Under the Oak Tree - Chapter 272

When evening came, the knights gathered in the Great Hall to meet the lady. As Max was eating with the wizards in the dining hall, she smiled awkwardly when she saw Uslin Rikaido and Yulysion Rovar striding towards her. Just by looking at the stern expression on Uslin’s face, anyone could say that he had already heard that she would be leaving for Pamela Plateau. He walked straight to Max and bowed to show his respects, ignoring the curious looks the wizards gave him.

“It’s been a while, Lady Calypse.”

“Yes, it h-has been a while, Sir Rikaido.”

Max swallowed the food she was chewing in her mouth and muttered in a nervous voice. She felt inconvenienced facing the knight she was the most uncomfortable with, so she glanced towards the dining hall’s entrance: unfortunately, all the other knights, aside from Yulysion and Sir Lombardo, were not really more than her acquaintance. If it were Hebaron or Gabel instead of Uslin, she would have been more comfortable explaining her situation.

“I’ve heard roughly from Rovar. It seems that the lady is running into a dangerous matter again.”

Max looked at Yulysion, shooting him a look of betrayal. Yulysion waved his hands excessively as if he had been misjudged.

“I never said anything as such! I was just worried about the lady…!”

“What in the world is the lady thinking? The lady barely came back, and now, will leave for Pamela Plateau… If the commander finds out about this, does the lady know how he will turn out?” Uslin spoke in the middle of Yulysion’s words, firmly questioning Max. “I cannot let the lady leave for such a dangerous place. I just can’t believe that the lady is even thinking about going on an expedition again after going through such a difficult experience! The lady is too reckless. Think about the commander too this time…”

“If all of you are going to force and threaten her into custody, we shall leave this place at once.”

Calto, who was eating quietly near the fireplace, interrupted in a calm tone. Uslin’s sharp eyes flew towards him. Calto continued to speak in the same tone, not showing any sign of buckling despite the pressuring gaze.

“Maximillian Calypse came here as a Wizard of the World Tower, not a lady. She was the one who decided to join the dispatch team and swore on an oath to complete this mission together with us, and we cannot afford to lose even a single wizard.”

“Are you the leader of this dispatch team?”

“Yes. I am their leader, Calto Serbel. And Maximillian Calypse is a wizard who is under my command. Until the mission of this dispatch team has been accomplished, she must follow my command.”

“She is the wife of Lord Calypse.” Uslin shot him a sharp look of displeasure, but Calto was not intimidated one bit.

“Wizards of the World Tower must follow the rules of the World Tower. There are no exceptions, whether you’re of nobility or not. She is a member of the World Tower who vowed to obey our rules. If you’re going to threaten keeping her here, then you are forcibly detaining a Nornui’s wizard.” Calto paused for a while, as if to gauge the knights’ reactions, and then continued to speak again. “If you people will do as such, I shall not sit still.”

Uslin’s noble face hardened coldly, then he glared at Calto and spat out his words. “What are you going to do then?”

“I will report you people to the World Tower. When that happens, Anatol will be subjected to stricter sanctions than it has now.” Calto responded coldly and glanced at Max who was frozen stiff. “From then on, no wizard shall be allowed to stay in Anatol.”

Those words meant that she would not be allowed to become Anatol’s wizard even after the mission was over. The air around them suddenly became tense. Seeing the knights’ faces harden in anger, Max jumped up from her seat and intervened.

“E-everyone, please, enough!”

Uslin’s dark blue eyes looked at her with a hint of protest. Max licked her dry lips and faced him determinedly.

“Professor Calto is right, I have already promised to head to Pamela Plateau together with the team. I have to leave with them, no matter what Sir Rikaido says.”

Uslin’s eyes grew wider from surprise at Max’s determined attitude. After staring into her face for a long time, he turned his head back to Calto.

“What exactly is the reason why the team is heading to Pamela Plateau?” Calto’s lips remained closed, but Uslin did not cease from interrogating him. “I am aware that the Holy Knights have been searching for the remaining forces of the monster army. Has something been found there?”

“I can’t disclose so openly about that matter.”

Uslin looked at Calto with searching eyes and, as if he had already gathered information from that, he laid out his guess.

“The number of the undead have recently begun to increase exponentially all throughout the continent. And three years ago, within the monster army who waged invasion, there was a powerful necromancer who used magic. Are the monsters who escaped to Pamela Plateau plotting something again?”

Max’s eyes grew wide. It was the first time that she had ever heard of the increasing number of the undead. The battle fought in Ethylene Castle played in her mind. Images of ghouls springing up from the ground, Lizardmen using dreadful fire magic, and Hebaron who was cursed with a never healing wound all flashed in her mind. Perhaps all of it had to do with the warlocks who were driven to the northern part of the continent. Max looked to see Calto’s expression. As if he was already aware of the facts Uslin had spilled, he replied calmly without an ounce of surprise in his tone.

