Spoiler Under the oak tree

soie_yoie · Sep 9, 2020

Lol another korean novel with a red head mc. Looks very interesting.

Wow five star rating on the original novel site.

*Camping for spoilers*

Thanks for spoilers

CutieCatty · Sep 9, 2020

Thanks for the spoiler

DesireSai · Sep 10, 2020

Thank you so much for the amazing spoilers!

mina713 · Sep 10, 2020

Thank you so much for the spoilers!! I ended up buying some of the chapters to help support the author after reading these.
I cried during the scene where Riftan and Maxi have a talk after he rescued her from her evil father. They were both so vulnerable in front of each other
and then the scene where they had to part for 3 years!! I never thought I could love a novel so much.
I hope the author comes back from hiatus soon

noesdasuaconta · Sep 11, 2020

In which chapter Max loses his son? thank you very much for the spoilers

Raihan345 · Sep 11, 2020

ainosz said: ↑

So, here the summary of the first six chapters of Riftan's POV. Just like I said, it takes place at the time before Riftan took Maxi to Anatol and before Riftan beat the dragon. Also, Riftans POV are the side stories of Part 1 and are numbered as chapter 1 to chapter 44. Be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster and get you tissues ready.

- Riftan is 12 years old in this chapters and working as an apprentice for the blacksmith of Duke Croix. He lives with his mother and stepfather in a run down house and his stepfather payed the fee for his education with his last saved money for Riftan to learn something, so that in the future he could have a perspective and a better job than his stepfather
- the head of the blacksmith shop is a cruel and rude person, that doesn't let Riftan learn much and just let's him do useless hard work, like a servant, so he doesn't like the job there
- when it's time to go home, Riftan is always exhausted from work and washes his face, hands and clothes in the stream and sometimes he finds sparkling pebbles there, that he gifts to Maxi, who is 6 years old at that time. Also, just to take some confusion away, the physical abuse the duke did to maxi started when she was 8 years old

When it was finally time to go home from the day's work, there was no energy left to vent out curse words. He scrubbed his charcoal-black hands and face in the stream and washed his stained clothes. Then he wore his wet clothes roughly again and turned to go home. Then suddenly, he found something shiny in the drizzling water.

He bent over and picked it up. A white pebble the size of a thumb was shining in the light. Riftan, who was fiddling with a particularly white, smooth stone, pushed it into his clothes and strode away. He was exhausted, but he suddenly felt a surge of enegy.

He roamed though the dense forest and moved toward the patronage of the castle. After walking a long time through the dense oak forest, a magnificent structure emerged through the trees.

He rolled his eyes, pretending to get firewood from the firewood storehouse next to him. After a while, he could find a little girl crouching down at the corner of the detached garden, picking up something. When he saw her, what had been lumped in his heart melted like a lie.

Riftan slowly walked in front of her, pretending to carry an armful of firewood. There were many servants besides him who came for firewood, so she didn't seem to think anything strange about his approach.

However, the black hound, who was always chasing her, immediately showed caution and pricked up his ears. Riftan carefully laid down the white pebble, taking care not to get closer than necessary.

Then, he moved away quickly, as if he had other business to do. A moment later, as he turned his head over his shoulder, he could see her picking up the pebble and tucking it into a colorful cloth pocket.

He walked toward the gate, holding back a laugh. He couldn't help thinking that he was an idiot. What makes him so happy? Riftan, who was running out of the castle with light steps as if flying, suddenly smiled bitterly.

He couldn't understand himself. To see that girl once, every day he goes around the huge castle and then goes home...is he out of his mind?

She wasn't even a kid he could play with. She was the daughter of the lord, someone he was not even allowed to talk to first.

If anyone notices that he's feeling close to her on his own, he'll be ridiculed at for being "shameless." He suddenly sighed hard and kicked the floor roughly.

It's clear that she didn't even notice his presence anyway. She doesn't know that he sometimes throws strange colored feathers or small pebbles in the garden, or wonders if she found it properly or what kind of crown she made with it, every time he lay down in bed. (side note: When Maxi got back to her father estate after the first war, she met her nanny again, who also mentioned to her, that when maxi was younger, she always collected stones and other things to make crowns)

He came back to reality, looking down at the old cabin that sat at the bottom of the hill. She was not the girl who lived in his neighbor's house. She was the duke's daughter, who ruled this great land, and he was the most humble member of his land.

He trudged toward his mother, who didn't even look at him, his stepfather, who silently drinks every day, and his cabin, where a smashing loneliness awaits.

***

It was not long after he began to do chores in the stables of the castle that he cared about her. He saw her crouching in the backyard of the detached house while he was carrying a cart full of straw to the barn.

He immediately noticed that the little girl was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Croix and quickly tried to pass by. But somehow he couldn't move his legs.

The little girl, as small as a doll, held the black hound tightly in her short arms and buried her face in his fluffy fur. When he saw her clinging to a dog that was bigger than her size, his body hardened and his heart ached for no reason.

He noticed that she wanted to be held by someone. He could feel her loneliness as vividly as his. He also would bury his face in the neck of a foal and soothe his loneliness in that way.

Why is that girl, with hundreds of servants, looking for warmth from a mere hound? Is she as lonely as he is? When he thought of it, he had the presumptuous urge to comfort her.

Even a passing dog would laugh at that. Who comforts whom? He was a servant in the stables cleaning horse shit, and she was the daughter of a duke.

Perhaps that girl's life is full of noble things he can't even imagine. A glittering marble palace and a banquet hall decorated with golden chandeliers, she has soft fabrics and sweet, greasy foods that he will never touch....

She must sleep in a cloud-like bed full of feathers and be able to eat and drink as much as she wants. She will not experience the pain of working until the skin of her palm is peeling off until the day she dies.

He shook off his strange sense of homogeneity and took a step toward the barn. But since that day, he couldn't stop chasing her with his eyes every time he passed by the detached house.

When he saw her drooping shoulders and the sullen back of her head, he felt sorry for her, and when he saw her smiling, he felt better. When she was not seen, he was worried that she might be sick. Before he knew it, she had become a soothing creature to him for the day's loneliness.

Riftan laughed at himself and put the bag of charcoal he got yesterday evening, in the kiln. On the one hand, he knew that he was only creating a comfort zone to escape from the harsh reality.

He's just projecting himself on his own, and in fact the girl may not be lonely. It's all just his delusions and she must be having fun and happy days. The idea that his sloppy gifts are pleasing her is also a vain wish.

She could get as much real jewelry as she wanted. When she grow a little more, she will forget the fact that she has collected pebbles.

