Chapter Twenty-Four #6
With a sigh, she descended the last step. It was then that she heard Princess Agnes’s voice. Maxi cocked her head. The princess usually spent her day in the training grounds or at the main palace and only returned around sunset. It was rare for her to be in her residence at this time.
Worried that something might have happened, Maxi started down the corridor. When she peered through a half-open door, she saw Princess Agnes and Simon sitting in the middle of a spacious room lined with bookshelves.
The princess was scrawling something on a piece of parchment. She leaped up from her desk when she spotted Maxi.
“Maximilian. Should you be out of bed?”
Maxi’s face flushed. “I-I thought a brief walk…would be all right.”
Without sparing Maxi a glance, the mage prodded the princess. “Your Highness, your hand has stopped moving.”
“Goodness, I’m sick of your nagging. Are all wind magic users taught how to harp on and on as part of their training?” The princess irritably jabbed the quill into the ink bottle. “Next time I’m going to ask them to only send me water mages!”
Simon snorted. “If you fail to adequately explain the situation to the coming inspectorate, you’ll have to wait at least a decade for new mages to be assigned to you.” He motioned for Maxi to come in. “What are you standing there for? Come in and take a seat.”
“I-I’d rather not disturb you…when you are so busy,” Maxi murmured. “If you’ll excuse—”
“And where are you going?” asked Agnes, looking concerned.
Maxi gave her a bitter smile. “I-I was…thinking of going to see Sir Elliot t-to ask him news of the Remdragon Knights.”
“Why go to the trouble when you can just ask me?” Fiddling with the quill, the princess smiled. “Everyone is well. If you consider the time it takes for the messenger pigeon to reach Drachium, they should have reached Levan already. They may even be aboard a ship by now.”
Hearing the good news, Maxi darted toward the desk. “R-Riftan…sent a message?”
“Yes, it arrived this morning. Would you like to read it? It shouldn’t take more than three to four weeks for them to get here.”
Princess Agnes rummaged through a pile of parchment and fished out a palm-sized note. Maxi took it from her, her eyes widening as she read.
Number of dead among the Remdragon Knights: nil. The wounded will be treated in Levan before departure.
That was it—just two sentences, and the date of their departure, hastily scrawled on the scrap of parchment.
Maxi’s face fell. It said they needed to treat the wounded. Was someone gravely injured?
She was anxiously gnawing her lip when Princess Agnes said cheerfully, “Don’t worry.
If one of the knights had been gravely injured, he wouldn’t have had the presence of mind to send such a message.
The other lords put more effort into theirs.
They report that they will be staying at the basilica in Levan for three to four days to treat their injured.
After that, they will immediately board a ship back to Wedon.
The main castle is already in a flurry preparing for a grand banquet.
” The princess shuddered as though this exasperated her.
“I’ve been writing hundreds of invitations ever since we received news of the victory.
I think His Majesty is planning on using this opportunity to call all the nobles to the capital. ”
Maxi paused for a moment as she digested the princess’s words. “Th-Then you must be…b-busy preparing for the banquet.”
“Actually, planning a response to the Mage Tower’s inspectorate is currently more pressing than a frivolous banquet,” Simon interjected. He tapped on the parchment, urging the princess to keep writing. The parchment was filled with words in the ancient tongue.
The princess groaned and started again. After watching over her progress for a moment like a warden, Simon turned to Maxi.
“Three mages from the Mage Tower died during this campaign,” he explained. “Nornui has sent an inspectorate to make sure none of the deaths were caused by unjust commands. It will be difficult for Wedon to hire mages from the Mage Tower in the future if they are not satisfied with our explanation.”
Maxi’s eyes widened. “Does the Mage Tower…have such authority?”
“The Mage Tower was established to stop the persecution against mages, and its affiliates are all under its protection,” Simon replied.
“Though the treatment of mages has improved in recent years, the Orthodox Church still holds unfavorable views of magic. That is why Nornui meticulously investigates the death of any of its mages to make sure none are wrongful.”
“Which is why those in command, such as myself, are forced to jump through these hoops at every large-scale battle,” the princess said bitterly. “They expect us to explain to a naive scholar who has never fought in a war and beg them for a new mage.”
