Under the Oak Tree

395 Chapter 156

Maxi cast an uneasy glance around.

"People will...lose respect for the supreme commander if they see him attending to a lowly mage."

Riftan gave an incredulous snort. "Don't tell me you're worried about that now. Everyone knows you have me wrapped around your finger."

"I-I do not," Maxi said, lips tightening as she retrieved her small pack from the saddle.

Riftan reached out to take it from her. As soon as he noticed the stubborn look on her face, however, he sighed and guided her toward the line of baggage wagons.

"We have a taxing march ahead, so take whatever rest you can."

Once they had kindled a fire, they ate a late lunch of stale bread and cheese. Maxi longed for hot soup, but as the army had to conserve drinking water, she settled for warmed wine.

"How much farther until we reach Vesmore?" she asked.

Riftan, engrossed in a map while chewing jerky, looked up. "Assuming no skirmishes on the way, about half a month."

"We will need the supply delivery before then. I'm sure you know better than I...we will be out of food in ten days."

Maxi's face flushed with embarrassment as soon as the words were out of her mouth. However, Riftan only seemed amused by her attempts to meddle in military affairs.

His eyes were gentle and his voice playful as he teased, "I heard you threatened the duchy's vassals with terrible consequences if they didn't send supplies. I'm sure they're all racing to comply."

"I-I do not see what's so funny."

Despite her grumbling, Maxi felt a little better. Riftan was increasingly candid with her now, even speaking with casual turns of phrase he had likely picked up from his mercenary days. Seeing this new side of him warmed her greatly. It made her feel more close to him than ever.

With some of her tension easing, she confessed, "I am...genuinely worried. I fear that Sir Richard will use the supply shortage as an excuse to stir up trouble."

"Did he say something to you?" Riftan said, his voice taking on a hard edge.

Maxi hastily shook her head when she caught the dangerous glint in his dark eyes. "N-No! It's just...I happened to overhear you arguing with him over the matter."

"You have nothing to fear from him," Riftan said curtly, tucking the map into his coat. " This crisis with the undead has the armistice's dissenters in a bind. With Arex now neutral after Balto's failed attempt to win them over, breaking the armistice would make Balto a common enemy to all the kingdoms. They'll wait until this war with monsters is over."

"Then, once the war ends..."

Maxi could not bring herself to finish the sentence.

During the siege of the monster city, Breston had sent criminals as reinforcements as a means of preserving his own knights. Balto was clearly positioning itself to emerge from this war with the largest army, further fortified by its illegal seizure of foreign trade ships.There was no question about it - the northerners were preparing for war.

Reading the concern etched on her face, Riftan sighed softly. "Don't lose sleep over it yet. If war comes, it won't be for some time."

Maxi studied him, intrigued. His last statement seemed to carry an unspoken implication. Did he have a plan up his sleeve? But as always, Riftan remained inscrutable.

He looked up at the overcast sky. "We should get going," he said, standing to dust off his coat. "You could ride in one of the wagons now. The dwindling supplies have freed up some space."

"I will continue on Rem," said Maxi. "I need to be ready to cast a barrier at a moment's notice."

Riftan opened his mouth as if to argue but seemed to think better of it. Shaking his head, he said with resigned acceptance, "Very well, do as you wish. But you must say something if it becomes too taxing."

Ten minutes later, they were back on the road. As Maxi led Rem across the expansive plain, her thoughts raced through the myriad challenges ahead. The uncertainty of supply deliveries from the duchy seemed trivial compared to the prospect of leading an army that might turn on them at any given moment.

She glanced uneasily at the Knights of Phil Aaron's banner fluttering in the wind before nudging Rem to catch up to the front of the formation.

They rode without rest for the remainder of the day until they arrived in Idcoffs, the East's most abundant granary. Fields, neatly divided into square furrows, stretched as far as the eye could see. Maxi surveyed the scattering of shacks, windmills, and what looked like grain markets.

Normally, this season would see thousands of farmers and their horses working their fields. But Idcoffs was largely deserted, its residents having fled due to the prolonged cold snap and unexpected monster invasion.

This unfortunate circumstance at least offered one small reprieve - for once, the army could sleep under a roof instead of camping out in the elements.

