Under the Oak Tree

262 Chapter Gaping, Maxi looked her guest up and down. The woman was half a hand span taller than her, with slender limbs and slightly upturned eyes and lips. Memories of the young Livadonian noblewoman who had braved the war by her side three years ago reawakened in her mind.

“W-What are you doing in Osiriya?” Maxi asked, still in shock.

“I have been studying medicine at the university since last year. Selina is also here, training to become a hierarch.”

Maxi could not stop gawking.

“M-Medicine?”

“I intended to follow your example at first and learn healing magic, but it turns out I’m not cut out for it. That’s when I switched to herbs and medical treatment. My family was vehemently against it, but even my father gave up when I cut off my hair.”

Idsilla pointed to her short locks with an impish smile.

“I persuaded Father to use my dowry to buy back our land, and to let Elba keep the money he received for fighting in the war for his wedding. After that, I ended my engagement and came to Osiriya. And I didn’t come alone. The female clerics who were in the support unit with us are studying here as well with the monastery’s funding.”

As though overcome with emotion, Idsilla abruptly stopped her excited chatter.

“I’m sure everyone will be happy to see you,” she said, her smile softening. “You are a living legend, after all.”

Maxi’s face turned crimson as she recalled the nightmare that was The Scarlet Lady. Her back began to break out in a cold sweat.

“Y-You exaggerate… I am no—”

“But it is the truth. You should visit Levan if you ever get the chance. Your story was even made into a play there.”

“A-A play?”

Idsilla chortled when she saw Maxi’s face blanch in horror.

“It was put on as a charitable venture to help the shelter there, but it unexpectedly became a massive success! Once your story became famous, the court jesters added to the play and even performed it during a royal banquet. In Levan, your fame rivals your husband’s.”

Maxi firmly resolved never to set foot in Levan for as long as she lived. It was absurd that people had romanticized her to such a degree at their wanton discretion.

Noticing Maxi’s teary mortification, Idsilla attempted to console her. “Don’t be so embarrassed. I make an appearance too, you know. I’m the villain who coaxes you to go to the battlefield. Elba was incensed when he saw it at the royal palace, called it a disgrace to our family.”

“I-It’s not something to laugh about, Idsilla.”

“I, for one, have no problem with it. After all, I can now live as I wish, thanks to it ruining my marriage prospects.”

Grinning, Idsilla shrugged and pulled Maxi by the arm.

“But no matter. Let’s not waste time here. We should find the others. Everyone was sad they didn’t get to say their farewells when you left.”

For a moment, Maxi hesitated as she wondered if it was appropriate to leave her room when she could be summoned to meet the pope at any moment. Still, she could not send her friend away when they had only just reunited. She came to a decision and knocked on the adjacent door belonging to one of the senior mages. Elena, the only woman senior mage on the expedition, readily agreed to Maxi’s excursion.

“You may,” Elena said with a nod. “Only the senior mages will have an audience with His Holiness. We were told that his ill health prevents him from meeting too many people. There was much deliberation, but it’s been decided that Master Calto, Master Anton, Master Albern, and I will meet with him. You are free to spend your time however you wish. We will update you and the others after the meeting.”

After that, Maxi followed Idsilla to the students’ quarters with a light conscience. Pale winter sunlight streamed overhead while the cold breeze tousled their hair. They arrived at a spacious hall filled with a hundred people gathered for lunch, and Maxi’s eyes immediately honed in on Selina and the Livadonian female clerics. The women rose from their seats as soon as they saw her, their faces lighting up with joy.

“I thought my eyes were deceiving me,” Selina said excitedly, leading Maxi to an empty seat. “It is you, Lady Calypse! I went out when I heard there were mages. You cannot guess how surprised I was when I saw you.”

Maxi sat down with a bewildered smile. “I also… did not expect to see you all here.”

“After the war, the female clerics who served in the support unit were granted permission to learn divine magic,” Selina explained with a pleased smile. “So here we are, studying to become hierarchs. The church is currently low on clerics who can perform purifications to deal with the increasing number of monsters, so they are likely trying to fill the shortage with female clerics. You could say it has unexpectedly opened doors for us.”

She sounded so smug that Maxi had to stifle a laugh.

“That’s… wonderful.”

“And we have you to thank for it. We wouldn’t be here if Eth Lene had fallen that day.”

The other women all nodded in agreement. The admiration in their eyes settled like an uncomfortable weight on her shoulders, and Maxi looked troubled. Taking a sip of wine, she hastily changed the subject.

“I heard… the basilica will be hosting a grand banquet. You must be busy with the preparations.”

Selina ducked closer to the table and whispered, “It’s only the Orthodox clerics who are preoccupied. Strictly speaking, this is a political campaign masquerading as a feast. At the moment, the high priest Garis, the Orthodox Church’s candidate, and the high priest Cassius, the Reformed Church’s candidate, are vying for the papacy. The banquet planned for the Holy Feast Day was Father Garis’s idea. No doubt he plans to gain the support of the influential nobles of the Seven Kingdoms he has invited.”

