Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 337: Chapter 98

With hundreds of their comrades dying in droves, the soldiers charging up the hill began to falter. Those that made it close to the wall must have deemed it too late to turn back; they extended the ladders and began to climb.

Armored monsters began scaling the outer walls, paying no mind to the coalition’s arrows directed back at them. Leaning out of the battlement, they bashed their iron maces against the soldiers who managed to get close. It was such a gruesome sight that Maxi had to look away.

After a few hours, the Arexian army began retreating. Arrows rained down on the fleeing soldiers, killing additional hundreds in the process.

Maxi tried to count the bodies scattered on the hill but gave up after passing five hundred. Her rough estimate of the total was three times that number. The whole situation was simply too disastrous to be the result of one man’s reckless actions.

Armin stood nearby, gazing down at the battlefield with a grim expression. “I think it’s over,” he said. “Let’s lower the wall.”

As he lifted the spell, the earthen mound slowly descended. Maxi pushed past the soldiers as the ground leveled out. While the Arexian army had suffered the most casualties, many of the archers who had marched with them were from the Osiriyan and Wedonian forces.

Maxi anxiously scanned the wounded being carried back to camp, on the lookout for a Remdragon Knight among them, but there were simply too many requiring medical attention to linger for long. She was still searching desperately when Nevin stepped out of the infirmary with a despondent expression.

“The infirmary is full. Well have to set up another tent.”

Maxi let out a heavy sigh and nodded. “We can pitch another tent at the foot of the hill as best we can.”

With the help of the soldiers, they quickly erected poles behind the central battalion and draped a stiff, tar-coated fabric over them. Once the new infirmary was complete, the soldiers brought in the wounded and laid them on rush mats.

Maxi began treating those in critical condition first. Most were bleeding from arrow wounds on their shoulders, backs, or calves, and some had also sustained broken limbs. The sight of their terrible injuries filled Maxi with rage. Containing her anger, she pulled arrows from flesh, set broken bones, and stitched up lacerations.

Once the most pressing treatments were complete, she emerged from the tent to assess the situation. The coalition army had swiftly reorganized, forming a defensive line. Her eyes swept over the orderly ranks arrayed on the hill and breathed a relieved sigh when she spotted Hebaron and Ulyseon behind the central battalion.

Garrow’s injury had strung Maxi into a state of constant anxiety. She felt the need to confirm their well-being prick at her, and she started toward them. Suddenly, the mass of soldiers parted, revealing a man being dragged into camp. The ominous scene stopped Maxi in her tracks.

Two paladins forcibly brought their captive to his knees in front of the other knights.

Incensed, the man bellowed, “I am a commander appointed by His Majesty King Balial! I will not be subjected to such treatment!”

Maxi’s eyes widened as she recognized the man as the commander of the Arexian army. As Adolf struggled to break free from his captors, Kuahel Leon strode over. Maxi tensed, her shoulders hunching. She had never seen the clergyman look so stern and merciless. He halted before Adolf, removed his helmet, and slapped him across the face with his gauntlet.

Maxi gasped. Blood trickled down Adolf’s cheek as he stared up at Kuahel in disbelief.

“W-What the devil do you think—”

“You endangered the entire army,” Kuahel stated icily, wiping the blood from the metal of his gauntlet. “I demand that you humble yourself and beg for forgiveness.”

“Th-The result may not have been what I wished, but I fought for the peace and stability of the Seven Kingdoms!” the man shouted, enraged. “What gives you the right to penalize me? You may be the supreme commander of this army, but I am a representative of the King of Arex! You have no authority—”

Before Adolf could finish, the clergyman struck him on his other cheek. The blow was so forceful that blood trickled from the Arexian commander’s nose.

After observing the bleeding man, Kuahel spoke calmly as if addressing a child, “You have violated military law, and your foolish actions have cost the coalition army dearly. If you have even a shred of dignity, you will ask for forgiveness.”

Adolf’s face was red with shame. He glanced up at the cold faces of the knights surrounding him, his shoulders shaking from the humiliation. Finally, he reluctantly spat, “I ask… for forgiveness.”

Kuahel regarded the man for a long moment before nodding. Adolf tried to rise, thinking his moment of disgrace over, but the Temple Knights did not loosen their hold. They pushed his shoulders down, forcing him onto the ground. Adolf’s eyes darted upward in confusion. Maxi did not understand what was happening either.

Kuahel drew his sword, and a split second later, the man’s head was rolling away over the dirt. The surreal scene left Maxi stunned. After wiping the blood on his blade, Kuahel nodded to his subordinates.

“Hold a funeral for him as soon as possible,” he said in a chillingly calm voice.

Maxi hugged herself, realizing that she had just witnessed an execution. The plea for forgiveness had been extracted as an admission of the man’s crime.

“We suffered heavy casualties in this battle. Since the enemy is likely aware of this, they might attempt a counterattack. Everyone must remain vigilant!”

The knights promptly returned to their battalions. Maxi watched with a dazed expression as the clerics gathered up the dead man’s remains. Blood still oozed from the man’s gaping neck.

