Maxi opened her eyes when the sun's rays invaded the room.
Feeling miserable, she slowly scanned her surroundings.
The servants had already come and gone, as shown by the lack of bath and empty plates.
There was no sign that her husband had returned.
Did he stay out all night?
Maxi felt for the cold sheet beside him.
Suddenly, she jumped out of bed and put on her slippers.
He hurriedly threw on a coat and, without even combing his hair, ran out the door.
The morning air was cool, but she was so furious that she barely felt the cold as she walked down the hall.
At this moment, a familiar voice called from behind.
“Max!”
Maxi looked back and saw Sidina running towards her, her twin braids swinging around her shoulders.
“I’m so glad you made it back safely!” exclaimed Sidina, throwing herself at Maxi and almost taking his breath away.
The excited girl spun them both around and stood on one side of the hallway.
Her big brown eyes scanned Maxi's face.
"I've heard about all your challenges.
Are you sure you're okay?"
"I-I'm fine.
The campaign was certainly challenging...
but I'm in one piece," Maxi replied calmly, trying to get her exuberant friend to calm down.
“And you, Sidina, how have you been?”
"Where do I start?
I've been losing clumps of hair from being locked in a room deciphering ancient codes all day.
I think my eyesight has gotten worse in a matter of months." His theatrical complaints gave way to a triumphant look.
"Still, it was worth it.
I promise you'll be shocked when you find out what we learned."
The girl was clearly eager to tell everything right then and there.
"I'm sorry," said Maxi, with a worried expression, "but could you tell me later?
I need to find my husband..."
“Are you looking for Sir Riftan?” Sidina asked, surprised.
"I doubt you'll find him here.
I saw him leaving the castle early this morning.
I still don't know why..."
Maxi was shocked.
Concern appeared on Sidina's face.
“He left without telling you?”
“H-He probably…didn’t want to wake me up.”
Maxi quickly offered the apology with a smile, trying to appear indifferent.
Beneath the calm exterior, anger was beginning to boil.
Not only had he neglected her all night, he had also left without saying a word.
She couldn't believe it.
Didn't he owe her an explanation?
Would it be that difficult to leave a message at the very least?
Her eyes filled with tears and she tried to hide them by combing her tangled hair.
Sidina looked at her warily.
"It looks like he didn't go very far.
He was dressed lightly, with no luggage from what I could see, and only two knights accompanied him.
I doubt he left the city.
Care to go to the knights' quarters and ask?"
Maxi looked out the window, lips pressed together.
Although he really wanted to immediately look for the White Dragons, his wounded pride wouldn't allow it.
Hiding her anger and sadness, she said with a fake glow, "W-It won't be necessary.
Your observation is guarantee enough.
I'm sure he'll be back by the end of the day.
I'll ask him then."
His performance must have been convincing.
Sidina's face lit up again as she said, "Then you should come with me to the mages' quarters.
I'm sure Master Calto wishes to see you as well."
Maxi let herself be led down the long hallway, now bathed in the pale light of spring.
With all her attention focused on keeping her mind from wandering back to Riftan, Sidina's chatter seemed to slip past her.
The cold penetrated their clothes as they walked.
Even though she was wearing just a coat over the thin linen dress she had slept in, she couldn't bring herself to go back.
The last thing she wanted was to admit that she had run from her room when she woke up, desperately looking for her husband.
She chewed her lip, quickening her pace.
“Anette and Armin are probably still sleeping,” Sidina said.
“Everyone spent the night drinking to celebrate the army’s safe return.”
They arrived at the annex.
Sidina gave Maxi a mischievous smile as they entered.
“I was going to call you too, but Anette made it clear that I was not to disturb her private time with her husband.”
“How…considerate of her,” muttered Maxi.
If only Ursuline Ricaydo were capable of the same consideration.She gritted her teeth as she remembered the obstinate blond man, but quickly changed the subject so that Sidina wouldn't realize how miserable and lonely her night had been.
“About that shocking discovery,” Maxi said, changing the subject.
“Does it have to do with the records of dark wizards?”
