The next day, the wizards began the task of destroying the runes.
Anette, Armin, Anton and Maxi were tasked with nullifying those in the main castle.
The tall stone walls that rose along the mountainous slope were covered in fortification runes, half of which were impossible to decipher due to their complexity.
Maxi sighed deeply as he ran his fingers along one of the stone pillars that flanked the castle's entrance.
It seemed that almost all of the castle's building materials were fortified with magic.
“It’s going to take forever… to undo them all,” he muttered.
“We don’t need to cancel them all,” said Kuahel Leon dryly.
“The castle will collapse once the main supporting pillars are compromised.”
The Temple Knight followed the mages, with his subordinates behind.
Maxi, who was looking at the high ceiling, gave him a disconcerted look.
“May I ask… why are you following us?”
Kuahel raised an eyebrow.
“Is this prohibited?”
“N-No, but… doesn’t the supreme commander… have more important matters to attend to?”
“I have many capable helpers,” the Temple Knight replied dryly.
"Furthermore, this task may be more dangerous than you imagine.
During the nullification process, a rune may begin to react, or a hidden trap may be activated.
As a precaution, I decided to have higher priests capable of nullifying magic accompany the mages."
Maxi frowned.
She doubted that anything unexpected could happen when nullifying fortification runes.
However, as he remembered how he had almost died during a golem attack during his time in the wreckage, he found himself unable to refute his point of view.
With a sigh, she continued walking timidly.
When they reached the hall in the center of the castle, Kuahel pointed to the rows of stone pillars around the perimeter and the stone vaulted ceiling.
"The runes on these pillars are the ones you need to work on.
How long will it take?"
“Each stone seems to have a spell,” said Anton after carefully inspecting one of the intricate engravings.
“It will take at least half a day for all of them.”
"Understood.
Then please hurry up."
Soon, the mages split up to begin their task.
Maxi knelt near the left transept entrance to carefully inspect a pillar.
Although that specific rune didn't seem difficult to neutralize, the set of them would take some time.
Placing her hand on the pillar, she used her mana to undo the power of the rune from the top.
When she was sure she could support the ceiling even without the spell, she moved along the wall and quickly began nullifying the others.
Finally, Maxi reached the end of the room.
When he straightened up and turned around, Anette and Armin were still working on the other side, while Anton was nowhere in sight.
He must have moved to another part of the castle
, Maxi reasoned.
She retraced her steps to where Kuahel was leaning against the wall.
“I’m done with this side,” she said cautiously.
“Where should I work next?”
The Temple Knight's eyes slowly scanned the dark corridor before he indicated the entrance.
"That should do for the hall.
Let's head out."
“Already?” asked Maxi.
"Remaining inside any longer is dangerous.
We cannot ignore the risk of the castle collapsing now that the runes are undone.
You can continue the task outside."
The group left the castle and began working on the runes inscribed on the castle's facade.
By mid-afternoon, Maxi was completely exhausted.
Nullifying runes for such a long period of time consumed more mana than she expected.
Tired, she sank to a cold stone step.
Kuahel Leon was close behind, grim as a prison guard.
“Have you already run out of mana?” he said irritably.
“Breath concentration is low around these parts!” Maxi exclaimed, looking at him.
Kuahel looked at Anette and Anton, then turned to Maxi.
“The other two seem fine.”
Maxi's face flushed.
As a member of the Umri tribe and a senior mage of Urd respectively, Anette and Anton had an exceptional ability to store mana, even among those in the Mage Tower.
It was natural that an ordinary mage like Maxi wouldn't be able to compete in this sense.
Even though she knew how pathetic it would sound, she could only mutter darkly, “They are the unusual ones.”"I didn't mean to scold.
I was just surprised.
After seeing you work tirelessly during the war, I figured your magical ability was robust."
"Unfortunately...
I can only describe my mana pools as ordinary.
As for my efforts during the war...
I was just doing everything in my power to continue forward."
