Under the Oak Tree

340 Chapter 101 

Maxi was still sobbing as she raised her head to take him in. Silhouetted against the light, his gaunt face appeared sharper and more rugged than before, and shadows darkened the skin beneath his eyes. But even then, he was spellbindingly beautiful. 

As Riftan stared at her in wonderment, Maxi ran a light finger over the dark contours of his chiseled cheek, and her touch seemed to rouse him from his trance. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back, frantically scanning her from head to toe. 

"Are you hurt?" 

Surprised by his harsh tone, Maxi stopped crying. 

Riftan's pale lips quivered ever so slightly. "Why are you covered in blood? What on earth...?" 

Finally remembering that her face was coated in goblin blood, Maxi tried to wipe it away. Not that it did any good with her gloves and clothes equally as drenched. She felt her cheeks growing hot. With so many things happening, she had not had time to care about her appearance. No doubt, she currently looked far worse than a vagrant. 1

Rubbing the dark brown stain marring the gray of her woolen tunic, she said awkwardly, "Th-This... is goblin blood, not mine 

"It's-? Goddammit." Riftan fumed. "If the monsters were close enough to drench you like that, you were in the thick of it! What was that oaf Nirtha doing after I ordered him to protect you?" 

Clenching his jaw, he scrubbed his face as if to calm himself. Maxi was surprised to see his hands shaking. Why was he so shocked? Was she that horrible a sight?  

"Th-The knights did their best to protect me," she explained. always had a R-Remdragon Knight with me. As you can see... I am 
unscathed, thanks to them." 

Riftan did not reply and only gazed down at her grimly. His face twitched as he said, "There may still be monsters about, yet they let you roam this place alone. You call that protecting?" 

Maxi stiffened at his critical tone. With the enemy defeated and the city full of the coalition's knights, she had not thought her actions risky. Thinking about it now, she had to admit that leaving her guard to slip into the city may have been reckless. 

Nevertheless, being admonished by someone who had been missing for weeks infuriated her. Awash with equal parts affection and anger, she glowered at Riftan through her tears. 

"Th-The knights are not to blame. I-I rushed here before they could stop me. I-I wanted to make sure... you were safe." 

She had to pause as grief surged within her. When she could no longer contain her anger, she choked out, "W-Why did you not send word? Do you have a-any idea how worried I was? Y-You've no idea how—' 5 

"We could not risk detection; Riftan replied flatly.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and rushed her out of the ruins. Seeing that he had no intention of elaborating, Maxi was momentarily speechless. She almost felt wronged as she recalled all the sleepless nights tormented by horrible imaginings about his fate. Eclipsing that, however, was relief that he was alive and well. 

Sniffling, she stuck close to his side. He squeezed her shoulder when she wrapped her arms around his slender waist, chiseled with iron-hard muscles. She could tell he was holding himself back from pulling her into a suffocating embrace. 

Maxi scanned their surroundings as she dried her eyes with her soiled sleeve. 'W-Where are Ruth and Sir Elliot? And what of the other mages?" 3 

"They are still at the wyvern farm. I snuck out alone to let Sejuleu Aren into the city: he said dryly, quickening his steps. 

Maxi knitted her brow, wondering why he was making such haste. Soon, a large pool of dark blood came into view next to the rubble of a stone statue. Lying among the debris was a gigantic monster she did not recognize. The black-scaled, colossal beast was hacked in half. 7 

"D-Did you slay that?' Maxi asked, looking up at Riftan. 

He offered no reply and kept moving. Maxi's eyes darted around the courtyard for more monster carcasses before she realized that the heaps of stone were the remains of golems. Had he fought so many monsters by himself? Aghast, she blocked his path. 9 

"A-Are you hurt?" 

"I'm fine: he replied irritably. 

He slung his arm around her shoulders once more and resumed walking. It did not take long for Maxi to discover his lie. She paled as she noticed the trickle of blood from the gap in his arm guard, remembering how she had jumped into his arms without a thought. a 

"R-Riftan, you're bleeding!" 

