Chapter 11 #7
“Ulyseon!” Maxi said, rushing over to him. “A-Are you all right? H-How did this…”
In spite of his ghastly condition, Ulyseon greeted her with his usual upbeat tone. “Good afternoon, my lady.”
Stunned, Maxi gawked at the squire’s bloodied face, then ordered the servants to bring her a clean cloth and hot water. As the servants left, Gabel entered the dining hall and sighed when he saw all the fuss.
“The training grounds were muddy thanks to the rain,” Gabel explained. “And today just happened to be the day of the squires’ equestrian training. Rovar here fell off his horse during the charge.”
“Not only did he fall,” muttered Sir Elliot, rubbing his face. “He so efficiently broke rank that he caused additional casualties.”
Ulyseon scratched his bloody head, embarrassed. “I should have been more careful. My sincerest apologies, Sir Elliot.”
“I’ve only ever been unseated three times, boy,” Elliot grumbled before walking away to dry himself by the brazier.
Maxi frowned, a little annoyed that the knights were being so cavalier about the squire’s blood-soaked condition. “U-Ulyseon,” she said, “you mustn’t touch your head! Y-You’re bleeding. Come sit. I-I shall…tend to your wound.”
“You don’t need to trouble yourself, my lady. It’s not as bad as it looks, and the bleeding has—”
“D-Don’t…be foolish…and come sit down.”
Maxi pulled Ulyseon to a chair near the brazier and forced him into it, ignoring the squire’s look of surprise. The boy reminded her of a wounded stray dog, too eager to please to notice the severity of its injury. She bent down to get a better look at his head.
Gabel handed her a clean towel, soaked in hot water. “I think he tore his scalp. His helmet was too big for him. I don’t think he broke any bones, but the wound is deep. Won’t it be difficult to heal, my lady?”
“My…magic should be…s-sufficient,” Maxi said as she gingerly wiped away the blood and inspected the long gash beneath the squire’s blood-slicked silver hair.
Placing her hand above Ulyseon’s head, Maxi drew on her magic.
Her daily practice accumulating mana had paid off, and the speed of her healing magic now matched Ruth’s.
When she finished, Maxi swept back the clumps of hair that clung to the squire’s clammy forehead to confirm that the wound had completely healed.
“Are you…h-hurt…anywhere else?” she asked him.
“N-No, my lady,” Ulyseon said, a flush coloring his normally pale, blemish-free face.
Realizing that her hands in his hair might be making him uncomfortable, Maxi quickly pulled back.
Ulyseon was slight and fair enough to be mistaken for a woman, but he was still a knight-in-training who would one day join the ranks of the Remdragon Knights.
It was inappropriate for her to treat him like a child.
Maxi smiled awkwardly and handed him a fresh towel. “Y-You should…c-clean off the blood.”
“Oh! Thank you, my lady.” Ulyseon gave her a wide, youthful grin as he took the towel and began scrubbing at his face.
Sir Elliot left his spot near the fire and walked over to Maxi. “May I trouble you to heal a bump as well, my lady?” he asked, motioning to the back of his own head.
Maxi promptly healed Sir Elliot’s injury while the other knights finished drying off and began to feast on the food laid out by the maidservants. After healing Sir Elliot, Maxi joined them for the rest of her meal.
The knights usually took their lunch in their quarters, which were adjacent to the training grounds, while Maxi spent her afternoons cooped up in the library. It was rare for them to dine together at this time of day.
Sitting shoulder to shoulder, the knights squeezed their hulking frames around the table, and Maxi watched them while she sipped at her cooled soup.
“H-Has…the lord…left the castle?”
“The commander is in the council room,” said Sir Elliot. “He’s deliberating with Sir Hebaron, Sir Ursuline, Sir Remus, and…the sorcerer.”
“D-Deliberating?”
“They are probably planning the monster raid that we’ll carry out once Aquarias comes.”
“The order places an emphasis on hierarchies, my lady,” Gabel chimed in from across the table.
“So the most competent knights have the most say. The commander frequently convenes with those three and the sorcerer at the end of winter to discuss future plans. With the news of monsters migrating from the north, I reckon they’re discussing countermeasures. ”
Ulyseon stopped devouring his lunch to join the conversation. “Do you think I will be able to participate in the next raid?” he asked, his eyes bright.
