts to be cautious. We currently have no inkling of how the monsters are getting information about the Western Continent. Though the Council has locked down cities all across the land to weed out spies, it is still possible that enemy informants have managed to slip away.”

“I’d wager that they have,” Sejuleu remarked, raising his cup to his lips. “I doubt that secured gates or heightened inspections would be able to contain the spies’ movements. After all, these bastards managed to create ghouls across the Seven Kingdoms while avoiding detection. I’ve been trying to track them down for months with nothing to show for it. They must have a way to deceive humans..”

“How do you suppose the dark mages managed to operate in our cities so covertly?” Riftan asked, his eyes fixed on Kuahel.

The answer came from the others, each putting forth hypotheses ranging from fake identities, hypnosis, and elaborate concealment spells that could dupe even clerics. Soon, a heated exchange filled the tent.

Maxi glanced at Celtic and Anton. The two kept their lips tightly sealed as they watched the commanding officers. They seemed to be considering how much they should share with these people.

Gnawing her lip, Maxi thought of the dark mages’ lineage. Most of those banished to the north were an offshoot of the silver-haired, blue-eyed Serbel clan. Though many Serbels in Nornui lacked these distinctive features after years of intermarriage, the exiled mages would not have had the same chance to dilute their blood. This information could help narrow down the hunt for the spies.

Still, she understood why the mages of Urd were reluctant to disclose anything of the sort. It could put the Mage Tower in a difficult position. Moreover, she did not think people with such conspicuous features could mingle unnoticed among the general population anyway. If the dark mages were wandering the Seven Kingdoms in disguise, there was no point in revealing something that would only be detrimental to the Mage Tower and the Reformed Church.

While Maxi was absorbed in silent deliberation, Kuahel said grimly, “It would be prudent to set our strategy with the assumption that the monsters are aware of our movements. 1 have already marked all the areas they could use as points of ambush, and 1 would like you all to take note.”

He motioned to an aide standing behind him, who moved the brazier aside, dragged a table in its place, and spread a map over it. While the knights of each kingdom pored over the map, soldiers entered the tent with supper.

Maxi ate her ration of thick lamb stew cooked with garlic, onion, and nutmeg alongside thinly sliced and toasted wheat bread spread with butter. All she had eaten during the day’s ride was dried cod and jerky as hard as tree bark, so the warm food filling her stomach seemed to dissipate her fatigue.

“The report on the topography around the city is rather lacking,” commented the commander of the Arexian army, stroking his bushy beard.

Maxi recalled the burly man’s name as Adolf. He carefully studied the map before giving Kuahel a questioning look.

“The route is mapped out, but it lacks information on the surrounding areas. There could easily be more ambush points in the uncharted terrain.”

“We had neither the men nor the resources to conduct a thorough reconnaissance,” Kuahel replied flatly. “As for the unmapped areas, we can simply send scouts ahead.”

“That may be so, but shouldn’t you have—”

“What did you expect?” Riftan cut in irritably. “We are headed into no man’s land. You should be grateful we were able to acquire even this much information.”

Maxi also found herself irritated by the Arexian commander’s complaint but chose not to show it. She had braved through snow and clambered over rocky mountains to make this map. Adolf let out a low cough and returned his gaze to the table.

The mages did not have much opportunity to speak during the meeting. They merely offered terse answers to the knights’ questions, and when the sky grew dark, they excused themselves to retire to their tents. Maxi opted to stay till the end. Though she listened intently to the discussion, she found her attention wandering at points to Riftan and Princess Agnes. There was nothing intimate in the way Riftan treated the princess, but simply seeing them talking was enough to grate on her nerves.

Feeling strangely alienated, she was picking up a fresh cup of wine when a large hand snatched it from her.

“You should return to your tent now.”

Maxi looked up at Rif tan’s expressionless face. He raised the half-full cup to his lips and emptied it before placing it out of reach.

“The other mages have all retired. You should too. The march tomorrow will be even more grueling.”

“I-I am not tired. 1 can’t leave when things are still being—”

“The mages will be informed of any important decisions,” he said stiffly. “I don’t think we will be requiring their input any further, so there is no reason for you to remain.”

Maxi’s face turned cold. Riftan’s eyes, visible beneath his disheveled hair, showed equal displeasure. Their gazes locked in a silent wrestling match before Maxi finally relented. Removing the blanket covering her lap, she rose from her seat and left the tent.

Elliot was outside, torch in hand, dispensing instructions to the soldiers. He rushed after Maxi when he saw her walking away.

“Are you returning to your tent now, my lady? Please, allow me to escort you.”

Maxi obliged and followed him through the rows of tents. Before long, darkness descended around them. Though torches dotted the camp, they were not enough to illuminate a moonless night. Maxi glanced at the shadowy figures moving about the gloom before entering the mages’ tent. Relying on the light from the brazier, she clumsily placed her blanket next to Anette and lay down. She felt close to fainting from exhaustion, but sleep eluded her.

Rolling onto her side, she pulled her blanket over her head and mulled over Riftan’s curtness. Without warning, a deep loneliness gripped her. He felt even more distant now than when she had been in Nornui. Desperately trying to shake away the petty emotion, she prayed for sleep.

