Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 173

Translator -LF

“The lady is familiar with this powder. This powder that can stop bleeding is made from grinding the leaves and roots of dried cucumber, mixed with a little flour and a variety of herbs. I made more than enough, but if it runs out, you may craft it using this recipe. You must be accurate with mixing them so use a scale. Also, I have written other recipes for simple medicines, please read them from time to time.”

Ruth placed a dense parchment, small scale, and a small mortar and pestle used for grinding herbs on the desk. Max, who was scrambling to jot down his instructions with an inked quill, glanced at him with an anxious face.

“S-so...we need that m-much medicine?”

“We never know. As you may have already experienced, healing magic can only be used up to a limit. It’s wise to prepare for anything ahead of time.”

Ruth shrugged lightly and began to teach her how to use the scale. Max tried to write down his explanation on the parchment in as much detail as she could. She knew that Ruth’s responsibilities were vast, but this was beyond her expectations. The pressure to fill his vacancy weighed heavily on her shoulders.

“I think I’ve explained everything. Now, I’ll leave the keys to the tower with you.” Ruth, whose arms were crossed across his chest, looked up at the ceiling and took the key out of his pocket. “There is nothing particularly dangerous here, but if possible, avoid touching anything other than the herbs and books.”

“I...I’ll be careful...”

Max took the key carefully from him, then there was a strange silence for a moment. Ruth scratched the back of his bushy head and made an awkward expression.

“Please take good care of Sir Riftan and the other knights. They all think that they’re immortal, so they don’t hesitate in doing anything reckless. I’m anxious about leaving them behind, but I won’t be worrying too much since you’re here.”

Max smiled gently. She was well aware of how much Ruth did for Riftan and the knights. He took precious time to teach her various magic spells because of his dedication to Anatol and its people. She responded in the brightest voice she had, to try easing his concerns.

“Don’t worry about us... take care of yourself and come back safely. I’ll work hard and do my best... because we’re all rooting for you, R-ruth.”

“You should.”

Only then Ruth’s shoulders sank, like he suddenly remembered his situation. “I won’t be able to sleep in a bed for a while starting tomorrow.”

“You never sleep in a b-bed to begin with.” Max shook her head in a curious manner.

“At least... s-sleep in a warm bed today. Also, for dinner... I told the chef to prepare a special and grand feast so don’t skip it... make sure you’ll come down to eat in the dining hall.”

“I was thinking of doing that anyway. I won’t be able to have a proper meal for a while, so I need to eat when I can and grease my stomach. Now, let’s go, we shall head back.”

Ruth responded giddily and turned towards the door. Max collected her parchment and gazed pitifully at his back as he left the room. She felt sorry for Ruth who was embarking on a rough journey. Moreover, it was going to be difficult to get through various mishaps on her own in the future. Only then did she realize how much she depended on the nosy wizard. Max spoke in the softest tone possible.

“I sincerely really thank you...for e-everything. Because of Ruth’s help... several crises...”

“W-Wait, Hold on! Stop saying such ominous words.” Ruth glared at her and jumped up and down like he just heard Max utter a bad omen. “It’s like you’re sending me off for forever.”

“W-w...what I’m just trying to say...”

“Anyway, it feels so awkward, so stop it. Saying a simple farewell will be enough.”

She bit her lips. She was just trying to express her genuine gratitude, but Ruth’s attitude was not having it.

“F-fine. Then... farewell and come back soon. Is that good enough?”

“Yes, that will do. I hope the lady will stay healthy and well.”

Ruth muttered some stuff while going down the stairs and sighed in a muffled manner, when he suddenly sent a mischievous glance to Max over his shoulder.

“Also, when I return, I’m looking forward to hearing the good news.”

“N..news?

“I’m just saying it’s not long until we hear news of the birth of Calypse II.”

Max’s face turned beet red. Seeing her reddened face, Ruth giggled and eventually burst into laughter. Max glared at him with an indignant look and stomped down the stairs.

Really, it’s impossibly hard to even bid a sincere farewell!

***

That evening, the dinner served was the most grandiose they ever had. Roasted swans and whole piglets gracefully lined up the center of the tables, dozens of dishes seasoned lavishly with cloves, nutmeg, cumin, and pepper were served at a plenty. The knights exchanged farewells while they enjoyed sumptuous food and quality wine prepared carefully by the servants. None of them reflected any grimness or anxiousness in their faces.

As Max watched the knights exchange mischievous jokes and slander like they were going to see each other again the following day, she wondered if one day she would also need to send Riftan off for a long journey with a smile. Right now, it seemed unimaginable to her. Just the thought of exchanging farewells with him made her feel like her body would split in half.

She looked up at his face wrapped in the soft candlelight glow and thought about how important of a figure Riftan had become in her existence. She wouldn’t be able to bear it, shall he be away from her for half a year. Things would have panned out great if Riftan was an ordinary lord of a land in the countryside rather than a knight, but if the circumstances were as such, she wouldn’t have been married to him in the first place.

