Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 111 – Slow Wave of Change (2)

She flipped the curtains back to let the light flood the room and began to look through the shelves one by one. However, she soon found out that the book she was looking for was not as easy to find as she had expected. She pulled the books out of the bookshelf, checked the contents one at a time, and returned them over and over again.

Will I have to ask Ruth when he returns... ?

After a long time of going through the books, Max’s shoulders fell in disappointment. She was about to give up and turn away from the bookshelves when the title of a book on a precariously piled stack in a secluded corner of the room caught her eyes.

When she pulled out the book, Max’s face lit up. The book was full of illustrations of medicinal herbs and traditional remedies. Many dark creatures lived in the vicinity of Anatol. Events of the same kind as yesterday can recur at any time. To prepare at least a little better for such a period, she thought it was necessary to learn a little more about healing.

Sitting by the window bathed in the pale winter sun, she sat down to carefully read the ardously written book. However, the illustrations of medicinal plants are blurred and difficult to identify.. and as far as treatment is concerned... Well, it was full of dubious methods like sprinkling ashes on bruises and covering hair in beaten eggs to lower a fever.

After trying to read for a long time, Max finally sighed and closed. Her energy disappeared when she found out that the book she had been looking for so hard was eventually useless and sapped the energy out of her.

It would be comfortable if there was only one more person who could use healing magic even a little...I could be ease.. but...

They could hire other wizards or ask for a high ranking priest to be sent to them from the main temple, but neither method was particularly easy. Several lords held fierce tournaments to attract great wizards into their territory, and besides, hasn’t Ruth already said that the main temple in Osiria would never send a high-ranking preist all the way out here?

As Max contemplated what to do before she rose, she squinted and decided to explore a little more to see if she could find a different book.

But in the end, after spending a quarter of the day and getting no more results, Max was forced to trudge sullenly out of the library. Upon returning to the room, Rudys brought her generous servings of crispy goose, crepes slathered in apple jam, and a rich pumpkin soup made from goat’s milk for her evening meal. But she found she had little appetite, so she sat in front of the fireplace and flicking through a book she had brought back. There was a voice in her head claiming that doing this may pay off in the future, but in the end her patience ran thin.

Max stared at the blazing fire with trembling eyes anxiously. Countless thoughts swept over her, and her insecurities resurfaced. Riftan may love her for the time being, but there was no guarantee he would feel that way forever. She wasn’t the noble and charming woman he thought he was. The moment he realizes the truth, his affection can disappear like a mirage.

Max couldn’t get rid of that persistent anxiety. What did one have to do to feel confident and secure in one’s position? Max sighed in wonder at the extend of her own weaknesses as she fingered the pages of the book impatiently.

A dark motive was hidden behind her desperate attempt to help. If she could make herself a little useful, perhaps he would still allow her to stay there, even if he came to hate her.

Max unintentionally put down the book and buried her face weakly in her knees. Every time she recalled this twisted reality, her heart trembled dangerously. If only he was here to wrap his arms around her and melt away her angst... The thought only made her feel lonelier.

The next day, Max was in the company of the book she had found in the corner of the library that listed ancient healing methods. Although the writing on the faint yellow pages was small, tightly packed, and in an ancient language,she was able to read it without any problem thanks to the time she had spent hiding in the library as a child. But as the book continued, the number of words she had never seen before increased, making it more and more difficult for her to understand.

She slowly skimmed through the book and carefully wrote down the new vocabulary. It looked like an old term for medical tools and parts of the body, so she searched for relevant texts and soon had a whole pile of books stacked up on the desk.

A crease appared on Max’s brow as she cluthed her quill. She was just reading through the book as if it was in front of her because she hoped it would help, but honestly she couldn’t understand half of what she was reading. She sighed heavily. Sweeping her hair back in impatience,she wondered if she could learn something like this.

Right Then, there was a rattling sound and the library door opened. A happy smile apread across her face when she spotted the person striding into the room, swinging his arms.

“R-Ruth! Wh-when did you re-return? A-Are all the injured m-men doing well now?” Her excitement was evident in her voice. It seemed like her savior had finally appeared.

“I returned last evening. And all of the injured have been treated.” Ruth replied firmly as he stepped back to his usual place. Then suddenly he noticed the titles of the books on the desk and looked at her with curiosity.

“Are you trying to learn about healing, my lady?”