Under the Oak Tree Novel - Chapter 141

Each time Maxi rode past the mouth of the river, she would daydream of summer in Anatol. There had been waterbirds playing above the lake Riftan had taken her to. The field they had galloped across would be teeming with wildflowers by now, and the vineyard would be full of ripe grapes.

How wonderful it would be if she could see all those sights again with Riftan before the end of Ignisias (the season of fire, equivalent to summer). She pictured them rowing a small boat on the shimmering lake, and a sharp longing pricked her heart.

“Less of them have been coming lately.”

Alyssa’s muttering snapped Maxi out of her reverie. They were currently gathering herbs in the shelter’s yard.

Maxi turned to look at Alyssa’s sunburned face and cocked her head. “W-What do you mean?”

“I mean the wagons.”

The bodies of the soldiers flashed through Maxi’s mind. She shuddered and hastily pushed the gruesome imaginings from her head.

“I-Indeed,” she replied flatly. “There has not been one… in weeks.”

“It must be a good sign, mustn’t it?” Alyssa asked, her voice mingled with hope and anguish. Maxi was unable to answer, and Alyssa continued fervently, “The next messenger might announce the end of the war. There’s been nothing but news of victories after all.”

“Th-That would be… wonderful.”

Afraid of being disappointed, Maxi was unable to concur with Alyssa wholeheartedly and instead gave her an ambiguous smile. Still, she secretly anticipated the end of the war as well.

The coalition army had managed to drive out the monsters from the northwestern regions of the kingdom and was currently fighting to recapture Eth Lene Castle in the northeast. Gossipmongers asserted that the battle there would bring about the end of the war.

Maxi was not the only one anticipating the end. Hope simmered throughout the city like a lingering fever.

Trying to shake off the ominous feeling that this was merely the calm before the storm, Maxi changed the subject. “I think… we should h-head inside now. We’ll need to return to the monastery soon. It is… almost time for the evening prayers.”

“Goodness, already?”

Alyssa gazed up at the sky as she slowly rose to her feet. As if on cue, they heard Idsilla’s energetic voice over their heads.

“Ladies! Do come inside now and wash your hands. Everyone else is all set to go. We must be back at the monastery before the evening prayer if we wish to be spared from the clerics’ admonishments!”

“We were just about to,” Alyssa muttered, walking around the fence to make her way to the entrance.

With a bitter smile, Maxi followed and entered the shelter. Owing to their hard work these past few weeks, the conditions inside the facility had greatly improved. The once squalid floors were now shiny and spotless on account of the constant sweeping and mopping, and they had recently hired carpenters to mend the roof, stairs, and window frames. As a result, the shelter no longer looked like a ramshackle building.

Maxi proudly surveyed the changes before heading toward the kitchen to wash her hands and tidy her tousled hair and clothes. Outside, the coaches and guards waited for them. The women bade the clerics goodbye with a promise to return before stepping into the carriages.

“When do you intend to visit again?” asked the noblewoman sitting across from Maxi as soon as the carriage began moving.

Alyssa appeared to ponder over it for a moment, then said with a sigh, “I would say that it won’t be until next week. The clerics at the monastery have requested that we refrain from leaving the basilica for a while.”

“Why? Hasn’t the security inside the city improved?”

“There are currently a great number of southern merchants in the capital, and the clerics consider the polytheistic southerners more dangerous than the refugees,” said Idsilla in her typical scathing tone. “They begrudgingly allow them into our city because we need their money, but they firmly believe them to be trouble-makers.”

Frowning, Maxi retorted, “Th-That is not true. Their wisdom… far exceeds our own. Most of… the art of healing I’ve learned is b-based on their knowledge.”

“It would be best if you abstain from making such comments in front of the clerics,” Alyssa cautiously warned. “Levan’s clerics are mostly adherents of the Reformed Church, so they may be relatively tolerant when it comes to magic… but that does not mean they are also accepting of heathens. Defending the pagans could earn you their enmity.”

Maxi felt slightly discouraged. “I-I shall… keep that in mind.”

The carriage slowly traveled from the outskirts onto the wider, inner roads. Feeling listless and tired, Maxi stared out the window. A loud trumpet blasted as they arrived at the road that led to the square.

The noblewomen, who had been drifting off with their heads against the coach wall, jerked awake and looked out the window. The pedestrians scrambled to clear a path, and an armored knight galloped past them like the wind.

“Do you think it’s a messenger?”

“Y -Yes, it appears so,” Maxi replied, her face hardening.

The noblewomen exchanged glances that were filled with both hope and worry.

“It might be news of the army successfully recapturing Eth Lene Castle.”

Maxi’s expression grew wary. Could it be news of victory, even when the army had deemed the message urgent enough to be delivered by a knight instead of a carrier pigeon? Maxi hunched her shoulders as a sense of foreboding made a chill run down her spine.

Idsilla opened the panel above the front seat and urged the coachman to drive faster. “Please, hurry! We must know what the news is as soon as possible!”

The carriage rattled as it shot past the square. Clutching the coin Riftan had given her, Maxi prayed for it to be good news.

