Riftan kept walking and looked straight ahead as if he heard nothing. Max ran to catch up with his wide strides.
“Ri-Riftan!”
She screamed, almost begging, but he didn’t even turn to look at her. Max glared at his back as she rushed and ran down the stairs. When she finally reached him, she tugged at his cloak. Riftan stiffened in surprise and pushed her hand away.
“W-wait, listen to… m-me… please!”
Max stumbled, but before she could finish, the hem of her skirt twisted around her legs and her whole body rocked forward. If it weren’t for Riftan and his sharp reflexes, who reached out to grab her waist, she would have rolled down the stairs. Max clung to his arms with a pale face, then heard a curse pronounced harshly above her.
“damn it… what the hell were you thinking?! You almost got a big injury!”
Riftan grabbed her by the shoulders and scolded her. Max’s shoulders hunched in fear, but she glared at him with defiant eyes.
“It’s because… R-riftan… was ignoring m-me.”
“damn, why can’t you just let me go? Why the hell do you keep doing this? I don’t want to hear those absurd thoughts going through your head!”
Max lowered her eyes so as not to show him how devastated she was by his cruel words. But she couldn’t whimper in this situation; she needed to show that she was not the weak and delicate noble lady that he believed her to be. Riftan would not hesitate to use her weakness to completely defeat her: she knew that he was determined not to take her with him out of Anatol, so she kept her emotions under control and spoke as calmly as she could.
“How… how do you k-know it’s ridiculous… without even listening to what I have to say? Listen to me… then d-decide…”
Riftan’s lips tightened into a thin line. Looking at her with eyes of burning coal, he released her and folded his arms over his chest and spat coldly.
“Fine. Go ahead.”
No matter how reasonable and convincing she was, his body language clearly screamed “no” for whatever she was going to propose. Max swallowed dryly.
“The journey to Livadon…is very difficult, I heard. On such a journey… it would be dangerous to go without a w-wizard…”
“I’ll take care of it myself and get a new wizard.”
“You… you may not be able to! A-Aderon said it may be i-impossible.”
“It’s none of your problem. it is mine and I will deal with it myself.”
Max couldn’t find words to say in response to his curt demeanor. Seeing that the conversation was over, Riftan turned to leave again, but Max clung desperately to his arm.
“I… I know that Riftan c-can’t trust me. But… I studied really hard and I have more mana now. If you can’t acquire a wizard in time… then… I-I’ll take on the role of Ruth and…!
“That’s enough!” Riftan lost his patience and raised his voice. “Do you think this is some leisurely trip? As you said yourself, the road that leads to Livadon is difficult, yet you want me to bring you along a journey like that? I would rather die!”
His thunderous voice echoed down the hall. He swept his hair and ruffled it violently. “It doesn’t matter if you know magic. So, stop this now and don’t bother me with this nonsense again.”
Then, Riftan fastly strode down the stairs and Max failed to hold on to him. She just stood there blankly and watched him disappear from her sight. At the end of the corridors, the servants poked their heads out and looked to see what was going on. Max blushed and hurried off. Her heart sank heavily with grief, his cold rejection made her confidence crumble down.
She returned to her room, depressed, and defeated. As the shock gradually subsided, the sadness was replaced by anger. An anger she had never felt before bubbled up from deep within her. Riftan would rather die than take her to a dangerous place. How can anyone be so selfish.!+? How could he force her to stay still in the castle while he leapt casually into danger? How could he not consider how she was feeling?
Max nervously massaged her head. After the way their conversation ended, she was sure she wouldn’t be able to sleep well that night.
What was going to happen if he got infected with monster venom? What if he suffered from a fatal wound that couldn’t be healed with mere medicinal herbs? If she were left behind, these thoughts would haunt her for months. Was this the comfortable life he was obsessed with giving her?
Max stared at the dark, empty corner of the room, then stormed off again. Even if she argued with him for a hundred days, it was all useless. First, she needed the knights on her side. She knew that Riftan’s iron will could not be shaken, but the knights were in a different position. If they sided with her, they could pressure Riftan and persuade him for her. Max ran toward the training ground, clinging to her last bit of hope.
The generally spacious training ground was packed with people. The Knights had already started preparing to leave for Livadon and the servants were rushing to help them. Max squeezed between the knights who were checking their weapons and horses that stomped their feet restlessly. She was afraid she would bump into Riftan, but luckily he was nowhere to be seen. He must have gone to give instructions to the construction site before leaving it. She looked around for a familiar face and quickly saw Hebaron sharpening a sword that was as big as her.
She ran straight to him. “Sir Nirta… may I speak with you for a moment?”
Hebaron, who was sitting on a wooden chair and tending to his sword, raised his head. “What is it?”
