Riftan silently observed her flushed face before removing the wet towel.
Maxi hurriedly closed her legs as she felt a trickle run down her thigh.
With his face burning, he stammered: “L-Let me do it.”
“Be quiet.”
After gently pushing her back onto the blanket, Riftan turned the towel over and began cleaning her.
Despite the discomfort, Maxi resigned herself to accepting his care.
She quickly pulled up his pants when she saw him grab a new towel.
He always helped her clean up after they lay down together, but she felt embarrassed every time.
While removing the hair that stuck to his forehead, Maxi studied his face.
"Shouldn't we go out?
It's getting noisy out there."
Now he was cleaning himself, sitting with his back to her.
When he looked over his shoulder, Maxi could tell from the distant look in his eyes that he was still shocked.
He straightened his pants and reached out to caress her waist.
“Do you think you’ll be able to ride today?” he asked, voice thick with concern.
"Y-Yes.
You weren't...
so rough with me."
Sitting down, Maxi gave him a shy smile.
Her groin was a little sore, but she knew he would make her ride in one of the carts if she expressed any discomfort.
Picking up the coat he had thrown on the floor, Maxi feigned indifference.
"Y-You should get dressed.
People will think it's weird… if we take too long."
It was possible that someone had already assumed what they were doing and was keeping everyone away from the cabin.
Maxi groaned in mortification at the thought.
Riftan apparently shared their concern; he watched the rough door slam in the wind, then stood up with a sigh.
He put on his woolen tunic and began to put on his armor.
Maxi did the same, wearing an outer garment over his thin linen shirt.
Once they were both dressed, Riftan turned to her.
“I will make sure this never happens again.”
Maxi looked at him in surprise.
His expression was grim, as if he had made a serious mistake.
Distressed, Maxi hurried: “I-I was scared, but it wasn’t because of me“”
“You know that’s not the problem,” he interrupted, his face impassive.
“What if you get pregnant in the middle of… all of this.”
Maxi's face fell.
She wasn't too worried because she suspected she had difficulty conceiving.
After all, she had only gotten pregnant once, despite the frequency of her relationships.
But I didn't think that was the right way to reassure him.
“I-I'm sure there's nothing to worry about,” she said, grabbing her coat.
“Currently… I am not at risk of conception.”
Riftan looked at her skeptically before taking her coat.
He gently helped her put it on while warning, “You must tell me immediately if you feel any changes.”
“I really don’t think there’s any reason to“”
“You must tell me,” he growled.
Maxi nodded, holding back a sigh.
“I’ll let you know if I feel anything.”
After looking into her eyes, Riftan picked up his bags and turned towards the door.
Maxi furtively felt his stomach as he followed him out of the cabin.
She wondered what it would be like to carry his child again.
It would probably be harrowing and difficult, but at the same time, I knew I would be overjoyed.
And Riftan could very well lose his sanity from worrying so much.
Maxi sighed as he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets.
He still felt a pang of loss whenever he thought of the son they didn't have, but Riftan seemed even more deeply marked.
At least for his sake, she decided to take precautions not to conceive for now.
I wanted it to be at a time when he could fully rejoice with the news.
Marching forward, Maxi pushed the wistful image of a sweet baby from her mind.
“A message has arrived.”
Richard Breston looked up from his beef jerky and met those of his tall adjutant.
The northern giant held a small, rolled-up scroll.
Still sitting on top of the wooden chest where he was resting, Breston skillfully unrolled and read the message: some nobles from the east were sending supplies to the coalition army.He crumpled up the parchment and threw it into the roaring fire.
What exactly had that redhead said to persuade those cowards from the east?
Not that his newfound loyalty was a concern.
Yes, he wanted this campaign to be successful“but not too easy.
It wouldn't be good for the coalition to defeat the monsters without suffering any setbacks.
With a lazy wave of his hand, he signaled to his squire.
“Bring me pen and ink.”
The young squire promptly returned with the requested items, a wooden clipboard and a new piece of parchment.
Breston scribbled a single line: Take appropriate action.
“Give this to Barongaard,” he instructed, handing the note to his aide.
Barongaard was a key figure opposing the armistice in the east.
The man would know what to do without the need for additional explanations.
Satisfied, Breston popped the last bit of beef jerky into his mouth and washed it down with a swig of strong drink.
A cool wind swept across his face, taking his gaze to the frozen land beyond.
A feeling of pleasure enveloped him.
The seasonal thaw would barely put an end to the South's misfortunes.
Hungry with famine, Wedon would soon be ripe for the harvest.
The mere idea of war invigorated him.
What they were doing now“fighting monsters“barely counted.
True war meant the clash of well-armed infantry and cavalry, the seizure of fortified castles, and the annexation of rival territories.
Once this farce ends, the age of knights will arrive.
It was inevitable.
The bloodthirsty warriors of the North were angered by the idea of an armistice.
It was incomprehensible to them why they could not sweep away the weak southerners and claim their fertile lands.
The feudal lords of Balto were not alone in their discontent.
In every kingdom, ambitious nobles chafed at their monarchs.
Opposition to the armistice was growing across the continent, and the young pope currently lacked the leadership to unify the division.
Once the remaining threats on the Pamela Plateau were extinguished, there would be no more excuses for keeping the peace.
The flames of war would rise in its place.
A smug smile curved Breston's lips.
Although being placed under the command of the mixed-race foreigner was an insult to his honor, the prospect of the future made the indignity bearable.
After all, such a ridiculous coalition would never be repeated.
The great monster war three years ago had almost wiped out the Ayin monsters, and their bases were now in ruins.
It was only a matter of time before the stragglers were eradicated.
With the threat of monsters eliminated, the Seven Kingdoms would fragment, and the game of peace would reach its end.
Although I feel for you…I doubt this will happen in your lifetime.
His smile disappeared at the voice that invaded his thoughts.
The memory of those unwavering gray eyes stirred something inside him.
What else had that audacious woman said?
Because you will never surpass Riftan Calypse.
Breston crushed the chalice in his hand.
Ridiculous woman.
Even if Riftan Calypse managed to slay the dragon again, it wouldn't stop the Seven Kingdoms from falling apart.
Dristan would invade Wedon's devastated eastern territories, while Balto and Arex would advance from above, as they had secretly agreed.
Any help from Livadon would be inconsequential.
This land will soon become a sea of flames.
Breston licked his lips as he imagined the defiant woman's reaction when he presented her with the severed head of her beloved husband.
She would be the first tribute he would offer to his king.
After three grueling days of travel, the coalition army reached a fortified town on the border.
Built to repel invasions from Dristan, the city was a crucial military stronghold.
Inns, large and small, along with military stores, lined the imposing palisade.
Bustling merchants eagerly sold their wares to the soldiers stationed there.
Maxi surveyed the city as he rode along the nearly two-kevettes-long fence.
Houses built of overlapping wooden planks clustered near a deep moat.
Nearby, ivory tents were erected beside a gentle stream, smoke rising from them.
As Maxi passed by, she caught the faint scent of aromatic oils wafting through the air.
“W-What are those tents for?” she asked, curious.Elliot, riding beside her, shifted uncomfortably in the saddle.
“They are communal baths, my lady.”
Maxi's eyes lit up.
“Bathrooms?”
For some inexplicable reason, the knight looked embarrassed as he awkwardly clarified, “Er, but not the kind of establishment your lordship might be imagining.”