When they arrived, the air in the basilica was heavy with tension. The noblewomen’s faces grew anxious when they saw clerics busy in grave deliberation.

The cleric who had come out to meet them said in a calm voice, “Welcome back. There will be no evening prayers today, so you may all rest in your rooms.”

The cleric was about to leave when Alyssa stopped him. “We saw a messenger pass by on our way back. Has something happened?”

The cleric looked troubled. He hesitated before saying flatly, “I might as well tell you now. The basilica will no longer be able to look after you. To remain would only mean much discomfort. If any of you wish to return home, we will send word to your families.”

“What on earth do you mean? Please, tell us what’s going on!” Idsilla demanded, looking as though she wanted to strangle the cleric.

The cleric heaved a sigh. “I’m afraid the monsters have turned the tide of battle. They have pushed back our army at the northeastern border to Balto.”

There was a collective gasp.

Alyssa reeled at the news. The cleric rushed to support her as he hastily added, “The situation is not that dire, so please do not worry. Since the army is expecting the war to be a long one, they have sent a message requesting further provisions and support units. The basilica will also be sending many of our clerics. Which means it will be more difficult for us to tend to your needs. I suggest that you return to your—”

“Are you telling us to leave because we are a nuisance?” said Idsilla sharply. Alarmed by the girl’s impertinence, Alyssa tried to rein her in, but Idsilla did not bat an eyelid. “We’re not here because we wish to be attended to!”

“Please,” the cleric said after a pause, “I suggest that you return to your rooms for now and think it over calmly. I will explain the situation to the other ladies.”

When Idsilla opened her mouth again to argue, the cleric scurried out of the basilica as if making an escape. Maxi watched him leave with a look of despair. The pit of her stomach prickled as though she had swallowed needles. The other noblewomen looked dazed as they sank down onto the pews.

“The cleric said the situation was not dire, so everything must be all right, mustn’t it?”

“He might have said it so as not to worry us. If the situation truly wasn’t grave, they wouldn’t be trying to get rid of us so rudely.”

Idsilla’s objective assessment only heightened their anxiety. The women returned to their rooms with faces as pale as ghosts. Maxi made her way to her room as well and collapsed onto her bed.

Her heart was so full of anguish and anxiety that, for the first time, she regretted her choice to come here with the knights. Had she remained in Anatol, she would not have been consumed by such extreme worry. After witnessing the terrors of war with her own eyes, not knowing if Riftan was safe drove her mad.

That night, Maxi completely lost the peace of mind she had only just managed to regain as her nightmares returned. When she forced herself out of bed the next morning and stepped outside, she was met with faces as pale and haggard as hers. It was obvious that no one else had been able to have a peaceful night either.

The exhausted women filed out of the monastery like a row of specters. Once they passed through the garden, Maxi saw clerics bustling about in all directions. She surmised that they must be preparing to join the campaign.

Suddenly, someone yanked her arm. It was Idsilla. The young noblewoman placed a finger over her lips and motioned with her head for Maxi to follow. Confused, Maxi trailed after her. Idsilla led her to the orchard and said nothing until she was certain that they were alone.

“I apologize for taking you aside so suddenly, but there is something I wish to discuss with you privately…”

“W-What is it?”

Idsilla was so uncharacteristically hesitant that Maxi grew concerned. After a moment of silence, the girl began to talk rapidly.

“I went to question all the clerics I knew yesterday because I simply could not sit still. I was told that the support unit will travel northeast to Serbin Castle. They intend to use the castle as their base and assist the coalition army from there.”

Maxi blinked vacantly. She did not understand why Idsilla was sharing such information with her so secretly. When she gave her a questioning look, Idsilla hesitated before continuing.

“As the name suggests, the support unit is the division of the army that assists the fighting forces from the rear. They’re required to do all sorts of tasks like treating the wounded, laundry, preparing food for the men, identifying the dead, and so on. I think a large number of women will be joining the campaign this time. Since most of the healthy men have already been conscripted, the clerics say they will have the female clerics resolve the shortage.”

Sensing that the conversation was veering strangely off course, Maxi swallowed dryly.

Idsilla took a deep breath and declared, “I intend to go with the female clerics.”

Maxi gaped and immediately tried to dissuade her. “Y-You mustn’t! I-It would be too dangerous.”

“I am the daughter of a knight. I have the means to protect myself. Besides, I would not be fighting on the frontlines. I would simply be helping with the menial tasks at the rear. I think I am fully capable of that. After all, it’s not much different from the work we’ve been doing at the shelter. ”

“Th-That is not the same! Following them to the battlefield—”

Idsilla grew alarmed at Maxi’s raised voice and hastily covered her mouth. “Please, keep your voice down. If Alyssa were to hear of this, she would have me dragged home like a foal.”

Maxi decided then and there to inform Alyssa of this right away.

As if reading her mind, Idsilla narrowed her eyes and said solemnly, “I tell you this in confidence, Lady Calypse. You would not do anything to betray my trust, would you?”

Maxi hesitated. “Idsilla, p-please reconsider. You are only… e-eighteen.”

“Which means it’s been two years since I have come of age. I am a grown woman who can take responsibility for my actions.”