Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 192

After making sure the man loaded the barrels of water and troughs onto the carts, Riftan finally turned to look at Max.

Max tilted her head away at his hardened expression. His piercing eyes looked like they were full of annoyance and he sighed lightly as he led her to where the horses were standing by. Then, he pulled something out of the bag he had tied to his saddle.

“I bought this yesterday. I chose the lightest one there was, so be sure to carry it around even if it is cumbersome.”

Max’s eyes widened, looking at the dagger a little over a kvet long (30 cm). Riftan carefully fastened a sturdy belt with a scabbard around her waist and hung the weapon at her hip.

“I didn’t really intend on giving you such a hideous thing, but...” He frowned as he gazed down at her with a complex expression. “When I heard that you got lost in the mountains alone, without a single weapon, my whole world went dark. You should have at least a dagger.”

“Th-thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”

“I’m not giving it to you with the intention of using it. This is just a precaution.” He said sharply but soon added with a groan. “But still, I’ll show you how to use that later.”

Max nodded her head looking grateful. The fact that Riftan had given her a weapon, despite treating her as an extra finger on this expedition, made her feel gleeful. He looked distraught at her reaction, but he simply shook his head and led her back to the inn. They quickly finished their simple breakfast and left the village right away.

Max rode her horse with ease over the vast plains, surrounded by the knights. The endless plains around them were much easier to traverse compared to the uneven mountain roads. The smooth dirt road covered with thin grass made her feel like she was riding on clouds. Max looked up at the clear blue sky, free of clouds, then turned to see two rolling carts, swaying and rattling behind them. The two extra stallions that were brought from town to pull the carts managed to keep up with the war horses, despite carrying carts that were full of hay, barrels of water, food, and firewood.

“Do we really need that much water... and hay?”

Gabel, who was riding his horse real close to her, looked up at the sky and answered. “Although there’s a stream running near the road, the chances of finding grass or a puddle of water will be near impossible as we continue further on. And it probably won’t rain for a few days from the looks of it. Even what we have is not enough to keep all the horses going.”

Hearing that, Max became a little concerned since the rain was not a welcome participant in an expedition: boots and clothing would soak through, making the movement very unpleasant, not to mention herbs and food which often ended up ruined.

Yet, riding across the empty, desolate plains without a single tree to shade against the intense summer sun was another form of torture. Max squinted at the blazing sun and wiped away the beads of sweat that had already started to trickle down the bridge of her nose. That heat would only get worse when midday hit.

And just as she feared, when the sun rose above their heads, the blazing heat began to scorch their skins. The horses whinnied and snorted, and even the knights, whose faces remained impassive, were drenched with sweat. They traveled across the empty plains without even a hint of shade, eventually stopping to take a break near a stream.

While the horses gulped down the water voraciously, the men ate a simple lunch of bread and dried meat and as soon as they finished, they immediately started moving again. Max never thought she would miss the mountains in just half a day of travel. She missed the shadows of the trees and the icy springs of the mountains. Sighing, she looked ahead at the dry plain that didn’t have a single blade of grass in sight. Her scalp tingled from the sun burning just above her head, while the sweat on her back dripped endlessly.

When they finally stopped to set up camp in an area scattered with large rocks, Max felt like a spinach pickled in vinegar. Max, covered in sweat, awkwardly got off her saddle. She was deeply upset that the bath she had taken so sincerely the day before had gone to waste in just one day. It was probably best to scrap the idea of hygiene during an expedition.

She trudged to where the knights were gathered to help feed the horses. Yulysion tried to stop her, but she felt uncomfortable seeing everyone working tirelessly while she was left alone, completely out of place. Walking to the supplies in the carts, Max scooped up a pile of hay, placed it in buckets, and carried it to the horses. She also filled buckets with water to help the drink.

However, Riftan, who went with a couple of knights to survey their surroundings for monsters, frowned upon seeing her.

“Don’t bother with these useless chores and rest.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the tent that was set up. “Lie down and rest until dinner is ready. That would be more helpful than anything else.”

Max looked at him with a dissatisfied expression but nodded helplessly, she knew arguing with him would be pointless. She was not as exhausted as before now that her body had adapted to traveling and camping, but her strength was still incomparable to the stamina of th knights, who trained rigorously every day.

Like Riftan said, it was better to focus on regaining her strength as often as possible. Crouching near the entrance to the tent, Max looked out over the wide meadow, now stained red by the setting sun.

Riftan placed food on a tray and brought it straight to the tent. She satisfied her hunger with barley bread and stew made with salted meat and potato as she watched the sunset. She ate everything without leaving a single drop or crumb.

“Do your thighs still hurt?”

