Under the Oak Tree - Chapter 166
Chapter 166: Chapter 166
“W-Will it be… all right this time?”
“With their commander and tactician gone, the monster army is falling apart. A sizable troll army remains camped up north, but this war should still be over soon.”
The creases between Maxi’s brows refused to unknit despite the princess’s reassurance. Looking ill at ease herself, Agnes shrugged.
“It seems the coalition army has lost your trust completely.”
“I-It’s not that I don’t trust them…”
The princess gave her a mischievous smile.
“Don’t worry. Being thoroughly fooled by the monsters has snapped the coalition army to its senses. And perhaps it’s because they saw the full extent of a Remdragon Knight rampage, but even the Baltonians have been quiet lately.” The princess wrinkled her nose. “Then again, I doubt anyone’s stupid enough to get on Riftan’s nerves right now. I’ve never seen him like that, not even during the Dragon Campaign…”
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Pressing her lips together, Maxi slipped her hand into her pocket and fiddled with the copper coin. She had immediately retrieved it from the corner the moment Riftan had left the tent.
Her heart panged as she recalled how he had thrown an item he had carried with him for more than a decade with such apathy.
Seeing Maxi’s dark expression, Princess Agnes attempted to lighten the mood.
“For now, you should stop thinking about the war and focus on getting better,” she said cheerfully. “You’ve done more than enough, Maximilian. You should allow yourself to rest.”
“Thank you… for everything, Your Highness.”
“There’s no need for that.”
With a kind smile, the princess pulled the blanket up to Maxi’s chin. Maxi blushed. It embarrassed her that everyone was treating her like a mortally wounded patient. After all, untold numbers of soldiers had suffered greater injuries than hers. Compared to those who had lost limbs, a dislocated shoulder and fractured ribs were not that dire.
Her body had been extremely slow in regaining energy. They had infused her with restorative magic several times, but she always felt tired. Perhaps it was a side-effect of mana depletion.
Maxi rubbed her throbbing forehead. Moments later, she heard a loud cry from outside the carriage.
“We’re all set to depart!”
Princess Agnes climbed out to inspect the return party one last time. Soon, a trumpet blast signaled their departure.
When the princess returned to the carriage, she obliged Maxi’s request to be propped up with a cushion. Maxi looked out the window in search of Riftan, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Maxi bit her lip. Was he going to let her go without a farewell? Dread and disappointment filled her heart.
His anger was understandable. Her current state was thanks to her reckless actions, in direct defiance to his pleas. Even so, if she had not done what she had, Eth Lene Castle would have fallen to the monsters. And she had survived, had she not?
Wounds can be healed with magic. Getting a little hurt is nothing to worry about…
Maxi’s face fell. Remembering the pain in Riftan’s eyes, she felt guilty for having such thoughts. Her shoulders sagged as confusion and disappointment engulfed her.
Just then, she saw someone running up to the carriage. Maxi’s eyes grew wide in surprise.
Jogging alongside the slow-moving coach, Ulyseon said through the window, “My lady, I wanted to ask for your forgiveness before you left. Please forgive me for failing to protect you.”
Maxi stared at the squire in shock before waving her hands. “Th-That is not true. I am here now… because of your protection, and Garrow’s. I would have suffered a worse fate if not for you two.”
“My lady…”
Ulyseon bit his lip, his brow furrowing. His expressive purple eyes glistened with tears.
Flustered, Maxi forced a bright smile on her face. “Don’t give me that look. I will be… b-back to full health before you know it. So… you must also return in good health, Ulyseon.”
Ulyseon’s mouth flapped open and closed as if to say something, but he eventually hung his head. Maxi’s expression grew troubled when she saw how guilt-ridden he looked.
The young man was seventeen. Even if he was a genius swordsman, he was still a mere boy. And yet, he had so gallantly protected her. She was about to tell him this when the carriage abruptly picked up speed.
Maxi swayed on her makeshift bed. Ulyseon tried to keep up with them before stopping dead in his tracks. Maxi stared at his forlorn figure until he disappeared behind the crowd.
Princess Agnes shuffled over to her side and pointed out the window. “People over there have come to see you off as well.”
Maxi looked over and saw the female clerics gathered on a hill. Idsilla stood waving both arms at the front of the group, a handkerchief fluttering like a flag in one hand. Maxi’s lips curled into a small smile.
The girl had turned down Maxi’s offer of leaving with them, saying that she would return with her brother. Saddened by the fact that this could be the last time they saw each other, Maxi waved back until the female clerics disappeared into the landscape.
When they finally passed through the city gates, Princess Agnes made Maxi lie down again.
“Since the southern route was completely cut off, we’ll ride through the northern valley, then travel around the rock face. The Remdragon Knights have agreed to guard us until then. The chances of a monster attack are as slim as the sky splitting in half, so be rest assured and try to sleep.”
Maxi closed her eyes, relaxing when she heard that Riftan was accompanying them.
She did not know how long she slept, but she was awakened by someone shaking her shoulder. Princess Agnes helped her up and pointed out the window.
“This is where we part ways with the Remdragon Knights. Would you like me to call Riftan for you?”
Her eyes still hazy with sleep, Maxi gazed at the knights lined up on the golden-brown field. At the head of the group, Riftan removed his helmet and held it at his side. The wind whipped at his black hair.
