Max’s entire body stiffened. Idcilla glanced at Max who had suddenly gone stiff, then turned to the soldier.
“Are you saying Lord Calypse of Whedon is here?”
“That’s right. They were scouting the area around Ethylene in anticipation of our arrival and came to our aid just in time.” The soldier replied in a tone as if he was a bit annoyed, but answered the question. “We can reach Ethylene Castle in about two hours. The Remdragon Knights and the Holy Knights will protect you, so you can be at ease.”
“Is Lord Calypse riding in front of us now?”
Idcilla poked her head out of the window to look ahead. It took all of Max’s willpower not to follow Idcilla’s example and stick her head out as well.
“Lord Calypse is at the forefront. Now stop asking questions and stay inside.”
Pouting at the angry man, Idcilla shoved her head back into the carriage and sat. Max impatiently tugged on the girl’s robe and whispered in her ear. “Did you-did you see him?”
Idcilla slowly shook her head. “No, he’s too far ahead.”
Max bit her dry lips as she sat tensely in her seat. Her body felt stabbed from the sheer tension building inside her knowing that Riftan was only a few steps away. He would never forgive her if he discovered her disobedience, and that she willingly got to the heart of the conflict. Perhaps, he could really be disappointed in her this time.
She shoved her sweaty hands into her pocket and grabbed the copper coin he left for her. Her throat went dry at the fearful anticipation of Riftan possibly opening the wagon’s door just at this very moment to find her. In the tense silence, Max’s stomach twisted with nausea as she shifted in her seat stiffly. The loud sound of a horn sounded, and the rattle of the cart remarkably reduced. Max was so frightened that she couldn’t even look to see what was happening outside and hunched her shoulders. In her stead, Idilla cautiously peered out of the window. Suddenly, an eager exclamation came out of her lips.
“Wow, I’ve never seen such a big stone wall before.”
Unable to overcome her curiosity, Max pulled the hood over her face deeper and quickly looked out: a gigantic gray wall of rock stretched up as if they were about to reach the heavens. Her mouth fell open at the incredible sight. Idcilla was right, it really was unbelievably tall and huge. The massive wall was built of gray and white rocks stacked together to form the entrance to Ethylene and beneath it was a solid foundation that appeared to have been carved out of stone. Max’s eyes followed the wall up to the steep top, which seemed to look like it would fall at any time.
“It looks like it will c-collapse s-suddenly.”
“That rock wall is the guardian of Ethylene, it has survived the brutal north winds and enemy invasions. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
The priestess, Nora, who was sitting across from her, explained proudly and Max looked at her questioningly. “Have you been to E-ethylene… before?”
“This is my hometown. I lived here before I moved to Levan.” Nora stared out the window with a gloomy expression. “I was really surprised when I heard the news that It had been overtaken by monsters. I thought this was the safest place in the world, being surrounded by towering rocks on all sides; everyone believed it to be an impenetrable fortress.”
“There is no place in the world that is not impenetrable…” Idcilla murmured darkly, and Nora couldn’t help but agree with her cynicism.
“Perhaps it fell due to the careless thinking of men that it is impenetrable.”
Max couldn’t take her eyes off her as they approached the doors. Like Nora said, the magnificent fortress nestled between mountain walls made of stones truly seemed impenetrable. It made her wonder how on earth did the knights and soldiers manage to reclaim this land from monsters. Suddenly, the familiar dark gray armor of the Remdragon Knights came into view, and Max quickly snapped out of her stupor and crawled back inside.
Sir Gabel Laxion was inspecting every carriage as they passed the city gates, and she couldn’t keep the cold sweat from soaking her back. When it was finally the priestesses’ turn to go inside, Max ducked as far back as possible and pulled the hood over her head so deeply that it covered her entire face. One of the soldiers opened the carriages’ door and glanced inside. The coachman on the other hand explained his cargo in a polite tone.
“These are priestesses of the Great Temple who have come to care for the wounded.”
Max didn’t even dare lift a finger for fear that she would attract the attention of a soldier. After a suffocating moment, which felt like hours of agonizing anxiety, Gabel’s calm voice spoke.
“All good. Let them in.”
When the door closed and the carriage began to move again, Max immediately released the breath she was holding, Idcilla’s shoulders relaxed as well as if she herself had been holding tension. However, it was not reassuring to have made it through the gates. The Remdragon Knights were probably wandering all over the ruined city and after getting off, they would probably escort them to their homes. Feeling like she was stepping on thin ice, Max bit her lip as her endless agitation built up again.
Even after passing through the doors, the carriage continued to move for about ten more minutes before finally coming to a stop.
“We’ve arrived. You may come out.” A soldier opened the door and Max faltered, she did not abandon the carriage until she was the last.
Outside, a triangular flag fluttered in the wind, and dozens of barracks were everywhere, with soldiers busily running between them, carrying supplies and errands for the knights. Her eyes darted in confusion; Ethylene castle was several dozen times more hectic than Servyn castle. Men wearing armor crowned with unknown emblems swarmed everywhere. She heard swear words from every corner, sounds of metal colliding, and the screams of cattle.
