Under the Oak Tree Novel - Chapter 125

Chapter 125: Chapter 125

“W-Where… are the others?”

“I told them to go ahead.”

Maxi’s face fell. “D-Did you have to separate… because of me?

Riftan turned to her as he pulled Talon out from behind a tree. His expression

was so flat that it was hard to imagine it had been so full of emotion just

moments before.

“I am sure Hebaron is capable of leading them. I told them I would follow as

soon as I found you.”

“B-But… how did you find me?”

“I followed your trail,” he replied tersely, looking down at her feet.

Puzzled, Maxi followed his gaze and saw her footprints in the dirt. They were

barely visible in the rough terrain twisted with roots.

It was astonishing that he had been able to find her using such a trail. Seeing

Maxi’s surprise, Riftan pointed to the horseshoe marks next to her prints and

to the branches Rem had trampled along the way.

“Truth is, it was your mare that was the biggest help.”

“D-Did it not occur to you… that they might be monster tracks?”

“I know a monster track when I see one,” he said dryly. “Thank God I found you

before it rained. I wouldn’t have been able to so fast if your tracks had been

washed away.”

Maxi shuddered. If Riftan had been delayed, she would be food for the worms

by now. Still, she wondered how he had found her so quickly with the path

blocked. Had he really climbed over the huge boulder?

She was giving hima dubious look when he leaped onto a wide rock and

offered her his hand. “Hurry. We have to find shelter before the rain gets

heavier”

Maxi began to climb the mountain path in silence. Riftan made his way up the

rugged incline as nimbly as a mountain goat despite having to lead two horses

with one hand, Maxi’s in the other. It was hard to believe that he could move so

quietly in such heavy armor.

Shaking away the rain seeping into her eyes, Maxi vacantly watched the drizzle

soak Riftan’s black hair and wide neck. Raindrops splattered onto his broad

shoulders, creating a halo of white fog, and his wet armor glistened a darker

shade of gray. His ever-alert face was slick with rainwater.

He did not display even a hint of exhaustion. His long, sturdy legs marched

tirelessly through the muddy path with ease, and the arm that steadied Maxi

whenever she staggered was as sturdy as an anchor.

Maxi was in awe of him. Not only did he have more stamina, but it was as if

they were a completely different species.

“Let’s rest over there for a while,” said Riftan when he noticed her sagging

shoulders.

He led her to a towering tree. Maxi trudged behind him, her shoes squelching

with each step. He tied the reins under a leafy branch before swooping her up

with one arm.

Maxi was so exhausted that she did not have the energy to ask him to let her

down. He strode over to the base of a tree where there was a hollow, cave-like

space. Its trunk was so thick that six men could not have encircled it. Riftan

placed Maxi inside the hollow and crawled in beside her. Maxi slumped over like a wilted cabbage leaf, her head tipping to one side. Her

body kept alternating between sweating and shivering as if it did not know

whether to feel hot or cold.

After slipping off his breastplate and propping it up to one side, Riftan pulled

her against his chest. The warmth that seeped through their wet clothes made

Maxi’s remaining tension and fear melt away.

Despite the fact that they were crouched inside a tree trunk like forest

creatures seeking shelter from the rain, Maxi felt as safe as if she were in a

fortress. She shuffled as close as possible to Riftan and lay her head on his

muscled shoulder.

After placing his gauntlet and vambrace on the ground, Riftan ran his warm

hand all over her shoulders and back.

“We’ll have to start out again as soon as the rain stops, so try to get some

sleep.”

“D-Do you think the others are all right? W-What if the goblins attacked them

“Goblins hate water, so the others should be fine while it rains. They should be

making their way down the mountain by noW.”

Riftan slid his hand inside her tunic and caressed her cold skin.

“Stop the needless worry and go to sleep.”

Cocooned within Riftan’s embrace, Maxi let out a drowsy sigh as a feverish

warmth seeped into her skin. Riftan stared silently into the trees.

Maxi looked up at him through drooping eyelids and watched the water drip

down from his hair until fatigue washed over her. She closed her eyes and

listened to the wind blowing through the leaves.

Riftan hoisted Maxi onto his lap, and she leaned her head against his chest. In

an effort to help her feel as comfortable as possible, he pulled off her soaked

shoes and socks and massaged her swollen feet with wet hands. Drowsy

exhaustion now overtook Maxi, and she drifted off to sleep.

The rain had grown lighter when she finally awoke. She watched the drizzle

with bleary eyes before turning her gaze up at Riftan.

His eyes were closed, and he lay against the tree as still as stone. Maxi’s heart

sank. She placed a hand beneath his nose. It was faint, but she could feel gentle

breaths.

Sighing in relief, Maxi gingerly brushed away the hair drooping into his eyes.

