"What is it?
Why are you so surprised?", asked Ruth when she saw Maxi with a frown, standing behind her with her shoulders shaking with laughter.
“W-why did you… appear like that, by surprise, to a lady?!”, replied Maxi, trying to control her trembling voice.
"I didn't do anything like that.
I entered the library in the usual way."
“You could have… said something.”
Ruth took the opposite seat.
“Should I have shouted that the great wizard Ruth had arrived?”
Maxi didn't know whether to get angry or laugh at his insolence.
They hadn't seen each other for a while, but his treatment of her clearly hadn't changed.
Ruth gave an awkward yawn, her face conveying apathy, before picking up her book and leafing through it.
"I'm afraid that some descriptions are incorrect.
Strictly speaking, lizardmen are closer to the dragon subspecies than the Ayin race.
They carry magic stones within them and are capable of using different magic.
The record Sir Riftan keeps should have more detail than this book."
“There is a big difference… between the dragon subspecies… and the Ayin race?”
"Of course.
The dragon subspecies has strong magical powers.
They can use magic of their own, such as Dragon Breath.
They are highly resistant to magic, so most magical attacks do not work on them.
That is why they are such difficult creatures to subdue."
He put the book down on the table and scratched his head as if the thought of subduing such a monster gave him a headache.
"Lizardmen are a monster of a much higher level than trolls.
In addition to being intelligent and capable of magic, they have incredible physical strength.
Therefore, they are not easy to kill with a sword or magic.
Defeating one lizardman is more difficult than dealing with ten trolls together."
Maxi looked at the illustration of a monster that looked like a combination of human and lizard.
The strange creature with a reptilian face, a muscular body covered in scales, and a long tail did not seem intelligent.
Wondering if Ruth was correct, Maxi frowned at the text beneath the illustration.
Ruth tapped the table with her fingers.
“May I ask why you are reading a book about monsters?”
“I-I… I heard the report that the scouts brought yesterday and I w-wanted to know what kind of monsters they were…”
Ruth stroked her chin.
"I heard you neutralized werewolf venom with magic yesterday.
Is that where you heard the news from?"
Maxi nodded stiffly.
"I heard that...
an army of monsters is plundering the lands in northern Livadon.
Do you think that...
the White Dragons will also have to join the campaign?"
“Nothing is certain, but there is a good chance we will be called up.”
Maxi felt his blood run cold.
She half expected it, but the thought of being separated from Riftan caused a painful tightness in her chest.
She bit her lip as she remembered the distance between Anatol and the Pamela Plateau.
How long would it take for Riftan to return if he left?
A few months?
A few years?
Ruth studied his pale face and added cautiously, "There is still much work to be done in Anatol that requires the lord's direct supervision.
Therefore, everyone agreed, after deliberating until dawn, that either Sir Hebaron or Sir Ursuline would lead a division of knights if we were forced to join the campaign."
“S-Really?”, Maxi asked sincerely, unable to hide her relief.
Ruth smiled bitterly and nodded.
"Sir Riftan will not be leaving Anatol for long periods of time for a while unless absolutely necessary.
That's how big an undertaking this road construction is.
And it hasn't even been a year since the Dragon Campaign, so it wouldn't be good for the lord to be away from the estate so soon."
“D-Does that mean Riftan would have to join the campaign… if it was absolutely necessary?”
Ruth hesitated before answering.
"If the situation in Livadon becomes serious, then Sir Riftan would have to get involved.
It would be difficult for him to stay if King Reuben commands him to lead the White Dragons."
He began to list the factors on his fingers before letting out a deep sigh, a dejected expression on his face."As you know, knights have their most infuriating precepts: they must protect the weak, obey their lord, and fulfill all obligations of the sword.
Sir Riftan may not be a firm follower of the knights' code of conduct...
but he cannot afford to ignore these precepts so publicly.
If he did, it would be a blow to the honor he has worked so hard to earn."
"I understood."
Maxi's face fell as he remembered Princess Agnes saying that the king harbored doubts about Riftan's loyalty.
His Majesty may order Riftan to lead his knights as a test.
The Armistice of the Seven Kingdoms was a treaty signed to guarantee the peace and security of the continent.
It would not be easy to disobey an order to maintain such a treaty.
Maxi looked at the illustration of the hideous creature and bit her lip until it hurt.
His stomach churned at the thought of Riftan facing a massive monster army.
No matter how exceptional the knight, safety can never be guaranteed on a battlefield.