Sir Elliot scoffed. “After the terrible equestrian skills you exhibited today, we’ll need to push your knighting ceremony to next year.”
“I must agree with Sir Elliot,” Gabel teased. “I heard you took quite the tumble during the last goblin raid. How do you expect to pass the initiation ceremony with such carelessness? I doubt you could catch a fire lizard, let alone a drake.”
“I shall not repeat my mistakes!” Ulyseon shouted indignantly. “Let me prove it to you! I could catch two—no, three drakes if you give me a chance!”
Maxi found herself glancing back and forth between the speakers, unable to follow the entire conversation.
Sir Elliot, eating quietly next to her, explained it to her in a deferential tone.
“The initiation ceremony of the Remdragon Knights requires initiates to hunt and bring back a monster of the dragon race. They must acquire a dragon stone to be accepted for the knighting ceremony. It is a ritual unique to our order.”
“Actually,” a young, dark-haired knight said enthusiastically, “the type of the monster is irrelevant as long as it carries a magic stone. But drakes are a good choice for beginners. Bringing back a fire lizard would make you a laughingstock, while wyverns, hydras, and basilisks are too dangerous for fledgling knights to hunt alone.”
“W-What kind of m-monster is…a drake?”
“They are similar in appearance to dragons, and they’re usually twenty to thirty kevettes tall—if you lined up three or four horses, nose to tail, that’s how tall a drake is.
They are scaled beasts with sharp fangs and claws.
But unlike dragons, they don’t have wings, and they can’t use Dragon’s Breath. ”
Other knights began to chime in, attempting to scare Ulyseon.
“They should not be taken lightly, though,” said one. “Drakes make up for their inability to fly with sheer speed. Once a drake starts chasing you, you can’t outrun it, even full speed on horseback. And they have a keen sense of smell, so hiding from one isn’t an option either.”
“What’s more,” said another knight, “is they are highly resistant to magic, so most magical offensives are useless.”
“The most dangerous thing about them is that they move in packs,” said the dark-haired knight. “They’re not so smart on their own, but in a group, they will relentlessly chase down their prey, sending signals to each other. They are not to be trifled with, especially by greenhorn knights.”
“Ah! I can see it now,” one of the knights cried dramatically. “Fumbling Rovar charging recklessly at a drake and meeting his tragic end by becoming monster lunch!”
“Lunch, you say? More like an appetizer. He’s so puny I bet he’d be swallowed whole.”
Maxi was the only person who looked frightened by their teasing. She eyed the squire’s innocent face and willowy frame, and worried. Surely this was too harsh a test for a boy of seventeen?
“Y-You…won’t be…d-doing it alone…will you, Ulyseon?”
From the end of the table, Garrow Livakion spoke for the first time. “I shall be joining him, my lady. Uly and I are the only squires being knighted this year.”
Maxi could not believe her ears. Garrow was only a year older than Ulyseon. Even though he was taller and broader than his friend, he had yet to shed his boyishness.
“J-Just…the two of you?” she asked with grave seriousness. “Won’t…that be too dangerous?”
“They don’t deserve to join the ranks of the Remdragon Knights if they’re incapable of taking on such risks,” Sir Elliot said firmly. “Besides, with their skills, Rovar and Livakion are more than up to the task. So long as they don’t bungle it like today.”
“I suppose I’ll have to haul back the biggest drake I can find if I want to restore my honor,” Ulyseon said, lifting his chin. “Just wait and see. I’ll use its scales to make new boots for you all.”
“Ha! Just try not to become its toothpick.”
The knights snickered and burst into laughter. Maxi was dismayed by their callous jokes, tossed about with such nonchalance. Were they not worried about sending these youths into danger?
Maxi frowned at them. Gabel, doubled over with laughter, stopped when he saw her face, and the smile slowly faded from his lips.
“Oi!” he shouted at the other knights. “Enough with the undignified talk. We’re in the presence of her ladyship.”
Maxi did not point out that “Oi!” was not exactly the height of polite speech either. Instead, she continued to express her concern for the squires.