His voice grew somber as memories of the exhausting weeks surfaced in his mind.
She was absorbed by the desolate city when she suddenly noticed the Temple Knight looking at her like a curious cat.
Confused, Maxi frowned.
“Why… are you looking at me like that?”
His eyes widened slightly at her question.
The Temple Knight tilted his head and rubbed his face as if to hide his emotions.
“How was I looking at you, exactly?”
“As if… observing an unusual creature.”
At his irritated tone, his expression quickly returned to his usual impassiveness.
"I apologize if I offended you.
I will try not to show my thoughts so clearly next time."
Maxi looked at the man in disbelief before sighing.
I was too tired to even argue with him.
Soon, Anton and Anette joined her on the steps, and the trio returned to camp to rest.
As the sun began to set over the horizon, the group that had gone to the outskirts of the city returned to the square.
At that time, Maxi was already eating watery bean porridge in front of the fire.
His face lit up when he caught sight of Riftan, whom he hadn't seen all day since he began working on the runes at dawn.
Setting the bowl aside, she ran over to him.
“R-Riftan!”
Riftan's long strides stopped, and he turned his head.
As his piercing eyes examined her, Maxi instinctively tried to fix her hair.
Much to his chagrin, his fingers were no match for the tangles in his curls.
She pulled her hood over her head as she approached.
"Where are you coming from?
I-I haven't seen you all day."
"Leading a search through the mountains.
I spent all day sifting through rocks because that damn woman is determined to find an orichalcum vein," Riftan grumbled, his eyes flickering over his shoulder.
Maxi followed his gaze, and his face fell when he saw Princess Agnes leading the Royal Knights of Wedon across the square.
Another woman had been with her husband all day while she stood there, unable to glimpse his face once.
His blood boiled at the thought of it.
“S-So?”, she said with a tight smile.
“Did you manage to find one?”
“It was a waste of time.” He handed Talon to a squire behind him and began massaging the back of his neck, looking completely tired.
“Though I suppose that’s for the best, as that would only lead to more disputes.”
“I-If that’s your opinion… why bother looking for it?”
As if sensing her displeasure, his eyes focused back on her.
Maxi tried hard to appear calm.
To her relief, he seemed oblivious to her petty jealousy.
“I went to patrol the area for hidden monster hideouts as well,” he said emotionlessly.
“I was planning on doing it anyway, although nothing came of that either.”
He paused to examine her closely.
"More importantly, how was your day?
I heard the search for the city was halted so the mages could begin nullifying the runes.
Isn't the work difficult?"
"N-No, not at all.
The task went more smoothly than expected, so I think we'll be able to finish it by tomorrow."
“I will assign Rovar as your escort in the morning, so let him accompany you.”
Maxi frowned.
She already had a vague idea that at any given time, at least three or four White Dragons were watching her.
She saw no reason to add Ulyseon, who was sixth in the order's hierarchy, to the list.
“That won’t be necessary,” she said with mock severity.
“We have the Temple Knights accompanying us wherever we go… and we even had Sir Kuahel accompanying us today.”
Riftan, who was walking towards the White Dragons' quarters, stopped abruptly.
He narrowed his eyes and asked in a threatening voice: “Did the Holy Sword accompany you?”
“N-Not just me.
He was escorting the mages working in the main castle, protecting us in case something“”“Are you telling me that the commander of the Temple Knights took on such a task?” he interrupted, crossing his arms and leaning forward menacingly.
"It seems like I'm finding you in his company often.
And he seems to have taken an interest in you."
Bewildered, Maxi stammered, "A-Absurd!
The man just finds me amusing“"
She stopped.
Did he have the right to question her like that after having spent the day with Princess Agnes?
Furthermore, Kuahel Leon was a cleric.
Suppressing the revolt rising within her, Maxi said with false kindness, “Maybe… he was feeling pity and being considered… because my husband has been neglecting me.”
Riftan's face hardened.
"Neglected?
Is that an accusation?"