Chapter 6 #2
“What a coincidence! That’s where we were headed as well. Please, allow me to lead the way.” Ulyseon took the lead with a spring in his step, and Garrow shrugged before falling into step beside him. After hesitating for just a moment longer, Maxi followed after them.
Ulyseon’s attention had a refreshing warmth to it. Though Riftan was caring, his mannerisms were brusque, to say the least, and Ruth was not one to mince his words either. When it came to the rest of the knights, they simply ignored Maxi’s existence entirely.
These squires must be fifteen years old—sixteen at most.
Ulyseon glanced over his shoulder at her curiously. “Do you have some special business in the forge?”
“Nothing in p-particular, b-but I wanted to see i-if they n-needed anything o-ordered before w-winter sets in.”
“Ah, I see. Garrow and I were on our way there because my sword broke during training.” Ulyseon remained cheerful as he pointed at the sword strapped to his belt. “It’s embarrassing to admit, but this is the second time it’s happened this month. The blacksmith scolds me whenever he sees me.”
He blushed slightly at his own confession, but Maxi smiled at his candor. Though his eagerness to please made her a little uncomfortable, she could see that he was a kind and sincere young man.
“At this rate, I’ll never become a tenth of the knight Sir Riftan is—I couldn’t even fill the toes of his boots!”
“We’ll be Remdragon Knights next year, Uly,” Garrow said in a mollifying tone. “Comparing yourself to him is a little unproductive, don’t you think?”
“You only say that because you don’t understand how incredible Sir Riftan is, Garrow. Never mind one-tenth! Becoming even one one-hundredth of the knight he is would be an achievement all on its own!”
“Is that right?” Garrow’s tone was unimpressed. He’d clearly had enough of his companion’s hero worship.
Maxi, however, looked pleased. “Is R-Riftan really so a-accomplished a knight?”
“Accomplished doesn’t even begin to describe him!
” Ulyseon gawked at her, incredulous. “Sir Riftan is the greatest knight of our era—he isn’t called Wigrew’s reincarnation for nothing!
Only five knights on the continent have received that honor, and he’s defeated two of them!
First, it was Sir Sejuleu Aren of Livadon during a sword-fighting tourney six years ago, and he just recently bested Sir Kuahel Leon of Osiriya! ”
Maxi smiled again, though it carried a hint of uncertainty. She had heard the name of the Temple Knights’ commander on several occasions, but she had no sense of his greater renown.
Almost as if he was unsatisfied with her response, Ulyseon continued in a more enthusiastic tone. “I decided to become a knight after seeing Sir Riftan’s swordsmanship in a competition. I’ve admired him ever since!”
“I-I see…” Maxi nodded tentatively, unsure of what kind of response he expected from her.
Ulyseon frowned at her lukewarm reaction. “It seems you’re unfamiliar with your husband’s eminence, my lady.”
“That’s n-not true! I kn-know of how he f-felled the d-dragon…”
“He was a remarkable knight well before the Dragon Campaign. Have you ever seen him wield a sword, my lady?”
“O-Of course I have! I’ve watched him fight off m-monsters in the past.” But even as the words left her lips, she was unsure that she could truly claim to have seen anything.
The first time, she had fainted, and the second time, the battle was over before she even realized what had transpired.
Reluctant to give the impression that she knew next to nothing about her own husband, Maxi filled the gaps in her memory with embellishments.
“In fact, I-I saw Riftan c-cut a full g-grown giant in half! With m-my own eyes! T-Ten of them attacked us, and they were s-slain before I could b-blink.”
In truth, she could not remember how many monsters there had been, but she stubbornly maintained her pretense, certain that there could have been no fewer than ten. Her recounting earned her the awe of both squires, and their eyes sparkled with intrigue.
“Ten giants?! Did he really?”
“Incredible! Tell us more!”
Maxi flinched. She could easily tell from the squires’ eager faces that they expected an epic tale, but she had already set their expectations too high to admit the truth now. Desperately, she racked her brain for details from heroic ballads she’d heard from bards in the past.
“W-We were in the c-carriage when we h-heard a f-ferocious roar. It was t-terribly loud, loud enough to t-tear the sky a-asunder! I th-thought the very s-sky had c-come crashing down, but while I stood p-paralyzed, R-Riftan leaped off the c-carriage, sword in hand. H-He moved so f-fast that I didn’t have a ch-chance to see him d-draw it. ”
“No one can draw faster than Sir Riftan!” Ulyseon took a step forward, eyes wide. “His enemies bleed from their necks before they’ve even noticed the glint of his blade.”
