Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 326 - 87

At Riftan's nod, Hebaron pulled a map from his coat pocket and passed it to Sejuleu Aren. "I've marked the paths that will keep you hidden, and scouts are searching for a suitable hideout near the tunnel. We should have more information by the morrow."

"How very thorough," Sejuleu muttered in astonishment as he examined the map.

Maxi studied the faces of the other commanding officers. Though Kuahel Leon's expression was inscrutable, he did not seem to have any objections. Richard Breston also kept his mouth firmly shut as he observed the situation. Because of his assertion earlier that siege was their only option, he clearly felt that voicing an objection now would only cast him in a bad light.

When none of his listeners made any objections, Riftan moved on. "If there are no objections, three hundred men will be chosen for the elite unit that will be stationed in the west as soon as the scout party returns. They will be hiding their tracks as they move, so they will take some time to get here. That is why they must depart at the earliest opportunity."

Sejuleu's brow creased into deep lines. "Shouldn't we send more?" he asked, cocking his head.

Riftan shook his head. "If the first plan fails, the unit will have to stay hidden for at least half a month. The maximum amount of provisions we can allot them will only be enough for three hundred, and any more will only increase the chances of discovery."

"And who will infiltrate the wyvern farm?" Agnes asked after carefully poring over the map.

Maxi bunched the hem of her sleeve in her fist. Though she had 18:09

expected this, her heart still dropped. She hastily looked down to "I will," Riftan said without a moment's hesitation.

Maxi bunched the hem of her sleeve in her fist. Though she had expected this, her heart still dropped. She hastily looked down to hide her distress.

"Once the wyverns are driven into a frenzy, those in the farm will also be in danger," Riftan added flatly. "The task must fall to someone who has successfully infiltrated the city before and has extensive experience with the dragon subspecies."

The commander of the Arexian army blurted, "Then, who will lead the Wedonian—"

"Are you questioning my competence?" Princess Agnes shot back, along with an icy glare.

The man promptly closed his mouth. After giving the Arexian commander a warning look, Agnes turned her head to Riftan with a dignified air.

"What I want to know is who will be dismantling the rune."

Albern had been listening to the tense discussions in silence. He answered the princess as soon as she posed the question.

"That would be us."

All eyes turned to where the mages of Nornui were seated.

"Geoffrey and I are the ones who slipped into the monster city with Sir Riftan," Albern continued calmly. "As we also copied the rune, we would be the best fit for the job."

Agnes nodded in agreement. With that, the knights began to address Riftan's second plan. They discussed infantry, archers, and cavalry positions in rapid succession, followed by the placement of the catapults, routes, and countermeasures in case of a wyvern attack.

All the information left Maxi feeling addled. She had yet to even process her husband's declaration to walk into enemy territory. At a loss for what to do, she looked up at Riftan. Her head acknowledged he was simply doing his duty as a knight, but her heart filled with resentment. There was anger, too. While he was excessively protective of Maxi, he never seemed to have any regard for his own safety.

Nonetheless, she knew she was being unreasonable. Riftan was a knight, and in a war with tens of thousands of lives at stake, it would be dishonorable for a commanding officer to think only of his own well-being. As she silently fought the urge to dissuade him from this reckless plan, Kuahel suddenly directed a question at her.

"How many mages in the support unit are capable of defensive magic?"

Maxi did not catch his question right away, and it was only when she noticed everyone looking at her that she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Th-The mages of the Tower are all capable of basic defensive magic," she hastily replied, "and… two among the unaffiliated mages are as well. A total of seven."

"A small number indeed," Kuahel replied, furrowing his brow. "More than anything, it is vital that we protect our provisions. The monsters have targeted our rear support unit in the past and will undoubtedly do so again. We must prepare ourselves for such attacks."

"Aren't the high priests capable of summoning barriers?" Riftan asked, leaning forward slightly in his chair. "It would be safer to move some of those stationed at the front to the rear."

"Divine magic is our best weapon against the dark mages. We cannot put such crucial personnel in the rear," Kuahel said with a firm shake of his head.

Riftan's face twitched almost imperceptibly. "Did you not just say so yourself that protecting our food supply is vital? Everything is over if we lose that."

"Which is why we must deliberate on a solution," Kuahel retorted scathingly.

Feeling the tension rising between the two men, Maxi decided to cut in.

"How about gathering the provisions in one area… and putting magical devices in place to keep them safe? We could also… place the mages' tent in the vicinity so that at least one mage is standing guard at all hours."

Kuahel took a moment to think before nodding. "That appears to be our best option."

Though he clearly had more to say, Riftan kept his mouth shut and looked away. The subject of discussion returned to how they would lure the monsters out of the city. Despite being thoroughly exhausted, Maxi continued to listen attentively. Eventually, her accumulated fatigue and the tension within the tent drained the last dregs of her energy.

She was apparently not the only exhausted member; some of the mages huddled around the brazier began nodding off. Riftan interrupted the discussion when he noticed them.

"Shall we conclude the meeting here since we've decided on the general points? We will need to rest before the march tomorrow."

The other commanders agreed, and one by one, they all got to their feet. With a sigh of relief, Maxi rose with them. She shrugged off the leather coat and tried to return it to Riftan.

"Keep it on," he told her.

She swept a worried gaze over her husband, who wore only a black tunic beneath his armor and leather belt. "But it is snowing outside…"

"I can have someone bring me a cloak, so do as I say," he replied brusquely before turning away to face Sejuleu Aren.

