"Come here.
You're letting the rain in," Riftan said.
Riftan approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
The tickling sensation of his stubble on her cheek made her shrug.
Rubbing his lips against her temple, he squeezed her breast gently.
The impending storm made the air thick, and lightning lit up the night once again.
Deafening thunder echoed across the sky.
It was so deafening that Maxi feared the heavens would collapse on them.
Letting out a soft sigh, Riftan carried a shaking Maxi back to the cot and sat her down.
"I have to go.
I don't want you to step out of this tent until the storm is over, understand?"
Maxi looked at him, eyes widening.
"Are you...going out?
In...in weather like this?"
"The horses will be agitated.
I'll have to check the stables and increase our defenses."
Riftan lit a new candle.
As he donned his armor, Maxi remained wrapped in a blanket, listening to the rain falling like hooves pounding the ground, the tent flap flapping against the fierce wind, and the thunder rumbling.
Occasionally, she would also hear soldiers shouting.
His heart beat uncontrollably.
It was as if the world had been thrown into chaos.
Looking anxious, she asked timidly, “D-Do you think there will be problems… because of what happened yesterday?”
Riftan stopped putting on his robe and turned to her.
Lowering his eyes, Maxi added, “If… if there’s trouble at the camp because of me…”
“And why would that be your fault?” Riftan responded sharply.
"If anyone is to blame, it's Richard Breston.
This man has been causing trouble since before you arrived at Eth Lene.
I'm sure you've noticed, but the deputy commander has nothing but enmity toward me.
Even if you weren't here, he would have used any opportunity to bother me."
Maxi's face hardened.
Anger welled up in his chest once again as he remembered the despicable words the barbarian man had hurled at Riftan.
“To think he would mock you… w-when you did nothing wrong… What a vile man.”
For a moment, Riftan watched her with a strange expression before shrugging as if he was used to such hostility.
"Richard Breston is a descendant of a prestigious family that has existed since the Roem Empire, and his father is a knight acclaimed as the reincarnation of Rosem Wigrew in Balto.
He probably feels offended that a man like me would receive the same honor as his father."
A cruel smile twisted his lips.
"I've been ignoring him because he was just a nuisance, but I can't let this go.
I'm going to make him understand that he should never come near you again."
"But...
we're at war.
If there's c-confusion..."
"I don't intend to draw my sword against him at this time.
I'll just give him a warning to make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble."
Hearing the cruelty in his voice only inflamed Maxi's worries.
Although she didn't know what he intended, even a three-year-old would have been able to guess that it would involve violence.
Each flash of lightning illuminated his sharp features, making him appear colder and more merciless than usual.
As if sensing her apprehension, Riftan's face softened, and he knelt before her.
He stroked her leg with a gloved hand.
"How are you feeling?
Is it hurting anywhere?"
Blushing, Maxi shook her head.
"I am fine."
“What about your injury?”
“I wouldn’t call it… u-a bruise.”
The swelling in his wrist had gone down.
Riftan lowered his hand after carefully evaluating it.
"I'll send for Garrow and Ulyseon.
I want you to remain in the tent until the storm passes."
Maxi nodded, and Riftan kissed her on the lips before leaving the tent.
She saw him walk into the raging storm.
It bothered her that he would probably spend the entire day in the rain and wind.
Tormented by the guilt of being the only idle person in a cozy tent, Maxi walked aimlessly through the cramped space.
Soon, a rain-soaked Ulyseon and Garrow entered the tent.
Maxi ran over to them with a handful of towels.
“Thank you, my lady.”
The two squires dried their hair and took off their soaked robes to hang them near the entrance.
When they walked into the halo of the lamp's light, Maxi saw Ulyseon's dejected expression and slumped shoulders.He looked at her with downcast eyes.
"You must have been very scared yesterday, my lady.
Please accept my sincere apologies.
You shouldn't have allowed those animals to insult you like that..."
"N-No!
Like I said yesterday...
you're not guilty, Ulyseon.
You bravely defended me.
So...
I'm grateful."
“My lady…” Ulyseon choked, looking close to tears.
Maxi gave an embarrassed laugh as he remembered how the squire had growled like a rabid dog at the men who outnumbered him by a head.
As he watched her with his naive, dog-like eyes, she wondered where the valiant knight-in-training had gone.
Garrow watched her as she hung her wet towel over a chair.
“Are you hurt anywhere, my lady?”
Maxi shook his head.
"N-No, I'm perfectly fine.
I was just...
a little shocked."
“We will make sure nothing like this happens again.”
Giving them a grateful smile, Maxi led the two young men to the table.
After lighting another candle on the table, the three ate breakfast while listening to the cacophony outside.
They ate their fill on bread and wine, then began the work of covering the gaps in the tent with a tar-coated sheet to keep the rain from penetrating.
The squires vehemently tried to dissuade her, but Maxi insisted on helping.
I just couldn't sit still while the two of them did all the work.
Time passed as they spread the fabric on the floor and carried items that were at risk of getting soaked to the middle of the tent.
Noon passed before the rain began to ease and the thunder retreated.
Maxi peered through the tent flap and saw that the dark clouds had disappeared.
Faint rays of light radiated from the gray sky.
The rain still fell in white sheets over puddles, branches, and the barracks, but the fierce gusts had abated.
Maxi threw on his cloak and pulled his hood over his head.
Ulyseon noticed her and stopped in the middle of polishing Riftan's armor.
