Riftan’s POV (Under the Oak Tree Side Story)

Chapter 29 – Riftan’s POV

“Shouldn’t I tag along with you this time?”

Ruth asked after reading the telegram for a long time and scratched his disheveled hair. Riftan firmly shook his head and threw a piece of meat to Agalde who was sitting on the perch.

“You will stay in Anatol to supervise the construction.”

“I’m a wizard, not a Lord’s representative.” Ruth grumbled, throwing the telegram into the brazier. “How about getting married instead? You can have a decent marriage with someone from the less prominent nobles. You’ll have a noble lady managing your estate when you’re away and you’ll even get the bonus of a little dowry.”

Riftan threw him a sharp gaze. “That’s a very aristocratic idea.”

Ruth merely shrugged. “You’re now a nobleman. The king himself gave you the title of a vassal knight, the Lord of Anatol. It’s not out of the ordinary for nobles to marry for convenience.”

Riftan’s throat felt choked, like he had whole chestnuts stuck in it upon hearing such nonchalant words. It made him wonder if Maximillian Croisso would also get married sooner or later for the sake of convenience. A sharp pang of pain rose in his chest as he pictured a gleaming white-skinned nobleman standing next to her. Riftan hurriedly drove those thoughts out of his head and turned to stand in front of his desk.

“Stop wasting your time on such b*llsh*t and prepare for my departure! I won’t be able to return to Anatol for months. In the meantime, the necessary funds shall be allocated.”

“I’m telling you I’m not a lord’s representative, I’m a wizard…!”

“I’m aware you’re a wizard. I pay a huge sum for your researches every year.”

At his growling remarks, Ruth immediately took on a timid and polite attitude and sat quietly by the desk. Riftan swallowed a sigh and pulled out piles of parchment. He had overwhelming responsibilities; he had to obey the king’s command to participate in wars and expeditions while overseeing Anatol. It was incomparably more burdensome than when he worked as a mercenary.

However, it wasn’t the time to be lost in a reverie. He picked up a quill and scribbled his reply to the king’s orders on a parchment, stating that he would rejoin the knights within a week and tied it to Agalde’s ankle.

A few days later, Riftan led his men back to the eastern border of Whedon. The Remdragon Knights pursued a horde of bandits along with the knights of the Duke of Croix, then he immediately began the pursuit and chased after their trail. Proceeding the long and tedious chase, he was finally able to track them and wipe out the bandits who fled with supplies of stolen food. However, the pillaging still continued after that incident and the Remdragon Knights had to camp near the border. The knights, who spent months camping, had begun complaining.

“If only the Duke of Croix had been a little wise and merciful, we wouldn’t have to suffer like this.” Hebaron spat violently as he sat in front of the campfire to warm himself. “It’s natural for the people of Dristan to go on a rampage when the trade route has been unilaterally blocked, as if extorting a large amount of damage compensations from them wasn’t already enough. These people are already suffering from the famine…”

Riftan silently agreed as he chewed some jerky. Without enough food and water to survive the upcoming winter, the farmers of Dristan were left with no choice and rapidly turned into bandits. Their mission was to keep the borders safe until those bandits either freezed or starved to death so they could no longer invade the Duke’s territory. Hebaron constantly grumbled as he fueled the campfire with long dry branches.

“If only the Duke of Croisso trades food with the merchants of Dristan, all problems will be solved! We don’t have to spend winter in these outskirts and that man wouldn’t be bothered by the bandits, it will all be solved. But because of his foolish pride…”

“Enough complaints. We’re here to aid the Duke of Croix, not criticize him.”

Riftan bluntly spoke and rose from his seat. He himself had a list of complaints about the Duke but if he openly expressed them where several of Croix knights and soldiers were around, it would easily cause a strife among them. Riftan picked up his helmet and carried it against his side, approaching the barrier’s front. Soldiers stood guard with long spears along the high barrier made of stacked logs while the knights sat in front of the pitched tents, grooming their weapons.

He went to climb up the ladder leading to the watchtower and inspected the surrounding area. At one look, he could see ruined villages, farmland burned by the bandits, and priests preparing lifeless bodies for funerals. Among those piles of dead bodies were the bandits that they had slaughtered. Those corpses of criminals were to be cremated after a simple blessing ceremony to prevent them from becoming monsters such as lich or ghouls.

He took the canteen hanging from his waist and moistened his lips, then smirked. Aside from monsters, knights had to mercilessly kill humans as well at the monarch’s commands. Since he became a knight, he was numbed enough to eat calmly next to a pile of corpses but despite that, he couldn’t help but feel a faint burning when he saw the devastating remnants of war.

He drank the rest of the water from his canteen and threw it down the railing. The winter season, a season of rest, loomed over the blackened earth. It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to spend winter in the Calypse Castle again. He sighed in resignation and inhaled the dry wind that smelled of burning.

After the corpses were all disposed of, they immediately embarked on preparing for winter. The soldiers diligently stocked up on food, firewood, and drinking water for the use of their troops while the knights patrolled the borders in preparation for attacks, wiping out bandits and monsters from time to time.

A few weeks later, an unexpected news flew in from across the border. The royals of Dristan, who sat ignorantly despite the rampant raids, began to mediate. Riftan frowned at the flag of Dristan that fluttered against the wind. Nearly 800 soldiers camped on the other side of the barrier. They were informed that they had been dispatched for arbitration but in truth, it was practically a threat. Riftan eyed the soldiers narrowly from the watchtower and hurriedly climbed down when he saw Triden coming out of the barracks.

“What was Dristan’s proposal?”