Maxi frowned at his curtness, but in the end, she complied with a sigh and stepped out of the tent. Ulyseon swiftly followed her to serve as her escort. Riftan, on the other hand, showed no sign of coming after her. She furtively peeked into the tent. Though the high priests and mages had all retired, Riftan and the other commanding officers still stood around the long table, deep in discussion.

She only looked away at Anette's urging and began trudging back along the path. The sun was long gone, leaving them surrounded in pitch darkness. Pulling her coat closer, she relied on the fires lit throughout the camp to guide her steps. When they finally reached the Wedonian camp, she was too exhausted to lift even a finger.

After thanking Ulyseon for escorting her, she wobbled into the mages' tent and found the others already sleeping on their bedrolls.

She joined those who had attended the meeting for a simple meal, then made a bed for herself by laying a blanket on a rush mat. She was removing her coat and leather belt when something snapped and fell from her clothes.

Flustered, she fumbled the ground before her fingers closed around a small leather pouch. It must be Riftan's, she surmised, fallen after being caught on her belt. Holding it closer to the brazier, she saw that the palm-sized pouch was unadorned and made of high-quality leather. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she opened it to see what was inside. Tucked away at the bottom of the pouch was a coil of worn rope.

Maxi gingerly pulled out the piece of cloth to examine it. One end showed signs of tear, while the other was stained with what looked like blood. Why would Riftan carry such a thing? Furrowing her brow, she pushed it back into the pouch. She was securing the opening when she felt something nudge the edge of her memory.

She froze and reopened the pouch.

"Cover the brazier already," Anette grumbled from her bedroll. "We ought to get some sleep before the hellish march that awaits us."

Maxi placed the brass lid over the brazier and shoved the pouch inside her bag. She reminded herself to reattach it later. Removing her belt, she placed it aside and slid into her bedroll. When she pulled Riftan's coat all the way up to her shoulders, the familiar scent seemed to ease her fears.

Burying her face on his coat, she murmured in prayer, "Let all of this be over when I open my eyes."

She drifted off to sleep not long after.

***

When the scouts returned the following morning, the Bolosé Royal Knights made prompt preparations to depart. While they saddled their horses with a month's worth of provisions, the soldiers loaded three wagons with coal, firewood, and horse fodder, and the mages packed herbs and magical devices.

Seven more had been chosen to join the Bolosé Royal Knights, including Hans, the paladin who had participated in the expedition to the Pamela Plateau, five of his subordinates, and a mage of the Tower. This mage would be responsible for opening the doors of the tunnel and thus served a critical role.

After careful deliberation, Celric chose Miriam for the job. Though she specialized in offensive magic, Miriam was adept with magical devices. Above all, they could use her fairies for long-distance communication.

Once everything was ready, the covert team wasted no time setting out west. Maxi anxiously watched their disappearing figures.

This could be the last time I see them.

She snapped herself out of the bleak thought and tried to keep her mind from wandering back. Imagining the worst had always been a terrible habit of hers. Turning away, Maxi went to help the others break camp. They would soon begin marching east along the mountains surrounding the monster city, where they would hide until they received the signal to strike.

Her stomach twisted into knots. Nausea surged through her as memories of past calamities resurfaced. The only difference this time was that they would be fighting in monster territory, away from human settlements.

Steeling herself, she loaded her bags onto Rem's saddle with renewed determination. Just as she was about to mount her horse, she spotted Riftan. He usually inspected the formation at the head of the Wedonian army with Princess Agnes before every march, so Maxi was surprised when she saw him striding toward her.

Stopping in front of her, he sounded strangely nervous as he said, "Can I have a moment?"

Maxi looked up at him in bewilderment. Ever since the start of this campaign, he had been nothing but impersonal with her. She could hardly remember their last intimate conversation. What could he possibly want to talk about? Growing anxious, her throat tightened as she nodded.

"Sh-Shall we go somewhere more private?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I just wanted to ask…" he trailed off, looking agitated.

Having never seen him like this, Maxi blinked in a daze. What was making this terribly self-possessed man so flustered?

Nervously rubbing his lips with an armored hand, Riftan continued hesitantly, "About my coat. Did you…"

"Your coat?" Maxi repeated, taken aback by the unexpected topic. "I-I asked Ulyseon to return it to you at dawn. Did you not receive it?"

Riftan appeared almost distraught as he dumbly opened and closed his mouth. He eventually pressed his lips together as though at a loss for words, and all emotion vanished from his face.

"No, I received it. I apologize for taking your time. It's not important, so don't concern yourself."

With that, he turned around and started walking away. Only then did Maxi recall the pouch.

Hurriedly stopping him, she lifted the leather pouch. "A-Are you looking for this? It fell off last night while I was getting changed. I was going to sew it back on, but it completely slipped my mind."

Riftan's eyes clouded with dismay as they landed on the pouch. He snatched it from her and said accusingly, "Did you look inside?"

Startled by his heated reaction, Maxi hunched her shoulders and shamefully nodded. She saw his jaw tighten as he silently searched her face.

A moment later, his expression turned cold. He said icily, "You don't have to trouble yourself. I found what I was after, so you can return to what you were doing."

With that, he spun on his heels and marched away. Maxi watched him go in bewilderment. She simply could not understand the reason for his reaction.

Is that grungy string that important to him?

Right at that moment, a memory flashed in her mind. She stiffened, then scurried after him.

"Th-The string inside… is it the adornment I gave you?" she said, her tone uncertain.

She got her answer as his bronze neck turned red.