The man's sinister air made Maxi flinch.
As he jumped to his feet and started to approach, Ulyseon tried to get between them.
The man managed to escape from the squire and grabbed Maxi's wrist, pulling her towards him.
"Hmm, she's quite attractive.
But she's far from your princess."
“Release her, Richard Breston!” Ulyseon barked.
He pointed the sword at the man, who didn't even blink.
"Look here, dwarf.
No one dared to point a sword at me and survive.
Should I consider this a death wish?"
"She is Sir Riftan's wife!
If you do not release her immediately, it will be you who will not be spared!"
"Ha!
What a spectacle that would be," said Breston, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Maxi.
“I always wanted to see that southern mutant foaming at the mouth!”
Reaching the end of his patience, Ulyseon advanced.
Suddenly, the men behind drew their swords and blocked the young squire.
Feeling that the situation was getting out of control, Maxi held her breath, her knees shaking.
She was more terrified now than when she faced monsters.
"You, I hear you are of royal Roem blood.
As someone from such a prestigious lineage, don't you find it absurd that a pagan half-breed from the south is hailed as the reincarnation of Rosem Wigrew?"
Breston reached out to cup her chin.
He pulled her face forward and added in an icy but sarcastic voice, "Wigrew is the hero of the west.
He should not be tarnished by a peasant with a barbaric mother."
Maxi's eyes sparkled at the man's despicable words.
How dare he mock the greatest and most honored knight in the kingdom?
Forgetting that he had trembled in fear moments before, Maxi stared at the man.
Anger flooded her, and she kicked Breston in the shin.
Unfortunately, he was wearing leg warmers.
A sharp pain shot through Maxi's foot.
She jumped up and down in agony as Breston roared with laughter.
“A bit pleasant, isn’t it?”
“L-Let go of me!”
Maxi struggled to free herself, but Breston held her grip as easily as if she were a bird flapping its wings.
"Are you angry because of the half-breed?
You should be ashamed of yourself, lass."
“S-Stop… d-calling… my husband… a m-mongrel!”
Her heightened emotions caused her to stutter more than usual.
Humiliation and anger threatened to explode from his chest.
Looking at her face flushed with embarrassment, Breston gave her a cruel smile.
He leaned closer, his nose almost touching hers, and said slowly, "Your husband is a half-breed.
It's written all over his face.
Haven't you noticed?"
“Y-You“!”
His jaw shook with fury.
She had never felt so angry in her entire life.
Ripping off her arm, Maxi desperately thought of an offense that would make this cocky man's blood boil as much as hers.
"You...
are j-just...
c-jealous of him!
B-Because...
y-you know...
you don't hold a candle to him...
that's w-why you're s-smearing him behind his back like a coward?
You're the one...
s-should feel ashamed!"
The smile disappeared from his face.
His cold expression petrified Maxi.
Terrified, Maxi looked at the man's cruel eyes, his broad shoulders, and his rough hand that still held her wrist tightly.
She trembled with fear at the thought that he might strike her with his fist.
“L-Let go of me… p-please”, she murmured, her voice barely audible.
"On second thought, I think you're the perfect wife for that bastard.
A stuttering fool.
Suitable for a rabble like him."
The color drained from Maxi's face.
She wanted to counterattack, but her tongue seemed stuck to the roof of her mouth.
His eyes burned with humiliation and shame.
Seeing her biting her lip, Breston clicked his tongue and threw her wrist away like a cat that got tired of its prey.
At that moment, Breston spun around as a loud crack echoed.
Maxi shouted.
Before she could understand what was happening, Breston was flung backwards like a piece of paper and crashed into one of the tents.
Ignoring the screams coming from all around, Riftan grabbed the fallen man from the tent and punched him again.
After being attacked twice without being able to defend himself, Breston's crumpled face looked as furious as a demon's.
“Damn bastard!”
Breston straightened up and pulled out the dagger at his waist.
He spat out a mixture of blood and saliva, and then charged at Riftan.Maxi continued screaming, not caring if his throat ripped from all the effort.
Still, it wasn't enough to distract the men who were growling at each other like enraged beasts.
Breston charged like an enraged bull wielding his dagger, which Riftan deftly dodged.
In the blink of an eye, Breston's dagger was in Riftan's hand.
Maxi couldn't understand how he had done it.
Riftan easily overpowered Breston and grabbed his jaw.
Forcing the man's mouth open, Riftan thrust the dagger into it.
“You’ll probably live longer without your tongue,” Riftan growled savagely as he thrust the dagger deeper.
The man shuddered and went rigid as if the tip of the blade were poking his throat.
Even at first glance, the Baltonian was half a head taller and much heavier than Riftan.
However, Riftan had managed to overpower him without breaking a sweat.
Facing his immobilized opponent, Riftan said darkly, "Out of mercy, I will cut out this treacherous tongue so that it no longer cries out for its master's death."
"Calypse!
Enough!"
The Baltonian soldiers blocking Ulyseon pointed their swords at Riftan while bellowing their outrage.
Riftan remained impassive.
He said icily, "Very well.
Want to see who is faster with the sword?"
Until a few seconds ago, the Baltonian soldiers seemed ready to advance at any moment.
They immediately stopped at Riftan's silent threat, their faces turning red with anger.
"You dare threaten us like a coward?
Do you still consider yourself a knight?"
“Is intimidating a woman a knight thing?”
When Riftan's gaze fell on Maxi's pale face, his eyes burned like two dark flames.
"You've been dying to piss me off, Breston, and you've finally done it.
Quite skillfully, in fact.
I'm going to grant your bloodlust."
"You should stop now, Calypse!
You attacked Sir Richard while he was defenseless.
Don't think we will forgive such cowardice!"