She sipped wine and secretly soothed her troubled heart. She wanted to utter plausible words of encouragement to the knights who were leaving, but failed to say a word, like she was a mute.

The next day, the knights set out for the expedition before dawn. Dozens of giant warhorses with loaded supplies strapped to their hips and armed knights on saddles, crossed the gates in an organized row. Max climbed the wall and watched as the knights crossed the moat. Sir Rikaido led the way, driving his horse down the road that glimmered dark blue against the early dawn’s light, following him closely there were Ruth and Sir Caron. The rhythmic pounding of horseshoes against the earth continued for a long time.

She waved her handkerchief in the damp, cool morning breeze until they were out of sight. Riftan who was standing in front as he sent the knights off with a hardened expression, turned his head toward her.

“You may go back in now. The wind is blowing strangely, rain might pour in a while.”

Max anxiously trailed the knights with her eyes as she watched their leaving figures that were now the size of ants.

“W...Will they be fine?”

“They will be fine. When it rains, the chances of encountering monsters decrease so it would favor them better. But... I hope it stops before evening comes...” Riftan frowned and looked up into the dark skies. An annoyed sigh escaped his lips. “There is an expedition as it is, but I’m more worried about the road construction. I have to leave the castle before it rains.”

He gently pulled her face closer to his and planted a kiss on her cold forehead with a soft smile. Recently, she could see Riftan oftenly flashing smiles like that. When he displayed that boyish smile, the crease from his face smoothed out and he appeared ten times more attractive and handsome.

“Your face is cold. Don’t wander around and go back to our room to rest.”

He rubbed her earlobes and whispered in a tone someone would use to a young child. Max blushed and grumbled with a dissatisfied expression.

“I... I am not a little child...”

“Be good and listen to me.”

Riftan kissed her eyelids once and playfully pinched her cheeks with his fingers. The roughness of his fingers and the soft warmth of his lips felt pleasant. She looked up at him eagerly. She wished that he would give her more of his soft caress and kisses, but he appeared content with just that light kiss and gently led her back into the castle, telling her to hurry. Max could do nothing but swallow her disappointment and trudged back to the room.

***

Just as Riftan had predicted, it started raining steadily around noon. Max gloomily watched the shimmering raindrops pour like mist over the lush garden. The colorful flowers seemed to have lost their vibrance as they drooped and even the deep blue leaves seemed to be dyed with black as it dulled and soaked with water from the rain.

The strong, chilly wind rattled and shook the windows, deepening her worries for the knights. She felt sorry as it was only their first day of expedition, yet they already had to travel the rugged mountain path in this weather.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon.” Even Rudis, who was sitting by the windows while sewing quietly, sighed.

“I-it seems that way...”

“I can’t believe it rained just when the knights left for the expedition....”

Rudis rubbed her cheek lethargically and put down what she was sewing to get up from her seat and light the fireplace. Max looked out the wide window, listening to the raindrops pat against the windows.

Will the road construction be fine?

When it rained, there was a decreased occurrence of monsters appearing, so there was a low chance of accidents happening. For a moment, her head jumped from one worry to another. Max shook her head.

This isn’t the time to waste on helpless worries. Instead, I should improve my skills enough to fill Ruth’s place as soon as possible.

Max started by taking out the pile of parchment Ruth had handed her and sorted them. There was no order, it was a complete mess, like it was arranged by a hopeless person with no talent for organizing. Information about herbs, magic, healing, and medicine recipes were all mixed together. It was also noticeably lacking as there were incomplete sentences, like some information was missing. She suspected a few parchments were left back in the tower.

I have no idea if this is being meticulous... or being chaotic.

She decided to visit the tower later, first to study what she understood and then to find the missing information. Max took out new pieces of clean parchment and simplified her magic formulas. There were two kinds of magic that Ruth had arranged for her. One was to accelerate the speed of her mana flow to increase her magic power and the other was to double the amount of mana she exerted.

Max secretly expected that there was a powerful magic spell written on the parchments, like the flame magic of the royal princess, but her shoulders only sunk in disappointment. Even if she learnt such powerful kind of magic, she would only be able to barely make a flame the size of what’s on a candle with her current mana pool. All she knew how to do was to cast healing, detox, and recovery magic. Other than that, her magic was limited and stagnant. If she attempted to learn a new kind of magic, it was obviously not going to go the way she wanted it to.

It would be better to focus on working and strengthening the magic that she could cast. Max began to study the structure of the magic formulas as she convinced herself of the judgement she had come up with. With her thoughts set, she began memorizing magic formulas. Fortunately, Ruth left her with detailed explanations so she could easily understand how it worked.

The problem is practice...

She was worried about how she could learn to apply a new magic formula by herself without Ruth’s help, but she had no choice but to try. She concentrated eagerly and memorized the complex structures of the magic formula.

For a long time, she was immersed with her studies, when she suddenly felt a heavy pain in her lower abdomen. Max, who was dipping her quilt in the ink, felt something dripping between her legs, and her face stiffened.