One of the Duke’s knights and a messenger from Dristan also walked out from the barracks. Riftan glanced at their grim faces and turned to Triden again.

“Will they declare war at once if the food supply does not open?”

“What a radical mindset you have” Triden shuddered as he turned towards the camp of Remdragon Knights. “The Dristan royals want to settle the dispute as peacefully as possible. The Duke of Croix will have an army of royal knights control the bandits when the trade resumes.”

Riftan’s lips twisted cynically. ‘As peacefully as possible’ also meant that they were willing to use non-peaceful methods in case the situation called for it.

“Do you think the Duke of Croix will agree to their proposal?”

“We’ll have to find out.”

Triden strode into his tent and urged for Riftan to follow him. Riftan followed his footsteps, going into the tent that was already warm due to the brazier that had been let alight. The commander then dragged a chair next to the fire and spoke calmly.

“As soon as the dawn breaks tomorrow, escort the messengers of Dristan and head to Croix Castle.”

“Are you appointing me?”

“You won’t be alone. Four men from the Royal Knights and three from the Remdragon Knights shall join the escort. Together with those men, guide the messengers of Dristan to Croix Castle.”

After almost half a year has passed, he would return again to the Croix duchy. He couldn’t help the frown that formed on his face as anticipation and dissent battled within him. Triden raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong? Are you disapproving of my orders?”

Riftan slowly shook his head. “No. Do you have any other orders?”

“None. You can pick the other Remdragon Knights who will join you.”

Riftan nodded once and walked out of the tent.

The next day, Riftan prepared to leave for Croix with Uslin Rikaido and Gabel Laxion. When the sound of the trumpets announced their departure, they finally crossed the barriers with the Royal Knights. Then, three knights of Dristan wearing red cloaks drove their horses to approach the front of the barrier.

Riftan made a brief statement, and headed for the Crox Castle, avoiding any delay. The estate could be reached after two days, however, due to the shortened days of winter, they were not able to reach the gates until dawn of the third day.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a hot bath and slept in a bed.”

Gabel muttered with a delighted look on his face as his identity was verified at the front gates. Uslin shot him a glare.

“We didn’t come here to rest. Don’t relax.”

“Don’t be too rigid. It’s best to enjoy the good things when it’s there.”

Gabel glanced at him with a discontented look in his eyes.

“I don’t have the talent to keep myself always looking neat like Sir Rikaido, so I have to freshen myself up whenever I get the chance.”

At Gabel’s words, Riftan scanned Uslin with his eyes. He was certain that he had never seen that guy looking disheveled. Uslin Rikaido had an extraordinary talent for maintaining a neat appearance despite being in the middle of a battlefield. He wondered if dirt also repelled from a man who was born into a prestigious noble family. While he was thinking such ridiculous thoughts, they were given the permission to go beyond the gates.

Riftan drove his horse to enter and wiped his rough, stained face. It had been a while since he last washed his face, so he had to look terrible. Suddenly, his messy robe and disheveled hair immensely bothered him. He sneered at his vanity as he nervously swept the hair sticking to his forehead. Who cares how I look? Even when he dressed and presented himself neatly, she still looked at him horribly.

She might faint on the spot when she sees me looking like this.

Riftan smiled wryly at his inner thoughts. As they reached the gates to the Duke’s castle, the guards rushed out to greet them. After handing their horses to them, he led the messengers of Dristan and strode to the great hall. As they entered, a middle-aged man who appeared to be a butler, stepped forward and bowed his head politely.

“I heard that you Sirs have arrived from the borders. Is there an urgent matter?”

“I have come with the messengers of Dristan. I want to meet with the Duke at once.”

The butler looked taken aback for a moment but nodded calmly. “Kindly follow me. I’ll lead you right away to the reception.”

Riftan trailed after him, unconsciously roaming his eyes around, looking for Maximillian. The servant maids who gathered at the top of the stairs caught his eyes, but she was nowhere to be seen. The day was still early so he assumed that she was still in bed. As he climbed the velvet covered marble stairs, he felt a strange feeling of relief and disappointment. The butler led them to a luxurious room donned with a red carpet and left after leaving them a notice.

“Please wait here for a moment, I will bring the Duke.”

They each sat on the chairs and held their breath, waiting for the Duke to arrive. After about 20 minutes, the Duke of Croix entered wearing luxurious clothes accompanied by his guards and servants.

“I heard that messengers came from Dristan. What brings them all the way here?”

He sat on a chair set in the middle of the room and arrogantly raised his chin. The faces of the messengers slightly hardened at his rude attitude. The oldest of them opened his mouth and spoke as coldly as the duke did.

“We have come bearing the orders of His Majesty to settle the disputes on the border.”

The knight pulled out a parchment letter branded with the seal of the Dristan Royal Family from his robes and held it out. A young servant who was waiting hurriedly took it and handed it to the Duke, who unfolded the letter and swept his eyes over it. A deep crease appeared on his forehead, as if displeased with what was written on the parchment.

After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, the Duke of Croix finally spoke. “… before we discuss the details, I think you should rest first.” He eyed the filthy appearance of the knights and stood up while gesturing to the butler. “Guide the guests to their rooms.”

The knights left the reception without any protest as they were exhausted. Riftan was assigned the same room he used before. There, he took a hot bath for the first time in about a month and changed into clean new clothes, then left the room again. He walked around, seeing guards and soldiers starting their training for the morning and women who strolled in the gardens. As he was leisurely watching this scenery, he suddenly uttered profanity.

‘F*ck, I did not come here to play around.’