"It's just a scratch. You needn't worry." 

Maxi glared at him. "W-What on earth is wrong with you? All that fuss earlier b-because I had monster blood on my face... and now you're dismissing my concern when you are the one bleeding?" 

"I know my own body. It's just a superficial cut," he snapped as he led her out of the arched entrance. 

Maxi tugged at his clothes and said impatiently, "W-We should heal you first. Something could have gotten into the wound, s-so I will inspect it and—" 

"I told you, I'm fine!"

Maxi froze at his fiery outburst. 

Riftan stopped walking to glare at her, his eyes ablaze. "Have you seen the state you're in? You're as pale as a ghost, as if you're about to drop at any moment! I beg you, just stop' 

Maxi went to argue but bit back her words when she saw the anguish on his face. It suddenly occurred to her that seeing her covered in blood might have brought back painful memories. 

Riftan rubbed his face again to calm himself, then said evenly, "I can have a hierarch heal my wound later. For now, we must rejoin the Remdragon Knights with Ruth and Elliot."

"B-But you're bleeding," she said, extending her hand toward him. "At least allow me to—" 

Riftan immediately backed away and growled, "I said, leave it" 

Maxi's face fell. Seeing him raising his guard again so quickly filled her with an acute sense of loss. 

"I was merely... trying to help: she murmured. 

Riftan appeared flustered by her forlorn response. An edge of anxiousness crept into his voice as he explained, "I don't need anyone's help, so please, look after yourself first." contemporary romance

With that, he turned and continued walking. His words felt like a rejection. 

To thwart her from insisting further, Riftan sped down the steps to where the banner of the Bolose Royal Knights flapped in the wind. The livadonian knights were resting next to a mountain of dead monsters. Maxi was looking at the men with a slightly disconcerted expression when Sejuleu Aren, sitting on a ruined pillar, heartily waved them over. 

"Are you done with the clean-up, old chap? You were taking so long I was considering going looking for you." 

"Look after my wife while I do another sweep insider "

When Riftan pushed her gently on the back, Maxi latched onto his arm. "I-I want to go with your "

"You will stay here," he said firmly, twisting free of her grasp. 

A wave of anger rushed over her. 

"Then, at least let me heal your arm!" 

Riftan's initial scowl froze when he saw the desperation on her face. Before he could say no, Sejuleu leaped to his feet. The Livadonian commander draped an arm over Riftan's shoulder and beckoned to a mage under his command. 

"Tend to this fellow, will you? He seems to have injured his arm"

"Get off me: Riftan said, shoving Sejuleu away."

Nevertheless, he compliantly perched on a stone pillar to allow the mage to heal him. Maxi let out a silent sigh of relief. Knowing his extreme reluctance to show weakness, she had feared he would refuse. 

The young mage of the Bolose Royal Knights approached Riftan and said politely, shall first remove your arm guard to inspect the wound."

Riftan wordlessly extended his wounded limb as if telling the mage to get it over with. He pulled out a flask with his free hand and opened it with his teeth. 

As Maxi watched him gulp at his wine, she felt strangely incensed. Why did he always refuse her but readily accept the help of others? She tried to calm her boiling rage as the young mage removed Riftan's vambrace. 

"The wound is fortunately not deep," the mage commented. 

Maxi crouched to inspect Riftan's arm herself. A long gash along his smooth, bronze skin peeked through the rip in his tunic. The mage was correct. The cut did not appear deep, and it was healed in no time at all. Riftan promptly snapped his vambrace back and rose to his feet. 

"What are the Temple Knights doing?" Riftan abruptly asked Sejuleu. 

"They began searching the castle as soon as they entered the city," Sejuleu said, his expression impenetrable. He poked the fire with a long branch. "It's only a matter before they come upon your discovery" 

Maxi looked up at Riftan questioningly. "What did you discover?" 

When Riftan only scowled and refused to answer, Sejuleu spoke in his stead. "A tomb."  

"A...?" 

"In the heart of the main castle is a tomb filled with what appears to be human remains! 
 

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