Chapter 389 - 150

389 Chapter 150

Riftan snorted incredulously. It was clear he still regarded her worries as baseless, but he at least did not seem to interpret her unease as a lack of confidence in his abilities. Maxi found she was content with that. Slowly but surely, Riftan was coming to realize he was as important to her as she was to him.

Maxi lifted her gaze to his face, her eyes full of affection, and intertwined her fingers with his strong, calloused ones. Riftan bent down so that she could peck his smooth cheek.

"You entrusted me with this mission... because you believed I could do it, didn't you?"

Reluctant to answer, Riftan cast his eyes down. He eventually yielded with a groan. "That's right."

"Then..." Maxi said calmly, trying her best not to sound too elated, "have faith in me. I will do the same."

Riftan scrutinized her, his face a mix of emotions. He nodded with a sigh. "You must be careful."

"I will."

His eyes bore into hers for a long time before he bent to give her a light kiss. He released her hand.

Fearing that she would not be able to tear herself away if they lingered, Maxi quickly pocketed her hands in her robe. She observed her husband standing amid the swirling snow for a moment, then slowly turned away. bender

The wind was growing increasingly violent. According to Elliot, this was a good sign. A high wind blowing toward Midna would help carry the coalition's arrows to greater distances. At the same time, it would greatly hinder the skeletal army, whose projectiles would be loosed from above the ramparts.

After watching the distant archers launching flaming arrows, Maxi shifted her attention to Kuahel. Instead of their usual dark plate armor, the Temple Knight commander and his subordinates wore leather breastplates and wrist guards over dark, form-fitting gambesons. Armed with longbows at their backs and blades at their sides, no casual observer would have taken them for men of the cloth.

Maxi felt restless. She finally broke the silence with, "Should we not... get going?"

"We should wait a little longer," the Temple Knight replied calmly, looking skyward. "Storm clouds are gathering. Once they cover the sun, that and the blowing snow should hide our approach to the wall."

There was no arguing against his logic. Midna was located on an open field. Although there was a lumber camp near the wall and rock formations dotted around, the city's manned watchtower made it nearly impossible to approach without being spotted. Willing herself to keep calm, Maxi kept her gaze fixed on the darkening sky.

Before long, everything was a dull gray, just as Kuahel had predicted. The wind blew even fiercer, and the siege seemed to intensify. The duchy's soldiers charged toward the rampart with ladders.

Maxi watched them until the Temple Knights began to pull their hoods over their heads. She followed suit, tugging her hood even lower. Though she had concealed her neat braid beneath a gray headscarf, she feared the fabric alone would not contain her unruly hair. She cinched the headscarf's knot and joined the knights.

"A-Are we setting out now?"

"Yes," Kuahel replied curtly, gesturing with a nod to his subordinates.

"This should help, my lady," Elliot said, offering her his flask.

Maxi took it gladly and swirled mouthfuls of frigid water to wash away the grit. Afterward, she dusted off the dirt covering her face and hands.

Kuahel watched her, then asked brusquely, "Is it done?"

"N-Not yet. I still need to create an exit."

"Then, please hurry. We must open the gates before sundown."

The Temple Knight seemed unwilling to grant her even a second to catch her breath. Maxi shot him a sharp glare before hastening back into the tunnel with a sigh.

As soon as she entered, there was an inexplicable noise, and something pelted her hood.

Praying it was not a bug or a worm, Maxi shielded her mouth with a handkerchief and continued her task. Finally, a rush of fresh air greeted her as she dug through to the other side. ????.??????

After ensuring the exit was wide enough for a large man to pass through, she quickly crawled all the way back, terrified of encountering an undead monster.

"I-It's done," she announced upon scrambling out of the tunnel.

Elliot helped her up as she gasped for air. He offered her his flask again, which she used to rinse her mouth. She then wet her handkerchief and wiped the dirt from her eyes. Despite the headscarf wrapped tightly around her head, she suspected even her hair was caked in dirt.

"I d-did not think this task would be so unbecoming."

"You've done admirably, my lady," Elliot said proudly, extending a handkerchief.

Discarding her soiled cloth onto the ground, Maxi scrubbed her face with Elliot's. She had never been more desperate for a bath in her life.

"Could you survey the vicinity of the exit?" Kuahel said, peering into the tunnel.

Clearly, the clergyman did not intend to allow her a moment's respite. Maxi paused from dusting off her clothes to heave a sigh. Wordlessly, she trudged toward him and began a tracing spell to check for any sentries on the other side of the wall.

"I don't believe... they have noticed yet," she said, her voice lacking confidence. Undead creatures tended to be stationary without external stimuli, making them difficult to detect with magic. "But I suggest we keep our guards up."

Kuahel stepped into the tunnel without a word, his face blank as if her advice was not even worth a response. His subordinates hovered behind him like shadows, and they sprung into action as soon as he tilted his chin for them to follow.

The knights filed into the narrow passage one by one. Maxi maintained the integrity of the tunnel walls with magic until they reached the other end. Once she was certain all the Temple Knights had safely slipped into the city, the tension in her aching back and shoulders finally eased.