- after that, Riftan tried to erase her from his head, but every time he thinks of her, he feels like he is not alone
- he knows that he will live this hard and unfulfilling life till the end of his days, but because he is born with a strong body, he would live longer than other people. Still, because he is a mixed-blood illegitimate child with an unknown father and a southern mother, there will be no people who would ever buy something from him, because people there are really racist at that time
- some days later, Riftan is at work again and the cruel blacksmith tells him to go and get lime again, because they run out of it

He spat on the floor, rattled and dragged the cart along a shortcut. After he walk through the thick forest for a while, he heard a dog barking from somewhere.

Riftan stopped walking. He looked back and forth, but he couldn't see the dog anywhere. He frowned, left the cart alone, and turned his steps in the direction of the sound.

As he jumped over the thick bushes and passed three or four beautiful trees, he saw a black dog lowering its body to the fullest and barking violently at something.

If he didn't see wrong, then that dog was the faithful guard of the duke's daughter. What the hell is it doing in a place like this without the owner? Riftan, who was frowning, opened his eyes wide the next moment.

Where the dog was barking wildly, a large lizard, which was about the size of a head, was sticking out its tongue.

Riftan instinctively leaned down flat and observed the creature's appearance. It was the first time in his life that he saw something like that. The whole body was wrapped in thorn-like scales, and two needle-like pointed teeth stood out in the large mouth that opened menacingly.

Perhaps a monster has gone into hiding. As he was stuck in thoughts, the dog rushed at the lizard. Then the lizard used its long tail to hit the hound's body, and then snapped the dog's neck.

While he stiffened and blankly stared at the scene, something popped out from the bushes. He held his breath. The young lady from the duke's family grabbed a long branch and began to hit the lizard's body.

He swears that he has never seen a more frightening scene than this. He was so shocked that he couldn't move a muscle.

The lizard swung its head, threw the dog away, and then rushed straight at her. Seeing this, Riftan picked up a stone from the floor and ran like a lightning bolt.

When the long neck of the monster was shot down with a pointed stone, the body thicker than his forearm jumped up convulsively. The lizard spewed venom at him with a roar.

He dodged by quickly receding back and threw the stone as hard as he could. Then a big stone stuck in its throat. The monster struggled and wriggled its long tail vigorously.

He quickly picked up a branch that fell on the floor and poked it into his empty stomach. After a while, the bizarre creature's body soon drooped. He kicked it away and breathed hard.

His heart thumped quickly like horseshoes, and cold sweat flowed down his back like a waterfall. If he could, he wanted to put the girl who did this fearless thing on his lap and hit her buttocks violently.

Riftan glared at her with a fierce look. However, when he saw her sitting on the floor and wrestling in pain, his anger disappeared as if it had washed away and his fear surged in.

He scuttled down in front of her and examined her thoroughly. Blood was flowing from her forearm. She was bitten by that damn bastard. Without thinking, he loosened his belt and tied it tightly on the upper part of the wound.

Then the little girl tilted her head back as if she was about to burst into tears.

He desperately looked at the thin arm, thats less than a handful, from top to bottom. She cried and moved her hands and feet.

"Ah... it hurts!"

"We need to get the poison out. Stay still!"

Later, he might lose his neck for disrespect, but for now, there was nothing else he sees. He made her calm by shouting, then put his mouth on the wound, sucked blood and spat it out on the floor.

After repeated it several times, he held her doll-like little body in his arms and hurried toward nature. Then she burst into tears.

"My... puppy....”

He turned his head over his shoulder. The dog was limp and motionless. As he bit his lip and moved again, the crying girl pulled his hair.

"My... my puppy, too, I have to take him.”

"I'll take him with me later."

He made a promise that he couldn't keep and moved his legs in a hurry. She wrapped her small, thin arms around his neck and sniffled.

"Y, you must."

It felt like his heart was breaking. Hugging her small back tightly, he ran frantically through the woods. He doesn't know how many times he almost tripped over a tree root in a hurry. The body, which was getting colder and colder, was rubbed anxiously with the palm of his hand and after running for a long time, the castle finally came into view. He shouted so loud that his throat almost tore.

"H, help me! The lady has been bitten by a monster!"

The maid, carrying a laundry basket, turned her head and screamed. She dashed to them, tossing her basket.

"Lady!"

Hearing her shrill voice, the servants rushed over, wondering what was going on. He breathed heavily and shouted over and over again.

"It was a monster that looked like a lizard! He bit her arm. You need to get it treated quickly!"

"Get her over here right now!"

The chubby maid snatched her from his arms and ran toward the castle. He gasped and gazed at the figure with hazy eyes.

Her limp figure in the maid's arms soon vanished into the magnificent building. Riftan, who was unconsciously trying to chase after her, was grabbed by the shoulder by a guard.

"Where are you going?"

"I just want to see for a moment, if she's okay."

- after that, the guard didn't let Riftan see her and even doubted Riftan and called for a knight, so Riftan needed to show the knight where the monster is
- while on their way there, Riftan was really worried about Maxi even thought he knew that she would be treated by a priest
- after the knight saw the dead lizard, he was surprised by Riftan killing the monster alone
- Riftan, who was still worried about Maxi, asked the knight if she will be alright, which he affirmed but to cover up the incident, the knight gave Riftan four silver coins so that Riftan shuts up about it
- Riftan is mad because of this, but knows that he has no veto right so he just accepts the coins and told the knight, that he will burry the dog
- he puts the dead dog on the cart and buried him in a secluded place and is sad, because he thinks that this dead dog was maybe the only friend she had to soothe her loneliness
- after that he got back to the blacksmith, where he was yelled at and hit for being too late, and then continued to do his work
- but his body was getting colder and colder after some time and he realized that the poison he sucked out of her wound affected him, too
- after working the rest of the day in that state, he got home, where no one was there and lied down powerless in bed
- the thought of dying like that in vain filled his heart with loneliness and he asked himself what the hell he was thinking, when it's clear that unlike him, maxi will receive the best treatment and thinks that he has done something useless
- but when he remembers her crying face and small body lying in his arms, his twisted emotions vanished like a lie and he thinks that it doesn't matter if he dies.
- he thinks that even if no one will ever know that, he would die a heroic dead by dying after he saved a precious young lady, and then he falls asleep
- he wakes up to a cold touch on his forehead and realized that his mother, who always avoided his eyes, looked at him anxiously and gives him some herbs to drink (side note: his mother couldn't look into his eyes, because Riftan looks just like his biological father. He only got the skin and hair color from his mother)
- his mother cares for him and even wipes his mouth with a careful touch, which surprises Riftan
- after two days of rest, Riftan gets better and goes to work again and because there is much work to do, the blacksmith finally let Riftan learn how to make a horsehoe and while he needed to go out to the stable, he quickly wanted to check, how maxi is doing

He had been hammering for a long time, and when the basket was full of horseshoes, he took it over his shoulder and stepped toward the stable. As he was walking fast across the forest, he suddenly saw the building separated from the castle. Riftan lingered for a moment. Then he couldn't overcome his urge and moved his steps there.