She waited for him to ride over to the carriage, but Riftan remained motionless atop his imposing black horse. He merely gazed impassively at the coach. Remembering his violent trembling the night before, Maxi could not bring herself to ask for him. She slowly shook her head.
“N-No. We have already… said our goodbyes.”
The princess regarded her for a moment before lowering the shutter and signaling for the party to set out again. Maxi tried to imprint his receding figure in her mind. As he grew more distant, Maxi felt a deep shadow engulf her heart.
You’ll come to get me soon, won’t you?
She asked him earnestly with her eyes, but she saw no answer on his face. Maxi clutched the copper coin. For a brief moment, she thought he would come after her as he had in Levan when he had given her the coin. This time, however, Riftan remained as still as a stone on the field.
Maxi tried to blink away her tears. A crisp breeze that smelled of autumn tugged at the Remdragon Knights’ cloaks.
Before she knew it, the most tempestuous and painful summer of her life had come to an end.
***
It appeared that the coalition army had truly succeeded in driving the monsters north this time. Not once was the return party attacked on their journey back to Levan.
In retrospect, Maxi could have simply been unaware of an ambush. She had slept like a corpse during the length of the journey. It was a new day each time she opened her eyes. Yet, her tiredness seemed to remain no matter how much she slept.
She felt as powerless as a newborn. Magic could not heal the symptoms of mana depletion, so there was nothing she could do except wait for her body to recuperate on its own.
After more than ten days of doing nothing but eating and sleeping, she was well enough to walk when they arrived at Levan. As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, she went straight to retrieve Rem from the basilica. The mare had been neglected for nearly two months; she stomped her hooves the moment she saw Maxi.
Ursuline leaped in to take the reins. “It’s likely disgruntled from being locked in the stables for so long. Try to keep your distance until it calms down.”
Maxi nodded and backed away. The icy knight no longer looked at her with disdain, but Maxi still found their interactions difficult. Ursuline skillfully soothed the agitated horse, then glanced at Maxi’s complexion.
“Since the weather is good, I think we’ll be able to sail back to Wedon without delay. Is there anything else you wish to take with us?”
“N-No…”
Maxi swept her gaze about, trying to think. Although she wanted to say her farewells to the noblewomen who remained at the basilica, she had told them she had gone to stay with Idsilla at one of her family’s villas. Not wanting to cause problems for the girl, Maxi opted to leave as discreetly as possible.
They took a carriage to the port, where a ship bearing the royal insignia of Wedon waited for them. Maxi climbed aboard with Elliot’s assistance. Princess Agnes had been supervising the soldiers transporting the luggage, and she rushed over to Maxi as soon as she spotted her.
“Maximilian! You look pale. You could have asked the soldiers to retrieve your horse for you…”
“I am a-all right. Abandoning her… was weighing on my mind all this time.”
Maxi gently stroked Rem’s mane. The mare snorted and shook her head, clearly still sulky. A small smile tugged at Maxi’s lips as she watched the horse.
Agnes drew Maxi toward the stairs at the center of the ship. “Now, come this way. The servants will take your mount to the stables. It’s time for you to take your remedy and get some sleep.”
“But… I’ve been doing nothing but sleep.”
Maxi’s brow furrowed slightly. She did not like being treated like a child. The princess smiled as if to placate her.
“You aren’t suffering from simple mana depletion, Maximilian. You even used the mana you were born with. Simply put, you poured out your life force. It will take a while for you to fully recover. You shouldn’t push yourself for the time being.”
Elliot, who had been quietly standing beside Maxi, seemed to concur. “You should do as Her Highness suggests, my lady. You do not look well.”
With a sigh, Maxi obediently descended the stairs. The princess led her to an opulent cabin fit for a king. After eating a small portion of porridge and drinking brewed mandrago root, Maxi lay on the bed. Shortly after, a trumpet blast announced their departure.
Maxi thought back on the events that had occurred over the past season. Everything felt like an extended dream. Her life at Croyso Castle, at Calypse Castle, and in a campaign… It astonished her again when she realized just how dramatic her stagnant life had become after her reunion with Riftan.
Only after I met you did I learn what it’s like to be alive…
Riftan’s pained expression suddenly came to mind, and Maxi quickly drove it out. She did not want to think about anything at the moment. She was simply too tired. It was as though she had aged decades in the past few days.
Maxi made a concerted effort to focus on the distant sound of the waves before drifting off to sleep once more.
***
Drachium, the capital of Wedon, was located in the north of the kingdom. Since it was much closer to the port than Anatol was, it only took them five days to reach the gates.
The city seemed to be transitioning to autumn. Maxi looked over the magnificent sight and thought to herself that it was indeed a place worthy of Rosetta’s love. Her sister had always appreciated grandeur.
They passed through the imposing gates onto a road wide enough for eight carriages to ride abreast. Sophisticated stone buildings lined the road on either side.
Princess Agnes began giving her an introduction to the city as Maxi absentmindedly watched the scene roll by. There was a theater, an armory, a horse-racing stadium, and so on.
Maxi nodded and offered lackluster responses. Though all the structures were striking, she found herself strangely unimpressed.
