Under the Oak Tree - Chapter 205
Chapter 205: Side Story Chapter 11
While Ruth enjoyed an easy admittance into the Blackhorn Dragons, Riftan ended up acting as his guard dog. It almost put his vehement declaration of having nothing to do with the mage to shame. They often had to work together on the same commissions, so he had no choice but to show the new recruit the ropes.
Riftan glowered as he watched Ruth rummage through his pack. He had thought he had gotten away with taking on this commission without the mage knowing. Yet, like a bloodhound on the trail, the runt had caught a whiff of the gold and tagged along.
Now the mage was once again a ball and chain around Riftan’s heel. They still had a long way to go, but he was already munching on restorative herbs, his face drawn with exhaustion.
“We still have another half day’s journey,” Riftan barked irritably. “You look like we’ve been on the road for a month. Just quit if you can’t even handle a hike like this.”
Ruth was gutsier these days. He yelled back, “Not everyone is like you! We’ve barely rested this whole week. In fact, it would be abnormal if I weren’t tired!”
With that, he lay back on a flat rock.
“What are you doing?” Riftan said incredulously, his brows furrowing. “We’re near harpy territory. Get up right now!”
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“Why fear when you are here, Master Calypse? And don’t you think it would be better for your sake that I take a breather while I’m able to? After all, you’d be forced to carry me if I collapsed from exhaustion.”
“Carry you? Horseshit. I’d toss you over the cliff and be free of you.”
“All the more reason for me to take this chance to rest, then. Remember, you are the one who told me that I must look after myself.”
Ruth waved a hand and rolled over to face away. Riftan seriously debated whether to kick the runt down the mountain. Something told him that, if he did, the mage would probably become a lich and go on to haunt him. In the end, he gritted his teeth and lit a fire.
Ruth snored loudly right up until Riftan finished preparing dinner. He sluggishly sat up on the rock as Riftan scanned the area to check that the sizzling meat had not attracted any wild animals. As Ruth began rustling around his pack for his bowl, a muscle spasmed in Riftan’s cheek. Even the littlest things the mage did were as maddening as a persistent fly buzzing in one’s face.
“How much longer till our destination?”
“Without you, ten days.”
“So around fifteen at most, then,” the mage said, unfazed.
He took a bite of the bird meat Riftan had hunted on their way up the mountain. There was not a hint of apology or self-consciousness in his voice. On the contrary, the runt even went as far as to heave a sigh and lament his situation.
“I really should not have come… Working with you is never easy.”
Riftan glowered at him. “Then don’t come!”
“You’ve no idea how many times I vowed never to work with you again, but the pay is just too good.”
Ruth touched his thumb and index finger together in the air.
At this point, Riftan did not even have the energy to get angry. After finishing his portion in silence, he leaned against a boulder and closed his eyes.
Ruth peered at him before asking through a mouthful of food, “Are you going to sleep in that position again?”
He ignored him.
“Are you… even human, Master Calypse?”
His eyes flew open, wondering if the runt was trying to pick a fight.
Ruth wiped his mouth, his expression growing serious. “You can be honest with me. There is no need for secrecy between us. Are you a chimera? Or a descendant of the ancient race?”
“Stop your nonsense and just sleep!”
“Then, what are you? I’ve not once seen you lie down since we left Golden Sand!” The mage shuddered as though he were genuinely chilled. “Your stamina and agility far exceed that of an ordinary human being. It’s positively frightening at times! Be honest. You’re not fully human, are you? Surely you must have werewolf or something of the Ayin race – troll, perhaps – running through your veins.”
Losing his patience, Riftan grabbed the hilt of his sword. Ruth shrieked in alarm and began frantically waving as Riftan partially drew the blade.
“I-I only ask because I’m not wholly human myself!”
Riftan froze at the sudden revelation. Ruth flinched as though he, too, were stunned by his unwitting confession.
The shocked silence did not last long. Ruth eventually said in a resigned voice, “I’m more human than not. One of my ancestors was an elf, so my mana affinity is stronger than normal, and my lifespan is twenty or thirty years longer than the average. Other than that, I’m just like everyone else.”
The mage swept his messy gray hair back to reveal his round ear.
“The elven blood has been greatly weakened through the generations, so, for all intents and purposes, I’m just a person blessed with a very long life.”
Riftan scrutinized the mage’s face. Though his features were well-proportioned and his blue-gray eyes were peculiar, his appearance was not particularly striking. Was this dopey runt truly a descendant of the long-extinct elven race? He ran a skeptical eye over the mage’s unimpressive appearance.