He felt like a fool but couldn't shake off his desire to see her safe.

As he reached the detached house, he slowed down and looked over the garden. She was squatting in front of the flower bed scratching the floor with a branch.

For a moment, he felt relieved by seeing her looking healthy, but his heart sank heavy as she was gloomy looking down at the ground with her pale gray eyes.

Maybe she's waiting for him to bring her dog. Watching her big eyes glancing around and repeatedly falling back to the floor, Riftan quickly passed by as if running away.

'Now stop caring. You're just going to see something terrible again.'

He ran toward the stable, shaking her look of loneliness out of his head. However, even after seeing the foals look so pretty after a long time, the depressing feeling did not improve.

Riftan helped mechanically to replace the horseshoe, then returned to the blacksmith's shop and hammered them. It wasn't until dusk that the blacksmiths arranged their tools that they worked with so frantic.

"You just clean up and go back."

One of the blacksmiths shouted curtly. Riftan swept away the ash powder and dust piled up all over the place and scrubbed the scorched marks until they all vanished.

After roughly cleaning up, he turned around to go home, but something caught on his feet. He lowered his gaze. A crushed horseshoe was rolling around the floor. It seemed to be a defective product that was abandoned because it was not properly melted.

At the thought that suddenly came to his mind, Riftan bent over to get it and looked back at the anvil. He hesitated for a moment, fiddling with the horseshoe.

The whole cleaning had been done. As soon as he woke up from his bed, he couldn't rest properly and was about to collapse. It was a hundred times more beneficial to quit the useless thought and go home and sleep even a little more.

Even though he thought so, he walked to the fireplace and set the charcoal on fire again. After stepping on the bellows to raise the temperature to the fullest, he heated up the horseshoe and tapped it with a hammer. His shoulders and forearms ached.

While frowning, Riftan flattened the slanted horseshoe, then took the tools and made it clumsily into a crown. However, it took a long time to complete the work, which was pitifully poor.

Riftan stared at the unsmooth, wrinkled iron ring, sighed, and stuffed it into his clothes. What kind of crown is that crown? You did something useless. He laughed at himself and left the castle straight away.

- When he comes back home, his mother is there, who looks at him really surprised and in this unfamiliar reaction, he thinks that, maybe she was worried about him, because he was late
- she gives him something to eat and Riftan ask her where his father is and she hesitantly answers that he hasn't come yet (side note: Riftan asked about his stepfather, but I think Riftans mother meant his real father at this moment)
- after he eat he lied on the bed and his mother asked him if he feels better, which he affirms and thinks that it feels unfamiliar for him, that she is showing interest in him
- before he sleeps, she carefully put the blanket over him and that almost brings him to tears and he thinks that being sick is not bad
- the next day he was at work, he met maxi again

The next day was another busy day. He bustled around the blacksmith's workshop from dawn, which was like a steamer. The blacksmiths were all on edge because they had to complete the weapons repair for the knights before they left the castle.

Trying not to offend them as much as possible, he was handling chores at his best, and suddenly curly red hair came into sight.

Riftan, who was carrying firewood, blinked his eyes stupidly. The duke's daughter was hiding behind the door and peeping only her head out to spy on the inside of the blacksmith's workshop.

'What the hell are you doing here?'

He glared at her with narrowed eyes and looked out the door. No other person was seen. Riftan hardened his face. The blacksmith's workshop was a good distance away from the annex.

You came all the way here by yourself? He threw the firewood beside the furnace and walked toward the door. He couldn't believe they let her walk around alone after something like that happened just a few days ago. Are they all out of their mind? Shouldn't a guardian always be watching her?

A blacksmith snatched him roughly at his arm as he strode toward her with the thought of giving her a strong warning.

"Pretend you don't know. Don't you know workers shouldn't talk to her first?”

"It's dangerous for a child to be alone in a place like this!"

"That's what her servants are responsible for."

The blacksmith gave him a blunt answer and pushed him back roughly.

"All we have to do is do our job! Don't just step up and make useless trouble."

Riftan glared at him with angry eyes. However, other blacksmiths have been giving him irritating glances as if they were all thinking the same thing. Everyone seems to have noticed her existence and pretended not to know it. As he stood motionless, the blacksmith shook his fist menacingly.

"Didn't you hear me telling you to stop paying attention and do your job?!"

Riftan turned around reluctantly. But while hammering, he couldn't prevent his gaze from turning towards the door. She was looking around inside the forge with big curious eyes.

'What are you looking for?'

There were too many dangerous objects in the forge for children. Weapons were piled up like mountains everywhere, sparks were coming from all over the place, and the air was cloudy because of the smoke. He was watching with nervous feelings, that she might get harmed, but by chance, he met her big gray eyes.

She hurriedly hid her face behind the door in surprise.

He laughed vainly as he looked at the hem of her skirt and her curly red hair sticking out beside the door.

Is that what you call hiding? He shook his head, and she poked her head out again and looked at him. And then, when their eyes meet, she hide behind the door again, and then she sticks out her head again and stares at him....

Riftan raised his brows. Did she come to see him? She may have come to ask why he didn't bring her dog. At that thought he turned his head sharply.

He didn't had the confidence to tell her that he had buried the dog. He hammered loudly, pretending to be busy.

After he did that for a while, he turned his eyes back toward the door again, but she was nowhere to be seen. She seemed to have given up and went back. He bit his lips. Still, he can't let her walk around alone.

Riftan pretended to be going out to collect the scarce materials and went out of the smithy with some empty sacks. Then he grabbed the handcart he had set up next to the forge, but something unfamiliar caught his eyes.

He blinked his eyes vaguely. A corolla made of colorful summer flowers lay by the window. He picked it up, stared down at it, looked up and looked around. She hid behind a tree and watched him closely.

‘…Did you put it here on purpose?

He hesitated and put it back in place and pretended to drag the cart away. Then she jumped up and stomped her feet, visibly restless. Riftan swallowed a smile and picked up the corolla again.

Turning his eyes to her again, he could see her glassy eyes twinkling with anticipation.

'...are you here to deliver this?'

He carefully touched the flowers on the corolla. Then, a shout came from outside the door.

"What are you doing in there when we're so busy!"

Surprised by the angry voice, the girl, who had been hesitating for a while, swung around and ran out into the woods. Riftan glared disapprovingly at the forges interior.

"...I'm just trying to make up for it because we are out of charcoal.”

"Then don't procrastinate and go!"

With a sigh, Riftan pushed the cart into the forest where she ran and followed her. It seems that he would only be relieved when he saw her safely returning to the detached house.

He looked anxiously at her running through the thick trees, then looked down again at the corolla on the handle. Did she make it for him? He kept laughing at the thought of her wriggling with her tiny hands to do a corolla.

