Of course, Maxi knew that greater challenges awaited them beyond reaching Castle Eth Lene.
He quickly pushed those thoughts out of his mind.
It was best not to dwell on the impending war for now.
Soon he would be sleeping in a room with a bed and a fireplace.
That was the only thing she wanted to think about at the moment.
Sejuleu finished supervising the tent preparations as the group finished their meal.
He pulled up a chair to join them around the brazier.
"So, what do you intend to do now?
The group you sent ahead gave me a brief account of their findings, and I must say it sounds grim.
Do you have a plan in mind?"
Kuahel was oiling his sword a short distance away.
He looked at the Livadonian commander as if he were a small insect.
"I think the answer is obvious.
Try using that brain of yours for once.
Do you think we would have undertaken such an expedition without a plan?"
Sejuleu shook his head at Kuahel's harsh response.
"How come you get grumpier every day?
I think it's because the previous pope worked on you too much.
Lack of leisure can really make a person stubborn."
Kuahel's hand froze.
His eyes pierced Sejuleu.
“The previous pope?”
Silence reigned among those present around the brazier.
The knights stopped their conversations, and the ravenous wizards stopped stuffing their mouths with food.
All eyes were fixed on Sejuleu.
“Shouldn’t the next papal conclave be held in the next Aquarias?” Riftan asked, frowning.
"It was brought forward because of the declining health of His Holiness Pope Elpheus.
This caused quite a stir in the Seven Kingdoms."
After recovering from the shock, Maxi studied the faces of Kuahel and the other paladins.
They didn't seem particularly shaken, as if they had already expected this.
“And the result?” said Kuahel, breaking his pensive gaze at the fireplace.
“High Priest Cassius is now our new Pope.”
Visible relief spread across the wizards' faces.
Taking advantage of their reaction, Sejuleu paused dramatically before continuing: "High priest Garis had frankly the worst luck.
He even held a lavish banquet to gain supporters.
But as you know, Paxias arrived early this year, and many nobles suffered from a poor harvest.
Especially the northern nobles.
Ardent supporters of the Orthodox Church, as you know, but few wanted to antagonize merchants loyal to the Reformed Church by actively supporting the opposition."
“That’s good news for us,” muttered Celric.
Then, embarrassed that he had spoken out loud, he added: “But, of course, it is a tragedy that people are suffering from food shortages.”
"The problem is not as serious as you might think.
I heard that wheat imported from Lakazim was distributed among the affected regions.
Still, the situation effectively tied the hands of any clergy who supported the Orthodox Church."
Riftan looked at the fire, appearing to be lost in thought.
“This means we can prepare for war,” he said abruptly, “without worrying about the Orthodox faction gaining power.”
The subtle implication in his words made Kuahel frown.
Suddenly, Maxi realized that the previous pope had deliberately rushed the conclave.
The timing simply couldn't have been better.
If this had happened after his discoveries were revealed through the Council of the Seven Kingdoms, the outcome would have been very different.
Maxi's face clouded.
Although it was fortunate that the Orthodox Church had not secured the papacy, it feared that the challenges ahead would be a heavy burden for the newly elected pope.
“Maybe I shouldn't have brought this up,” Sejuleu said brightly in an attempt to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
"No more of this dark talk.
I'm sure you're all tired, so let's call it a day.
We'll have plenty of time to discuss everything once we get to Eth Lene."
One by one, the wizards got up and retreated to their tents.
Maxi was about to call out to Riftan, but stopped when he saw Sejuleu discreetly winking at him with her eyes.
He frowned, seeing Riftan rise from his chair to follow Sejuleu to the end of the gorge.She watched them with a perplexed expression.
Did they have something to discuss in private?
It didn't take long for her to realize that it was Sejuleu Aren who had discovered the tactical map of the monsters within the labyrinth at Castle Eth Lene.
Did he make another discovery?
Looking around, he saw Kuahel Leon talking to the Temple Knights on the other side.
Something about the scene reminded her of past friction between the commanding officers of the coalition army, and she felt a pang of anxiety.
She shook her head.
There would be no point in wasting energy on unnecessary worries.
Retreating to one of the tents, she settled on the mattress the knights had prepared.
When the expeditionary group emerged from the gorge, they were met by five huge baggage carts and over a hundred soldiers.
The riders promptly transferred everything to the chariots, allowing their horses to continue the journey with a lighter load.
The next day, they finally arrived at Eth Lene Castle.
An overwhelming joy filled her at the sight of those gray walls nestled high in the mountain valley.
Although the place held terrible memories for her, the relief of returning to human civilization eclipsed any sadness.
Heart pounding, she encouraged Rem to trot as they passed through the arched stone entrance.