To be honest, it was a bit unsettling to her that the youths were so delighted by the nightmarish scene, but she carried on.
“Th-There were t-ten giants as tall as the castle walls. All of the kn-knights drew their blades then, and they charged with R-Riftan leading the attack. He s-swung his sword at the b-biggest of the m-monsters, and with a f-flash of light…” She squinted, trying to remember how Ulyseon put it just moments ago.
“The b-beast’s head rolled onto the ground, b-blood spurting from its n-neck! ”
“Of course! Sir Riftan’s blade can slice through Dragon’s Breath.” Ulyseon grinned. “A mere giant is nothing!”
With bated breath, the squires waited for her to continue, showing no sign of frustration with her stuttering. Their zeal fueled her own excitement, and she held her arms out in front of her, swinging an imaginary sword.
“Seeing its k-kin slain, another g-giant let out a deafening roar. It swung its c-club at R-Riftan—it was as th-thick as this tree—but Riftan dodged it by j-jumping high into the air, like an eagle taking f-flight!” She smiled inwardly, commending her own choice of words.
“The giant w-was too s-slow to react, and it struck the ground where Riftan stood j-just a moment before. The very earth sh-shook beneath the b-blow!”
She swung her arms downward, pretending to strike the ground, and the squires tensed their shoulders in suspense. Their anticipation made Maxi grow more and more elated. No one had ever been so engrossed by her words before.
“Riftan’s s-sword flashed again, and a split second later, the ogre’s arm dropped to the g-ground…sliced clean off! And the b-blood…”
The mere mention of blood made the squires lean in closer with renewed excitement, and so she raised her arms and began to shout dramatically.
“It p-poured down as the giant shook its s-severed stump! A rain of b-black blood!”
“Indeed…and it took us half a day just to wash it all off of us.”
Maxi’s heart skipped a beat and she froze, arms still held above her head.
Ruth crouched under a tree just ahead of them, scraping moss from between its roots. With a soft grunt, he stood up with a sack in hand and continued.
“Everyone’s armor and clothes were stained black that day. I nearly thought we’d have to change the name of our order from the Remdragon Knights to the Black Dragon Knights, because there was nothing white about our clothing that day.”
“Mage Ruth!” Ulyseon eagerly hurried toward the sorcerer. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m gathering a reagent for the trees on her ladyship’s request.” Ruth lifted the sack slightly. “But did I interrupt something? It seems she was in the middle of recounting our fierce battle against the ogres.”
Maxi blushed from head to toe, wishing she could crumble into dust and be blown away by the wind. Ruth, who had seen her vomit and faint at the sight of blood, could call her bluff if he so wished. The squires, however, seemed wholly oblivious to her mortification and continued to chatter away.
“Yes! We were just at the part where Sir Riftan felled ten of those giants in the blink of an eye!”
“Ten, you say?” Ruth spoke in a slow drawl, feigning interest.
Maxi’s heart pounded and her eyes darted from side to side as she tried to think of some way to excuse herself before Ruth exposed her lie. But Ruth did not expose her. Instead, he cast her a knowing look before carrying on with a straight face.
“If that’s enough to impress you, then I suppose her ladyship hasn’t told you about the battle in the mountains.”
“Battle in the mountains?”
“Oh, yes. We were crossing Anatolium when a pack of werewolves tried to ambush us, but…” He tapped his lips thoughtfully. “My memory fails me lately. Lady Calypse? How many of those beasts were there?”
“I d-d-don’t remember…”
“Mm, well, there were simply too many to count. The horde had enough fur to carpet the whole mountain.”
“That many?” Ulyseon gaped. “In Anatolium?”
Maxi stood paralyzed, cold sweat beading on the back of her neck.
Ruth smirked. “I think her ladyship is better equipped to regale you with the finer details.”
The two youths looked to her expectantly, but Maxi’s face was now flushed crimson. She might have gotten a bit overzealous in her storytelling moments ago, but to concoct such bold-faced lies in front of Ruth? She did not have the nerve.
Thankfully, Ruth seemed to take pity on her, and came to her rescue.
“But I’m sure her ladyship has many other affairs that require her attention. We mustn’t take so much of her time.”
“Y-Yes, I d-do have some m-m-matters to attend t-to.” Maxi hastily went along with his excuse, but as she turned to leave, Ruth stopped her.
“I have a message for you, my lady. Your tale was so enthralling that it almost slipped my mind.”
“A m-message?” She narrowed her eyes skeptically, half expecting him to start mocking her. Ruth, however, simply pulled out a small piece of parchment, unfolding it before handing it to her.