Princess Agnes rummaged through a pile of parchmentand fished out a palm-sized note. Maxi took it from her, her eyes widening as she read.
Number of dead among the Remdragon Knights: nil. The wounded will be treated in Levan before departure.
That was it—just two sentences, and the date of their departure, hastily scrawled on the scrap of parchment.
Maxi’s face fell. It said they needed to treat the wounded. Was someone gravely injured?
She was anxiously gnawing her lip when Princess Agnes said cheerfully, “Don’t worry. If one of the knights had been gravely injured, he wouldn’t have had the presence of mind to send such a message. The other lords put more effort into theirs. They report that they will be staying at the basilica in Levan for three to four days to treat their injured. After that, they will immediately board a ship back to Wedon. The main castle is already in a flurry preparing for a grand banquet.” The princess shuddered as though this exasperated her. “I’ve been writing hundreds of invitations ever since we received news of the victory. I think His Majesty is planning on using this opportunity to call all the nobles to the capital.”
Maxi paused for a moment as she digested the princess’s words. “Th-Then you must be…b-busy preparing for the banquet.”
“Actually, planning a response to the Mage Tower’s inspectorate is currently more pressing than a frivolous banquet,” Simon interjected. He tapped on the parchment, urging the princess to keep writing. The parchment was filled with words in the ancient tongue.
The princess groaned and started again. After watching over her progress for a moment like a warden, Simon turnedto Maxi.
“Three mages from the Mage Tower died during this campaign,” he explained. “Nornui has sent an inspectorate to make sure none of the deaths were caused by unjust commands. It will be difficult for Wedon to hire mages from the Mage Tower in the future if they are not satisfied with our explanation.”
Maxi’s eyes widened. “Does the Mage Tower…have such authority?”
“The Mage Tower was established to stop the persecution against mages, and its affiliates are all under its protection,” Simon replied. “Though the treatment of mages has improved in recent years, the Orthodox Church still holds unfavorable views of magic. That is why Nornui meticulously investigates the death of any of its mages to make sure none are wrongful.”
“Which is why those in command, such as myself, are forced to jump through these hoops at every large-scale battle,” the princess said bitterly. “They expect us to explain to a naive scholar who has never fought in a war and beg them for a new mage.”
Maxi eyed the princess’s beautifully written ancient script for a moment before asking, “D-Does the Mage Tower…send its mages to wh-wherever they are requested?”
“When the Mage Tower receives a request, it is customary for them to review it and send those who volunteer,” Simon answered. “Though now it will likely take ages to receive a mage from them, since every lord in the kingdom is vying to gather as many in their service as possible…. The Mage Tower strives to distribute their numbers evenlythroughout the kingdom.”
Maxi hesitated. “Th-Then…could Anatol also request a m-mage? We are sorely in need of more….”
Both Simon and Princess Agnes froze. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Simon opened his mouth.
“Well…your request will likely be rejected as long as that man remains in Anatol.”
Maxi blinked in confusion. “Th-That man?”
“Who else? He’s referring to that brazen renegade!” the princess cried out. “Ruth Serbel, the despicable runaway who abandoned the rules of the tower! As long as that traitor is in Anatol, the Mage Tower would never consent to sending one of its own.”
Maxi had always wondered why a renowned knightly order such as the Remdragon Knights only had one high mage in their service. It had never occurred to her that Ruth was the reason.
As if her anger intensified the longer she talked about Ruth, the princess continued her outburst. “If not for that nuisance, many high mages would have volunteered to serve under Riftan Calypse. I’ve advised Riftan to drive that bastard away, but he never listens. He is suffering enormous losses because he stubbornly insists on remaining loyal to that useless scoundrel.”
Maxi’s face fell. She knew it was not the princess’s intention, but her words reminded Maxi that Riftan had rejected a royal betrothal in order to honor a marriage vow that her father had forced him to make. A familiar chill seeped into her heart.
Misunderstanding Maxi’s expression, the princesscollected herself and said, “Don’t worry. There are many unaffiliated mages who are quite skilled. When the Remdragon Knights return, I will make a request to the king to seek out accomplished mages for Anatol.”
Maxi lowered her head. “Th-Thank you, Your Highness.”
“No need to thank me.” Agnes gave her a warm smile. “Now then, you should return to your room. It’s too soon to be overexerting yourself.”
Unable to argue against the princess’s insistence, Maxi obediently returned to her bedchamber. She drank the tonic left by the healer and lay back on her bed. Then, though she was sick and tired of doing so, she forced herself to sleep.
A stream of uneventful days passed once more. In contrast, the main palace bustled with a procession of nobles arriving to attend the capital’s victory celebrations. The gardens were packed with servants every morning waiting to greet them. Picnics and welcome feasts were held in the evenings.
Day and night, Maxi strained her neck from her bed to stare out at the palace gates, just in case Riftan miraculously arrived earlier than expected. It must have been a pitiful sight, for Princess Agnes called on her one day and suggested that Maxi attend that evening’s banquet.
Maxi stared back at her in surprise. So far, the princess’s fussing over Maxi’s health had rivaled Riftan’s.
As if she were aware of the reason, the princess gave her an embarrassed smile. “The healers told me that your health has improved greatly. If it’s not too much of a strain, I think a change of scenery would do some good. After all, you’ve never attended any of the events this whole time you’ve been at the capital.”