Maxi eyed the princess’s beautifully written ancient script for a moment before asking, “D-Does the Mage Tower…send its mages to wh-wherever they are requested?”
“When the Mage Tower receives a request, it is customary for them to review it and send those who volunteer,” Simon answered.
“Though now it will likely take ages to receive a mage from them, since every lord in the kingdom is vying to gather as many in their service as possible…. The Mage Tower strives to distribute their numbers evenly throughout the kingdom.”
Maxi hesitated. “Th-Then…could Anatol also request a m-mage? We are sorely in need of more….”
Both Simon and Princess Agnes froze. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Simon opened his mouth.
“Well…your request will likely be rejected as long as that man remains in Anatol.”
Maxi blinked in confusion. “Th-That man?”
“Who else? He’s referring to that brazen renegade!” the princess cried out. “Ruth Serbel, the despicable runaway who abandoned the rules of the tower! As long as that traitor is in Anatol, the Mage Tower would never consent to sending one of its own.”
Maxi had always wondered why a renowned knightly order such as the Remdragon Knights only had one high mage in their service. It had never occurred to her that Ruth was the reason.
As if her anger intensified the longer she talked about Ruth, the princess continued her outburst. “If not for that nuisance, many high mages would have volunteered to serve under Riftan Calypse. I’ve advised Riftan to drive that bastard away, but he never listens.
He is suffering enormous losses because he stubbornly insists on remaining loyal to that useless scoundrel. ”
Maxi’s face fell. She knew it was not the princess’s intention, but her words reminded Maxi that Riftan had rejected a royal betrothal in order to honor a marriage vow that her father had forced him to make. A familiar chill seeped into her heart.
Misunderstanding Maxi’s expression, the princess collected herself and said, “Don’t worry. There are many unaffiliated mages who are quite skilled. When the Remdragon Knights return, I will make a request to the king to seek out accomplished mages for Anatol.”
Maxi lowered her head. “Th-Thank you, Your Highness.”
“No need to thank me.” Agnes gave her a warm smile. “Now then, you should return to your room. It’s too soon to be overexerting yourself.”
Unable to argue against the princess’s insistence, Maxi obediently returned to her bedchamber. She drank the tonic left by the healer and lay back on her bed. Then, though she was sick and tired of doing so, she forced herself to sleep.
A stream of uneventful days passed once more. In contrast, the main palace bustled with a procession of nobles arriving to attend the capital’s victory celebrations. The gardens were packed with servants every morning waiting to greet them. Picnics and welcome feasts were held in the evenings.
Day and night, Maxi strained her neck from her bed to stare out at the palace gates, just in case Riftan miraculously arrived earlier than expected. It must have been a pitiful sight, for Princess Agnes called on her one day and suggested that Maxi attend that evening’s banquet.
Maxi stared back at her in surprise. So far, the princess’s fussing over Maxi’s health had rivaled Riftan’s.
As if she were aware of the reason, the princess gave her an embarrassed smile.
“The healers told me that your health has improved greatly. If it’s not too much of a strain, I think a change of scenery would do some good.
After all, you’ve never attended any of the events this whole time you’ve been at the capital. ”
“B-But…” Maxi stammered, hesitant.
Though she had attended the occasional social function at Croyso Castle, it had always been under her father’s watchful eye.
They all ended the same way, with Maxi retiring to her room early.
Naturally, this meant she had limited experience socializing with the other nobles, her knowledge of court etiquette coming only from books.
She had no conversational or social skills to speak of, not to mention her impediment.
Cold sweat broke out on Maxi’s back as she imagined herself stuttering like a fool among the haughty nobles of the kingdom.
In the end, she went with the same excuse she always used. “I-I do not like…loud gatherings….”
The princess sighed and gave her a resigned look. “I wanted it to be a surprise, but I suppose I must come clean. The truth is, the Duke of Croyso arrived at the castle this afternoon along with the other nobles from the north. You will be able to see him if you attend this evening’s banquet.”
A chill ran down Maxi’s spine as her heart plummeted. She ducked her head to conceal her expression, her heart pounding as she felt the old terror creep back.
“M-My father is here?” she croaked. “Does he…know that I-I’m here?”