He forgot his fatigue and pushed the cart vigorously with light steps. When he returned to the blacksmith's workshop after confirming that she has safely entered the detached building, he saw the blacksmiths busily hammering. One of them glared ferociously, as if to tell him that he was not helping quickly enough. Riftan swallowed a sigh.

If he could, he wanted to go home right away and keep the corolla safe so that it wouldn't go bad, but he still had a lot of time left to finish work.

Riftan hid the flower crown in the warehouse, then walked back to the furnace and began using the bellows. When it was finally time to finish all the day's work and return home, his whole body was soaked with sweat.

He washed his face roughly with the water in the bucket and took the corolla out of the warehouse. The flowers had withered a little after half a day. He looked at it with regret, and carefully held the petals in one hand to prevent them from falling as much as possible, and escaped the blacksmith's hand.

Passing through a forest that was reddish with sunset, and circling in front of the detached house, a garden full of summer flowers unfolded before him. But she was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was scolded for sneaking around alone.

Riftan stared still at the spot where she often sat, then he put his hand in his clothes and pulled out a horseshoe-shaped crown.

He thought he should leave this behind here, but it was still very poor. Riftan, who had been touching the dull iron ring with his fingertips, put it back in his arms.

If he buys some small beads from the village and put them on it, then it might be worth seeing a little bit. He hurried past the detached house and escaped though the gate. Even though he had a busier and harder day than usual, he felt like flying.

He went down the hill carefully, so that no petals would fall in the gentle breeze.

- after he got home, he realized that there was a strange stinging scent in the hut and opened the window and lit a light
- then he saw his mother dangling from the ceiling with a rope on her neck
- he couldn't understand what was going on and was afraid and shocked to the bone and just run out of the hut to where his stepfather is and dragged his stepfather to the hut, without managing to say a word
- as his stepfather saw his strange figure, he followed him and Riftan waited outside the house, hoping that his stepfather would tell him, that it is only a nightmare or that nothing is wrong and he shouldn't make a fuss. But his stepfather drags him in and tells him to hurriedly close the windows
- he grabs him by the shoulder and tells him, that the church never forgives suicide and that he needs to help him now, if he doesn't want his mother to become a ghoul
- after hearing that, Riftan throws up in shock and with Riftan's help, his stepfather gets the body of his mother down and puts a blanket around the body
- his stepfather tells him, that when it gets dark, they will take her body into the woods and disguise it as a dead from an animal attack, so that she could get purified
- after waiting in the hellish silence for the sun to go down, they finally take her body into the woods while his stepfather carried the body on his back, but after a while, he looses all strength to carry on and Riftan needs to take over
- Riftan is afraid and shocked by her dead body on his back. And when they finally found a perfect place, his stepfather takes out the sickle and tells him to go a little away. Riftan hides scared behind a tree with his head wrapped in his hands
- the next day his mothers body was found and brought back to his stepfather
- his stepfather payed the church with his remaining silver coins to let her get buried in the temple and the funereal was held immediately
- Riftan knows that he and his stepfather will suffer from nightmares for the rest of their life because of that, but he couldn't shed tears at the funeral
- apart from him and his stepfather, there are four other people at the funeral, two maid's of Croix castle, who his mother was close to, an old lady from the neighborhood and a strange man who looked like he was in his mid-thirties
- the man was a handsome man who had dark brown hair and a sturdy body and good clothes. Riftan knew at once that he is a nobleman and asks himself why he is here
- the man comes up to him and said, that he looks more like him than he thought and takes out a dagger that has some decorations on it
- He told him, that it's his biological fathers keepsake and that normally it would go down to a relative, but because he doesn't have any blood ties left, it's given to Riftan and he forces the dagger into Riftan's hand, because Riftan didn't want to take it, and turns away as if he has done his duty
- Riftan hurries after him and ask him what he means by that and the man ask surprised if his mother didn't tell him anything and tells him that his father was killed on the battlefield and that that dagger was dear to him. He told him that Riftan was the only one to deliver his belonging to because his father had no fiancee, nor has he started a family,
- after that he only gives Riftan his formal consolation by telling him that he is sorry and goes away
- after Riftan realized why his mother did that, he feels betrayed and angry (side note: the reason why his mother was strange and surprised by seeing Riftan the day before, was because she heard about the dead of his biological father and it's even sadder when you realize how happy Riftan was, for thinking that she was surprised because she was worried for him to come home late and then realized that it wasn't because of that )
- after the funeral, Riftan needs to go to work again, but is happy about that, because he isn't alone with his thoughts and worked till his muscle hurt
- when it was time to go home, he made his way to the hut, but hesitated, because he was still scared
- when he opened the door, it looked normal, because they cleaned the floor yesterday, but the stinging scent from last night was still there, so he started to clean the floor again

After he cleaned for a while, flabby petals touched his red-hot fingertips. He stared down at it and slowly turned his eyes. The crushed corolla was drying up in the corner.

Riftan picked it up. The petals hanging from the flower crown fluttered down to the floor. A drop of water suddenly fell on the back of his hand as he bent over and picked them up one by one.

He blinked his eyes blankly, then realized it was his own tears, and rubbed his cheek roughly with his fist. He didn't even know what he was crying about. It was a shame that he shed tears.

He put the withered flower crown in a small basket and lay down on bed without even thinking of changing his dirty clothes.

The woman's face hanging from the ceiling was like a ghost before his eyes. The black shadow still seemed to hang dangling over his head. But he had nowhere to run. Riftan covered himself with a blanket over his head and curled himself up like a small bug.

That night, his stepfather came home drunk. When he opened his eyes to the rattling sound, he saw a black figure stagger and walk to the opposite bed.

His stepfather flopped down on a pile of straw and looked down at the floor for a long time. After the heavy silence continued for a long time, a husky voice rang out.

"Don't make yourself so miserable."

Riftan blinked slowly in the dark. There was a mingling of sobbing in the voice of his stepfather.

"If you were born to be a dumpster, you have to live by looking at the ground. If you look up, you'll be unhappy." (side note: Just like the words that she is useless will haunt Maxi her whole life, these are the words that will haunt Riftan his whole life )

“.….”

"Who the hell recognizes you? If a bug died on the ground...who would take a look at it. They will just pass by and walk away. Nobody cares. No one will care. But you shouldn't do that. You shouldn't go away after living such a foolish life.”

Riftan stared at his shoulders, which were trembling, and turned his eyes toward the black ceiling. His mother's sad face floated before his eyes.

A foolish woman who at dawn combed her long hair neatly, climbed up the hill and waited for someone who would not return. A woman who cruelly left following a man who never came to her. And a stepfather who can't even blame a woman like that....

He won't cry any more. There is no more tears to shed for her. He won't forgive her for doing this until he dies. He murmured this inwardly and gently closed his eyes.

