Richard Breston's large, penetrating eyes scanned the crowd of soldiers.
He arrogantly passed his helmet to the knight riding behind him and dismounted his warhorse.
Maxi lowered his hood even further as he approached Sejuleu Aren.
The man harbored deep animosity toward Riftan, and the last thing she wanted was to start an altercation by getting his attention.
Discreetly, he began to collect his tools.
“They’re all so big,” Anette said, her voice thick with fear.
"They sure give that carrot-haired knight a hard time.
I don't think I'll ever be able to call him a giant again."
"They say...
that the people of the north are descendants of the seraphim.
A messenger from heaven...
had a son with a human woman long ago...
and the Baltonians are supposed to be descendants of that son."
"They look more like half-ogres to me.
They're practically giants."
Maxi stole a glance at the Baltonian men.
In fact, Phil Aaron's Knights looked nothing like heralds of God.
Wolf pelts covered their red and black armor, and their backs were littered with heavy swords, battle axes, and iron maces.
They looked more like ancient barbarian warriors than knights.
His face darkened as he recalled how belligerent these men had been in the past.
What would happen to the coalition army unit now that they have joined?
“Here you are, my lady.”
Maxi looked over her shoulder at the familiar voice.
Ulyseon walked towards him, his long legs making quick work of the distance.
He watched her with concern as she approached.
"I ran to meet you as soon as I saw Phil Aaron's flag.
I was worried those northern pigs would try to harass you again."
"I...
I was about to leave.
I would rather...
avoid them if possible."
"Of course, my lady.
Allow me to bring this to you," he said, taking the drake bone from her hands.
Maxi observed the training grounds.
“Do you know where Riftan is“”
“Well, well, look who we have here,” came a deep voice.
“If it isn’t the baby white lizard.”
Maxi flinched as he looked back.
Richard Breston, who moments ago had been talking to Sejuleu Aren at the gate, now approached with confidence.
He was probably coming to cause trouble when he recognized the White Dragons' armor.
He stopped in front of them, his intimidating gaze settling on Ulyseon.
"Or should I call you a rabid dog now?
You have become quite notorious.
But what else could be expected of Sir Rovar's offspring?"
“You should refrain from starting unwanted conversations,” Ulyseon said coldly, sending shivers down Maxi's spine.
“It’s not my hobby to exchange words with beasts.”
"Bahaha!
You still have that temper, I see." The man's robust body trembled as he laughed.
“Didn’t your master teach you to bark whenever you want?”
“No, but he taught me how to silence a man who likes to talk too much.”
Ulyseon's purple eyes glowed as he gripped the hilt of his sword.
Leaning forward, Breston's smile turned into a wide grin.
His voice dropped dangerously low.
"I'm curious.
What did he teach you, little Rovar?"
Maxi looked nervously from one face to the other.
A moment later, Sejuleu Aren stepped between the two men and grabbed Breston's shoulder.
"Look here, Breston.
You've just arrived.
Are you so desperate for trouble?"
The Baltonian knight shrugged nonchalantly.
"You're exaggerating.
I was just happy to see my comrade in arms."
"Stop it.
You're too old to be looking for fights," said Sejuleu, with a seriousness that Maxi had never seen.
Breston's lips twitched.
"And this coming from you?
I remember a time when you picked any fight you could."
“I’ve become more sensible with age,” said Sejuleu, sighing.
"I hear you are now the commander of your order.
Try not to tarnish your father's name."
Hostility crossed Breston's face.
Maxi held his breath in the tense silence.
“Very well,” he said eventually, nodding.
“I will be careful.”
The tension eased from Maxi's shoulders.
Although Breston still seemed headstrong and dangerous, he seemed to have learned some restraint.
She discreetly tugged at Ulyseon's clothes."H-There is an empty table in the infirmary.
I would like to continue my work there...
could you help me move my tools?"
Ulyseon broke his wary gaze and released the hilt of his sword.
He took the tools Maxi indicated and placed them beside him, along with the drake bone.
“Shall we go, my lady?” he said, nodding.
Relieved, Maxi rolled up her parchment and tucked it under her arm.
She then called out to Anette, who was watching them distractedly from a short distance away.
"Y-You should come too, Anette.
