News of the campaign was all the knights talked about whenever they got the chance.
A myriad of speculations were circulating.
Why didn't Balto and Livadon notice such a massive troll army gathering in their highlands?
How did the monsters learn such formidable teamwork?
Maxi listened to their discussions with a mixture of interest and anxiety.
The knights had been cautious with their words around her at first, but as she spent more time in the infirmary, they slowly let their guards down.
Recently, they even informed her that Osiriya will likely send more reinforcements and that Wedon may also do the same.
"Livadon sent soldiers to help us during the Dragon Campaign.
If Wedon does not repay the debt now, the rest of the Seven Kingdoms will refuse to send us military aid in the future, no matter what adversity we face."
“B-But… haven’t we sent enough soldiers to them already?”
"If the men we sent were enough, the situation should have been mitigated by now.
But innocent people are still suffering in Livadon.
This is a matter of chivalry!
Don't you think the rest of the Seven Kingdoms should do more to help?"
Maxi immediately realized that these men wanted to leave Anatol to join the brutal battle taking place in Livadon.
The young knights seemed eager for the danger in which they considered it their duty to participate.
Unable to agree or disagree, Maxi gave them a vague smile.
Did Riftan also want to leave for Livadon?
Whenever such a thought came to her mind, she felt as if the ground was melting beneath her feet.
Through the infirmary window, Maxi looked out at the vast training grounds bathed in the red light of twilight.
Now, shadows enveloped the castle walls.
The knights, finishing their demanding training, all had determined expressions.
Above them, a flock of blackbirds let out plaintive cries as they flew across the red sky.
Maxi wondered if a homing pigeon flew between them.
The doves have never brought good news since the start of the campaign.
Maybe this time they would finally get the news that the tide was turning for the better.
The mere sight of any bird flapping its wings turned Maxi's insides into a mixture of hope and anxiety.
"My lady, you should return to the great hall now.
The lord would not be pleased if he knew you were here until dark," said Melric as he poured boiled balm into small vials.
The two young knights beside her stopped applying ointment to her injured arms and promptly stood up.
“Allow us to escort you, my lady.”
“T-That won’t be necessary.”
“No matter how rigorously we check people before allowing them into the castle, thieves or troublemakers could still sneak in.
We could not rest easy unless we escorted you safely to your quarters, my lady.”
His enthusiasm made Maxi smile.
The knights stopped treating her like a guest who could leave at any time and were no longer uncomfortable around her.
Some even actively expressed their goodwill.
Each time they did, she felt as if she had managed to become part of the web of trust that connected Riftan and his knights.
Maxi timidly accepted their offer.
“Then… w-I won’t refuse.”
They amicably took the heavy books from his hands.
Maxi told Melric not to work for too long before leaving the room.
Since it was difficult for an old man with bad knees to climb a steep staircase every day, the wizard was currently using a small room prepared for him next to the infirmary.
Maxi even equipped it with a closet and a sizable bookshelf.
She intended to pay special attention to him to ensure the new addition to her family could settle into life at Calypse Castle.
Once he reached the great hall, he asked a servant to bring Melric a nutritious meal and ensure he went to bed early.
Although the old wizard was hardworking and eager, it would be an exaggeration to say that he was healthy.
Maxi was always worried that he might pass out after trying too hard.
“Is this wizard really doing his job correctly?” Riftan asked when he returned to his quarters late at night.Maxi had picked up her cape, and her eyes widened as she hung the piece on a hanger.
"Y-Yes.
Actually, he worries me...
f-about working too much."
"So why are you spending more time there?
I asked Rodrigo, and he informed me that you were in the infirmary from noon until dusk..."
"I've been… I-been asking Melric to teach me about herbs and magic.
He does m-most of the work.
There's nothing w-he doesn't know when it comes to… herbs or healing magic."
Riftan was thoughtful.
"How is his health?
Do you think he will be able to travel?"
“V-Trip?”
Maxi looked at him curiously.
Did he want to send Melric back to the earl?
Maxi's heart felt heavy as he thought of the old man who was working so sincerely.
From what he had told him, the Earl of Loverne had not been a good master.
The count had sent him to Anatol only because he wanted to get rid of the wizard who had become weak in old age.
Maxi's face hardened as he shook his head.
"Melric's j-eyes...
are bad.
So much so...
that it's difficult for him to use the stairs.
Still, he works tirelessly!
He may not be young...
but his breadth of knowledge is extensive.
Y-You shouldn't send him back."
"Don't worry, I was just asking.
I have no intention of sending you back."
Riftan sighed and waved his hand.
Intrigued, Maxi studied his grim face.
It looked like he was dealing with something.
“Is…something worrying you?”
“It’s not something you need to worry about,” Riftan said, ending the conversation abruptly.
Unable to ask any more questions, Maxi pursed her lips.
She knew very well that whenever he set a boundary between them like that, it was impossible for her to cross it.
Feeling hurt and angry, Maxi looked away petulantly.
Riftan, wiping his sweaty torso with a wet towel, raised an eyebrow at his expression.