***

Since that day, Riftan repeatedly was only going to the blacksmith's shop mechanically every day and then returned home. He was so tired that he didn't know when he would fall down because he couldn't eat or rest properly, but it was better that way. He couldn't even close his eyes without putting his body to the point where he had no energy left to think.

One day, the blacksmith bluntly said, that he seemed to be in danger for driving himself like that.

"Don't come out tomorrow. I'm very busy that I don't want you to fall down and bother me, just take a day off tomorrow and come again."

It's ridiculous that the man who had been bullying him to that extent would say that. With a bitter smile, Riftan laid down his tools. But he didn't feel like going back home.

He wandered aimlessly through the woods, wiped his hands and feet stained with charcoal in the spring, and sat on a stump of wood for a while. The sound of birds singing over his head resonated peacefully.

As he looked up through the leaves with distant eyes, Riftan suddenly rose from his seat and began to trudge along. He couldn't even tell where he was going. After he walked quietly for a while, as if he had been led by something, he only came to a halt in front of the detached house.

She was sitting in a corner of a beautiful garden with flowers in full bloom. Riftan held his breath quietly. Despite the heat of midsummer, she curled her shoulders as if she were feeling cold. The sight overlapped with him lying huddled under the blanket. It looked so cold and lonely that he wanted to sit next to her and share his body temperature.

Riftan suddenly felt a strange fear and crept back. Despite standing under the scorching sun, cold sweat flowed down his back. He walked as if running away. While leaving the castle, the unknown anxiety did not disappear.

He walked down the green hill in one breath and stopped in front of the rushing stream. In the strong sunlight, the water shone like silver. In the clear water, the white and blue pebbles he had been looking for with his eyes shone.

Riftan looked down at it and rummaged through his clothes to take out the humble crown. A crown made by pounding a horseshoe.

'Are you sure you were going to hand this stuff over to the duke's daughter?'

He threw it away. The iron ring flew into the air like a boomerang and sank into the water. Riftan left the place right away, as if he had no lingering regret. But he didn't know where to go.

He couldn't rest any more in the cabin. Every time he entered there he saw the vision of his mother hanging from the ceiling. The days of daily nightmares, the face of his helpless stepfather and endless labor, poverty that can never be escaped and solitude that can never be relieved....

He rubbed his face with his rough palms. You can't live in this emptiness all your life. He didn't even want to burn himself in vain hope. He didn't want to comfort someone who he shouldn't get close to. He wanted to run away. He want to run away far away.

'Far away...'
(side note: remember the part where maxi decided to go to the world tower to change herself? Riftan was once at such a point, too...)

- after that, Riftan run to the hut with a determined face and packed his things and some food, but when he remembered his stepfathers face, he put four silver coins on the table and because that isn't enough, he also scratched the decorations from the dagger and put them down beside the coins.
- then he hurried out, before he changed his mind, and hurries to the market where he buy herbs
- he wants to buy a horse, too, but he doesn't have enough money and stealing it would be too risky
- so he headed to the largerest inn in town and saw some mercenaries putting things into wagons
- he hide and watched the scene from an alley and when they were done and gave the signal to start moving, he jumped on the wagon and hid there
- he ask himself what kind of face his stepfather would make, when he realized that he is gone
- would he be releved to lose a burden or would he feel betrayed by his son
- he also ask himself if maxi would realize that he is gone and sees her in front of his eyes, sitting alone in the garden, and ask himself, what will sooth her loneliness now
- but he shakes this thought away by thinking that she soon will get a new dog or foal in no time and after her little sister grows up, she wouldn't be alone anymore
- he thinks that she will soon forget the skinny boy who worked in the blacksmith workshop and saved her life and for whom she made a flower crown once
- he put his hand in the bag and takes out the dried flower crown that maxi made for him and remembers the words his stepfather told him, to never look up
- he decides to really never look up, so that he wouldn't become unhappy

(a little cute fact: at the beginning of the story the author planned for maxi to leave a note with the flower crown for Riftan. Riftan would have taken the note with him and cherished it all the years till the day he learned how to read and understand what Maxi wrote there. On the note Maxi would have written: "Thank you for saving me. - Maxi -". And that would be the reason why he would call her with the nickname Maxi. But at the end, the author decided to change this part )

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Omg thank you thank you sooo much for this

I couldnt stop my tears poor riftan i really want to hug him and cry ahhhh i really dont know what to ssay i m reallly sad poor boy how can somone bear all those hardness. My heart broke i really cant

Missy2894 · Sep 11, 2020

Chapter 5 of the manga is out in wordexcerpt!

https://wordexcerpt.com/series/under-the-oak-tree-2/chapter-5/
I've been waiting for this chapter since two weeks ago, curious abt how the snu snu part is drawn
Well, some comments say it doesn't reach their expectation (well, since the story is very well written)
But for me it is just the right amount, not too much and not too little
So yeah, i am loving it!

sweetaneng · Sep 12, 2020

@ainosz TYSM chingu! OAK is my source of happiness for the past few weeks lol and I'm so thankful for any spoilers.

@Silverriver @thejobbernowl i was hesitant to upload my personal identification for security reasons but I still did so because I thought it wasn't too bad. I blurred everything even my photo (ive used passport sigh lol) and just left my name and birthdate. It was approved in an hour or two.

Silverriver said: ↑

I really want to read mtl but can't verified the age because I live abroad.
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thejobbernowl said: ↑

I feel you on the age verification thing! I've heard it's possible if you provide a picture of your ID and they'll accept it even if it's a foreign one but I haven't been brave enough to try it out myself.
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Anyone here who knows social media of kim sooji, our dear brilliant author? Tried searching on IG and twitter but nothing. I am following P (sicut_vis) on twitter, the webtoon artist, but P does not follow anyone. TY guys!

Niyangrapik · Sep 12, 2020

Camping here for the spoilers

Missy2894 · Sep 12, 2020

Niyangrapik said: ↑

Camping here for the spoilers
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Lol
Welcome to the club, come to my tent, i will gave some snacks to share while waiting
I really refresh the page almost everyday waiting for new spoiler
@ainosz sama, and others who have read the novel, only if you are not busy, just let you know that i will be here patiently waiting if you can share some spoiler with us

Niyangrapik · Sep 12, 2020

ainosz said: ↑

I'm in the middle of writing the next part of Riftan's POV, but I think maybe I will finish it tomorrow
I thought that it would be better to just mention the big parts till he met Maxi again in chapter 23, but after reading them again, I realized that there are many important things happening till that chapter, so I will first put up a summary, with the important parts that happen in chapter 7-22 in Riftan's POV and then get to chapter 23.
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Take your time! Don't rush it! Since we put up the tent, we will be waiting

Gothita · Sep 13, 2020

catastrophexx said: ↑

I read this on twitter but i’m not 100% sure

When Maxi decided she would go to the Magician’s Tower, Riftan was against it and only wanted to be with her no matter what he lost and how much he would suffer But Maxi couldn't do something like that, because she knew how much he has been taken care of his land, his people etc. When Maxi told him she would not change her mind Riftan told her in pain - Do not think that you are leaving for me, I haven't wanted this. If you leave, I won't wait.

