Maxi raised his head suddenly.
“Did this thing… speak to you?”
Riftan remained silent, his eyes fixed on the monstrous form sprawled on the ground.
Sensing his hesitation, Maxi asked anxiously, “What did he say?”
Kneeling to examine the creature's limbs, Riftan spoke nonchalantly.
"He called me a sinner.
During the fight, he kept repeating something I didn't understand.
Maybe you can understand."
He recited the incantation, brow furrowed.
Maxi felt goosebumps when he recognized the ancient elven.
She looked nervously between her husband and the lifeless creature.
With a trembling voice, he said: “He was warning you… that you would pay for your sins.”
A crooked smile appeared on Riftan's lips.
Standing up, he just said, “Got it.”
Maxi was surprised by his calmness.
His life had been threatened by a mysterious monster, and he seemed almost amused.
Had he not realized the gravity of the situation?
“You need to take this more seriously!” Maxi exclaimed, his voice tense.
“That thing… knew you were the Dragon Slayer.”
"It's not that surprising, considering all of Roviden heard how I cracked Sektor's skull," he replied apathetically.
“The monsters see me as the defiler.”
Maxi looked at him in disbelief.
He had already anticipated that the monsters from Pamela Plateau might have a vendetta against him.
She kicked herself for not having considered this.
After all, these monsters worshiped the dragon.
Of course they would seek revenge against the man who killed their idol.
A realization dawned on Maxi.
Deep down, she still saw monsters as inferior.
The teachings of the church“that these evil creatures were agents of blind destruction“clouded their judgment.
It was a dangerous way of thinking, especially considering the invasion three years ago and the dangerous situation they found themselves in now.
“If the monsters manage to resurrect the dragon, they will come to Anatol first,” she said gravely.
“That won’t happen,” Riftan said, his voice calm, “because we will stop them.”
His unwavering confidence calmed Maxi's fears.
He was right.
The coalition army was effectively thwarting the monsters' plans.
Victory was in sight, with only Castle Vesmore in Dristan left to be retaken.
Mirroring his calm, Maxi smiled.
"You're right.
Let's stop them."
On the first day of Midna's liberation, the coalition army worked through the night to transport the dead.
Normally, victorious soldiers would celebrate with parties, drinks, and well-deserved rest, but the looming threat of a necromancer turning their dead into reanimated horrors made it essential to prioritize funeral rites.
A total of one hundred and twenty-nine bodies were buried in the cemetery behind the basilica and in an empty plot of land on the west side of the city.
While the soldiers performed this grim task, the wizards and doctors were busy treating the wounded.
With three hundred soldiers injured in the brutal siege, there was a desperate shortage of healers and medicine.
Despite his exhaustion from the previous mission, Maxi could not ignore the screams of agony from the injured.
This time, not even Ruth tried to dissuade her from working all night.
Together, they splinted broken limbs, extracted arrows lodged in flesh and bone, and stitched wounds until dawn.
Finally, they collapsed onto cots in a corner of the ward to rest.
When Maxi woke up, it was already noon.
She blinked dazedly at the sky outside the arched window for a moment before managing to sit up, rubbing her throbbing temples.
“Go back to sleep,” said a voice.
Turning around, she found Riftan sitting in front of a large brazier.
She watched him stir the fire with a stick for a moment before her eyes widened with realization: she was in an unfamiliar room.
“W-Where are we?”
"This is the residence of Midna's administrator.
I brought you here."
Riftan broke the stick in two and threw the pieces into the fire.
Maxi tried to get up from the bed, but she staggered and held her head as a wave of dizziness overcame her.
It seemed like the careless effort had finally taken its toll.
“I told you to rest.”
When Riftan tried to push her back onto the bed, Maxi shook her head.
“B-But…” she protested, “I need to go check on the injured.”
“I instructed them to call you if they need to, so do as I say.”Sensing the anger in his voice, Maxi obeyed and lay down again.
If she was really honest with herself, she was desperate for rest.