We can work inside to create the magical devices and then attach them to your mantlet."
"You guys go ahead.
I'll join you after I finish this," Anette replied, pointing to the wide sign she was hammering.
Maxi nodded and started walking towards the infirmary with Ulyseon.
It was then that a hand abruptly pulled her away.
The grip on her forearm was so strong it made her groan in pain.
Breston looked at her with narrowed eyes before pulling back his hood.
"Hm.
I was wondering who you could be.
You're that impudent one who needs to learn to be afraid."
Maxi's face turned red with anger.
“H-How dare you“”
"With all the noise that bastard made, I thought you were dead.
But I'm glad to see you're alive and well“there's little pleasure in killing a man who's lost his mind."
Ignoring his indignation, the man continued to laugh.
Maxi shivered at the sight of his reddish brown eyes shining like blood.
Losing his patience, Ulyseon dropped the items he was carrying and drew his sword with lightning speed.
In the blink of an eye, the sparkling blade hovered just above Breston's shoulder joint.
“Remove that dirty hand immediately, or I will make you eat like a dog for the rest of your life.”
"No need to growl.
I have absolutely no intention of hurting you," Breston replied with a wry smile.
"I'm just saying hello.
If you remember, miss, our previous meeting wasn't all that pleasant.
That's why I was quite upset to hear that you almost died."
“Y-You will… pay… if you don’t let me go immediately.”
Maxi cleared her throat in addition to her shaky voice, but still managed to shoot him a cold look.
She began to circulate her mana, preparing to use magic if necessary, when he finally let go of her arm.
“Oh, honey,” he said, smiling.
“I wouldn’t want to be pulverized like Eth Lene’s rock walls.”
As soon as Maxi was free, Ulyseon pulled her behind him.
Breston slowly turned around like a cat that had lost interest in the mouse it was playing with.
He walked towards his men, waving his hand in the air.
"Let's end our greeting here.
We'll meet often, so let's try to get along."
Standing close to Ulyseon, Maxi fearfully watched Breston's back as he walked away.
Sejuleu watched her with concern.
"Are you okay?
Did he hurt you?"
“I-I’m fine.” Although her forearm was sore, Maxi maintained a calm facade.
“I… just got scared.”
“If Sir Riftan hears that this man is harassing you again, he will not let it go,” Ulyseon spat menacingly, his jaw clenched.
Maxi stepped back and raised his head to the young knight's serious face.
“I-I think it’s better not to mention this to Riftan,” she said, trying to calm him down.
"He offended you, my lady.
He needs to pay."
“I don’t want this to become a bigger problem,” Maxi said, shaking his head firmly.
"To win this war...
we need to cooperate with Phil Aaron's Knights.
We can't have disagreement affecting our army anytime soon."
“But this is a matter of honor,” replied Ulyseon stubbornly.
"If he is not put in his place, it will be a stain against Sir Riftan.
He must be punished never again to dare treat her with such disregard."
Ulyseon's unyielding expression drained all of Maxi's arguments.
Something told him that there was no point in trying to persuade him.
Sejuleu sighed deeply as he cast a worried glance at Phil Aaron's Knights.
“We are on a difficult journey.”Riftan walked through the training grounds.
Dusk was setting in, but the place was still crowded with Baltonian soldiers unloading luggage from cars and setting up their tents.
He watched them with narrowed eyes.
Most had chain cuffs on their wrists and ankles.
“I heard they recruited prisoners to fill the shortage of soldiers,” Sejuleu explained, following Riftan’s quick steps.
“They gathered those on death row all over Balto promising pardons.”
Riftan frowned.
“We will have to pay more attention to deserters.”
"Certainly.
And beef up security too.
We should have men keeping an eye on them, in case anyone tries to escape with supplies or bother any of the mages."
Without bothering to respond, Riftan continued to assess the soldiers with a fierce gaze.
Since the castle did not have the rooms to accommodate thousands, military tents were being set up all over Eth Lene.
The White Dragons had set up camp in the basilica courtyard alongside the Royal Wedon Army.
Riftan had chosen the location to monitor the church's movements, but now he realized that perhaps it had been a wrong move.
His lips thinned as he scanned the rugged faces of the northern men.