Had he been tired after all? They had been on a brutal march for days, and he

had not been able to get proper rest. His exhaustion was understandable.

Feeling sorry for him, Maxi gingerly brushed his cheek.

Riftan opened his eyes. Startled by the lucidity in his gaze, Maxi drew her hand

back. He regarded her with black eyes, which were so dark that she could not

distinguish the pupils, and lowered his head to kiss her.

Maxi pulled back, and his coarse tongue gently flicked over her lips as if to

reassure her. His warm fingers clamped around her neck. It felt as though a

hound that had been lounging at her feet had lunged at her throat without

warning.

Maxi moaned and gripped his arm. He responded with a sigh and cupped her

breast, and she gazed into his dark eyes before his tongue pushed deeper. He

caressed her palate and tongue, then hungrily sucked at the saliva in her

mouth. The shortness of breath she felt was similar to the feeling of drowning.

Riftan’s breath came ragged as well, despite having traversed a steep mountain

in heavy armor without breakinga sweat.

He pulled away and stared into the forest. “The rain has stopped.”

The abrupt interruption lett Maxi dazed and unable to register his words

immediately. Riftan appeared torn, but he let out a sigh after a long moment

and lowered her from his lap.

“We should go. It will be dark soon if we don’t hurry:”

He crawled out from the tree and picked up his discarded armor. Finally, Maxi

managed to snap out of her daze. This was not the time to be getting

comfortable. They were, after all, alone in a mountain overrun with monsters.

The enveloping warmth had evaporated, and Maxi hastened to collect her

damp shoes. She forced her feet into them and came outside to find a fully

armored Riftan leading the horses over.

“Do you think you can walk

He sounded so calm that it was difficult to imagine that this was the man who

had been trying to devour her just moments before. She gazed up at him with a

sour look before slowly nodding her head.

“I-I have had enough rest.”

“Keep close. We just have to climb a little more and it will be downhill from

there. It will be much easier.”

Riftan turned and began walking along the muddy path without making a

sound. Maxi trailed him while trying not to slip. The heat had thankfully

abated in the rain, but it was difficult to appreciate the cool breeze when she

was soaking wet. Maxi wrapped her arms around herself, prompting Riftan to

survey their surroundings and offer reassurance.

“Tl find a place for us to camp soon, so try to get through it until then.”

Maxi glanced around the darkening mountain with a worried look. “Y-You

intend for us.. to spend the night here?”

“We will have to since it will be dark soon.”

“Th-That’s true… but would it not be better for us to hurry do-

His face grew grave. “Climbing down a mountain in the dark is extremely

dangerous. It would be better for us to find a safe place to rest until daybreak.”

Maxi nodded stiffly. Though she was slightly worried about spending the night

in the mountains by themselves, she had no choice but to follow his decision.

She hung her head sullenly. Had he been alone, Riftan would have cleared this

mountain and reached the village by now. The thought that she had slowed

down the knights made her heart sink like a rock.

“W-Was Ig-going the wrong way?”

Riftan, who had been weaving through the trees, paused and turned to look at

her.

“You were planning on getting out of the mountains by yourself”

“I-I was told that there was a village.. at the bottom of this mountain, so..”

Maxi trailed off, afraid that he would get angry at her recklessness.

Riftan narrowed his eyes. Instead of yelling at her, he stared down the dark

forest path and said flatly, “You were going the right way. This path leads to

the village.

Her heart felt a little lighter at his words. They made their way through the

shadowy forest in silence

Riftan found a small cave before complete darkness descended. After checking

every nook and cranny to check for bugs, bats, or snakes lurking in the

shadows, he beckoned for her to enter. Maxi eyed the cave warily before

crawling inside on her hands and knees.

“I will unsaddle the horses. Wait here, it won’t take long”

Hugging her knees, Maxi nodded. Riftan crawled out to tie the horses within

view, then returned with a saddlebag.

He took out a blanket and handed it to her. “It might be a little damp, but it’s

not wet. Take off your clothes and wrap yourself in this.”

Maxi’s eyes grew round. “H-Here?

“The air grows cold at night. You will get a chill if you sleep in those wet

clothes.”

He shoved the blanket in her hands and turmed away, evidently his way of

prompting her to do as instructed. She did not move at first and instead stared

at the dark ceiling, then into the forest now bathed in the blue of twilight.

Finally, unable to withstand the dropping temperature any longer, Maxi

undressed.

She felt considerably more comfortable after peeling off her wet clothes and

wrapping herself in the blanket. She took off her boots as well and tugged the

blanket down to her ankles.

“-I am done.”

Riftan looked over his shoulder to check, then pulled out more items from the

bag. Maxi quietly crouched down next to him. Tearing off the sleeve of his

tunic, Riftan crumpled it into a ball and struck a flint over it..