“Th-There…will be someone…to watch over them…won’t there?” she asked. “Ulyseon and…G-Garrow are still so young. Sh-Shouldn’t someone…accompany them…to make s-sure that they don’t—”
“My lady, we are not children who need to be looked after,” Ulyseon said. “The initiation ceremony is a rite of passage we must go through to be recognized as full-fledged knights. We do not require a guardian!”
“He’s right,” said Garrow. “Your words wound our pride, my lady.”
Both squires sounded a little petulant as they voiced their objections, and Maxi stared at them in stunned silence.
Were they not afraid of getting hurt or dying?
She was in awe of their undaunted confidence.
She was four or five years older than they were, yet she did not possess even half of their courage.
“I-I did not…mean to offend you. I was…only worried.”
“You have nothing to worry about, my lady,” said a new voice. “They might not look it, but those two are exceptional swordsmen.”
Maxi’s head snapped up to see Hebaron and Riftan striding into the dining hall.
“They may lack experience,” Hebaron continued, “but, in skill, they are a match for any knight. Especially Rovar over there. The lad has talent that could rival Sir Riftan’s.”
Ulyseon leaped up from his seat. “Preposterous! A squire such as myself could never hope to compare to Sir Riftan!”
“If only he could do something about that quick temper,” Hebaron added with a sigh.
Riftan ignored the exchange and walked straight over to Maxi. He sat down in the chair next to her as the servants brought out more food.
Maxi smiled timidly at him. Despite looking as alluring as the devil of the scriptures in a black tunic and gold belt, he gave off a forbidding air of icy disgruntlement.
Ever since the incident at the training grounds, Riftan became tense whenever Maxi was around the knights.
Like a warden guarding the gates of hell, he was on the lookout for anyone who dared repeat Ursuline’s impertinence.
“I hope they didn’t make you uncomfortable while you were having your meal,” Riftan said.
“N-No. Th-They were…telling me…about the initiation ceremony.”
“Rovar and Livakion will complete their initiation before the knighting ceremony,” Gabel said with a casual smile, unfazed by Riftan’s chilly demeanor. “What better time than Aquarias, when the drakes come out from hibernation?”
Riftan stroked his chin, considering. “You have been training them for monster raids, correct?”
“As often as we can,” said Elliot with a nod. “But I think it would be valuable for them to gain as much field experience as possible before the knighting ceremony. As it stands, I doubt they’d make adequate knights.”
Ulyseon pursed his lips, clearly displeased with Elliot’s assessment, but the moment Riftan’s gaze fell on him, he sat up straight and wiped the petulant look from his face.
Regarding the two squires with piercing eyes, Riftan came to a decision. “Both of you are to participate in the next reconnaissance mission,” he said. “Monster raids are different from standard battles, so there’s always something to be gained from firsthand experience.”
“Yes, sir!” Ulyseon and Garrow said in unison.
A smile tugged at Riftan’s lips. The squires looked at him with awe, respect, and admiration, and he seemed to reciprocate their fondness in his own way.
Maxi found herself feeling jealous of their bond.
Although she sat among them, she was not part of their world.
Ulyseon and Garrow would join the ranks of the Remdragon Knights in a few months, and they would be the ones by Riftan’s side when he faced countless dangers.
It was lonely to think that everyone might be capable of growing closer to Riftan but her.
Riftan’s brow furrowed when he noticed that Maxi’s spoon had stilled. “What’s wrong? Is the food not to your liking? Should I ask the servants to bring you something else?”
Maxi shook her head. “N-No, I have…had my fill.”
“Have some more.”
“I-I really am full.” She flashed him a smile and picked up her book. “But I…am a l-little tired, so…I shall…take my leave now.”
“But you haven’t finished your meal.”
“I-I ate q-quite a lot. Truly.”
Riftan searched her face, but eventually sighed and nodded.
Maxi slowly made her way out of the dining hall, lost in her thoughts. Once winter was over, Riftan might be sent on another campaign. She would be left all alone again, anxiously awaiting his return. Her heart ached at the thought, and she bit her lip.
If she could master powerful magic, would he take her with him?
The desperate hope quickly evaporated. Riftan had been adamantly against Maxi joining him on campaigns. If she was honest, Maxi doubted she had the courage to go with him even if he were to allow it.
She ran a hand through her messy hair and breathed an exasperated sigh.
The story continues in Volume 2…