Ulyseon approached to his right, pointing to a large tent near the castle.
“That’s Breston’s tent, Commander.”
“You don’t need to come along,” Riftan spat coldly as he passed through the crowd of giants armed with iron maces, battle axes, and heavy swords.
Sejuleu followed him with a worried expression.
“Why not take a break first?”
“I’m fine,” Riftan replied icily.
“I’ll settle this with words, so stay out of this.”
He stopped in front of Breston's tent.
Recognizing him, the Baltonian knights moved away, making their way to the entrance.
Anticipation shone in his eyes.
Sejuleu let out a groan.
"How can I stay out if we're about to have another war on our hands before the real one even starts?
I'll eat my hat if you two actually resolve this peacefully."
Ignoring him, Riftan pulled at the thick leather flap that covered the tent's entrance.
His gaze fell on the bed covered in expensive blankets and furs.
A fireplace burned beside her, with a long table positioned in front.
Richard Breston sat at the table, enjoying a sumptuous feast of food and drink.
He turned his head to Riftan.
“Long time ago, Calypse,” he said, raising a silver goblet.
“Although I can’t say I’m happy to see you, even if it’s a lie.”
Without waiting for permission to enter, Riftan entered the tent and sat down opposite Breston.
The knight filled a second chalice with wine.
"I hear you're about to be an earl soon.
Here, allow me to offer you a drink to celebrate your unfair advancement in life."
“Don’t you also have an unfair breakthrough to celebrate?” Riftan said, looking at the claymore resting on its side in the tent.
The hilt was engraved with a wolf, the symbol of the commander of Phil Aaron's Knights.
Accepting the chalice, Riftan emptied it and added dryly, “Allow me to pour one for you for having managed to maneuver yourself into your new position using your father’s brilliant deeds.”
He picked up the bottle and tipped wine into Breston's goblet.
The dark red liquid overflowed, first onto the table and then into Breston's lap.
The man's indifferent attitude was gone, replaced by the burning anger in his eyes.
Riftan met his fierce gaze nonchalantly and placed the empty bottle back on the table.
"There is a knot between us that needs to be untied.
I intend to challenge you to a duel after this war is over, so you can stop your childish taunts."
Breston said nothing.
"There are soldiers from all of the Seven Kingdoms gathered here.
If you don't want to be ridiculed as the fool who instigates conflict, I suggest you proceed with caution."
Breston's eyes narrowed.
He grabbed a piece of meat and took a bite.
Chewing, he said with a gloomy tone, “I will take it into consideration.”
Riftan slowly stood up.
Just as he was about to leave the tent, Breston's voice“cheerful this time“irritated his nerves."But you see, you've got something wrong.
I didn't speak to that woman to provoke you.
I find her bravery fascinating, especially since she's shaking like a leaf the entire time.
Even if she weren't linked to you, I'd still be attracted to her."
Riftan froze.
“Who knows?” Breston added slowly.
“She may be a widow before this war is over.”
A heartbeat later, he was no longer smiling.
Riftan was dangerously close to him, his dagger embedded in the plate between the Baltonian's fingers.
The sharp blade had cut cleanly into the table below.
If his aim had been a little less accurate, it would have pierced the back of Breston's hand.
In the tense silence that followed, Breston stared at the dagger, his fury rising.
He swore and jumped to his feet.
Fighting the Baltonian to keep him in the chair, Riftan held him there with pure strength.
He pulled the dagger up and held it under Breston's Adam's apple in one swift movement.
Breston's fight stopped immediately.
“Didn’t I say to watch your tongue?”
Riftan's icy voice contrasted with his calm gaze.
“You said…” said Breston.
“I have never forgotten the humiliation of that day.”
His eyes blinked as he bared his teeth.
Riftan angled the tip of the blade closer to his neck.
Sensing that they had entered dangerous waters, Sejuleu Aren hurried forward.
"He arrives."
“Enough,” he said, looking coldly at Breston.
"You will have plenty of time to resolve this after the war.
I will even serve as a witness to your duel."
Riftan slowly backed away before walking towards the entrance.
Acting as if nothing had happened, Breston reached for the meat on his plate.
He grumbled as he tore it open, "Then we must both muster our patience.
The longer the wait, the sweeter the harvest."