In his opinion, the mage was closer to a siren. Just like the monster, he was pale, sluggish, and infuriatingly noisy.
There was no way Ruth could sense Riftan’s internal mockery, but the runt leaned closer and asked in a whisper, “Now, be honest with me. Even if you have a monster in your family tree, I assure you, I won’t report you to the church. There must be a secret in your ancestry, yes?”
“There’s nothing of the sort,” Riftan muttered.
How could a bastard like him know his lineage? Noticing Riftan’s uncertainty, the mage refused to drop the matter.
“Don’t lie! How could an ordinary human being be so huge?”
Riftan clenched his jaw. “Stop being a pain, and go to sleep! If you whine about how tired you are tomorrow, I’m leaving you behind.”
“Don’t try to change the subject! It’s cheap of you to hold back when you’re now privy to my big secret!”
“No one asked you to reveal it!”
Undaunted by Riftan’s menacing growl, Ruth’s eyes flashed with a curious glint. He crawled closer like a mudman rising from a swamp.
“But I’m dying to know! The curiosity is driving me mad. What is the secret to your physical prowess? How are you built? At least allow me to study you!”
A chill passed through Riftan, one which he had never experienced even when faced with a horde of charging monsters. He leaped to his feet. Picking up a rock, he resolved to rid himself of this annoying fly once and for all.
Frightened by Riftan’s change in demeanor, Ruth hastily backed away and offered a tempting compromise. “Give me ten minutes! If you allow me to examine you with magic, I will sit out the next three commissions.”
Still clutching the fist-sized rock, Riftan briefly turned the offer over in his mind. It was a strange situation he found himself in, having to deliberate such things. The runt’s suggestion sounded surprisingly enticing. He would have paid good money to be free of him.
Riftan sighed and sank down on the boulder. “Fine. But you know I’ll have your head if you try anything funny.”
“Relax!” the mage said, rushing over. “I’ll only be infusing some magic.”
Rubbing his stiff neck, Riftan wondered how he had ended up in this situation. Ruth, by contrast, paid no mind to his comrade’s discomfort. He grabbed Riftan’s arm with a huge, satisfied grin.
Riftan frowned as a lukewarm sensation began to flow through him. Starting at his forearm, the mana spread all over, and the odd sensation made him shudder.
Ruth blinked in disbelief. “You… really are a normal human being.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you.”
Feeling faintly relieved, Riftan pushed Ruth’s hand away. Ruth appeared disappointed. Perhaps he truly believed he had been about to uncover the secret of Riftan’s birth. He trudged over to the other side of the boulder and sat down.
“I thought you were keeping some grand secret, but you’re simply blessed with incredible physicality. That’s almost more shocking than you having monster blood.”
Peeved at the way the mage was looking at him as though he were some fascinating specimen, Riftan scowled before closing his eyes. He no longer had the energy to respond. One exchange with the runt was far more draining than a day’s climb up a mountain.
“Now shut your trap and sleep. I might actually hack you to pieces if you speak to me one more time.”
“Yes, yes, I hear you loud and clear,” Ruth replied half-heartedly as he swaddled himself in his blanket. After tossing more kindling into the dwindling fire, Riftan let his eyes drift closed. Though he had to maintain some awareness in order to spring into action if necessary, shutting his eyes was enough to lessen the fatigue.
Darkness soon fell, and the cool breeze carried a hint of wild animal. Riftan’s hand flew to the hilt of his dagger. Contrary to his worries, the night deepened without any disturbances. He even managed a short rest and was awake before dawn. The air was damp, and he was certain it meant rain.
I guess we won’t be getting out of this mountain today.
Although they were nearing the end of winter, the weather was still cold. Traversing the mountains in rain-soaked clothes would be dangerous. He turned and gazed down at the mage’s gray head. By himself, Riftan was sure he would be able to make it out of the mountains before nightfall, but the mage was a different story.
We’ll have to cover as much ground as possible and find a cave before the downpour.
Riftan picked up a half-burnt branch, wound a long piece of cloth at the end, and lit it. He prodded Ruth with his foot. Startled, the mage sprang to his feet.
“W-What’s the matter?”
“We have to start moving. Here, take this, and try to keep up.”
The mage’s dazed expression turned to discontent as he accepted the makeshift torch. Ignoring his grumbling, Riftan started up the uneven path.
Despite his loud panting, Ruth fared far better than Riftan expected. Every time he looked over his shoulder, Ruth appeared to be tenaciously keeping pace with him. The sky beyond the spindly branches began to grow brighter. Just as Riftan had predicted, thin sheets of rain clouds drifted overhead.
