Maxi watched the man closely.
With his steel armor and the dense plume of feathers attached to his helmet, she determined that he must be a knight of noble lineage.
It was common for men of high lineage to adorn their armor with such adornments.
This man, then, must be the Viscount of Sevron.
“What about the monsters that attacked the village?” asked the viscount.
He lifted his visor, revealing a thick mustache beneath a distinctive aquiline nose.
“We dealt with the undead, but the attackers appear to have headed north,” Riftan replied, approaching him.
The viscount grunted in disappointment and tapped the hilt of the sword on his waist.
"I suppose that means they won't be coming here anytime soon.
I must admit, I was looking forward to seeing some action with this fellow."
"The monsters may decide to change course, so I suggest you keep your defenses on alert for now.
Have you sent messengers to the other lords?"
The viscount nodded.
"Of course.
I sent messengers to the lords of the surrounding areas at dawn.
I also alerted the capital, and Balto should be organizing his own campaign group soon."
Maxi frowned, and the other mages exchanged worried looks.
The current monarch of Balto, Heimdall VI, was known to be a follower of the Orthodox Church.
She wondered how wise it would be to inform such a man about the existence of dark wizards.
As she watched the Temple Knights with apprehension, Kuahel Leon charged forward with his horse.
"We've been fighting all night.
Could you offer us a rest in your castle?"
"Indeed.
It would be an honor to host God's apostles within my walls."
“We are very grateful.”
Once it was decided, the viscount waved his soldiers behind.
“Take our honorary guests to the castle and instruct the butler to provide anything they need.”
The soldiers lit more torches and marched in formation around the guests, guiding them to Sevron Castle.
The expedition group slowly rode along the narrow road, lined with ruined huts.
Even in the dim light, Maxi could see the misery of the village.
A smell horrible enough to chase away his sleep hung in the air.
Although she saw some relatively solid stone houses in the center of the village, even they seemed neglected.
It was clear that Sevron's viscountcy was not prosperous.
Maxi looked apprehensively beyond the castle gates visible above a gentle hill.
It was too dark to see clearly, but she could tell the castle didn't look particularly big.
She wondered if there would be enough rooms to accommodate a group of two hundred people.
While Maxi was worrying about this, Viscount Sevron's men finished the checking process and lowered the wooden drawbridge.
The group crossed the bridge and passed through the garden.
After passing a butcher shop, bakery and blacksmith shop, the main castle finally came into view.
They handed over their horses to the soldiers and entered the great hall.
The dim lighting revealed a shockingly dirty interior.
Instead of stone tiles, the floor was covered with fetid reed mats that looked like they hadn't been changed in years.
Gnawed bones left by dogs littered the floor.
A large tapestry hung on one of the walls, its colors so faded by dirt that it was impossible to distinguish the original image.
Maxi backed away, horrified.
The musty air made breathing difficult.
A hoarse voice echoed through the hall.
“Who’s there?”
Maxi's head swiveled toward the sound.
She noticed that the servants were sleeping under blankets near the fire.
One of them sat down lazily and stared at them with sleepy eyes.
“Have the guests returned?”
"That's right.
Prepare food and rooms for them."
The middle-aged man who had woken up from his nap seemed to be the butler.
He grumbled under his breath and began to wake up the other servants.
Maxi looked anxiously back and forth between Riftan and Kuahel, desperately hoping that one of them would protest against sleeping in such a filthy place, but neither seemed to mind the sordid conditions.
"I'll skip the food.
I'd rather drown in beer," said Hebaron with a yawn.Standing next to him, Garrow sighed.
"Aren't you satisfied yet?
You almost drained all their drink the other day.
Do you have any idea how anxious I was that you would fall off your horse when we left this morning?"
"My God, you worry too much.
A few kegs of beer aren't enough to“"
“Are there enough rooms?” Riftan said sharply, interrupting their argument.
Narrowing his eyes, the butler counted the guests and then shook his head with an apprehensive expression.