The day when Maxi was boarding the ship to go to the Magician’s Tower she was hoping that Riftan would see her off. The ship sailed and Maxi lost all hope and believed that Riftan really won’t wait for her. What she didn’t see was Riftan getting off his horse and running to the empty deck. Riftan cried he didn't know he was crying - murmuring "...It was a lie. That I said I won't wait, I lied."

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Awwwwwwwwww~ So Fluffy~(˃͈ દ ˂͈ ༶ )

Missy2894 · Sep 13, 2020

ainosz said: ↑

I'm in the middle of writing the next part of Riftan's POV, but I think maybe I will finish it tomorrow
I thought that it would be better to just mention the big parts till he met Maxi again in chapter 23, but after reading them again, I realized that there are many important things happening till that chapter, so I will first put up a summary, with the important parts that happen in chapter 7-22 in Riftan's POV and then get to chapter 23.
Click to expand...

Just take your time, we all have our life outside this forum, no need to rush
My tent is full of snack by the way so i enjoy my time waiting

Niyangrapik · Sep 13, 2020

Missy2894 said: ↑

Just take your time, we all have our life outside this forum, no need to rush
My tent is full of snack by the way so i enjoy my time waiting
Click to expand...

Share some with me.

moonangelko · Sep 13, 2020

Limit posting direct links to scans in the future. Once this work gets more popular, would not be surprised if publishers start raiding this forum like they’ve been doing for many many manhwa lately.

ILAMM · Sep 13, 2020

Hello, so I want to join the discort group of this novel, anyone have the link? Thank you in advance ❤

Avery Very · Sep 14, 2020

Awwwww. The part where he couldn't think of any happy memory while he was in an excruciating pain is heartbreaking. Like how
He held her in his heart so dearly for the longest time. Awwwwwwwwww.
Reading this spoiler is bittersweetbitterbitterbitter

@ainosz thank you soooo much for the spoiler
I feel like my awws are getting longer as I read riftan's pov. Thank you so much!

Raihan345 · Sep 14, 2020

ainosz said: ↑

So here the second part of Riftans POV as a summary of chapter 7-22 of the side stories and just like I said, I will only mention important things that happened and start giving more detailed spoilers again at the point he meets Maxi again. Enjoy reading.

after Riften leaves his home, he joined the mercenary group, that owned the cart where he hide himself

four years have passed since then and Riftan is now 16 years old, but because of his genes, he is already over 180 cm and muscular and looks like an adult rather than a teenage boy.

Many things happened and he saw and experienced the bad side of the world and that’s why he became this grumpy kind of Riftan that we all know

Also, he got the nickname Calypse while working in the mercenary group, because he is the strongest in their group, but Riftan hates this nickname

He met Ruth on an mission where they needed to kill some Wyvern, because both of them where hired for the job. After they fought together against the Wyvern, Riftan gave Ruth some of the gold coins he got, because it was his share for helping him

But because Ruth was afraid that he would get robbed and attacked because he had these gold coins, he asked Riftan to let him stick to him, so that he would be safe

Riftan was annoyed by that, but let him be, because he was the one who put him in this situation by giving him the gold coins. And that’s how Ruth started to follow Riftan everywhere and joined the mercenary group, too, because he knew that he is safe with him

When Riftan and Ruth were on another mission together alone, they needed to camp outside and there Ruth asked Riftan, if he has some monster as an ancestor, because of Riftan inhuman strength

Ruth told him, that he also has an ancient elf as an ancestor and that over generations the elf characteristics didn’t remain much. The only special thing that remained is that they have better mana affinity and that he they have a longer life span up to 20 to 30 years longer than ordinary humans

Ruth continued to question Riftan about his linages, but Riftan told him, that he doesn’t know, because he is an illegitimate child, so Ruth asked him, if he would let him check it with magic

Riftan let him check it, after he couldn’t take his pestering anymore and Ruth promising him that he would not follow him around some time, if he gave him the chance to examine him. After Ruth checked, he was shocked, because Riftan really is just an ordinary human (side note: The author also said, that his normal strength at this time is from his genes)

The next day, they continued their mission and needed to take shelter from the rain in a cave

Ruth asked Riftan about his age and said to him, that he looks like he is in his mid 20s

When Riftan told him, that he is 16 years old, Ruth was so shocked, that he screamed that it’s unbelievable, because he acts like he has lived many years on the battlefield and because he isn’t afraid to jump into danger, so he asked him, what kind of live could have shaped him like that

But before they could start talking more, Riftan realized that a monster was approaching them

It was a monster he never saw before, it was some kind of rare subspecies of a dragon that even could control lightning

They fought against the monster, but after Riftan killed it, he got seriously injured in the fight and lost consciousness

He woke up to a terrible pain he never felt before and saw Ruth doing some kind of magic on him with many magic pattern drawn on the floor

Ruth told him, that he needs to stay still, because he is doing treatment and because Riftans injury was too serious, normal healing magic wouldn't work

But Riftan couldn't stay still, because the pain was too strong, so Ruth told him, that he will put hallucination magic on him and that Riftan should think about a happy moment

Riftan tried to think about a happy moment, but nothing came to mind, only miserable and sad memories

He realized that he never felt joy in his life and laughed bitterly, but then he remembered Maxi

A happy memory.

The moment he felt happy.

It was damn dark in his head. Nothing came to mind to the point of absurdity. All he can think of is the body of his mother hanging from a beam and the image of his stepfather crying silently in the dark, the stomach-splitting hunger and stench from a pile of dirt, the discomfort of the first time stabbing someone, the repeated crisis of facing death. It were all those miserable memories.

Suddenly, a laugh burst out. It was amazing. There was no joy in his life. Riftan, who was smiling like a madman, was surprised by the sudden memory.

"T, the girl...."

"Girl?"

Without missing his murmur, the wizard hurriedly asked back. Riftan managed to barely answer.

"There was a girl. I, I, saved her…"

Suddenly the pain grew worse. Riftan slammed the back of his head on the floor. Ruth urgently grabbed Riftan, who was about to let go of his self-control.

"Keep talking! Is it a good memory for you to save the girl?"

"For saving her... s, she... she gave me a flower crown."

"Draw her in your head in detail."

Riftan scoured the memory of her as if hanging on. The curly hair looking like a cloud, the silver eyes shining in the sun, the always drooping narrow shoulders....

At that moment a hazy light covered his whole view, and the raging pain of tearing up the body faded like a lie. He staggered, unable to keep up with the rapid fluctuations of his senses. The body floated up into the air and settled gently somewhere, and something like a haze surrounded his body. Riftan went through the mist unconsciously.

