Chapter Seventeen #9
“Hold on! Let us be reasonable, Commander! Only a handful of mages in the world can block your attack!”
“God! Where is your conscience? Even Ruth cannot block you!”
“Stop your whining,” Riftan snarled. “I was going to dull the blow.”
Everyone, including Maxi, looked doubtful. One would have to be a fool not to know that he was hellbent on shattering her barrier to keep her away from the campaign.
“This is unacceptable,” exclaimed Hebaron. “We refuse to accept the result if the blow does not come from someone other than you, Commander!”
“As if I would allow that! It is obvious that you are all going to go easy on her!”
“So what if we do? Not many mages are able to withstand an all-out offensive from a Remdragon Knight! Would it not at least prove she can block a troll-level attack?”
“Come now, both of you. Calm down,” Gabel said, inserting himself between the two men snarling at each other again. “Instead of wasting our energy on pointless squabbles, why don’t we do this: we shall let her ladyship choose her attacker. Besides, we will all be able to tell if the blow is weak.”
Riftan turned to Maxi, his gaze imploring her to choose him, but she quickly looked away. She would be mad to select him. Instead, she surveyed each of the knights. Hebaron was bulkier and a little taller than Riftan, and the rest of the knights were broad-shouldered and well-muscled.
As she carefully assessed each of them, her gaze landed on Gabel. The young knight was lithe compared to the others.
“Y-You…want me to choose, correct?”
“Yes, my lady. You may choose whomever you wish.”
“Then…I would like you…to be my opponent.”
Gabel’s smile faltered slightly. After a brief silence, he said, “May I ask why you have chosen me, my lady?”
“B-Because…I find you the most trustworthy.”
Maxi could feel Riftan’s incredulous gaze boring into her, but she deliberately ignored it. Gabel regarded her with a knowing glance before stepping forward with a sigh.
“I understand. I shall test the strength of your barrier.”
He drew his longsword from his waist and settled into a fighting stance.
Feeling overwhelmed, Maxi hastily gathered her mana.
A light tremor fanned out from beneath her feet as she channeled it, and the earth shot up into the air a few steps ahead of her.
Maxi drew the enhancement rune Ruth had taught her, and the barrier of dirt grew thicker.
“I am r-ready!”
“Then, here I go!”
Maxi summoned as much mana as she could and flooded the rune with it. Her heart pounded, cold sweat dripping down her spine. The sound of boots thudding was followed by a loud impact that violently shook the barrier.
Maxi nervously eyed the wall of earth. A few more thuds followed, but it did not break.
Even she could not believe it. After staring in bewilderment, she turned to Riftan triumphantly. He towered amidst the cloud of dust, his expression inscrutable, and the smile faded from Maxi’s lips.
Undaunted by Riftan’s silent brooding, Hebaron walked over to him with a grin and laughed. “That should be more than enough to convince you, eh, Commander?”
Riftan whirled around. “You can do as you please.”
With that, he stormed off.
Hebaron shrugged. “Do not dwell on it, my lady. The commander is a reasonable man. His anger should abate soon.”
Praying that he was right, Maxi anxiously watched Riftan’s retreating form. Her heart felt heavy for going against her husband’s will so flagrantly, but she gathered her courage with a shake of her head. Come what may, he had given his permission.
If it meant she could stay by his side, she would gladly endure his cold shoulder.
—
The knights immediately went back to preparing for the journey as Maxi returned to the great hall to collect her belongings.
Ludis packed for her like an overanxious mother, and it was a battle trying to stop her from cramming fifteen dresses inside a leather bag.
Rodrigo and the other servants were desperate to help as well, and they kept bringing random items to her.
Even the dressmaker couple offered a hat and veil in case of harsh sun.
Maxi opted to take only the few things she deemed essential. She folded an extra pair of sturdy trousers, three sets of undergarments, a pair of socks, and two tunics. It was enough to fill her bag nearly to the brim.
With the tiny amount of room that was left, she managed to cram in a pouch of herbs, Ruth’s medical tools, and three magic stones. And, because she couldn’t bring herself to give them up, she tucked an ivory comb and half a bar of soap into a quilt pouch tied to her belt.
The illustrated bestiary and her books on magic theory were too heavy and expensive to bring, so she packed some of the parchments Ruth had prepared for her instead.
She was tying the cords of her bag into a tight knot when Ludis said in a shaky voice, “Must you really go somewhere so dangerous, my lady?”
