Max trembled nervously at the unsettling aura that the man emanated. He got out of his seat and approached them, heading right for Max. Yulysion immediately intercepted him, but the man was so quick with his movements that he caught her by the wrist and pulled her harshly to face him.
“Hmm, although you look pretty cute, you’re no match compared to the Princess, huh?”
“Licht Breston! Get your hands off her, now!” Yulysion yelled and pointed his sword at the man, but he didn’t bat a single eye.
“Hey, kid. No one has pointed a sword at me and was left unharmed. Are you determined to die?”
“She is the wife of Lord Calypse! If you don’t release that hand right now, you’re the one who won’t come out of this unscathed!”
“Ha! That’s interesting. I’ve always wanted to see that southern mongrel provoked!”
The man looked down at her with gleaming interest in his eyes. Unable to bear it anymore, Yulysion charged towards the man with his sword, but the surrounding northern barbarians all drew their swords and intercepted him. Max held her breath as the situation began to spiral out of control. She felt more numb at this moment than when she faced monsters.
“Hey, I heard that the miss is a descendant of the Roem Royal Family. As a Royal descendant of Roem, don’t you think it’s absurd? How dare a filthy southern mongrel who is of pagan blood claim the title of being a reincarnation of Uigru!” The man grabbed and lifted her chin softly in a creepy way, spitting out vulgar insults about her husband. “Uigru is a hero of the western continent. His name should not be defiled by a peasant bastard with an immigrant mother.”
Max’s eyes flashed in anger at his mockery. A rush of adrenaline ran through her veins and she completely forgot her initial shock and fear as she glared at the man.
How dare does a barbarian insult the most honorable and majestic knight in the world!
Livid and unable to take it anymore, she drew her leg back and kicked the man’s shin as hard as she could. Unfortunately for her, the man was wearing greaves and Max screamed in pain as her toes crunched against hard metal. Seeing her in agony, the man tilted his head back and burst into laughter
“Isn’t she cute?”
“L-let…let me go!” Max twisted and pulled to escape the man’s grasp, but the man held her firmly as if he was simply holding a small, fluttering bird.
“Are you angry because I insulted that half-breed? I know that deep down, you’re ashamed of him, miss.”
“M-My husband… Don’t call my husband h-h-half-breed!”
She was so shaken with maddening rage that her tongue began to stutter more than usual. Max’s face almost exploded with embarrassment at her stuttering and anger at the man. The man gazed down at her red face and smiled wickedly.
“Your husband is a half-breed.” He brought his face near hers and repeated it. “His disgusting pedigree is written all over his face. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice?”
“Y-you … you!”
Max’s chin trembled with blind fury. She had never felt such seething fury in the entirety of her life. She tugged on his arm, fought for all she was worth, and tried with all her might to fight off the insults.
“You’re… j-jealous of… R-riftan! Because you… kno-know that you’re not even at the toe level of… Ri-Riftan… You’re a c-coward for m-mocking him behind his back… you’re sh-shameful!”
The cruel smirk on the man’s lips was wiped away. Suddenly, the expression on his face became so freezingly cold that Max’s whole body became stiff. She was terrified by the man’s murderous eyes, broad, tense shoulders, and rough hands that violently tugged at her wrists. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, wondering if he was going to hit her any moment now. She mustered what was left of her courage and murmured in a weak voice.
“L-let… go.”
“Now I realize, you are the perfect wife for that bastard. A stupid stutterer, a perfect match for that peasant bastard.”
The blood quickly drained from Max’s face. She wanted to get back at him and yell a retort, but her tongue felt as if it was stuck to the roof of her mouth. Tears started to form in her eyes from the shame and humiliation she felt. She clamped her lips tightly. Seeing her defeated, the man clicked his tongue and threw her aside, like a cat tired of playing with the mouse he caught.
At that moment, the man’s body suddenly turned around and a loud sound of a punch colliding against human flesh and bone resounded. Max screamed in shock. Before she could even understand what had just happened, the man’s body flew through the air like a sheet of paper. She watched him collapse into the barrack, and Max’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Riftan ignored the shouts coming from all directions and lifted the man by his collar, then raised his fist to land another powerful punch. The man’s face was terribly distorted like an evil monster after being hit twice by Riftan.
“This fucking bastard…!”
