“My cousin is currently indifferent to all the happenings around her,” Idsilla said flatly. “She might find it odd that I left without a word to her…but she would believe it if the clerics confirmed it.” She paused before adding, “I can only pray that she does not come to her senses enough to suspect my disappearance and send word to my family.”
Selina turned her scowl from Idsilla to Maxi. “Will you be all right, Lady Calypse?”
Maxi gulped. “W-Well, I did leave a letter…explaining that I’ve accepted I-Idsilla’s invitation to stay at her home, but…”
The intended recipient of the letter was currently at the head of this party. After a moment of hesitation, Maxi professed the truth.
“D-Duke Aren…is actually the person acting as my…p-protector. He is an acquaintance of my h-husband, and was asked to look after me….”
A moment of tense silence passed. Selina clutched her head with a sigh, while Idsilla appeared deep in thought as she stroked her chin.
Idsilla reassured Maxi with her typical optimism. “Do not worry. I doubt he pays close attention to the female clerics. You should be fine as long as you’re careful when we distribute the food. We’re in the rear; it would be quite improbable for us to run into him.”
Maxi looked at her hopefully. “D-Do you think so?”
Idsilla bobbed her head. “It worked out for the best, really. Things would have gone awry if the duke had sent word to my family to confirm the contents of your letter. The clerics, on the other hand, would not trouble themselves to go that far.”
That sounded convincing enough to Maxi. Regaining at least a bit of composure, she finished off her bread. The campaign party set out as soon as everyone finished eating.
Maxi hunched in her tiny corner of the wagon and hardly moved a muscle until sunset. Her whole body throbbed with painful cramps, and she dripped in perspiration beneath her robes. All she could do was tuck a thick blanket under her sore buttocks and try to bear the discomfort.
By the time the party stopped to camp for the night, Maxi was thoroughly worn out from riding in the rattling wagon. There was still work to do, however. While the soldiers tended to the horses and scouted the area, the women lit fires and prepared dinner.
Maxi followed the female clerics around the camp to collect dry twigs. Idsilla helped fill a cauldron with water before gathering rocks to build a fire pit.
The women’s tasks did not end there. They also had to prepare ingredients, cook the meal, and distribute it to everyone in the party. It was only after they had done all this that they were allowed to have a bowl of soup and a potato before lying down near the campfire.
It was uncomfortable with only a single thin blanket separating her from the hard dirt, but Maxi was in no position to complain. Before long, she fell asleep under a sky full of stars as her roof.
The next morning, Maxi woke with five mosquito bitesswelling on her fingers and calves. Ants crawled in her skirt, and her back was covered in dirt. She could not tell if she had actually gotten any sleep or if she’d just had her eyes closed.
In her half-awake state, she washed her face and climbed into the wagon once more. Their itinerary for the day was the same as yesterday: The wagons departed at daybreak, stopped at high noon for lunch, then set out again.
True to Idsilla’s assurance, Duke Aren took no notice of Maxi. Though she occasionally saw him scouting the area with the knights, he never paid any attention to the female clerics. The duke was not the only one. No one else around them showed any interest, either.
With her worries at ease, Maxi managed to bear the physical discomfort and adjust to life on the road. Of the two of them, surprisingly, it was Idsilla who struggled to cope.
Although the girl never cried, she would toss and turn at night, unable to get accustomed to sleeping outside. The cramped wagon was particularly harsh on her tall stature, and she suffered more than the others.
“It might take us longer than expected to reach Serbin Castle,” Selina said with concern as she regarded Idsilla’s pallid face. “I heard the knights talking. Apparently, they intend to take the long way to Serbin to avoid any dangers. Do you think you’ll be all right?”
“I am perfectly fine,” Idsilla stubbornly shot back. “I will adapt like everyone else.”
Idsilla’s pride was so strong that she found even their concerned gazes hard to bear. Still, she did not refuse the cup of herbal tea Maxi brewed for her to help her sleep. It musthave been effective, for the next day her complexion improved ever so slightly.
They rattled along for seven days like loose pebbles rolling around the wagon. Each time it lurched, the fifteen or so women inside helplessly bounced up and down. When the wagon veered to change directions, the women careened to one side, crashing against one another. It was why they all had constant bruises.
Nevertheless, as they reached their destination, Maxi came to realize just how smooth and peaceful their journey had been so far.
The sharp sound of a metal pipe rang out across the ranks, and the wagon began to barrel ahead at a dangerous speed. It shook as though they were in an earthquake before its occupants heard screams from all around them.
Maxi desperately clutched the edge of the window to keep herself from toppling down and peered outside. Soldiers on horseback galloped ahead with their swords drawn. It did not take long to see why. Behind the thick haze of dust, a group of massive, dark green monsters was charging right at them.
The earth shook with the monsters’ heavy footsteps as they stampeded toward the campaign party like a herd of frenzied bulls. The knights, evidently deciding that retreat was impossible, promptly halted and prepared for battle. The wagon stopped with a sudden jolt, throwing the women on top of one another.
Crumpled on the floor, Maxi trembled in fear. The deafening bellows of the trolls erupted through the air like a crescendo of rolling thunder.
The wagon door swung open. “Grab your belongings and get out of the wagon!” yelled a soldier.