After a while, the view became clear and a familiar scene unfolded before his eyes. He blinked his eyes blankly. In a beautiful garden with colorful flowers, she was making a flower crown. A gentle breeze passed her hair swaying, and the black dog sat with its feet next to it, yawning.

He couldn't take his eyes off the peaceful scene for a moment. When she put a flower crown on the dog's head, the hound licked her cheek, wagging its furry tail. A giggling laughter echoed gently in his ear.

‘Oh, my God…’

The petals that were blown away by the wind flew in the breeze and tickled his cheek. An inexplicable feeling rose from his heart. Watching her. Was it the only consolation in his life? This humble memory was the only light in his life.

He trembled and clasped his face. It was a fantasy that seemed to reveal his desolate life. A girl who looked as lonely as he was. Her presence was the only warmth that soothed his mind at that time.

He slowly closed his eyes and then opened them. The petals clung to the wet cheeks. His small paradise smiled brightly, surrounded by pale gold. He stood staring at it forever. Forever…

when he woke up, he realized that all his wounds were healed

He threatened Ruth and asked him what he did to his body and that when the church realized that he used black magic on him, then they wouldn't let him live

Ruth told him that he didn’t use black magic on him, but taboo magic. It’s a kind of taboo magic they created while studying the regeneration function of Trolls, that’s why he even could heal his irreparable damaged organs and bones, and that it has no side effect other than intense pain while treatment

Ruth also told him, that he used the mana stone, that was in the body of the monster, to heal him (side note: I remember that the author once mentioned that Ruth also used the blood of the monster to heal Riftan, because Riftan lost too much blood. And he couldn’t get blood from anyone apart from the monster. The author also said, that after that, Riftan’s body and his strength changed even more, because the blood of the monster had some after effects on him. So it’s not the taboo magic that made the change in his body, but the monster blood and even Ruth didn’t knew this fact)

Because it could be dangerous for both of them if anyone knew that Ruth used taboo magic on him, they decided to keep it a secret and never tell anyone about this

After they got back, Riftan reminded him of his promise to not follow him around for the time being and Ruth really let him alone for the next months

But still, Riftan didn't feel as calm as before. He meets Ruth again on a mission that all members of the mercenary group needs to take, where they need to fight a big group of goblins

When they found a goblin habitat in a cave, they fought them, but it resulted in Ruth and Riftan being stuck in the cave, because the road was blocked

Ruth tried to get them out with magic, but after a while, he needed to rest, so they decided to sleep a little bit and get some strength back. But Riftan can’t really rest since long ago and has it hard to sleep, so he asked Ruth if he can use the hallucination magic on him again, because seeing the memory of Maxi makes him feel calm and let's him forget all his pain

Ruth was surprised, but still did the magic for him and Riftan could see Maxi again in that flower field, with her hugging the dog and burying her face in his fur

The next day the got out of the cave and after some weeks, the mercenary group made his way from Libadon to Balto

Riftan hates to be there, because people there are really racist. And being in an environment where many people are disrespecting, and even people from his mercenary group being jealous of him making more money, is really tiring for him, so from time to time he goes to Ruth and asks him to put the magic on him where he can see Maxi to feel calm again

He was mentally driven to the limit by the contemptuous gazes and the tight environment, in which he could not relax for a moment.

Exhausted from time to time, Riftan visited Ruth and asked for hallucination magic. When he awoke from the magic he felt a sense of emptiness, but at least he could relax when he was in the fantasy. In his memory she was beautified into an increasingly lovable and adorable being.

The hair that curls gently like clouds, the white little face, the transparent eyes that twinkled like a lake on a winter day...When he remembered her, his heart felt warm as if he was looking at a cute little animal, and he could forget his dreary daily life for a moment.

Sometimes he couldn't help but wondered how she was doing. How tall did she grow? Won't you get hurt while walking around the forest alone again? Are you still walking around the garden with a lonely face?

When he thought of it, he couldn't help laughing at himself. Who are you worried about? If anyone would looked inside him, they would grab their belly and laugh. But he couldn't stop thinking about her even though he thought it was stupid.

"It's not good to rely too much on hallucinations."

Ruth, who was glad to cast his spell at first, has also advised him carefully as he has asked for more and more requests.

"Originally, this magic is designed to confuse the enemy. There's nothing good about getting it so often."

"...I'll pay as much as you want if I need to pay."

Riftan said bluntly. Then the wizard frowned as if he were offended.

"I'm not talking about money right now. I'm really worried about you right now."

"Stop worrying unnecessary! What's wrong with having hallucinations for an hour or two?"

"Just as beautiful the hallucination is, just as much will you hate reality."

Riftan shut his mouth tight. Indeed he grew increasingly disgusted with reality, and he felt an impulse, that he never wanted to wake up from his fantasy. Ruth breathed a small sigh, as if he had seen through such inside thoughts.

"I think I was too rash decision to cast a spell on you. I thought a man of will, like you, wouldn't dwell on fantasy."

"Fuck it, what's the point of being more hateful about reality? I can't be any more like a beggar here anyway!"

"It's all the more so because it's compared to fantasy."

The magician raised his chin firmly.

"I won't cast magic on you from now on. Instead of sticking to hallucinations or something, find comfort in reality. You need to develop your social skills."

Then he closed the door in his face. Riftan kicked the doorframe roughly. The wood split and dented, but only the sound of snorting was heard in the room. Eventually, Riftan came back to his room and lay himself on a cold bed.

But all he could think of was the scenery he had seen in the hallucinations. He rubbed his face roughly. Like the wizard said, he may have become too dependent. He was disillusioned of himself, who cling to such memories of his childhood.

However, he couldn't figure out what else to do to soothe his tired heart. Riftan, looking up at the faintly shining crescent moon through the window, closed his eyes helplessly.

some weeks or months later, the captain of the mercenary group asked him to participate in a civil war in Balto, where he can maybe get more fame and a position in Balto, but Riftan declined, because he knew that he is unwelcome in Balto, so he made his way to Osiria

Ruth also followed him, because he knows that without Riftan he wouldn't be safe

They worked in Osiria some time and then he heard from another mercenary that there is a fencing competition held in Osiria where nobles and royals from all countries gather and everyone has the right to participate in it

Riftan didn't want to participate in the fencing competition and made his way to Balbon, the capital of Osiria and the former capital of the Roam empire, where he wanted to take on a job

Also, the fencing competition is also held in Balbon

When arriving there, he suddenly sees a luxurious carriage with a familiar flag

Riftan sat on the saddle again. And as he escorted the wagon to the inn, he suddenly saw six luxurious four-wheeled carriages and dozens of knights lining up to the temple.

Riftan narrowed his eyes, looking at the familiar flag. Merchants made a fuss as they pulled the wagon close to the side of the road.

"Hey! Come on. What are you doing without coming down from the horse?"