Maxi had heard a lot about Riftan's recklessness; she was sure he wouldn't worry about himself.
He would not hesitate to advance to the front of the battle.
A flame of anger suddenly burned inside Maxi.
Riftan was almost obsessive about his well-being, but he didn't care at all when it came to himself.
It was the height of irrationality.
Her thoughts were wrapped up in the injustice of it all when Ruth's calm voice brought her out of her thoughts.
“I, on the other hand, will have to join the knights leaving for the campaign.”
Maxi's head snapped up.
Ruth, who was staring at the ceiling with her arms crossed, added calmly, "As the journey to Livadon is long, it would be unlikely that they would have a wizard in their party.
We don't yet know whether it will be Sir Riftan or another knight who will take command, but it is certain that I will have to go.
If that is the case, Castle Calypse will need your magical skills more than it does now."
“M-My… magical abilities?”
His unexpected words made Maxi nervous.
Ruth nodded, her face serious.
"Of course, I'm not trying to force you, my lady.
There are a large number of mercenaries staying in Anatol, and there are certainly mages among them.
It would be great if we could hire at least one of them, but it's extremely difficult to convince mercenaries to settle in one place.
If we can't hire a decent mage, then you would be the only healer in Anatol capable of tending to injuries like yesterday's."
Ruth's tone was flat, but he paused before adding, "I know something terrible could have happened to you at the construction site.
It's all my fault for not warning you about the mana depletion.
I wanted to apologize to you sooner, but I didn't dare call you with Sir Riftan so furious with me..."
"You don't need to apologize.
Y-you couldn't have known...that the wyverns would suddenly go crazy."
"Actually, I knew that the camp was vulnerable to monster attacks.
What I didn't expect was that you would put so much effort into caring for the injured."
Maxi was momentarily speechless at his bluntness.
"B-But that was the reason I learned magic in the first place.
D-Didn't you agree to teach me?
So that I could be of h-help if accidents occurred?"
“I agree, but… I didn't think you'd take the task so seriously,” he confessed, shrugging.
Maxi opened and closed his mouth not knowing what to say before his expression hardened.
Discovering that the man who encouraged her to learn magic didn't expect much from her filled her with a feeling of betrayal.
When she fixed him with an icy gaze, Ruth began to speak carefully.
"I apologize for underestimating your sense of righteousness.
You have no idea how much I regret my half-hearted teaching.
When I heard you passed out, I was so racked with guilt that I couldn't sleep."
“B-but your moral standards… aren’t they rather low?”
"I think this is unnecessary, my lady.
I really felt bad."
Maxi simply stared at him in response.
As if realizing that she was really upset, Ruth scratched her head in embarrassment.
"I have learned that there is nothing more dangerous than vague knowledge.
If you allow me, I would like to instruct you thoroughly, starting from the things we should keep in mind when using magic to how to respond in critical situations."“You just said… that you don’t expect much from me.”
"You misunderstood, my lady.
What I meant was that you easily exceeded my expectations.
The way you handled the crisis that day was commendable.
A little excessive, yes, but I am well aware that you did your best to help with the magic you began to learn not so long ago."
Maxi looked at him doubtfully, unsure if he really meant what he said.
Ruth met her gaze with sincere eyes as he calmly tried to convince her.
"If the previous incident didn't make you turn away from magic completely, I would like us to resume your lessons again.
It would give me peace of mind if your skills improved."
Maxi felt the weight of this new expectation he was placing on her shoulders.
She also felt the need to improve her skills.
Although it had not been a year since he arrived in Anatol, two serious incidents had already occurred.
Early last winter, she cared for a large number of injured people in a logging camp ravaged by werewolves.
This time, it was a wyvern attack at the construction site.
There was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again.
If a situation arose that required her to heal many injuries alone, would she be able to handle it?
After objectively evaluating his abilities, Maxi shook his head.
Seeing as healing four or five people had already been enough to drain her, it would be an impossible task with her current weak ability.
Although he knew he couldn't hope to fill Ruth's shoes in her absence even if he practiced for months, it was better than doing nothing.
His confidence was slipping away like sand, and Maxi could barely muster enough to give his answer.
"I understand.
I-If you want to teach me...
I-I will do my best.
Riftan wouldn't be satisfied...
but I still want to learn."
"Good.
Then please come to the library whenever you have time.
Unless there is something that requires me to be elsewhere, I will also make an effort to be available here."
Seemingly satisfied, Ruth smiled and patted Maxi on the shoulder.