UNDER THE OAK TREE

277 Chapter “The mana concentration is oddly sparse.”

Maxi had been lost in her thoughts when she jerked her head up at the gruff voice.

Wrapped in a fur coat, Armin Dolph was looking around the misty terrain, holding what appeared to be a gray pearl dangling from a chain. Maxi regarded the object with curiosity.

“What is that in your hand?”

“It’s a mana gauge made of fairy egg.”

Armin moved the thumbnail-sized orb closer to Maxi.

“Fairy eggs have mana-absorbing properties, so they’re often used for this purpose. This one’s made with an unfertilized one, but it still retains those attributes. Do you see how pale it is? Normally, it’s a rosy pearl, but it turns vivid red when the mana concentration is high. This color means there’s little here.”

“We’d best conserve our reserves, then,” Anette remarked with a sigh. “Though I guess we haven’t needed to use magic thus far anyway.”

“That’s going to change,” intoned a hoarse voice.

Maxi looked back to find Albern scribbling into a yellow parchment with a charcoal stub.

Shoving the parchment into the leather bag at his side, he said flatly, “Our magic will be indispensable during the investigation. As powerful as divine magic is, its use is limited to purification, healing, and fighting. We, on the other hand, are capable of more diverse and specialized magic.”

Albern then pulled a map from his bag. Maxi surmised that he must be recording their route as they went.

“We will be required to use more magic from now on, and I’m sure we will rely heavily on your tracing spells. No one can investigate a terrain better than the mages of Nome Hall—”

A violent gust stirred the heavy fog across the path, blocking their vision. Maxi pulled her hood lower and nervously glanced around. Soon, bright flames flared all around them as the Temple Knights lit torches to illuminate the way. Kuahel raised a blazing torch in the air and calmly urged the party to continue their march.

“We are almost at the Plateau. We will keep riding.”

As she rode faster, Maxi glanced in Riftan’s direction. Only his pitch-black hair and blue cloak were visible as a shadowy figure in the distance.

She spurred Rem on so as not to lag behind. The wind was growing increasingly fierce. To make matters worse, it had begun to snow. The firestone nestled in her chest did nothing to stave off the bone-deep cold. She wished for a place they could take shelter, even for a short while, but the vast emptiness stretched as far as the eye could see.

She blew into her gloved hands and tried to warm her freezing ears and cheeks. Just then, there was a deep growl, and a massive creature burst from the fog.

The knights drew their swords. A beastly grumble and the sharp sound of steel mingled in the howling wind.

“W-What is it this time? What’s attacking us?” Royald cried out shakily as he cast a barrier.

Maxi hurriedly cast a shield as well, her eyes darting around in panic. Though she could make out hazy shapes surrounding them, the misty conditions made it impossible to discern what they were.

The knights appeared unruffled, dispatching the beasts with cold proficiency. They swung their swords as the beasts came hurtling toward them like cannonballs. One of the monsters crashed to the ground in a spray of dark red blood. It was only then that Maxi was able to see their attackers.

The monster splayed on the ground was a massive wolf the size of a bull. Its front leg was twisted, and she watched in horror as it writhed in pain. It did not look like a man-eating wolf. Long, pointed horns protruded from its enormous head, which was covered in brittle gray fur. Its eyes were crimson like two pools of blood.

When it gave a ferocious growl at Kuahel, the Temple Knight ruthlessly hurled his chained hook and finished off the monster.

“They are fenrirs!” Riftan’s voice echoed through the mist. “Be careful of their breath!”

At the same time, the wind picked up, and the white tendrils around them converged into a denser fog. It dawned on Maxi that this strange weather was the product of the monsters’ magic. A chill ran down her spine. All at once, the monsters surrounding them lunged. The intensifying blizzard reduced them to blurry outlines.

Maxi strengthened her shield, growing increasingly anxious as she listened to the agitated cries of the horses, the whizzing blades, and the knights’ bellows. The monsters growled and barked like cracking thunder in a deliberate attempt to scare the horses. She struggled to calm a terrified Rem when she tried to flee.

Suddenly, golden flames shot up around them, lighting up the fog. Maxi turned her head to the source of the spell. With one hand flung above his head, Ruth drew a golden rune in the air. The flames blazed as he infused more mana into the rune. Suddenly fearful, the monsters retreated and disappeared into the blizzard.

Maxi finally let out the breath she had been holding. When the dense fog magically melted away, she saw seven massive wolves strewn over the ground, spewing blood.

Riftan dislodged a spear from one of them. Maxi scrutinized him from head to toe as he took stock of the situation. Despite her previous hope, intense relief flooded her when she saw that he was unharmed. Just as the tension finally eased from her shoulders, a distraught voice called out from behind.

“Damn it! The wagons!”

