Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 329 - 90

Riftan's shaky breath played over her nape, and she could sense the bone-gnawing fear coming off him in waves. She clung to his neck as though she were drowning. At that moment, she wanted him more intensely than ever. She could not bear to be parted from him. Sobbing, she rubbed her cheek in his hair before seeking his lips.

Riftan cupped her face with a gloved hand and pushed his tongue into her mouth. Sobs broke out of her between feverish breaths.

Kissing her cheek, Riftan mumbled something gruffly. Though it was much too low for Maxi to catch, she reasoned that he was telling her not to cry. Nodding, she looked past his shoulder at the rising sun. She could hear the knights ordering the soldiers to make haste.

His arms wrapped around her, Riftan muttered, "I must go now."

Maxi nodded again but kept her forehead pressed on his shoulder, and he did not move either. They stayed that way for a long time. When the knights' shouts reached them, she finally loosened her arms around his neck. Only God knew how difficult that one action was for her.

Riftan carefully lowered her to the ground and took a measured step back. His eyes were feverish as he gazed down at her. Then, squeezing them shut, he whirled around.

Maxi silently stared at his dark hair gleaming blue in the sunlight. Each step he took seemed to puncture her heart. She wiped her wet cheeks on her sleeve, wondering if she had properly conveyed her feelings to him. It suddenly occurred to her that all the sobbing had prevented her from saying the most important thing.

She hastily chased after him. The soldiers had taken down most of the tents and were now loading the wagons. Slipping past them, she stopped when she spotted Riftan walking with Hebaron, Elliot, and Princess Agnes. They were engaged in a loud discussion as they made their way to the head of the formation. Maxi vacantly watched Riftan's cloak flutter in the wind before weakly turning away.

***

The coalition army set up base in a narrow pass wedged between a steep, rocky mountain and a wall of towering rock and ice — the perfect place to lie in wait. As the soldiers stealthily unpacked, the high priests cast barriers around the mountain range to conceal them from monsters.

The assembling of the siege weapons also began that day. Warriors transformed into carpenters, the pounding of their hammers ringing out across the pass. To prevent the noise from leaking, the mages of Sigrew inscribed runes all over the encampment to manipulate the airflow. They also cast a detection spell that would alert them to the presence of monsters.

Meanwhile, Maxi and the other mages of Nome Hall inspected the runes on the siege weapons. Knowing that their offense would commence in a few days, Maxi inspected and reinspected the magical devices with near-obsessive compulsion. She could not shake the fear that the devices would fail to function at a crucial moment.

In the end, Anette was unable to stand her fixation any longer.

"That's enough. You've already checked that one twice," she said irritably. "It's going to work just fine, so give it a rest."

Maxi ignored her friend's exasperation and continued inspecting the mantlet. Though her limbs felt as heavy as lead from fatigue, she found it impossible to stay still even for a moment. She infused mana into a magical device installed on a shield to ensure there was nothing wrong with the mana circuit. Just then, a familiar voice addressed her.

"May I have a moment of your time, my lady?"

When she looked up, she found Ruth standing a few paces away. She put down her tools with a puzzled look and walked over to him.

"Is something the matter?"

"Why do you always assume that something must be wrong whenever I try to speak with you?" Ruth grumbled when he saw her face cloud with worry.

Maxi narrowed her eyes. "Because… you're rarely the bearer of good news."

Ruth's mouth fell open as if he were about to snap back. Instead, his shoulders sagged, evidently lacking the energy to argue. He took something out from his thick coat and offered it to her.

"So that's how you see me. Well, I'm only here to give you this."

Maxi peered suspiciously down at the exquisite purple magic stone in his hand. "W-What is it?"

"The stone of a sea serpend which I've been saving for many years. Do take it before I change my mind."

After vacantly staring at it, Maxi extended her hand. Ruth dropped the stone onto her palm with obvious reluctance.

"It has been modified to supply mana more easily. Use it immediately if you sense you're nearly depleted. Though I would like to believe you won't be so reckless again, I am sadly aware of your impulsive tendencies."

Maxi shot him a glare before slipping the stone into her pocket with a sigh. "Thank you for your concern. I shall use it well."

"Please look after yourself. Sir Riftan would not be able to bear it if anything happened to you. I hope you'll always keep that in mind."

"This feels like… you are bidding me farewell."

Though initially taken aback, Maxi narrowed her eyes, suspecting he was planning to flee. Ruth scowled as if reading her mind.

