Riftan glared menacingly and spun on his heel.
Holding onto his saddle, he stood petrified as if taking a moment to contain his explosive emotions.
He jumped onto his horse and announced, "The monsters that attacked this village may return.
We must leave for Sevron Castle before nightfall.
Go and prepare to leave."
Maxi looked confused.
“Are you… going with us?”
“Wasn’t it your expedition that called for reinforcements?” he replied with a wry smile.
“The White Dragons are the reinforcements.”
“But“”
She stopped when she saw a dangerous look cross his face.
He looked at her darkly, then guided his horse around and headed down the hill to join the White Dragons.
Devastated, she watched him trot away.
Maybe she wouldn't feel so miserable if he had flown into a fit of rage instead.
She hugged herself under the cloak as the cold wind penetrated her bones.
The plan to proceed to Sevron Castle met with unexpected opposition from Calto Serbel.
He insisted that they had to remain in the village for a few more days to investigate the evidence of the dark magicians.
"There are runes on the outskirts of the village, runes that provide magic to human remains.
That means it was a deliberate attempt by someone to create undead monsters."
Frowning, Kuahel Leon stroked his chin with a gloved hand.
“And you think that someone could be a dark wizard?”
“Who else would do something like that?”
Calto lifted his sharp chin as if warning the knight against accusing one of his mages.
"The Mage Tower has never created such runes.
Any magic involving manipulation of the dead is strictly prohibited."
“I’ve certainly never seen a rune like that before,” Armin commented as his ghoul bite was being treated.
“It was nothing like the magic we use.”
He turned to Maxi.
"What do you think?
Have you noticed anything unusual?"
Maxi had been sitting in a daze until then.
She turned her head to look at the mages around the brazier, then at Kuahel Leon and the Temple Knights.
Everyone looked back at her expectantly.
“S-Sorry,” she said, her face flushing, “what were we talking about?”
“We wanted to know if you found anything strange about the rune,” Anette said, clicking her tongue.
Weakly muttering an apology, Maxi searched his memory.
"It was very complicated...
I couldn't understand how it worked.
However...
y-its two ways...
reminded me of ancient magic."
“Ancient magic?” Kuahel asked, frowning.
Worried that she might have said something she shouldn't have, Maxi looked nervously at Calto.
The elder was looking at Kuahel with a cold expression as he fiddled with the magic stone embedded in the head of his cane.
“The Wizards’ Tower has been studying some aspects of long-buried ancient magic,” Calto told him.
“As I recall, it is work that the Tower has already informed the church about.”
“Could you explain what kind of magic it was in more detail?” Kuahel asked, his eyes fixed on Maxi.
She quickly started sweating.
It certainly wasn't an option to tell him that he had spent countless days studying the intricacies of ancient magic to create a golem rune.
She nervously moved her eyes, her face worried.
Leaning against a wall to the side, Miriam intervened with a change of subject.
“Come to think of it… those three giant ogres were all after Maximilian.”
Maxi's eyes widened.
She had been so terrified during the chaos that she hadn't noticed.
Shrugging her shoulders, Miriam added, “They were probably after the person who touched the rune.”
“But nothing happened to us,” Anette commented skeptically, wrinkling her nose.
Miriam scowled at her.
"You were safe because you were terribly slow.
The Dragon Slayer had already dealt with the ogres when you and Armin destroyed their runes."
"Excuse me?"
“Stop both!” Calto shouted, slamming his cane on the ground.
Both women pressed their lips together at the same time.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Kuahel, who had been silently listening to their exchange, addressed Calto.
"As for the monsters of the Ayin race, the ogres are the least intelligent.
It is highly unlikely that they made a conscious decision to protect something.
Do you suppose this is also linked to the dark wizards?"“Very likely,” replied Calto after a pause.
"I heard that ogres made up the majority of the allied monster army.
We can only assume that they know the magic that allows them to control monsters."
A shiver ran down Maxi's spine.
Turning a large number of the dead into ghouls for an attack was a tactic used by the monster army during the siege of Eth Lene Castle.
It was not a stretch to assume that the monsters were secretly rebuilding their army for a second invasion.
She was thinking about this possibility when Kuahel's cold voice cut through her thoughts.
“I understand your reasons, but we can’t stay here.”
“The purpose of our expedition is to investigate traces of dark magicians!” protested Calto.
“Now you want us to leave when we finally found a possible“”
"We don't know where the attackers went.
If we fail to eliminate them as quickly as possible, other villages may meet the same fate."
Kuahel's tone turned dark.
"The situation is much more serious than we expected.
If it is true that these monsters are deliberately creating ghouls...
that is even more reason for us to act."
“And by act, you mean…?”
"That we can no longer keep the existence of dark wizards a secret.
We must immediately alert the Seven Kingdoms and prepare for war."