“I really have no words to say to you. Nothing has been clearly laid out so far.”

However, Calto’s words alone were enough to confirm. Uslin’s expression became even more serious.

“I can’t let the lady be involved in such a dangerous matter. If the lady is sent to a place where there is imminent danger, and another problematic matter turns out…!” 

“The Holy Knights have agreed to accompany us. The expedition will be composed of 19 ranked wizards along with the protectors of the Western Continent. I don’t see anything to be worried about.” Calto cut off Uslin with an annoyed expression as if he was tired arguing. “In the first place, there is no reason for you to intervene in this matter such as now. Indeed, we came here by accepting the invitation, but that doesn’t mean that we shall bend to your orders. If you attempt to take away one of the wizards under my command, we’ll leave immediately as I said.”

As if he would stand by what he said, Calto stood from his seat. He then sipped the fine wine and exclaimed in a stern tone towards the wizards who were watching the argument unfold.

“Everyone, get up from your seats and pack your belongings.”

The wizards, who had been enjoying the lavish feast, all complained at once. However, after seeing Calto’s firm expression, they all reluctantly got up from their relaxed seating. The faces of the knights were filled with embarrassment as the wizards headed for the hall’s entrance, ready to leave the castle immediately. Calto threw a stern look towards Max, who appeared at loss.

“What are you doing idling around instead of packing?”

At his intimidating words, Max helplessly turned around. Then, Uslin’s urgent voice exclaimed.

“Fine! I will no longer argue over the matter of where the lady goes.” Calto eyed him doubtfully. Uslin glared furiously at him with gritted teeth. “Lady Calypse has finally returned home after almost three years. Please, be considerate enough and at least let her stay in the castle until it’s time to depart.”

Calto contemplated for a moment and spoke as if he was being generous. “Alright. We shall remain here. However, as I said before, we shall depart when the time comes.”

Uslin appeared like he wanted to retort, but he saw Max’s pale complexion and eventually nodded in agreement.

“Do as you please.”

As Uslin finally surrendered, the tension that had filled the dining hall went away like the tide receding in the sea. Soon, the wizards sat down again at the table and continued their meals. Max on the other hand asked Calto for permission to head out of the hall and talk with the knights. All of the knights appeared uneasy and anxious, making her shoulders hunch in guilt.

“I apologize for making you worry. However… I wanted to leave the island as soon as possible. And… I thought that joining the dispatch team would allow me to do something to achieve that.”

“…please don’t apologize. It’s not the lady’s fault.” Uslin replied to her in a softer tone. “The reason why Lady Calypse went to the World Tower in the first place was to save Anatol and Lord Calypse. It was presumptuous for the lady to do as such to be able to leave the tower. However…”

He frowned, trailing off at the end of his sentence. “I’m worried about how Lord Calypse will take this news.”

“Did you… send h-him a telegram?”

“I was the one who sent it. I thought that I should let the commander know as soon as possible that the lady has left the island…”

Yulysion said as he scratched the back of his head. Max swallowed dryly. She wondered how he would react. Even after seeing that he had kept her letters, Max couldn’t brush off her worries when they hadn’t seen each other for so long after a heartbreaking and miserable separation.

Max muttered in a half-lost voice. “I am not certain… if I’ll be able to stay here until the information reaches him.”

“Until when is the lady planning to stay in Anatol?”

Max contemplated for a moment before replying to Uslin’s question. “About a week… but it’s not for certain. I do not know much except that the team will be leaving as soon as the Holy Knights arrive.”

“I have heard some information that the Holy Knights are currently conducting investigations on the eastern areas of Alex and Dristan.” Lombardo, who was standing like a tall guardian post by the wall, uttered in a solemn tone. “That area is not that far so they won’t take long to get here.”

Uslin stroked his smooth chin with a thoughtful face. Max, who was gauging him, finally asked about what she has been curious about all this time.

“Did Ruth and the other knights… went with Riftan to Livadon?”

“The wizard, Sir Nirta, and Sir Caron went to Livadon with the commander. And Laxion along with some of the knights were placed in charge of guarding the quarries and mines.”

“Q-quarries and mines?”

“There are no longer monster habitats in the Anatolium Mountains. Although we find occasional goblins, it is no longer a dangerous area infested with monsters like it was before. A massive subjugation was organized, and the area was swept clean. Because of that, we can now make full use of the resources found within the mountain range. That’s the reason why Anatol was able to prosper so much in such a short period of time.”