Feeling sick, Maxi spun around. Even though she had seen her fair share of gruesome things, she was still shaken by the sight of someone being beheaded before her.

There is no need to feel sorry for him. He merely paid the price for his actions, she thought, trying to compose herself.

But was executing the Arexian commander not a potential trigger for diplomatic problems? Maxi frowned, mulling it over. She did not wish to consider political matters when there were more important things at stake, such as their lives being constantly on the line. For now, she needed to focus on ending this war so that she could return to Anatol.

She looked up at the charred remains of the siege towers and the bodies scattered across the hill before returning to the infirmary. As night fell, an intense anxiety kept her awake. In just a few weeks, the coalition had lost three thousand men and all their siege towers. Though this was only her second experience of war, she knew enough to understand that things were not going well for the coalition army.

After tossing and turning all night, she left the mages’ tent before dawn. The stench of smoke and burned meat hung in the air. Snow had fallen during the early hours, and Maxi trod carefully so as not to stumble on the slippery ground. She stopped at the base of the hill. From there, she could make out the soldiers on the night watch and, beyond the blazing campfires, the hazy outline of the imposing city.

Leaning against the wall of ice and stone, she watched the sky behind the city gradually brighten. Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes. Dabbing them with her sleeves, she tried to swallow her sobs. All this time, the only way to maintain her composure had been to keep Riftan from her mind. But she was reaching her limit now, and she felt the urge to start searching for her missing husband tug at her.

Why had they not heard from him yet? She did not think it possible for Riftan, Elliot, and Ruth to have all met an unfortunate end. They were warriors who had survived the battle against the vicious Red Dragon. No, the more likely explanation was that they were in a situation that prevented them from sending word.

Steeling herself, Maxi was turning to start the day’s work when a looming shadow caught her eye. She stiffened.

Richard Breston was perched on the low wall. He was oiling his sword, a hefty weapon almost as big as he was. His face looked even more cruel and cold in the bluish light of dawn. Maxi was backing away as quietly as possible when a low laugh spilled from the shadows.

“I don’t see why you avoid me like the plague.”

The knight hopped down from the wall and blocked her path. Maxi summoned her mana to use magic if necessary. As if sensing this, Breston raised his hands.

“I mean you no harm, so there’s no need to be so wary.”

“I suggest you move out of my way at once.”

“Dear me, i didn’t know Her Highness was so formidable,” the man replied mockingly.

Maxi glowered at him. “I… am not your princess, so do not address me as such.” “Who knows? You might just become one when this war is over.”

After uttering that cryptic statement, the man took a step back. Maxi put more distance between them and directed a wary glare at him.

“W-What do you mean?”

“Do you think the armistice will still stand after this war?” Breston muttered as he freed a flask from his belt and maneuvered the lid open with his teeth.

Maxi furrowed her brow at his sudden question. Breston took a sip before languidly adding, “The Armistice of the Seven Kingdoms was drawn up in response to the explosion of monsters. Simply put, if there are less monsters, it no longer serves a purpose.”

“N-Nonsense. Th-There is no guarantee that such a thing—”

“The goal of the armistice has never been peace. It was an agreement made so the rulers of each kingdom could protect their power. And under this pretext of peace, they have suppressed rebels and defiant nobles alike, yet this land is still plagued by conflict.”

A disturbing smile curled the man’s lips, and his red eyes glinted as he spoke. “This fictional peace is bound to end, and the warlords who’ve been stifled by the armistice will rise up to reclaim Roem’s former glory. Only then will the myth of Rosem Wigrew truly come alive.”

Maxi hunched her shoulders against the chill that ran down her spine, but Breston prattled on as if under a spell.

“Wigrew is the hero who unified the Seven Kingdoms. It’s deplorable, is it not? That the forces preventing the rebirth of the empire are sullying his name. Just the thought of those imposters alone fills me with rage.” He gave her a goading look. “And the worst among them is your mutt of a husband.”

“Don’t you dare… call him that,” she said fiercely.

Breston shrugged nonchalantly. “The mongrel won’t be debasing Wigrew’s name for long. The armistice will end once the monsters have been exterminated, and the true myth of the empire will begin again.”

“And i suppose… you consider yourself the hero of this myth?” Maxi retorted derisively.

The man’s eyes flashed dangerously. “It’s certainly a possibility.”

“Though I feel bad for you… I doubt that will happen in your lifetime,” Maxi said with conviction.

The smirk vanished from Breston’s lips.

Maxi met his gaze and emphasized each word as she said, “Because you will never surpass Riftan Calypse.”

She readied herself to cast a shield as his eyes flashed dangerously, but he made no move to attack and simply glared at her.

Then, in a disconcertingly languid manner, he said, “We’ll see about that.”

He turned around and strode toward where the Baltonian flag flapped in the wind. Maxi stared after him, uneasiness pooling in her gut. Something told her that she might have needlessly disturbed a hornet’s nest..

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