Chapter 136: Chapter 1 Maxi felt her throat constricting. She could not believe this cold farewell was happening. Riftan brusquely turned away from her and walked out of the basilica. It was as if the intimate time they shared aboard the ship had all been a lie. The knights waiting nearby gave her curt nods and followed their commander. Ulyseon was at the rear. He paused at the entrance to offer her a final, confident reassurance. “We will return to take you back to Anatol, my lady, so please do not worry.” Maxi accompanied the clerics out of the church to see them off. At the foot of the steps, dozens of baggage wagons and armed soldiers filled the square. The Livadon and Remdragon Knights stood to attention at the front. A brisk wind flapped at the banners, and Maxi felt her heart hammer against her ribs. She looked on miserably as Riftan mounted his horse. He pacified Talon’s furious snorting and turned him around to check on the formation. When all was set, he lightly spurred Talon to gallop ahead. The knights began to lead their horses out of the square in unison. Maxi vacantly watched as Riftan suddenly pulled his mount to a halt. The knights abruptly ceased marching and murmured in confusion. Oblivious to the mutterings, Riftan barked something to Hebaron, jumped off his horse, and sprinted back toward the basilica. He bounded up the steps and grabbed Maxi’s forearm. “Come...” Before Maxi could say anything, he pulled her over to a large tree. Bewildered, Maxi stumbled after him. “R-Riftan... W-What are you-” “I know that I’m being a damn fool, but...” he murmured, his words making no sense to Maxi, then whirled around to look down at her. Maxi’s eyes grew round when she saw the conflict raging on his face. Riftan stood immobile, hesitating, then pulled something out from beneath his armor. Maxi looked down at his palm blankly. In his hand was a shekel coin. It was slightly dented, and one of its sides was blackened. “I want you to hold onto this.” Maxi blinked. It was a copper coin used by peasants, one that she had never touched in her life. When she looked up at him quizzically, his jaw visibly stiffened. Without any explanation, he grabbed her hand and thrust the coin into it. “Be sure to keep it with you always.” “W-Why?” After a moment of hesitation, Riftan sighed and said, “This is the coin I got as compensation after I successfully finished my first commission as a mercenary. I was told that keeping it with me would bring me luck. You could call it a superstition among the mercenaries. I thought it was stupid, but I’ve kept it with me just in case...” he trailed off as though embarrassed at having clung to such superstition. “I rarely got injured when I carried this, so I made sure to have it on me at all times.” Maxi jumped as though she had been burned and quickly pushed the coin away. “I-If that is so... y-you must be the one to carry it!” “I no longer need luck. I know that I can survive without relying on such a thing.” Riftan’s long fingers wrapped around her hand, and his eyes grew somber. “You do not know how hard it is for me to leave you behind. It is a meaningless superstition... but I still wish for you to have it.” “I-I do not consider it... a meaningless superstition, but... if this truly does bring luck... I would like for you to carry it, Riftan. Y-You are the one going into danger.” “It would reassure me more to know that you have it.” He lowered his head to kiss her fist which was wrapped around the coin. His tousled hair softly tickled the back of her hand. “I might be able to worry a bit less about your well-being if you did.” “But... I-I will be worried sick,” Maxi murmured, her voice shaking. Lifting his head, Riftan stared into her teary eyes, and an unspeakably intense emotion flashed across his face. He cupped her cheek and gently stroked her temple with his thumb. “Will you?” Unable to speak, Maxi nodded. Riftan drew in a sharp breath and kissed her. Maxi’s eyelids quivered when she felt his soft breath on her lips. Although his eyes blazed, the kiss was surprisingly short and gentle. “I will be fine.” “C-Can you promise me... that you will return unharmed?” “Yes, I promise,” he answered after a short silence. Riftan’s throat bobbed as if he were trying to swallow something rising in his throat. He bent his head to kiss the back of her hand once more. “I pray that nothing bad will happen to you... and that only good things will come to you...” he murmured before straightening. Maxi looked up at him with misty eyes. Riftan caressed her cheek. “I really must go now.” Maxi pressed her lips together to stop herself from sobbing and nodded. He stood rooted for a while as though his legs had turned to steel, then slowly made his way back to the square. He did not look back again. He climbed down the steps and mounted his horse once more. The knights, who had been quietly waiting for their commander, promptly reorganized into their ranks. Riftan spurred his steed on, and the army behind him began their march. Standing beside the clerics at the top of the steps, Maxi looked on as their figures grew distant. She did not wish to look undignified, but her eyes kept welling up. Clutching Riftan’s coin, she tried