He approached her.
“Do you wish to visit the infirmary, my lady?”
"I want to make sure...
the men are all okay.
Do you think I can?"
“Security has been tightened after yesterday’s incident, so everything should be fine, ma’am.”
The squire scanned the surroundings to check for anyone suspicious, then nodded.
"And everyone, including the Baltonia knights, are currently in an emergency meeting in the central quarters.
I don't think anyone will try anything against us."
“An… an emergency meeting?”
“The monsters are acting strangely,” Garrow interjected.
"According to the scouts who returned at dawn, a portion of the troll army has moved west.
The meeting is to find out what their plans are."
"D-Do you think everything will go well?
The knights of Baltonia...
seemed very angry..."
“The White Dragons are much angrier than they are,” Ulyseon replied, his purple eyes flashing coldly.
"Still, we are not foolish enough to fight among ourselves when our enemy is right in front of us.
I'm sure this Breston man is not that foolish either."
Maxi frowned.
He doubted the vice-commander had such common sense.
After all, hadn't he harassed and bullied another man's wife despite being a commanding officer of a chivalric order?
As if that wasn't bad enough, the man had insulted Riftan and even publicly challenged him to a duel.
He certainly seemed like an arrogant man.
Is Ulyseon right?
Maxi's eyes clouded with concern.
Contrary to his fears, no news of a duel emerged even as the sun began to set.
The urgent situation forced the men to put their animosity aside.
Riftan returned to the tent late in the afternoon.
“A battle broke out at the front,” he said as he quickly changed his clothes.
“I must leave immediately.”
Maxi was preparing herbs at the table.
She turned to look at him with wide eyes.
Although it was still far from dusk, gray clouds darkened the sky.
The thought of Riftan riding into battle in the rain in total darkness chilled her to the bone.
“I-Will it be an all-out war?”
“Not yet, but I'll make you one,” he replied listlessly as he exchanged his wet boots for a new pair.Beside him, Maxi shuffled her feet nervously.
"Make her one?
W-What do you mean by that?"
"It's likely that the monsters are just trying to provoke us, but I intend to turn this into a decisive battle.
I will end this tedious war as quickly as possible."
Anxiety curled in his chest at his determined tone.
“Promise me… you won’t do anything rash.”
It only took a few seconds for Riftan to change.
Now he threw down his armor as he turned to look at her.
His worried expression turned into an incredulous smile.
“I don’t know if I’m the one who should make that promise.”
Sensing the rebuke in his statement, Maxi blushed.
“Are you… still mad at me?”
“Did you think I would easily calm down?” he said with a grumble.
"I've been trying to control my anger, so don't think I've forgiven you for coming here against my will.
I won't be satisfied until you're safely back in Anatol."
“B-But last night“”
Maxi stopped and closed his mouth tightly.
He blushed even more.
An awkward silence descended upon them, and Maxi smoothed her garment uncomfortably as she glanced at him.
To his surprise, a touch of red colored Riftan's cheekbones.
Annoyed, he ran a hand through his wet hair.
"Don't you know what I go through when you're in front of me?
I was celibate for months in this miserable place!
Every day, I imagine you by my side when I lay down to rest!"
He moved closer to her until their noses touched.
“It's like shaking a bone in front of a hungry dog,” he growled.
"But I didn't want to do that to you in a place like this!
I didn't want to hug you like I was just fulfilling my desire.
But when you're right in front of me, I just can't..."
Seeing the shock on her face at her fervent confession, Riftan clenched his jaw.
He rubbed his face, looking exhausted.
“I’m going to end this damn war within a month, so promise me… you’ll be careful.”
Unable to speak, Maxi nodded.
She watched him approach the entrance, sword in hand, before coming back to his senses.
She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up with eager eyes.
Riftan stiffened.
"You shouldn't...
leave while you're so angry.
W-We might not be able to see each other for a while...
we don't know when the battle will end..."
Riftan's expression seemed somehow vulnerable as he stared at her.
Cupping his cheek, she said pleadingly, "Please promise me...
that you will return unharmed.
I give you my word...
that I will also be careful, so“"
Maxi was so emotional that she couldn't continue.
When she rested her cheek on her back, Riftan turned around and wrapped her in a tight hug.
His cold, armored hand sank into her hair and tenderly stroked the lines of her neck.
She felt his shuddering breath on the back of her neck as he murmured, "Once it becomes an all-out battle, only the minimum number of men will remain to guard the castle.
Anything can happen, so always take Garrow and Ulyseon with you wherever you go.
Ruth will also stay behind, so go to him if something happens."
Maxi waved without looking up.
“I'll be back soon,” he said after a long pause.
He kissed her earlobe.
She clung to him like a baby monkey clinging to its mother, and he had to pull away.
Wanting to see him go, Maxi threw his cape.
“Phil Aaron’s Knights will be leaving with us,” Riftan said, stopping her at the entrance.
“Don’t leave.”
“B-But I just“”
“Stay inside,” he said firmly.
He then gave instructions to Ulyseon and Garrow who were waiting outside.
Standing at the entrance to the tent, Maxi watched as he walked away into the damp darkness.
Torches glowed atop the walls, illuminating the procession of soldiers mounted on warhorses making their way to the city gates.
Soon, the knights began their march out of the walled city.
The remaining knights stood guard near the walls with extra vigilance, and the wizards went out to inspect the magical devices installed on the walls.
Eth Lene Castle was now on high alert.