He rested his cheek on the moldy pillow and let out a small sigh.
“I think I overreacted,” he admitted.
“As you always do,” replied Riftan, dryly, as he covered her with the blanket.
He stepped back and carefully removed something from the burning fire with iron tongs.
His broad shoulders and muscular arms moved rhythmically as he began to work on the mysterious item.
Maxi watched him for a while before letting his gaze wander around his surroundings.
The scars of the undead invasion were everywhere in the once opulent room.
Burn marks stained the walls and floor, deep cuts disfigured the wooden posts, and both the curtains and the carpet were covered in dirt.
However, surrounded by thick walls, the room was much hotter than any tent or destroyed building they could find.
Moving into a more comfortable position, Maxi pulled the blanket up to her chin and let out a soft sigh of contentment.
She couldn't remember the last time she had the luxury of just lying in bed.
Deciding to make the most of this opportunity, he closed his eyes.
At this moment, Riftan touched something to his lips.
“Open your mouth.”
Obediently, she opened her lips, and something warm filled her mouth.
Maxi began to chew reflexively, but his eyes widened at the unexpected sweetness.
Riftan watched her silently.
“Is it too hot?”
Shaking his head, Maxi continued to chew.
A small smile spread across Riftan's face as he peeled another roasted chestnut with a knife.
He brought the yellow grain to her lips.
“Open.”
Blinking, Maxi slowly did as he asked.
Riftan seemed satisfied as he fed her the juicy chestnut, and this small act filled Maxi with an overwhelming sense of happiness.
Despite her physical and emotional exhaustion, her husband's tender care made her feel like she was in paradise.
“Did you eat everything?”
When she nodded, he promptly offered her another grain, which she accepted without complaint.
Watching her with satisfaction, Riftan leaned down to press a kiss to her lips as she chewed.
“You're so adorable when you're obedient,” he whispered teasingly.
Maxi gave him a look of mock disapproval.
“I guess that means… that you find me insufferable when I’m not.”
“Well, you’re certainly less adorable in those moments.”
Maxi clapped him on the shoulder, and Riftan laughed.
Kissing her cheek, he said, "Even in your least adorable state, your beauty surpasses that of any woman in the world.
You have absolutely nothing to worry about."
His words made a blush appear on Maxi's cheeks, and her heart melted like butter under the scorching sun.
How could he say such embarrassing things so easily?
Looking at him suspiciously, she murmured, “You are a philanderer.”
“This is defamation.”
Riftan chuckled, picking up the knife to continue peeling chestnuts.
Maxi moved closer to rest her chin on his shoulder.
“Were you that considerate of all your past lovers too?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“Why do you assume I’ve had lovers in the past?”
Riftan looked perplexed.
Maxi took in his perfectly sculpted face, shiny black hair, and deep black eyes as if wondering how he could be so oblivious to his own charm.
She wasn't so naive as to think that a man with such striking appearance had never had a romantic partner.
“Y-You were twenty-five when we married, and you were knighted at eighteen… Given your position and your presence at court, it is natural to assume that you had experience.”
Riftan opened his mouth, then closed it again, clearly thinking that any argument would be futile.
Shoving a meticulously peeled chestnut into her mouth, he said, brusquely, “Stop talking nonsense and eat.”
After swallowing quickly, Maxi shook his shoulders.
"Don't be like that.
Just tell me how many lovers you've had."
Riftan, who was focused on his task, turned his head to look at her with a sharp gaze.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Have you ever had another man in your heart?” he asked, biting into a slightly undercooked chestnut.Taking her by surprise, Maxi stuttered, “Y-You mean before our wedding?”
His eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Should I ask about before and after?”
“Don’t be absurd!” Maxi retorted, frowning.
“N-I have never engaged in unclean behavior…not before, not after our marriage!”
“My question was about your heart,” Riftan clarified, his expression unreadable.
“Among the many men who have visited Croyso Castle, there must be one or two who have caught your eye.”