What was more, given that the lands bordering Dristan were the largest agricultural regions on the Roviden Continent, they were likely to come across many more abandoned structures on their journey to Vesmore. It was a huge relief; Maxi would no longer have to spend nights huddled in a cold, cramped tent.

She stepped into a comfortably heated shack, where she relished a bowl of hot bean porridge. It was not long before she headed to the bedroll laid beside the fireplace and instantly fell into a deep sleep,

She awoke to a strong arm enveloping her tightly. A smile crept over her face as she savored the warmth pressed against her back. Turning her head slightly, she gazed at her husband's face. He appeared fast asleep, a sight she had almost forgotten. There was something truly touching about his usually stern expression softened by slumber.

How I wish this moment could last forever.

With her head resting on this other arm, she watched his sleeping form for a while before rising with a wistful sigh.

Just then, she was suddenly pulled backward onto the bed. Maxi glowered at Riftan, though he seemed to be fast asleep. When she touched the arm wrapped around her waist to rouse him, she felt his large hand slide between her legs. Panicking, she quickly glanced about.

They were alone in the shack, but all that separated them from the soldiers busily preparing breakfast outside were the wooden planks serving as a crude door. Any moment now, someone could walk in.

A cold sweat prickled Maxi's back.

"R-Riftan...we must get up now," she urged, shaking his arm.

She gasped, then snapped her mouth closed. Riftan had slid a hand into her trousers. His long, thick fingers combed through her curly bush to stroke her sensitive nub.

Her face turned beet red. It was so easy for him to stoke a heat in her. Embarrassed, she writhed away slightly when she felt his hard shaft pressing against her buttocks. Whipping her head up, she found, to her amazement, that he was still asleep.

"R-Riftan...you must -"

A thick finger slid into her, cutting her words short. Horrified, Maxi's eyes darted toward the door. Her heart pounded at the distant footsteps, and her cheeks felt as though they were on fire.

What mortified her the most was the fact that her body was rapidly burning up. She covered her face with the blanket and desperately tried to suppress her moans. Just then, she felt her trousers slide down further, exposing her completely.

Maxi curled up in surprise. Before she could say anything, Riftan embedded himself deep inside her, where his large member began to gently press against her inner wall.

She had not expected things to go this far. Though she was wet enough to ease the pain of the sudden penetration, she felt a faint spasm from being stretched to her limit for the first time in a while.

Her entire body stiffened before she began to struggle. Riftan pinned her down with a disgruntled grunt, then drove himself all the way in.

Maxi tore at the blanket, burying her face in its folds. Even while being crushed beneath his muscular frame, the feel of his iron-hot manhood pressing into her most sensitive depths was deeply pleasurable.

A moan escaped her lips, and she nervously looked to the door. They were hidden beneath the blanket, but anyone walking through would be able to tell at a glance what they were doing. The very thought of being discovered mortified her.

Such concerns were quickly forgotten when he began to move. The rustling fabric, their slick groins slipping against each other, and the heavy breaths in her ear made for a dizzying combination of sensations.

Her head swam as she bounced up and down under the sweltering blanket. She squeezed her eyes shut, listening to the sensual moans that spilled from his lips each time she writhed and clamped around him. It seemed he had woken up now.

Riftan squeezed her breast above her damp shirt and mumbled her name. His husky voice was full of longing, and it tickled her ears, sending an electrifying shudder all the way to her toes.

Tensing, she clamped her walls around him one last time and felt him climax inside her. She was shuddering from the primal sensation when he roughly pulled out of her quite suddenly and sat bolt upright.

Maxi looked up at him in confusion. She could see the shock in his eyes.

Then, as if waking from a daze, he hastily covered her with the blanket. After ensuring they were alone, he fumbled the ground for the basin and towel a squire had laid out earlier.

"Goddammit," he cussed, wiping the damp towel between her legs. "Why didn't you stop me? You should have bashed my head in."

"A-Are you saying this is my fault?" Maxi shot back, glaring at him in disbelief.

Riftan flinched, then raked a hand through his disheveled hair.

"I thought I was dreaming," he muttered.

He had been in such a deep slumber that he had mistaken reality for a dream. Clearly still stunned, he released a small sigh.

"Goddammit. I have never once lowered my guard like this. DId I hurt you?"

Maxi shook her head.