Licht Breston quickly regained his balance and drew a dagger from his waist. He spat out the blood in his mouth and charged at Riftan. All Max could do was scream at the sheer violence before her. She felt her throat rip from screaming, but that wasn’t enough to make any of the men stop snarling at each other like enraged beasts.
The commander of Balto’s forces brandished his dagger like a mad bull, but Riftan easily dodged every slice. Within seconds, the man’s dagger was in his hands, who barely broke out in a sweat. Riftan easily outmaneuvered the man and grabbed his jaw, forcing his mouth open and thrusted the dagger into his mouth.
“You bastard will live a much longer life without your tongue.”
He murmured darkly and thrust the dagger deeper into the man’s mouth. The larger man squirmed and struggled as he felt the sharp tip of the blade touch the back of his throat. The northern scoundrel was much taller and bulkier compared to Riftan, but he easily downed the man and overpowered him. Riftan stared at the man, unable to move with the dagger in his mouth, and growled in a calm, bloody voice.
“That useless tongue only serves to hasten the death of its master, so I’ll skillfully remove this dangling thing.”
“Calypse! Stop this right now!”
Balto’s warriors, who were preventing Yulysion from entering the fray until now, screamed and pointed their swords at Riftan, but he showed no hint of fear and continued in an icy tone that promised death.
“I guess everyone would like to see who can wield a sword faster.”
Balto’s soldiers, who were about to charge so vigorously, seemed to be petrified by his threat and immediately stopped their advance. Their faces flushed red in anger.
“You’re a coward for threatening us! And yet, you call yourself a knight!”
“Then is surrounding and threatening a woman a knightly behavior?” His burning black eyes that seemed to emit flames turned to Max’s pale face. “You keep on provoking my anger, Breston. This time, you’ve done it. You’ve provoked it very well. Now let’s spill the blood you so wish to see.”
“Enough is enough, Calypse! You bastard attacked Sir Breston who was defenseless. Don’t even think that such a cowardly act will be pardoned!”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t use the excuse of being defenseless when he was the one to point a knife at my face.” Riftan his sarcastic words coldly mocking. “Only to have the weapon he was holding stupidly taken away.”
The man who was under Breston’s command fell silent in an instant, helpless as his face became dark red with anger and humiliation. Max, paralyzed with fear under the strain that stops her heart, didn’t know what to do. Although nobody was moving, it was all too obvious to the eyes that they were having a difficult struggle.
Licht Breston’s throat was red because of the compressed blood from Riftan’s grip and more blood was dripping from the man’s open mouth. Riftan grunted and clenched his hand around the man’s neck so hard that Max could see the large veins on his bulging forearms.
“So, you enjoy laughing at other people’s expense. In that case, I’ll make it into a state that you can’t ever laugh again.”
“Stop this right now!”
Amid the bloody and murderous atmosphere, a roaring, commanding voice cut through the tension. Everyone’s eyes, except Riftan’s, flew to the owner of the voice. Princess Agnes walked through the crowd of onlookers with powerful steps.
“What the hell is happening here? You told me you wouldn’t cause any trouble until this war comes to an end!”
“This bastard here threatened and insulted my wife.” Riftan said in a low, foreboding growl. “I won’t let him get away with it without paying a price.”
“What Lord Calypse says is true! These guys harassed the Lady and dared to demean her with vulgar insults. Lord Calypse’s actions are justified!”
Yulysion stepped forward and enthusiastically supported Riftan. Balto’s men did not remain silent before this accusation and began to launch endless insults and blasphemies. Princess Agnes rubbed her aching head and turned to Max, begging for help. She, still frozen in place as if she was paralyzed, quickly came to her senses and rushed closer to Riftan.
“Ri-Riftan… I’m fine. So… please stop and l-let go of him.”
Hearing her own stutter in her ears, Max’s ears burned with embarrassment, and she urged him in a barely audible voice, but Riftan didn’t even budge. He turned and looked at her, his face terribly distorted by rage. She slowly and carefully reached out and placed her hands on his hardened arm. Then, Riftan, whose whole body was tensed from fury, muttered a harsh curse under his breath and finally released the man.
Like a beast finally released from its cage, Balto’s commander quickly scooted away from Riftan, wiping his mouth that was still dripping blood. The man’s eyes were red with hatred and malice.