The city was a frenzy of activity, mostly made up of strapping young men.
Maxi took in his surroundings as he rode along the wide road.
Two wooden watchtowers rose on either side of the rear gate.
Next to them were rather large buildings that appeared to be military offices.
Densely clustered wooden huts, probably the quarters of traders and builders, lay further ahead.
Riftan finished his own inspection of the city and summarized his assessment.
“It was full in just three years.”
“Well, I did my best,” Sejuleu replied with a smile.
“Has the city been handed over to you?”
"You didn't know?
What a disappointment.
It was a real controversy," Sejuleu said, sighing.
"For generations, this place has been ruled by the Earls of Theon.
The last earl was killed three years ago, along with his heirs, leaving no one to care for it.
Therefore, my lord chose to dispose of the place."
He frowned and added, "Completely ignoring my feelings, I might add.
Terrible, isn't it?
I wasn't born the oldest precisely because I wished to avoid such troublesome duties."
“That would anger many knights whose life ambition is to be given land of their own.”
Sejuleu smiled at Riftan's words.
"I know I'm being ungrateful," he said cheerfully, "but I really enjoyed being the immature second son of a prestigious house.
That said, I'm doing my best to adjust to this new role."
Still smiling, he quickly advanced on his horse.
When they reached the middle of the market, the bustling crowd reverently opened a path for them.
Everywhere Maxi looked, he saw respect and admiration shining on the faces of those present.
Sejuleu waved lightly to everyone and crossed the square.
When they reached the castle gate, the sentries raised the pulley.
Inside, Maxi noticed the wooden structure where she remembered the castle's chapel and tower.
The adjacent buildings appeared to have already undergone restoration.
She was observing the new woodshop when she heard a familiar voice.
"My lady!
You're back!"
She smiled and turned to an excited Garrow approaching them.
Both the White Dragons and Temple Knights began to enter.
While the others exchanged greetings, Maxi dismounted and stood next to Riftan.
In an almost automatic response, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he warily surveyed the courtyard.
“Are there rooms where we can rest?”
“Of course,” said Sejuleu.
"The east wing was rebuilt last year.
Follow me."
The Livadonian commander handed his horse over to a servant and led them to the main castle.
Maxi followed closely behind Riftan as they climbed the stone steps into the spacious hall.Only three floors of the main castle had been restored so far.
Although it was quite noisy because of the ongoing construction, the interior was well decorated.
They walked across the shiny marble tiles to the passage on the left side of the hall that led to the completed part of the castle.
A middle-aged man who appeared to be the butler hurried over to greet them.
“You have returned, my lord.”
"Indeed.
Are the rooms in order for our guests?"
The butler quickly counted their number and nodded.
“Yes, my lord.”
"Show the ladies to their rooms and provide a hot bath.
Have the servants heat the sauna as well."
When Sejuleu turned to Maxi, his eyes crinkling in good humor, Riftan barked irritably, “How long are you going to leave us standing here?”
Sejuleu laughed as he led the men up the stairs, and Maxi sighed deeply.
It seemed like he was determined to anger Riftan.
He had been overly nice to her the entire journey back, causing Riftan to become increasingly irritated.
Now, it had gotten to the point where her husband was growling like a wild dog whenever the Livadonian commander looked at her.
"Ladies, please follow me.
The rooms will have to be shared since we are short on beds.
Is that okay?"
"Of course!" replied Sidina.
His voice was full of longing as he said, “A clean bed will be more than enough.”
The butler smiled and led the women up the opposite staircase.
Soon, Maxi found herself in a tidy room with a roaring fireplace.
Anette had chosen to share a room with Miriam, so it was Sidina and Maxi in the other.
When Sidina tried to jump straight onto the bed, Maxi grabbed her and made her take off her dirty coat and boots first.
Then they got rid of their own dirty clothes.
As they filled the laundry basket with layers of tunics and leggings, the maids brought in a tub of steaming water.
They drew lots to decide who would take a shower first, and Maxi was lucky enough to win the honor.
She disappeared behind the partition and whistled happily as she sipped the hot water.
Meanwhile, Sidina sat muttering in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket.
"If I had known this was going to happen, I would have chosen to wash in the sauna too.
At least my eyes would have had something to feast on."
Maxi cast a sideways glance around the edge of the partition.
It seemed that the lamia's bite had made her friend more vulgar than ever.
Coming out of the shower, Maxi dried himself with a towel and put on a clean tunic.
"Stop this nonsense and get in the shower.
I'm done."
"Yes yes."
In the middle of throwing her clothes aside, Sidina turned to Maxi in confusion.
“By the way, why are you sharing a room with me and not Sir Riftan?”