“If I were you, I would be more embarrassed that he didn't realize the attack until the dagger was in his face,” Riftan sneered coldly.
“Not to mention losing your weapon in a fight like a fool.”
Breston's imperious face was almost black with anger and humiliation.
Maxi didn't know what to do as he remained still as a stone in the suffocating tension.
No one moved, and yet the air was thick with the power struggle that was clearly taking place.
Veins bulged from the vice-commander's neck, and blood dripped from his gaping mouth.
Riftan tightened his grip until the muscles in his forearm stood out against his skin.
“You're more bearable without that smile on your face,” Riftan growled.
“Allow me to help you not be bothered by this again.”
The chilling tension was like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
Suddenly, a clear voice cut through the silence.
"He arrives!"
Everyone except Riftan turned to look behind them.
Princess Agnes pushed her way through the spectators who had gathered around the brawl, with royal authority emanating from her.
"What do you think you're doing?
Didn't you say you wouldn't cause any trouble until this is all over?"
“This man bullied and insulted my wife,” Riftan said, his voice low and sinister.
“He has to pay for what he did.”
"And truth!" Ulyseon exclaimed, fervently defending his commander.
"These men tried to harass your highness.
Sir Riftan's retaliation is just!"
The Baltonian soldiers blocking Ulyseon began shouting curses at him.
Princess Agnes rubbed her temples and turned her gaze to Maxi, as if seeking her help.
Until then, Maxi was frozen with fear.
She suddenly came to her senses and ran to Riftan's side.
"R-Riftan...
I'm fine.
So...
please, l-let him go now."
She was so ashamed of her difficulty that her voice was barely above a whisper.
Despite his request, Riftan refused to yield.
Looking at his furious face, Maxi cautiously placed her hand on his forearm.
Riftan's entire body seemed to be rigid with tension.
After a moment, he swore under his breath and released the Baltonian.
Like a beast escaping from a trap, the vice commander quickly backed away and wiped the blood dripping from his lips.
His ruby-colored eyes burned with hatred.He pushed aside the other Baltonian soldiers helping him to his feet and shouted like a rabid dog, "Don't you dare think you're going to get away with this, Calypse!
This calls for a duel!
I won't let you get away with this!"
“If you wish to annihilate yourself, I gladly accept your challenge.”
Princess Agnes jumped between them.
“Duels are prohibited!”
The vice-commander glared at her, his eyes sparkling.
"You saw what he did to me!
No one can deny me this duel!"
"You crossed the line first!
And Sir Riftan retaliated.
That evens things out, so this matter is closed!"
"It is not!" Breston's eyes were as wild as a wild beast's.
“Unless I also stick a dagger down your dirty throat, you never will be!”
Riftan mocked the man.
“You ask for something impossible with your mediocre skills.”
“Both of you, that’s enough!”
Losing her patience, the princess made sparks of fire appear around them.
The two men were forced to step back from each other to avoid the flames.
Standing between the two men like a judge, Agnes shouted in a clear voice, "We are at war!
I will not tolerate internal conflicts just because of your foolish pride!"
Despite her resounding rebuke, the two men continued to stare at each other.
Surprisingly, it was the vice commander who broke the suffocating tension by looking away first.
Breston spat bloody saliva onto the ground, turned on his heel, and walked away through the cluster of tents.
The Baltonian soldiers, who were watching with their swords drawn, followed him without saying anything else.
Only when it seemed that the crisis had passed did Maxi exhale the breath he had been holding.
The strength in her legs disappeared and she sank to the ground.
Riftan promptly lifted her up.
Embarrassed, Maxi looked around at the people around her.
The commotion had attracted the camp's knights, mercenaries and soldiers as well.
"P-Please let me down.
I can...
walk alone."
“Be quiet,” he said sharply.
With that, he walked through the crowd.
Ulyseon followed them.
“Please forgive me for failing to protect your highness, Sir Riftan.”
Riftan simply quickened his pace, not even looking at the squire.
Ulyseon's shoulders slumped like a puppy kicked by its master.
Maxi looked at Riftan disapprovingly.
"N-You shouldn't blame Ulyseon.
Those men...
appeared out of nowhere..."
“No“” Riftan's throat constricted as if he were swallowing a large chunk.
“Don’t say anything now.”
Feeling the tense fury emanating from him, Maxi closed his mouth.
The spectators moved aside to make way for them as if they too noticed their murderous aura.
Riftan took Maxi back to his tent.
She had to blink several times for her eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness.
After putting her to bed, Riftan lit the lamp with a piece of stone.
Maxi swallowed hard as he contemplated the outline of his face illuminated by the light of the lamp.
To his horror, his eyes burned with tears as his racing heart began to calm down.
She wished he would scream and be angry like he usually did.
Seeing him so still, deep in thought, twisted her stomach into knots.
A stuttering fool.
She wondered if Riftan was thinking about those words.
Maxi bit his lip.
It was a reprimand she had heard countless times from her father.
It would be laughable for her to feel upset like it was something new.
But even so, the fact that her failure was used to mock her husband broke her heart.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Maxi said, "I-I'm so sorry.
You were s-embarrassed because of me..."
His head whipped towards her, an expression of disbelief on his features.
He walked over and knelt before her on one knee.
"Why are you apologizing?
That scum only said those things to provoke me.
If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had to suffer such humiliation from a bastard like him..."
Riftan squeezed his wrist.
It still throbbed from the previous situation, and Maxi shivered at his touch.
His shoulders stiffened.
He rolled up his sleeve, letting out a sharp breath when his pulse was revealed.
The dark purple bruise was clearly visible even in the dim light.
“I swear I will kill that man.”
His voice came out in a low growl of an angry beast.
"I will formally challenge him to a duel once this war is over.
I will show him the fate of anyone who dares to harm you."