“What has my lady sulking now?”
“I-I’m not sulking.”
“Then why are you pouting like that?”
With a mischievous smile, he cupped her face in his hands and played with his lips on hers.
Maxi looked up with flushed cheeks.
Riftan left a trail of kisses from her ear to her lap before caressing her breast.
The sweet sensation as he touched her made the pain disappear, and it scared her a little that he could so easily change how she felt.
“Y-You should get dressed, or… you might catch a cold,” Maxi murmured, turning her face away from him.
Riftan frowned.
"I'm not the one who should be getting dressed.
It's you who should be undressing."
His long fingers deftly untied her dress, and his hand slipped through the opening of her thin bodice.
After teasing the taut nipple of her breast, he quickly undressed her and laid her on the bed.
His bronze torso perfectly covered her naked body.
Maxi felt his pulse quicken as the blood rushed through his veins, and his breathing became labored.
Stroking her smooth thigh, Riftan murmured, “Nothing good happened today, so let me at least end the day on a high note.”
There were dark shadows in his eyes.
Had he received bad news today?
His chest felt heavy.
She wanted to know what was going on inside his head, but she couldn't resent him for holding back some things.
After all, she herself couldn't trust her innermost thoughts to him.
“Stop thinking about useless things and focus.”
Riftan's discontent penetrated his thoughts that were intertwined like a ball of yarn.
He stared at her with an attention reminiscent of a wild animal before lowering his lips to hers.
Their wet and warm whispers mixed together, and all her worries dispersed like sand.
Clutching his sculpted shoulders, Maxi let out a feverish sigh.
Ten days later, Maxi discovered the reason for Riftan's concern.
It was an unusually hot day when three messengers arrived at Calypse Castle.
Maxi was mixing herbs in the infirmary when he heard loud voices outside.
She went out to the training grounds to see what the commotion was and saw a messenger carrying the royal family's standard.
“We come bearing a message,” the messenger shouted from atop a great warhorse, “from His Majesty King Reuben to Lord Riftan Calypse, Lord of Anatol!”Maxi's heart sank.
A messenger arriving at a time like this could only be the bearer of bad news.
While she was unsure of what to do, Sir Obaron, who was supervising the training of the knights in Riftan's place, went to greet the messengers.
"You are currently outside the castle.
I, Sir Dominic Obaron, will hear the message in your place!"
The messenger finished his careful assessment of Sir Obaron's face and pulled a parchment from his robe.
“The battle at Livadon ended in a great defeat, and the entire allied cavalry was defeated.”
An icy silence fell over the lively training grounds.
Sir Obaron, his face hardened by the news, asked in a grim voice, “Were they all lost?” The messenger shook his head.
"Half the army is scattered and is still fighting the monsters, while the other half is trapped in Castle Louivell.
We don't know what the situation is inside the castle as it is under siege by the troll army, but it's clear they won't last if we don't send help as quickly as possible."
“Do you know what happened to the knights of Anatol?”
“The White Dragons have been deployed to the frontlines, so it is likely that they are among those trapped inside Castle Louivell.” Maxi backed away.
If Melric hadn't come out and caught her, she would have sunk to the ground.
The faces of the men who had gone on campaign“Ruth, Sir Elliot, Sir Remus, Sir Ursuline“and the knights who had been cordial to her, passed before her eyes.
If she was so shaken by the news, then what must it be like for their comrades?
The faces of everyone gathered on the training grounds were gloomy.
The messenger continued to read the message with a grim expression.
"In accordance with the Armistice of the Seven Kingdoms, calls for reinforcements have been sent to each of the regions.
Accordingly, I, Elnuima Reuben III, hereby command Sir Riftan Calypse, the champion of Wedon, to lead his knights to Livadon!"
“Go and bring the lord back to the castle immediately!” Sir Obaron shouted to the knights, then turned his imposing gaze to the messenger.
"I would like to hear a more detailed report of the situation.
Please accompany me to the castle." The messenger and his companions dismounted their horses.
When the men disappeared into the council room in the knights' quarters, Maxi began pacing back and forth like a lost child.
She also wanted to know the details, but it was clearly not a meeting she could attend.
Maxi paced the infirmary until Melric managed to convince her to return to her quarters.
Not long after, Riftan returned with the knights and immediately joined the others in the council room.
None of them have left for a long time.
Maxi was desperate to know what they were arguing about.
Chewing her lip, she swore she would make Riftan give her a full explanation no matter what.
She couldn't say the same for others, but Ruth was as important to her as she was to Riftan.
He was her mentor and the first friend she ever had.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he remembered the sorcerer's unwarranted anger at his somber farewell.
But more than anything, the thought of Riftan heading into such treacherous conditions tore at his heart.
How long would they have to be apart?
Three months?
Six?
What if they never saw each other again?
No one knew the fate of the men who joined the campaign.
There was no guarantee that Riftan could avoid serious danger.
Maxi looked anxiously out the window.
It wasn't long before she could no longer bear the suspense, and she ran out of the great hall.