After tossing and turning for most of the night, she finally managed to drift into a slumber, only to be awakened a few hours later by busy footsteps outside. Apart from Miriam and Armin, whose beds were noticeably empty, most of the mages were sound asleep.

Maxi soaked a handkerchief with water from her flask, wiped her face, and combed her tangled hair with her fingers. After securing her curls in a braid, she sluggishly pulled on her robe and left the tent. Outside, the dawn was growing lighter by the minute as the soldiers busily broke camp.

Squinting against the bright sky, Maxi glanced around. A trail of smoke rose from one side of the camp, and she followed it to find men boiling fodder and preparing a simple breakfast. She was about to help them when she saw Riftan pushing through the soldiers. Freezing, she watched him stride past. As expected, Princess Agnes walked beside him.

Riftan listened with detached interest to something the princess said, then motioned with his head to follow him. Soon, Maxi saw them make their way past the tents. She hesitated before trailing them to see where they were going. They seemed to be searching for a private place to talk. Reaching the river, they disappeared behind a large rock.

Maxi stood rooted to the spot in disbelief. Her mind went blank, no longer capable of forming a coherent thought. The reminder she had been repeating to herself — that both Riftan and Princess Agnes were people of integrity — seemed to elude her at that moment.

After pacing anxiously, she covered her head with her hood and rushed to where they had disappeared. Finding the pair some distance away, she narrowed her eyes to gauge the situation. Their words were hard to make out, but it was obvious from the atmosphere between them that it was a serious topic.

She knew what she was doing was wrong. Still, she pushed the concern to the back of her mind and crept closer. Hiding behind a large rock, she strained her ears to try and catch what they were saying.

It’s inappropriate for a married man to be alone with an unwed woman anyway, she justified.

“Might I ask what you are doing here?”

Maxi whipped around at the brusque voice. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of Kuahel Leon standing a few paces away.

“How fortunate,” he said, approaching her. “I needed you to confirm something for me, Lady Calypse. It is regarding the tunnel connected to the basilisk farm—”

Aghast, Maxi grabbed the paladin’s clothes and attempted to yank him behind the rock with all her strength. Of course, it was foolish of her to think her feeble arms would have any effect on one of the greatest knights in the Seven Kingdoms. Kuahel merely stared down at her in alarm.

Afraid they would get caught, she tightened her grip on his arm. Frowning, Kuahel reluctantly crouched behind the rock. She clamped both hands on his tunic to keep him from moving and watched the two figures beyond the rock, her eyes ablaze. They stood very close to one another, still deep in conversation. Rage boiled in her chest.

Gnawing her lip, she impatiently shook Kuahel’s forearm. “Can you h-hear what they are saying?”

Kuahel did not reply. Unbothered by his silence, Maxi continued to watch the pair like a hawk.

“D-Do you… also think there is something strange going on between them?” she asked after a while. “This is not the first time I’ve seen them whispering to each other.”

“I would not know,” he muttered woodenly. “But I do think they are standing inappropriately close.”

“R-Right,” Maxi agreed heatedly. “Y-You think so too. They are standing needlessly close.”

Again, Kuahel only offered silence.

“W-What do you think they’re discussing… to warrant that? As a cleric, d-don’t you think you should reprimand them for such inappropriate behavior?”

“If inappropriate behavior is the concern…” the paladin trailed off.

Only then did Maxi turn her head to look at him. Mortification washed over her as she met his clear, green eyes looking down at her from an uncomfortably close distance. She hastily released her grip.

Her cheeks burned as reason returned to her. She mumbled an apology, her voice growing smaller and smaller by the end.

“P-Please forgive me. I was—”

“What are you two doing here?”

An icy voice sounded above their heads. Maxi flinched and looked up. Having stealthily approached them, Riftan regarded them with a chilling gaze.

Maxi’s face fell in despair. How could she possibly wave off her gross breach of decency? She was desperately racking her head for an excuse when Riftan spoke, his voice ominously gentle.

“Am 1 not owed an explanation?”

“W-Well… You see…” Maxi stammered, rolling her eyes up to think.

A second later, she stiffened when she noticed Princess Agnes standing behind him, looking over at them with curiosity.

“And what about you and the princess? W-What were you doing all the way out here?”

She observed their reactions through narrowed eyes. Though Riftan did not let anything show, the princess looked dismayed.

“I had something to discuss with Sir Riftan in private,” Agnes explained awkwardly, scratching her head.

Maxi’s lips pulled into a thin line before saying coldly, “We… also had something to discuss in private.”

“What could you possibly have to discuss?” Riftan snapped.

Flustered, Maxi looked to Kuahel for help.

The paladin sighed. “1 needed her to confirm something about the basilisk farm.”

“Why would that require you to speak to her in a place like this?!”

“That is none of your concern,” the Temple Knight replied flatly, straightening himself. “She is not a mage under your command, so 1 do not see why I would require your permission to speak to her.”

Riftan stiffened, his eyes flaring into a murderous look. Kuahel calmly turned his back to him to face Maxi.

“Shall we take our discussion elsewhere?” he said politely.

Maxi, who had been anxiously looking back and forth between the two men, promptly shot to her feet. At that moment, her main concern was extricating herself from this embarrassing situation. She rushed after Kuahel as if fleeing the scene of a crime, away from Riftan and the princess..

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