Max looked around incessantly, her energy slowly wasting away. On top of that, her stomach was still knotted at the thought of Riftan discovering her, but she couldn’t get over her desire to see him either. She looked up at the knights riding horseback one by one, expecting to find him among the sea of men, when suddenly, someone abruptly grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Max barely contained her scream.
“Ru-Ruth! You scared me.”
“Stop looking around like that. Do you want Lord Calypse to find you?” He pushed her behind a barrack and scolded her. “Lord Calypse is speaking with the Grand Duke. You must conceal yourself from his gaze when they conduct an inspection.”
“You don’t have to be so tense… I won’t be caught. Even Sir Laxion didn’t notice me. Riftan would never even t-think I’d be here.”
“I’m really not in the mood for a getaway right now.” Ruth muttered annoyingly. “Don’t you know how his senses are very particular when it comes to the lady? Personally, I prefer not to have the entire place turned upside down.”
He groaned and then walked away hastily, motioning for her to follow him. Max couldn’t help but feel sorry for still darting her eyes to and from. She cast her eyes back and hoped to see him, but reluctantly gave up and followed Ruth. Even if she couldn’t see him now, there would be more opportunities in the future now that they were in the same place.
As if trying to hide a tree in a forest, Ruth hastily pushed her toward the group of priestesses, then led them to a place far out of the knights’ barracks. “The priestesses will be staying here.”
The wizard pointed to a large, clean-looking barrack off to the side, and they almost burst into the tent with enthusiasm. Compared to the small dwellings of Servyn castle, this place was like a palace. There were beds and partitions installed, they even had twice larger personal space to move around in. They all sighed in relief knowing that they would no longer have to sleep in a muggy tent.
“The wounded will be taken to the barracks next to it. If someone’s condition worsens, please inform one of us immediately.” When they began to unpack their bags, Ruth, with a solemn look, continued. “In the future, after every battle, big or small, dozens of wounded men will start to pile up. Always be prepared for emergencies, always have emergency relief supplies in stock, and always have hot water on hand. The well is about 5 minutes away. There is also a storage house behind the barracks where you can get more herbs. So in case of an emergency, you should immediately…”
“There you are.”
A thick baritone cut him off abruptly. Ruth’s shoulders tensed and Max felt her heart freeze as if it had stopped beating. It was him who first recovered from his shock and he shot Max the most intimidating look he could muster, then turned to the large man as if blocking him from entering the tent.
“Lord Ca-Calypse, what is it?”
She clenched her jaw tightly and did her best to make it look like she was unpacking and organizing her things, but Ruth’s acting skills in normalcy were truly terrible.
“I was looking for you, it’s about Hebaron’s injury. Why are you here instead of coming straight to my headquarters?”
Ruth laughed too awkwardly under Riftan’s skeptical words. “Here… I was giving instructions to the priestesses on their duties.”
“Priestesses?”
“These are priestesses from the Great Temple, they came here to care for the wounded.”
“From the Great Temple…”
Max trembled with fear and longing at that reassuring voice she hadn’t heard in months. If it weren’t for Ruth’s awkward manners at this very moment, she would have given in to her impulse and would have already run to Riftan.
“Anyway! I’m worried about how Sir Nirta’s doing. The priests will take care of things here, let’s hurry to Sir Nirta. How is his condition? Is he not getting better?”
Somehow, Ruth’s terrible performance managed to distract Riftan’s attention, and after a few breath-taking moments of silence, his focus miraculously returned to Hebaron.
“The High Priest is doing his best, but there’s still no improvement. It will probably be quicker to find a cure yourself.”
“Geez, it seems like the Remdragon Knights couldn’t hold it together even for a second without me. I guess it can’t be helped. Now, now, let’s go see Sir Nirta.”
Ruth spoke in a tone too gibberish and exaggerated, to the point that Max was sure Riftan would find out everything, but luckily he allowed Ruth to lead him away from the tent. She kept her ears wide open, making sure that she could no longer hear Riftan’s voice, before running out of the barracks.
By the time she came out, Riftan was already buried in a sea of people. Unable to control her momentum, she pulled her hood over her face and chased after him as if she were being dragged by an invisible rope. In the distance, she could see him leap over Talon and ride slowly, alongside the wizard, toward a section where several large barracks were erected.
Max quickly ducked behind a tree and looked behind the thick trunk. She only saw him for a second. And in that second, even though he was so far away, Max felt her heart clench painfully with longing. After a few months had passed without seeing him, he appeared far more dignified than she had remembered, fully majestic and breathtakingly handsome. Even though he was now gone from her point of view, she was left stunned for a little more while.
Note – LF: The sadist in me wants Riftan to find out HAHAHA and lol Ruth know’s how Riftan’s senses are geared towards Maxi. I’m hoping our favorite man Hebaron is fine