He rose to his feet, towering over her small frame, his annoyance clearly indicated in his darkened features and Max felt a little intimidated by it. Hebaron had lost all his usual optimism at the news that his colleagues were in danger.
“About y-yesterday… I have something I want to say…”
“Say it.”
Max looked around, a little flustered by his cold demeanor. Some of the other knights looked their way, but not everyone seemed to pay much attention. They were all busy checking their weapons and horses and tuning their swords. Max tried to sound as confident as possible as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress.
“I heard that a wizard is needed for the trip to Livadon… I… would like to take on that role…”
Hebaron’s eyes widened in shock at her request. He straightened up and gave her a thoughtful look. “Milady, thank you for the offer, but… but did you get permission from the Commander?”
Max’s face turned red. “Riftan… he won’t even listen to m-me… I wanted to k-know what the knights were thinking…”
Hebaron hesitated and couldn’t answer her right away. “The commander said he’s trying to get one of Count Robern’s wizards. So the Lady doesn’t have to put herself at risk.”
“If you can’t get a w-wizard… what will you do?”
“If that’s the case, we’ll go by ourselves…”
“Can you say… with certainty that everyone can get to Livadon without o-one person being hurt?”
Hebaron’s strong jaw clenched. He didn’t have to give her an answer; his expression was already an answer, so Max continued to speak in a firmer tone.
“As Sir Nirta k-knows… since I started working in the infirmary… My skills have improved a lot… Even Medrick says I-I’m better than the… clumsy h-healer they had when… he worked for the mercenaries.”
“Lady Calypse.” Hebaron cut her off, looking a bit embarrassed. “The lady is definitely talented. Everyone else was also surprised by your progress, and to be honest, it’s not like we didn’t think about the Lady taking Ruth’s place. But madam, this journey will not be easy. I won’t be able to get a carriage for the Lady like last time. The Lady will have to travel on horseback all day and camp until we reach a town or city. You will be exposed to countless dangers and monsters… besides, the lady knows no other type of magic than healing.”
“T-that’s not the case! I also l-learned defensive magic.” Max raised her head high and countered. “I can make barriers… strong enough. Although it’s difficult to build a big one… but at least I-I can protect myself.”
The truth was, she never tested the strength of her defenses, so she couldn’t be sure, but Max continued to wear a confident facade. It was more important to her to be with Riftan than her own safety. If he was willing to risk his life recklessly, so was she.
“I-I won’t be a burden. So…”
“This journey is difficult even for experienced knights, let alone the Lady…”
Hebaron meticulously studied her physique as if evaluating a prized stallion.
Max frowned at his rudeness. “What about m-me?”
“The journey may be too much to handle, given the Lady’s stamina.”
“B-But… didn’t Ruth leave for the expedition?”
Ruth was taller than her, but he was thin compared to other gentlemen. And since he used to stay up to read at night, he always looked pale and weak. At least she was more active than the wizard.
“I… I’m healthier than Ruth and I have more energy. If Ruth can do it, I-I can do it too… Of course, I don’t have Ruth’s years of experience. But for a-anyone… there’s always a first time for everything, right?”
“…that’s very persuasive.”
Max didn’t know if Hebaron was smiling or frowning. She realized that he was in conflict based on his ambiguous expression. He stroked his chin for a moment as he finally raised his hands like he was defeated.
“Fine. If we can’t get a wizard in two days, I’ll try to persuade the commander.”
“Th-Thank you!”
Max smiled brightly, but Hebaron simply shook his head with a faint smile.
“Don’t say thank you just yet. The Commander may refuse ‘til the end.”
“T-that could happen…”
Max’s momentary glee faded when she remembered Riftan’s terrifying expression. Even Hebaron wasn’t entirely sure about how he could deal with him, based on his darkened features. After a long, drawn-out silence, Max grew more anxious about his expression. She wondered if she was causing him too much pressure.
“Would it… Would it be helpful if I-I went with all of you?”
Hebaron looked around, as if he didn’t know how to answer her, then he finally groaned and confessed.
“Of course, it would be helpful. We even thought about dragging that old wizard with us.”
“Me-Medrick is not well enough… he’s not in a condition to travel.”
“I know…” He gave out a long sigh. “It would be great if the Lady could join us, but expeditions are really difficult. Please don’t think lightly about it and carefully consider…”
“I’m not taking it l-lightly. I’m determined. If I stay in the castle… I’ll just w-worry. I would rather be t-tired. And…”
Max kept rambling on with a smile, but quickly caught herself, thinking that it was strange for her to try to convince him that she could bear hardships too. Hebaron studied her carefully with his green eyes, as if trying to uncover any hidden intentions. When he found none, he gave her a broad smile.
“That is reassuring.”
Note – Nymeria: How many times have I said Hebaron for the win now?