A heavy silence fell over the church atrium.
Kuahel slowly swept his gaze over everyone before continuing in a heavy voice.
"We must go to Sevron Viscounty to officially request help and send word to all the cities to mobilize their defenses.
We cannot waste time investigating runes."
Calto's face hardened a little, as if he was offended by the easy dismissal of his opinion.
Regardless, he was forced to admit that Kuahel was right.
"Very well.
We will follow your plan."
“Everyone, prepare to leave.”
The wizards quickly gathered their things, loaded them into the wagons, and saddled their horses.
Maxi left the church to pick up Rem from the storage room.
The mare seemed irritable with fatigue, and Maxi calmed her before securing the saddle and her bag.
Meanwhile, his eyes kept straying to the foot of the hill.
Riftan and his knights were already waiting in formation.
She looked anxiously at the head of the group where he was positioned, his visor covering his face.
He had such an imposing presence that he almost seemed like a stranger.
Maxi bit his lip.
The distance between them hurt his heart.
She was debating whether to approach him again when Anette spoke abruptly.
“Max, didn’t he come too?”
Maxi frowned and looked over his shoulder.
"Who?"
Anette stood on tiptoe to whisper in Maxi's ear.
“The traitor.”
Only then, realizing he hadn't seen Ruth, did Maxi sweep his eyes over the knights.
“P-It seems not.”
“Maybe he hid the moment he saw Master Calto”, suggested Anette.
She pointed at the older one with her thumb.
"He seemed determined to look for you as soon as he heard the White Dragons were coming.
The traitor may have found out and fled.
They say Ruth Serbel is as slippery as an eel."
Maxi couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
Although she was well aware of Ruth's infamy among the wizards, she was slowly becoming worried.
She studied Calto's stern face.
In the eyes of the Tower, Ruth was an outlaw who had broken its rules by leaving the island without permission.
Calto could very well be determined to use this opportunity to drag the sorcerer back to Nornui.
Worry pricked her at the thought of her old friend getting into trouble.
The thought was quickly followed by the realization that she was in no position to worry about anyone else.
After a three-year separation, her husband was turning his back on her.
If she should worry about anyone, it was herself.
As she walked down the hill, she pondered how she could assuage her anger.
Anette watched Maxi silently for a moment before asking, “Did you fight with your husband?”
Maxi froze, then shook his head.
If only they had.
She wouldn't be feeling so depressed then.
Seeing his gloomy face, Anette smiled bitterly, as if to say that she understood.
"Well, I heard we'll be in Sevron tonight.
Try to sort things out with him at the castle."
Maxi looked down, discouraged.
“H-How?”"You're going to have to do something about your appearance, first of all.
You look like a bum."
Anette shook her head as she examined Maxi from head to toe.
Maxi frowned and pulled his hood down even further.
“A-And the same could be said of you!”
“I don’t have a man I want to please, unlike you,” Anette replied with another shake of her head.
"Ask for a shower as soon as we get to the castle.
Clean up, and go to the Dragon Slayer's bed.
That usually solves most marital problems."
"A-Anette!
You're being obscene!"
Maxi frantically looked around to see if anyone heard.
Anette snorted as if she found Maxi's reaction absurd.
"Why is a married woman acting so chaste?
Getting into her sheets is better than doing nothing, don't you think?"
Maxi's face turned red with embarrassment.
“B-But… how could I… do something like that… in the middle of an expedition?”
“We don’t know when this expedition will end, and I bet you won’t get another chance if you don’t do it tonight.” Pointing to the sky, Anette added: "Do it while we have a roof over our heads.
If anyone is petty enough to object to a man and his wife having a private moment together after three years apart, I will give them a good whack around the ears."
Embarrassed, the only response Maxi was able to give was to open and close her mouth like a carp.
As she remained frozen, Anette gave her a friendly pat on the back before heading down the hill.
Maxi woke up and hurriedly followed her.
The expeditionary group was already waiting in orderly rows at the end of the slope.
Maxi sneaked past to take the position right behind the White Dragons.
Some were talking to her, but her mind was so confused that she barely registered what they were saying.
Growing increasingly anxious, she glanced furtively past the knights toward Riftan.
The sight of her imposing silhouette riding Talon made his entire body feel feverish.
Her heart began to beat faster as she remembered how his large, calloused hands had once caressed her with such passion.
The heat of his lips and the fervor with which he filled her“it was all coming back to her in vivid waves.
She swallowed hard, wondering if seduction was even possible when he was so cold.
Surprised by her thoughts, Maxi furiously shook her head.
What sordid fantasies was she entertaining in the presence of sixty clergymen?
Of course, no one was able to read her mind, but she still blushed with embarrassment.
Everything was Anette's fault.
She was casting resentful glances at her friend for filling her head with such nonsense when the Temple Knights gave the orders to leave.