“How dare you do this to me! This isn’t over. Don’t you dare think you’ll get away from this, Calypse!” He screamed like an angry wild dog, and Balto’s soldiers behind him rebelled in support of their leader. “I demand a duel! What happened was unacceptable, I’ll take you out right now!”
“If you really want to be further humiliated, then I will please you.” Riftan muttered darkly.
“Interpersonal conflicts are absolutely prohibited!” Princess Agnes quickly stood in between them.
Both men glared at the princess with vicious eyes. “Are you going to turn a blind eye on what this bastard just did? There’s no way to settle this but a duel!”
“You were the one who started this! And Riftan here crossed a line. Because of this, both of you are at fault. This should end here!”
“That doesn’t give justice!” The Northerner turned and protested fiercely, his eyes practically blistered with blind loathing. “Unless I shove a blade down your filthy throat, it would never be given justice.”
Riftan laughed darkly.
“Both of you, stop!” With her patience lost, the Princess screamed and sparks of fire flew everywhere. They were forced to separate due to the flames Agnes conjured. She stood there like a judge and yelled loudly. “We are at war! I will not allow internal fights to occur just because of your stupid prides!”
However, the two men did not shift their hostile gazes away from each other. Unexpectedly, it was the Northerner who withdrew first amid the suffocating tension. Phil Aron’s right hand turned and gave his neck a crac, spat blood to the ground and then walked toward his barrack. Following his example, Balto’s other men sheathed their swords and followed after their leader without saying another word.
Max exhaled the breath she was holding as they all walked away. With the terrifying pressure gone, she felt her legs shake and she began to collapse. Riftan quickly reached out and grabbed her, holding her up in his arms. He swiftly lifted her and carried her in his arms. She looked around, puzzled and a little embarrassed. Knights, mercenaries, and soldiers all gathered around to watch the commotion.
“P-please put me down. I… I can w-walk by myself.”
“Stay still.”
His tone was still stiff as he strode through the crowd who were spectating them. Yulysion followed him a few steps back and began to apologize profusely.
“I apologize for not being able to keep the Lady safe, Lord Calypse.”
Riftan kept his pace fast without even looking at him, and Yulysion’s head drooped down weakly like a scolded puppy. Seeing this, Max looked at Riftan reproachfully.
“It’s not Yu-Yulysion’s fault. Those people… suddenly jumped out of nowhere and… started saying insulting things…”
“Right now…” Riftan’s neck swelled as if there was something stuck in his throat and he clenched his jaw. “Do not say anything.”
Feeling the terrifying furious aura from her husband, Max immediately closed her mouth. The crowd around them silently dispersed, as if they also sensed the murderous aura surrounding Riftan.
He immediately brought Max to his barracks. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness of the tent as Riftan laid her down on the bed and lit a lamp with a flint. She looked at the outline of his face that the light granted and swallowed dryly. Max wished her erratic heart would calm down, but instead, she felt her eyes fill with tears. She thought he would get angry as usual and start yelling at her, but seeing his clear and calm expression, as if he were in his own world right now, twisted her insides terribly.
Stupid stutterer. Maybe that was what he was thinking right now. Max bit her lips close. It was an insult she heard her father call her repeatedly, to the point where she had almost become numb to it. However, what made her feel excruciating pain was that her flaw was turned into a weapon and used as an insult to attack Riftan. She couldn’t bear the stifling silence any longer and opened her mouth to speak.
“I’m s-sorry. Because of me you were m-mocked…”
Riftan turned his head. He looked at her in disbelief at what he just heard and knelt on one knee in front of her.
“Why are you apologizing! He did that to provoke me. If it weren’t for me, you would never have had to be insulted by that son of a bitch…”
As Riftan wrapped his fingers around Max’s wrists, she winced at the pain. Seeing her in pain, Riftan’s shoulders tensed. He gently rolled up her sleeve and took a deep, sharp breath. A clearly visible patch of dark red bruises could be seen even under the dim lighting
“By all means, I will kill that bastard.” Riftan declared in a voice that was similar to that of a growling beast. “As soon as this war comes to an end, I will challenge him to a duel. I’ll make him learn his lesson for daring to hurt you.”
Note – LF: I hope Licht Breston would die an excruciating, humiliating death—severed of all his limbs and nasty tongue, in front of all the northern scoundrels.
Nymeria: What she said, thank you ^