Being a member of the Reformed Church herself, she was clearly not pleased by this. She furrowed her brow and sighed.

“I don’t understand why His Holiness allowed this. I believed he had chosen Father Cassius as his successor.”

Maxi tried to recall the short exchange between Kuahel Leon and the elderly Father Lugias. The papal conclave might have had something to do with the sudden partnership between the church and the Mage Tower. If it turned out that dark mages were behind the war three years ago, it would affect the Reformed Church’s influence, leaving room for the Orthodox faction to take over once again. The Mage Tower would want to prevent that from happening at all costs.

“Which leads me to ask… Do you think the Mage Tower sent you all here to offer their support to Father Cassius?”

Maxi snapped out of her thoughts and turned to look at Selina.

“I was wondering,” Selina continued, “if Father Cassius was trying to gain the Mage Tower’s support, just as Father Garis is trying to get the nobles on his side.”

“I-I’ve only recently become an official mage… so I’m afraid I’m not privy to such information.”

Though Maxi tried to brush it off with an ambiguous smile, she silently agreed. If the existence of dark mages were to become known, the papacy would likely go to the Orthodox Church. And if worse came to worst, Calto’s warning about the return of mage persecutions could prove true.

Maxi hunched her shoulders. A heavy dread settled in her heart at the thought that she might have gotten herself involved in something far more serious than she had bargained for.

“Do you all… support Father Cassius as the next pope?”

“Of course! The thought of Father Garis becoming pope terrifies me,” Idsilla exclaimed. “I’m sure you’ll understand what I mean if you ever get to meet him. Father Garis is a monster carved from the ice and steel of the north. He would start a reign of terror if he became pope. In his eyes, adherents of the Reformed Church like us are all heretics.”

“Lady Idsilla!” Selina said, aghast. She glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “Please mind your tongue. Whatever the case, he is still a holy minister of God. You could be punished for blasphemy for what you just said.”

Idsilla snorted. “Why be scared when the worst he could do is confine me in a solitary cell for a day?”

Maxi shook her head incredulously. “I see… you still hold little regard for rules, Idsilla.”

“As you know, people don’t change that easily. Even my family has given up on me,” Idsilla quipped.

Selina gaped at her in disbelief before sighing up at the ceiling. Soon, the female clerics rose to attend their afternoon classes. As the novitiates’ schedules were packed from morning until evening, it was difficult for them to make time for much else.

When the women departed after exchanging reluctant goodbyes, Maxi went out to the garden with Idsilla. They talked while strolling around a secluded pavilion.

Idsilla told Maxi about her brother and Alyssa’s beautiful wedding ceremony, and Maxi recounted an exaggerated version of her bizarre experiences at the Mage Tower.

After listening to her story with twinkling eyes, Idsilla cautiously asked, “And your husband… is he well?”

Maxi froze in the middle of her happy reminiscing.

Realizing she had made a mistake, Idsilla bit her lip. A moment of awkward silence passed, and she fidgeted with her hair before hastily adding, “I’ve been worried about you since Eth Lene Castle. When they brought you back wounded that day, your husband…”

...

Unable to find the right words, Idsilla trailed off. She gulped and seemed to struggle to finish her sentence.

“Sir Riftan… looked as though the world had ended. I’ve never seen such despair. If something terrible had happened to you back then… he probably would have—”

Idsilla had a grim look fixed on the flowerbed at her feet. She abruptly stopped talking and began waving her hands, embarrassed.

“Oh, do forgive me. I’ve let my mouth run away with me again. It’s just… when I heard you’d left Anatol, I feared those events might have strained your relationship.”

“Th-That is not why I left,” Maxi quickly reassured her. “There were circumstances… that forced me to leave.”

Idsilla went to say something but stopped when she saw Maxi’s pale face. A cold breeze brushed past.

She looked up at the dry branches before whispering in a choked voice, “As Selina said earlier, we would not be here if it weren’t for you, Lady Calypse. I wanted to tell you how grateful I am.”

Maxi was about to wave off the sentiment out of habit when it struck her that her friend was right. Not only had she saved Idsilla’s life but also the lives of countless more. She grew still as the truth rattled her core. After a lifetime of believing herself useless, it was difficult to recognize the extent of her impact on so many people. Still, it did not change the facts.

She unconsciously clutched the coin hanging from her neck. Her memories of that time were a mire of helplessness, anguish, and guilt, but now she felt a new light dawning on them. After quietly meeting Idsilla’s solemn gaze, Maxi nodded.

The expeditionary party stayed at the basilica for two days to prepare for the journey. They would be venturing into the most dangerous place on the Western Continent. As such, their knight escorts doubled, and they ended up with eight wagons loaded with provisions, tents, horse feed, weapons, and other necessary equipment.

Their travel plans would take them north through Balto. The weather was bound to be colder the further they pushed, which also meant a higher probability of certain monsters. To prepare for this and their prolonged stay in the wilderness, the mages packed every herb and firestone they could source. Some even purchased cold weather-proof clothing, such as long boots made of wool and fur.

...

As soon as preparations were complete, the expeditionary party gathered at the basilica’s entrance.