Maxi’s head whirled around. Four of the eight baggage wagons had toppled over. The mages closest to them hastily dismounted and tried to salvage the sacks of food and partly smashed water barrels rolling on the ground. However, the spilled food was the least of their problems.

Maxi frantically glanced around with an ashen face. “W-Where are the horses?”

“Carried off by the fenrirs, most likely.”

Kuahel’s calm answer came from nearby. While the Temple Knight inspected the wagons, Calto laid into the mages.

“How could you have let this happen?!”

“I cast a shield!” said Nevin, who had been at the rear. His frantic tone died into a whisper the more he went on. But… it must have been too weak… due to the sparse mana around here.”

A heavy silence fell over them. They had lost eight horses in one fell swoop. A feeling of devastation had begun to set in when Maxi heard someone click their tongue.

“They crept up on the wagons in the blizzard while our attention was focused on the skirmish at the front. How cunning,” Hebaron remarked, scratching his chin.

Elliot, who was right behind him, heaved a sigh. “Now’s not the time for marveling, Sir Hebaron. What are we going to do with all these supplies?”

Riftan trotted to them on Talon and said evenly, “Load as much as you can into the remaining wagons, and have some of the men ride double so their horses can be used to pull them.”

“Will that be all right when the horses are already tired? We don’t know how much more we’ll have to ride.”

“There is a place not far from here where we can rest,” Kuahel cut in. “The men will only have to share their steeds until then.”

The Temple Knight pointed to a rock face that rose above the white ridge like a castle wall. Maxi could only vaguely make it out from this distance. As she studied it, her eyes grew wide. The monsters’ dense fog had wholly obscured the entire structure.

“Then let’s get moving before the monsters return for the rest of our horses.”

Hebaron nimbly hopped down from his warhorse and easily raised one of the toppled wagons with one hand. Maxi was briefly stunned by the knight’s unbelievable strength before she dismounted to help move the supplies.

Two of the four fallen wagons were unusable, their wheels having been splintered into pieces. They had no choice but to abandon them and divide the supplies among the remaining wagons. It was also decided that the female mages, who were lighter than most in the party, would ride with the knights to free up the horses.

Maxi gazed expectantly at Riftan, hoping he would ask her to ride with him, but he only stared at the rock face with his lips pressed in a thin line.

After flicking baffled glances at his commander, Ulyseon raised his hand and walked his horse forward. Much to Maxi’s relief, Hebaron grabbed the young knight by the nape and clapped a hand over his mouth. Pretending not to notice their small scuffle, Maxi continued to look at Riftan imploringly.

“Ruth, you’re to ride with me.”

Maxi was stupefied. Ruth, in the middle of a huge yawn, jerked his head to look at Riftan with an expression that said he was imagining things.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“We need horses to pull the wagons. I want you to offer yours and ride with me.”

There was a warning in his voice that very clearly told the mage not to make him repeat himself. After blinking several times, Ruth’s face twisted into a scowl.

“We would be a right eyesore of a pair! Could Lady Calypse not ride with you?”

...

“Her horse isn’t strong enough to pull a wagon,” said Riftan calmly.

Ruth’s head swiveled to Maxi’s slender mare. Though the elegantly proportioned horse had powerful legs and exceptional speed, it was true that she lacked the build to pull a heavy wagon.

Acknowledging Riftan’s point, the anger seeped out of Ruth’s voice as he said, “Then, I shall ride her ladyship’s horse, and she can ride with you. That would certainly be easier on Talon as well.”

“You’re not much heavier than her, so cut the drivel and get on!”

Maxi gaped in shock. She simply could not let the remark slide.

“H-How could you say such a thing? I am m-much lighter than Ruth!”

Riftan ignored her and continued to glare at the sorcerer. Finally giving in to the pressure, Ruth dismounted and trudged over to Talon with a disgusted look on his face. Paying no mind to Maxi’s fuming, Riftan helped the sorcerer settle into the saddle behind him, then trotted to the head of the party. Maxi watched them go in disbelief.

Hebaron clicked his tongue. “That ailment of his is worse than I thought.”

When she gave the knight a baffled look, Hebaron shrugged as if to say it was nothing.

“Well, the pairs have all been decided. We should hurry before the day is out.”

Sensing his evasion, Maxi narrowed her eyes. Still, she had to acknowledge that he was right. She spurred Rem onward. The party set out for the rock face when they finished loading their luggage onto the wagons. Though their destination had appeared to be fairly close, the sky was dyed indigo by the time they reached it. Exhausted, Maxi looked up. The rock face towered so high that she could not see the top, even with her head bent back.

...

“It is this way,” said Kuahel.

He led them to an opening in the rock wall. The mages lit the way with small balls of light in their palms while the knights kept a vigilant eye out for signs of danger, their weapons drawn. They carefully wound through the ravine before the path eventually widened. Soon after, they found themselves in a spacious area within the chasm. Kuahel gave the orders to halt.