"We have rooms available, but not enough for everyone.
You and the clergy can occupy the beds.
I'm afraid the rest will have to sleep in the hall."
Maxi turned pale as he stared at the putrid mats, thinking he would rather sleep outside than lie on the dirty floor.
His eyes roved over the other mages to gauge their reactions.
Although some looked equally shocked, most of the mages seemed to have lost their sense of smell due to exhaustion.
Calto, barely supporting himself with his cane, nodded as if he was too tired to care.
The rest were already dozing standing up with their arms crossed.
Maxi felt distressed, but she knew she would be seen as a demanding noble woman if she complained.
“Is something wrong, my lady?” Ulyseon asked as if sensing her distress.
She hesitated, then stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, “Don’t you think… this place is really dirty?”
Ulyseon bent one knee to hear her better.
He blinked and looked around the room.
“I suppose it is a little.”
“U-A little?” she said, looking up at him in disbelief.
She was surprised that someone who seemed so meticulous could be so oblivious to his surroundings.
Ulyseon shrugged.
“We slept next to bodies during the war, my lady.”
Being speechless, Maxi pressed her lips together.
He certainly had a point.
Sleeping here could be better than among charred remains.
She was trying to steel herself with that thought when she heard Riftan's voice.
"Let the women stay in the guest room.
We'll sleep in the lounge."
“Allow the wizards to use our room as well,” Kuahel added.
The butler looked like he was about to protest.
With a resigned sigh, he instructed the servants to show the guests the rooms.
Filled with gratitude to the knights for their consideration, the mages ascended the stairs.
Maxi deliberately stayed behind and circled Riftan.
After nodding to the butler's offer to heat the sauna, Riftan turned his head to meet her eyes.
His stern look made her flinch.
For some reason, he seemed to be in an even worse mood.
“What are you still doing here?”
“I…”
Just as she was about to suggest they talk, she noticed the knights' curious looks.
She blushed, unable to continue.
“N-Nothing.”
With that, she headed upstairs.
A servant took her to the guest room, which was comparatively better than the great hall, although it was not clean by any means.
Maxi watched him warily, noticing the large bed, and approached the window.
She opened the shutters to let in some fresh air.
The servant who was placing a cot by the wall frowned.
"Good heavens, why would you open the window in this weather?
Are you trying to catch a cold?"
“I'm airing out the room,” Maxi replied a little brusquely.
“I won’t leave it open for long.”
Then she took off her robe and protective gear, placing them next to the bed.
Anette took off her boots and threw them next to Maxi's things.
“Would you be so kind as to bring us enough water and towels to take a shower?” Anette said to the servants.
“I’d hate to get your sheets dirty.”
As if to emphasize her point, she shook out her ash-covered robe and held it out to them.
The maidservants pursed their lips, clearly unhappy with the additional work.
Maxi supposed the castle must not have a lady to discipline the staff.
Grumbling, the servants left and returned with a bathtub full of water.
Miriam, Elena, Sidina and Anette took turns washing behind a partition.
Meanwhile, Maxi thought about Riftan's actions while stirring the embers in the fireplace.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't understand him.
First, he ignored her after rushing to rescue her.
Then he brought her food, then assumed his cold stance again.
Maxi chewed his lip.
Although she was exhausted, she was strangely lucid.I suppose...
it will be difficult to find him alone tonight.
Although she had absolutely no intention of following Anette's advice, now that she was here, she couldn't help but feel discouraged.
She quickly erased both her disappointed expression and her thoughts.
What the hell are you thinking?
As she furiously shook her head, a newly bathed Anette saw her and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
“N-Nothing.”
Tossing the fireplace iron aside, Maxi grabbed her soap and a change of clothes and slipped behind the divider.
She stepped out of her dirty robes and meticulously wiped her sweaty, soot-covered face with a wet towel.
She was so dirty that the towel soon turned black.