“It... it doesn’t hurt that much anymore. I’m used to riding a h-horse for long periods now..”

In fact, her inner thighs and shoulders still ached, but Max tried her best as she could to look honest. Riftan stared at her for a while, searching her body with his eyes, as if trying to detect any lies in her words, then stood up.

“Good, I’ll show you how to use the dagger before you go to bed. Come with me.”

“N...now?”

“Is it too hard for you?” Max quickly shook her head and got up from her seat to follow him. Riftan took her a little further away from the tent. “Now, try pulling out the dagger.”

She looked around and felt the discomfort increase as they stood in full view of the knights, who were sitting near the campfire, staring at them curiously as they ate their meals.

She coughed awkwardly, then reached for the dagger that was secured in a scabbard tied around her waist. She wanted to remove it in one smooth motion to avoid embarrassment herself, but the blade remained stubbornly stuck in the leather sheath.

Humiliated, Max gripped the sheath with her hand and forcefully moved the blade inch by inch and finally held it in front of her. Riftan’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched her intently with arms crossed.

“You’re holding it upside down. That side of the blade shall be facing up.”

He pointed at the curved part of the dagger. Max quickly turned the dagger around, however, Riftan’s brow furrowed even further as he examined her wrong posture.

“A dagger is a weapon meant for stabbing, not wielding like a sword. It shouldn’t be held like that, here, like this...”

He held her hand and adjusted the weapon so it leaned horizontally.

“Good. Now stab me with that.”

Riftan took three steps back and said nonchalantly. Max just stared at him blankly, not knowing if she heard correctly.

“W-what do I do?”

“Try and stab me with the dagger.”

“W-what if I hurt you?”

The corners of his mouth twitched in amusement seeing her startled at his instructions. “There is nothing under this sky that can hurt me with that. Now stop worrying about useless things and attack me with that.”

Max blushed. Of course, she couldn’t land a scratch on the strongest knight in the continent. However, his overbearing arrogance was a bit excessive. She glared fiercely, then squeezed her eyes shut and charged.

However, after taking two steps, her foot caught on the edge of a rock and her body spun forward. She lost her balance and flapped her arms wildly, and her dagger flew from her hand and over the heads of the knights, who were watching the thrilling show in interest. They ducked as they held their bowls filled with stew.

Riftan ran quickly forward to catch her before she fell and sighed audibly. “Why did you close your eyes while coming at me? Shouldn’t people look straight at their opponent while attacking...”

Max’s ears burned with mortification. “It’s because this is my first t-try. It will be different...next time.”

Riftan looked at her and raised a questionable brow. He took the dagger then stepped back again.

It was soon revealed that she had no talent in combat, and her coordination skills were practically non-existent. The dagger continually struck his gauntlet, and with her weak wrist, it bounced off pathetically, missing every time.

Riftan took his time patiently explaining how to correctly hold the dagger and effectively stab vital points but the results never improved even after several attempts. She simply had inherently slow reflexes and uncoordinated movements.

Max turned her sore wrist and looked at him. She grew anxious that he could deepen his prejudice that she was a weak and delicate noble lady.

“This is not working. We will have to be more vigilant.” Hebaron shook his head and muttered as he chewed on a piece of dried meat.

He was probably speaking to himself, but his voice was simply so loud that Max heard every word. Feeling discouraged, she dropped her shoulders in defeat. Riftan also seemed to agree with Hebaron, but he, at least, didn’t say it out loud, instead he picked up the fallen dagger and sheathed it back at her waist.

“That’s it for today. You must be exhausted, go and get some rest.”

Max was anxious that he had already given up teaching her. “To-tomorrow might be different. Will you teach me... tomorrow?”

“Depends on the situation.” He answered vaguely and led her towards the tent.

Max looked at him with confusion. “What about you, Riftan? Aren’t you coming in the t-tent?”

Riftan’s lips tightened and he gave her a hardened smile. “I’ll go later. Go to sleep first”.

Maybe he was thinking of going back to sleep outside the tent. Max looked at him doubtfully, then walked into the tent alone. After a whole day baking in the sun, and the training now, she really had no energy left. She massaged the tingling on her wrist, then removed her boots and set them aside.

Max desperately wanted to wash off the dried sweat, but she knew that water was going to become a scarce resource that could not be wasted for unnecessary comforts. She untied her belt and placed it on one side, crawled under the blanket, and set her bag as a pillow.

The sun had completely gone down and the heat had been replaced by a cool breeze, but she still flung around uneasily at the unpleasant sensation of her clothes clinging to her sticky body. Just before falling asleep, Max prayed fervently that they would find a stream or small creek the following day.

Note – Nymeria: UUGGGHHH the second-hand embarrassment is killing me