Maxi blushed in pleasure at the usually stoic maidservant’s show of affection. “D-Do not worry. I am going with the strongest knights in the Western Continent, r-remember? Nothing bad is going to happen.”
Ludis took Maxi’s hands in hers. “Please…look after yourself, my lady.”
Gazing into the maidservant’s dark brown eyes, Maxi nodded. Ludis smiled sadly and gave her hands a final squeeze before she stepped back.
After hugging and kissing each of the yowling cats, Maxi left.
The servant waiting outside the door offered to carry her bag, and the rest gathered in the great hall. They gave her a tearful send-off and watched as she mounted Rem.
The knights were already in formation when Maxi arrived at the training grounds. The final preparations had not taken long, as they had been making all the necessary arrangements over the past two days.
As Maxi rode up to the knights, Gabel paused his inspection of the ranks to address her.
“Have you packed everything you need, my lady?”
Maxi nodded. Gabel narrowed his eyes as if to gauge the size of the pack tied to her saddle, then beckoned to someone behind him.
“Oi! Lady Calypse has arrived.”
At his call, two youths stepped out of the junior knights’ ranks stationed at the back. Maxi grew wide-eyed when she saw Ulyseon and Garrow leading their large stallions toward her. Ulyseon rushed over to her in a flurry of exuberant energy.
“We were told that you would be coming with us, my lady. We shall be your escorts on this journey.”
“But…you and Garrow are still squires. How were you able to j-join the campaign?”
“Junior knights are usually chosen from among the squires who are about to be knighted. We have gained enough experience during the last few months, so you need not worry, my lady.”
Garrow puffed up his chest, and Ulyseon nodded resolutely beside him.
“I shall not put you in danger like last time, my lady,” said Ulyseon. “Please rest assured that we shall keep you safe no matter what!”
Maxi smiled as she looked at the young men who had grown so much during the short time she had not seen them. “Th-Thank you. I trust that you w-will be more than up to the task.”
“Livakion and Rovar here are the best among the juniors. Please make sure to stay by their side at all times during the journey, my lady. You must never leave the ranks on your own,” cautioned Gabel. “If there is a problem, please inform me or the other knights.”
Maxi nodded solemnly. “I will keep that in mind. And…wh-where is Riftan?”
“The commander is over there.”
Maxi turned to where he pointed and saw Riftan speaking with Rodrigo, two white-haired knights, and three younger subordinates.
“He is delegating the castle duties,” Gabel explained. “He is leaving Rodrigo in charge of the great hall, while Sir Obaron and Sir Sebrique will be in charge of managing the military facilities.”
After handing Obaron and Rodrigo a ring of keys each, Riftan took his place at the head of the ranks. Maxi kept her eyes on him as he effortlessly mounted Talon. Riftan’s gaze soon darted to her as well.
Maxi stiffened, worried that he might change his mind and insist that she stay behind. However, he simply stirred his horse toward the gate without a word to her.
“Onward!”
The sentries on the castle wall blew their kopels at Riftan’s command.
Hearing the signal, the knights began to cross the drawbridge in an orderly procession.
Maxi gripped the reins and led Rem to move with the ranks.
As Calypse Castle grew distant, an odd combination of excitement and fear surged inside her.
She wondered what awaited her on this journey.
As if sensing her anxiety, Garrow said softly, “You do not have to be so worried, my lady. We have been scouring Anatolium all spring to subdue the monsters. There will be no attacks any time soon.”
Despite being younger than her, Garrow showed more bravery than Maxi. She gave him an embarrassed look. Not only was the squire calm, but all the junior knights of similar age seemed to be as well.
As the Remdragon Knights led their towering warhorses through the village, the villagers flanking the road gazed up at them in awe. Maxi felt like a small pup that had somehow been lost in a pack of wolves.
Gabel rode ahead of her. He looked over his shoulder as he said, “My lady, please move to the center once we pass the village gates.”
Following his instruction, Maxi fell back to the center of the formation as soon as they were out of Anatol. Riftan glanced at her from his place at the front before picking up speed. The knights followed suit, galloping down the dirt road that cut through the valley.
Maxi rode Rem carefully to make sure she did not bump into the other horses. Traveling down a narrow and uneven dirt road proved more difficult than she had thought. If she had not practiced with Rem beforehand, she would have struggled to keep up with the knights.