to hold back the tears. When Riftan and the knights disappeared into the horizon, the high priest, who had been quietly standing back, gently called to her. “We should head back inside now, my lady. Please let us show you to your room.” Maxi hastily wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress and turned to him. Just then, a dry wind eerily brushed her spine. Maxi turned to look behind her one more time before following the high priest into the basilica. *** Maxi had to pass through the garden, the main hall, a small vegetable patch, a chapel, and then climb up a long flight of stairs to reach the monastery where she would be staying. Standing outside, Maxi dubiously looked up at the elegant, four-story stone building. It was a magnificent structure befitting of a monastery in such a big city, but it had a gloomy air. The clerics led her inside and briefly explained the facilities within the building. “This is where our sisters training to be female clerics have their lodgings. Currently, the wives or sisters of men who have left to fight are also staying here to pray for their victory. They mostly spend time in their rooms but gather in the prayer hall every morning and evening to join the worship. You should be able to meet the other noble ladies then.” Maxi tried her best to hide her troubled expression. She had no desire to socialize with the noblewomen of Livadon. Not only did she lack confidence in her social skills, but she was afraid that she would be mocked for her impediment. She silently bobbed her head instead of speaking her mind. The clerics promptly led her to a clean and spacious room on the second floor. “This is your room, my lady.” The bedchamber was not excessively opulent, but nonetheless lavish for a monastery. There was an expansive window and a large bed laid with thick sheets. A mahogany table and a large chest sat on one side of the room. “Your meals will be brought to you by the maidservants at the times of your choosing. If you wish, you may also come downstairs to dine with the nuns. You may freely move about the basilica, but please refrain from going near the male clerics’ quarters in the northern annex. If you wish to go outside the basilica, you must first inform the cleric in charge of the monastery. We ask that you refrain from leaving the grounds without a guard. Do you have any questions, my lady?” ... Maxi had been trying to keep up with the deluge of information, and she simply shook her head. The stern-looking cleric had an air of aloofness about him. He regarded her for a moment before turning away. “If you ever do have any, please do not hesitate to ask. Well, then. I shall go send for a maidservant for you right away.” When he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him, Maxi slumped down onto the bed in exhaustion. Her life at the monastery had now begun. Like the other noblewomen residents, Maxi spent most of her time cooped up in her room. Though she took short strolls in the garden in the afternoon, she never left the basilica grounds, and she rarely conversed with others. Perhaps it was a regulation within the facility, but the clerics very seldomly spoke to her first, and the Livadonian noblewomen she met from time to time in the corridors only gave her polite nods. It was not that they were being ungracious to a foreign guest. After all, Maxi had not been expecting to spend merry days within a monastery where people were meant to practice an ascetic life. What was more, Livadon was currently at war with the monsters. Clerics prepared religious ceremonies and funerals every day for the fallen soldiers. Their faces were always haggard, as were those of the noblewomen who had sent family members to war. It occurred to Maxi that her face must be equally gloomy. Whenever she caught her reflection, a pale-faced woman with dark circles bruising her eyes stared despondently back at her. At night, she tossed and turned as her worry for Riftan kept her awake. The mornings were full of longing to be back at Calypse Castle. She wanted to return to Anatol with Riftan, Ruth, and the Remdragon Knights as soon as possible. She joined the prayers dedicated to them every morning and eagerly awaited news of a victory at Louivell. However, the messengers always brought the same news. Both armies were at a standstill because the troll army’s barrier was proving difficult to breach, impeding an all-out battle. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺 Even the newsmongers, who frequented the basilica, swapped speculations that the war would stretch on into the new year if the situation continued. ... Such talk made Maxi sick with worry. The other noblewomen seemed to share her reaction; their faces were always clouded in anxiety. Curiosity eventually got the better of her. One day she cautiously asked the noblewoman seated next to her, “P-Pardon me, has there been... any more n-news from Louivell?” The young woman appeared to be around Maxi’s age. She regarded Maxi for a moment before whispering, “It seems that the Temple Knights from the Great Church of Osiriya have arrived. They will apparently hold worship in the basilica in the afternoon and depart for Louivell right after.”