“Now you ask!” exclaimed Sidina, jumping up the steps.
"I'm sure you know that the dark mages were divided into two factions.
Well, we recently discovered why.
We believe it was because of a disagreement over how to treat the monsters of the Ayin race."
“H-What do you mean?”
Maxi could only stare at the strangeness of the statement in bewilderment.
After ensuring they were alone, Sidina lowered her voice to a whisper.
"The dark wizards managed to tame the monsters.
They tamed the brutal ones like cattle, while the monsters of the Ayin race“of superior intelligence, of course“were recruited to fill labor shortages.
They were almost slaves at first, but it seems that more and more wizards began to view them with empathy over time.
Some even argued that the Ayin monsters should be treated as equals."
“T-That’s absurd!” exclaimed Maxi, her voice rising involuntarily.
The fundamentalists of the orthodox faction did not recognize other races, such as elves or dwarves, as equal to humans.
However, not even the most pious people denied that these species were God's creations.
Monsters, on the other hand, were abominations born from the devil's seed with the sole purpose of tormenting humanity with pain and suffering.
Claiming that these vile creatures were divinely created could land someone in the Holy Court.
“H-There would be an uproar… if this came out,” said Maxi.
“The church may even use this as justification for the indiscriminate persecution of wizards as they have done in the past.”
"Not all dark wizards agreed.
This caused a rift between them, leading to war between the two factions."
Pausing in front of a study, Sidina stared thoughtfully at the door handle for a while before adding, "The records detail how dark wizards began to develop these faulty thoughts.
After living with tamed monsters for centuries, dark wizards naturally became less cautious.
Still, the fact that some fought against this corrupt notion proves that they were not a danger from the start."
Maxi frowned skeptically.
I doubted the church would be interested in learning how dark wizards were initially corrupted.
They would be lucky if the clergy didn't accuse them of trying to protect dark wizards.
“L-Let’s go in first,” Maxi said anxiously, looking around.
“This isn’t something we should discuss in the hallway.”
Sidina shrugged before pulling the door handle.
Maxi sighed deeply as he entered the study.
His head already hurt from having one more thing to worry about.
Her stomach was in knots from the cold between her and Riftan.
The sordid history of dark wizards was not a welcome addition.
Feeling sick from it all, she crossed the room towards the blazing fireplace.
A man was lying on the couch nearby, wrapped in a blanket.
He slowly raised his head and looked at her with sleepy eyes.
“Long time ago, Maximilian Calypse.”
Maxi's eyes widened in shock.
The bum on the couch was none other than Calto Serbel.
His usual solemnity was gone, the elder pulled his messy hair as he slowly stood up.
"I was informed of all the challenges you went through.
The news of your safe return was good news."
“I-I’m happy… to see that you are too…” Maxi trailed off when she noticed his thin face.
He was thinner than the last time I saw him.
When he saw her embarrassed expression, Calto curled his lips in a bitter smile.
“It must be a spectacle, I’m sure.”
“That's why I've been telling you to sleep in your room, at least,” Sidina complained as she picked up the mess of parchment around her.
"How late were you up last night?
No wonder you're turning into a walking corpse.
It can't go on like this."“I don’t want to bother you with my funeral, so don’t worry,” Calto said sharply as he walked over to a stand.
Grabbing a kettle, he filled a basin with water and began noisily washing his face.
The sight reminded Maxi so much of Ruth that a smile unconsciously tugged at his lips.
"Please sit down.
There is a matter I want to discuss with you in private."
“About what?” Sidina asked before Maxi could open her mouth to respond.
Calto gave the girl an irritated look.
"I would appreciate it if you could bring me something from the kitchen.
A mug of beer and some bread will do.
Do it for me and I will be eternally grateful."
“I know when I’m being dismissed,” Sidina grumbled, turning away.
"Very well.
I'll clean the room so you two can talk."
She winked at Maxi over her shoulder.
"You haven't eaten anything yet either, have you?
I'll be back with food for you too, so you need to tell me what you want Master Calto to say."
When he finally left the room, Calto threw himself onto the couch and shook his head.