"This is farewell," he said stiffly. "I will be leaving the camp soon with Sir Riftan. It was decided that I would replace the mage Albern in the mission to infiltrate the city."

Maxi's eyes widened in surprise. "B-But why?"

"I volunteered. With great reluctance, I might add, but I thought it best for a mage skilled in deciphering and reconstructing runes to be in the unit for this foolhardy plan to succeed. With my skills, I can not only drive the monsters into a frenzy but also control the wyverns to a certain extent."

"I-Is that possible? Are you… truly capable of such a thing?" Maxi said, looking Ruth up and down in disbelief.

Though she was well aware of Ruth's capabilities as a mage, the rune in question was so complex that it had taken even Calto Serbel a long time to comprehend it.

Ruth merely shrugged as if this was hardly an obstacle for him. "For a Serbel, the amount of mana I can store in my body is relatively limited. To overcome this flaw, I've been working on boosting the efficiency of runes, trying to achieve maximum results with the least amount of mana. It so happens that the dark mages' rune also uses this principle. I'm sure it was similarly developed to compensate for the low mana concentration in the Plateau."

Ruth pensively looked up at the sky before returning his gaze to her.

"Though I cannot say for certain I'll be able to control them completely, I can at least buy us enough time for an escape."

Maxi regarded Ruth as if seeing him in a new light. Because of his pathetic antics of late, she had nearly forgotten that he was considered a prodigy even by Nornui's standards.

She nodded, feeling somewhat reassured. "That makes me… greatly relieved. But are you all right with this decision?"

"I am not," Ruth replied despondently, "but I have no choice. If you recall, I also have instructions from my uncle to fulfill."

His expression grew cautious. Maxi did not understand what he meant at first, but her face hardened when she recalled what he had told her before their initial departure for the monster city. The secret instructions Calto had given his nephew were, should he discover them, to immediately destroy any evidence of the dark mages' attempt to create their own purification spell.

After glancing at the Temple Knights' barracks, Ruth added quietly, "If we succeed in capturing the city, the church will no doubt prevent the Tower's mages from accessing anything pertaining to dark magic. If possible, I would like to search the city before that happens and eliminate any threats before they lead to bigger problems."

Maxi swallowed hard. "But… will you even have the time?"

"It will certainly be difficult, but I still have to try," he replied, sighing deeply.

Maxi sighed along with him. She now had one more thing to worry about. As expected, Ruth had not come bearing good news. She was silently grumbling about this when she heard Riftan's cold voice calling from afar.

"Ruth Serbel! Why aren't you ready to depart?"

"Yes, yes, I'm coming," Ruth replied flatly before giving her an imploring look. "Please, my lady, don't do anything reckless. I am begging you."

"You should go," Maxi replied irritably, pushing him from behind.

Ruth trudged over to where Riftan was waiting for him. Her husband silently regarded her for a moment before turning his attention to the squire who passed him Talon's reins. Maxi watched as Riftan tied his luggage to his saddle. Geoffrey, Elliot, and a paladin named Luke followed suit next to him. When Ruth returned with a horse and finished securing his belongings, the group mounted their steeds in unison.

Maxi suppressed the urge to run and cling to Riftan like a small child. If it would help lessen his worries even a little, she wanted to appear as undaunted as possible. Bracing herself, she slowly walked behind the knights gathered to see them off. Riftan abruptly stopped his instruction to Hebaron as she approached.

"You must return safely," Maxi said, forcing a smile.

To her great relief, she managed to sound calm. Riftan regarded her silently, intimidating atop his warhorse. He also appeared exceptionally calm and aloof.

"May victory be on your side," he said after a while.

Maxi held back her tears as she echoed, "May victory be on your side."

As Riftan steered his horse away, she exchanged farewells with Ruth, Elliot, and Geoffrey. Through it all, her attention was fixed on her husband. Soon, he dug his spurs into Talon's side, and the five men rode out of the narrow pass. Maxi stood in place until their figures disappeared.

It began snowing the following day. Sheltered under a canopy, Maxi watched as the soldiers assembled the siege weapons. Eight siege towers, hundreds of giant crossbows, and forty catapults were scattered all over the camp. It was truly a formidable sight to behold.

The commanding officers of each kingdom waited at the center of camp for the scouts to return. Meanwhile, the knights held drills on one side of the spacious area. A fraught atmosphere hung over the coalition army. It was a nerve-racking tension Maxi had never felt before, not even when she had served as a healer at Eth Lene Castle all those years ago.

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