With a groan, Maxi soaped every surface of her body and frantically washed her hair.
When he finally finished scrubbing himself clean, the others were already asleep.
She briefly pondered what to do as she dried her hair.
No matter how inappropriate, she didn't want their reunion to end like this.
At the very least, she wanted to thank him for rescuing her.
She opened the guest room door and peered down the dark hallway, then headed for the stairs.
When he arrived at the great hall, he found Riftan sitting at the table before the fireplace with Kuahel, Hebaron, and Calto.
They seemed to be in a heated discussion about the monsters' movements as there was a map spread out before them.
As soon as she saw them, the shame of having had such indecent thoughts invaded her.
Stepping back silently, she timidly climbed the stairs and crawled into bed.
The next morning, Maxi woke up as the fire was going out.
After huddling under the blanket because of the draft that passed through the room, she got out of bed to throw more wood into the fireplace.
She then used the bellows until the flames were lit again.
Soon, the guest room became warm again.
After thawing his body in front of the fireplace, Maxi walked to the window to look outside.
The Viscounty of Sevron looked much better in the brightness of day than in the darkness of night.
She stretched as she looked at the shining rooftops and lush fir forest.
In the corner of her eye, she saw Riftan, dressed in a black coat, heading towards the stable.
His eyes widened.
She sprang into action quickly, washing her face and hurriedly combing her hair.
Awakened by the noise, Sidina lifted her head from the pillow and yawned.
“Is it morning yet?”
"It's still early.
You can go back to sleep," Maxi pleaded.
She wanted to be free from any interference.
Sidina smacked her lips and let her head fall back onto the pillow.
Sighing in relief, Maxi put on her robe and left the room.
When he went downstairs, he saw that the great hall was even more disgusting in the daylight.
Pressing her nose with one hand and lifting the hem of her skirt with the other, Maxi hurriedly left the dirty room.
Once outside, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
I hope we don't stay for long...
Shivered with revulsion, Maxi headed for the stable.
She walked around the castle and entered the dense fir forest.
After some time, the large building became visible among the trees.
She started to run towards him when something made her stop abruptly.
It was Riftan, sitting nearby, with his legs stretched out in front of him.
Maxi's eyes widened in surprise.
He had his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he lay on Talon's back.
"Riftan?
What are you doing“"
Riftan's warhorse, Talon, was basking in the sun.
When she tried to get closer, he snorted loudly as if warning her not to wake his master.
Maxi closed his mouth.
She held her breath for a moment and was as still as a
statue.
When Riftan didn't move, she slowly approached and crouched in front of him.
With his long eyelashes hanging down and his mouth open, he looked surprisingly frail and tired.
Maxi's heart sank as he slowly took in the details of his face.
He looked so cold and alone that all she wanted was to hug him warmly.
Hugging her knees, she let out a frustrated sigh.A gentle breeze stirred her hair.
Strands now pricked his eyelids, and a slight wrinkle formed between his eyebrows.
After hesitating for a while, Maxi cautiously reached out.
His warm breath tickled her wrist as she brushed away the strands.
She stepped back and looked at his straight nose, then at his full lips underneath.
On impulse, she leaned forward and kissed him softly.
Riftan's eyes opened, and Maxi froze.
His black pupils staring at her were as lucid as if he had been awake the entire time.
At his unfazed expression, Maxi felt heat rise to her cheeks.
When she tried to step back, his large, leather-gloved hand grabbed the back of her head.
Maxi moaned when his hot tongue invaded her mouth.
He pulled her onto his lap and deepened the kiss.
His arms wrapped around her waist like steel chains, gently pushing her breasts against his muscular chest.
Captivated by his dark eyes, all she could do was gasp for air.
It was as if he was holding a ball of fire.
Relief, desire and longing coursed through his veins like scorching heat.
Holding onto his clothes, she pulled him closer with all her strength.
At that moment, she locked eyes with Ruth, gaping at them from behind Riftan.