As he gazed away at the carriage decorated with brilliantly shining armor and gold leaf, a mercenary slapped his leg with a thick palm. Riftan frowned with displeasure and reluctantly stepped down from the saddle. A merchant pulled at the hem of his clothes, to make him bent, and rebuked him in a hushed voice.

"That's the crest of the Duke of Croix. Half the land on the east side of Whedon belongs to that family. It's a huge family, that can be counted as one of the ten most powerful houses of all seven kingdoms, so if you look at that crest, you'd better bow your head straight."

Riftan stiffened as if he had been struck by lightning. That's right. It was the very same flag he saw as a child. Looking at a complex pattern tangled with silver fish, a reddish-brown deer and golden barley, Riftan asked the merchant.

"Why did the nobility of Whedon come to Osiria?"

"I told you there's going to be a fencing competition soon. They're here to watch the games or to build friendship among the big players."

Riftan listened attentively to his explanation and did not take his eyes off the carriage. For incomprehensible reasons, his mouth dried up and his heart pounded. Did she come with him? Feeling impatient curiosity, he stared through the curtain-lined window.

But the thick curtains only gave a glimpse of shadows. Riftan, caught with nervousness, strechted out his head long. How old would she be by now? Thirteen? Fourteen? He was dying to know how the girl in his memory would have grown. Above all, he wanted to see her healthy.

Eventually, he couldn't stand it and tried to follow the procession, but the merchant was startled and grabbed his shoulder.

"What's wrong? Do you know anyone?"

Riftan shoulders stiffened, then he shook his head. He stared at Riftan as if it wasn’t a big deal and pointed his head toward the inn.

"Then let's go. If you're on the main road, you'll have to keep your head down while the nobles and the royals are on their way."

Riftan looked at the duke’s flag, which was gradually drifting away, and followed them along. But even after returning to the inn, he was impatient with the thought that she might be somewhere in this city.

He just wanted to see her once in the distance. He wanted to see with his own eyes the fantasies that comforted him whenever he suffered.

Laying his weary body on the bed, and staring vacantly up at the ceiling, Riftan jumped up to the window at the sound of a loud bugle. On the main road, a royal guard carrying the flag of Whedon was marching in a commanding march around a carriage led by four horses.

Looking at knights marching toward the cathedral, boasting their dashing grandeur, Riftan turned to a huge amphitheater on the eastern side of the city. A cool breeze swept through the wet hair. Riftan closed the window, while brushing away the bangs that prick his eyes.

Let's stop overthinking. There is no reason to be so obsessed.

He tried to persuade himself, but the idea that she might be in the same city captured him and wouldn't let him go. Riftan rubbed his face roughly. She must not even remember a humble servant mixed with the blood of the southern people. But what's wrong with that? He remembered her, and the memory was the only consolation of his harsh life.

If he sees her in reality, not magic fantasies, isn't there another comfort in this desolate life? Making one more memory to be a refuge when he spends the night in a dark cave or when he suffer from an injury caused by a demon. Is that so useless?

Eventually, Riftan was tempted to see her. Riftan went straight to the merchant.

he asked the merchant if he could tell him about the fencing competition and the next day, he applied for the fencing competition

Long story short, he participated in the primary qualifying competition and won, then he got to participate in the real fencing competition a week later. Also, Ruth bet all his money on Riftan

Riftan had four fighting rounds on the first day with mercenaries and won all of them easily and at the end of the day, everyone shouted his nickname Calype. But Riftan still hated this name

He didn’t saw Maxi on the first day

The next day, a friendly older man came to him and talked to him, because he wanted to know who this famous Calypse is. Riftan was cold, but the man was still friendly and polite and it seemed that the man was a friend of some knights who also participated in the competition

After that, he had his first fight for the second day. On the second day he fights against knights and again he won easily, which even surprised Riftan, because he thought it would be harder to fight against knights

But on the second day again he didn't saw Maxi and the only one who is the most happy is Ruth, because he made a lot of money till now

After Riftan came back to the inn, he got insulted by a stranger for being a mixed-blooded guy and even got accused of being a pagan and got told, that he doesn't deserve the price of the fencing competition because of his origins and job

the price for winning the fencing competition is a sword that once used to belong to one of the twelve knights of Uigru. Maybe you all remember when Maxi asked him about his sword and Riftan told her, that he won it in a fencing competition, it’s that sword.

Riftan told the stranger, that he would withdraw from the competition the next day, if the stranger could put even one scratch on his body in a duel, but just like Riftan thought, the stranger was afraid and only knew how to insult someone

Back in his room, he was mad, but after thinking that maybe Maxi could think of him like that, too, he felt anxious and thought that he couldn't bear it, if she thought of him like that

The next day, the competition continued and his first opponent is was a big man with curly red hair

Unlike all the others, he had a friendly kind of tone and after they started fighting, Riftan quickly realized that he is a strong opponent unlike anyone else he ever met

But in the end, Riftan won against him, but unlike others, the man wasn’t mad of losing to a mercenaries and told him, that because he beat him, he needs to win

Riftan was surprised and looked at the symbol of the dragon that was engraved on his armor and felt a little curious to know about what order of knights he belongs to

After that he had the final match, which was just a simple duel for him and in the end, Riftan won and made his way to the podium to get the price from the pope

On the side of the pope sat all royal and nobles from the seven kingdom and Riftan immediately found the Duke of Croix, but on his side he only found woman that were to old to be Maxi

He thought that maybe she was too young to be there to see the fencing competition and was disappointed

Then he got the sword as a price and returned to the inn and the next day he packed to continue to another place to work, but before he did that, he realized that someone was running towards him and trying to attack him

He immediately stopped the attack with his sword and realized that it was the man with curly red hair, with whom he fought hard on the final day, and then both started fighting

Then a chain flew to him and stopped his arm. The one who threw the chain was a young man with a slim body and beside him stood the older man who spoke to him on the second day of the competition

the older man told him they are not here to fight him and he apologized to him for the other mans behavior, because the other one is a fighting maniac, who always wants to fight strong opponents

The man introduced himself as Even Triden and told him, that the man with curly hair is called Hebaron Nirta and the young knight with the chain beside him is Gabel Raxion and that they are members of the Remdragon knights

Sir Triden told him, that they wanted to invite him to join their knights group and that the king of Whedon ordered him to try inviting Riftan, because he saw that he has potential. And he told Riftan, that he didn’t need to worry, because 30% of the Remdragon knights are former mercenaries and that Hebaron also once was a mercenaries

Sir Triden was still friendly and not offended even when Riftan was being cold and insulted them a little and that made Riftan more confused, because he never met people like that

Riftan didn’t want to join them, but after they had a back and forth discussion, Riftan finally decided to join their knights group as a temporary member for three months and after that he would decide if he wants to stay or go away

Ruth didn't want to be left alone, so he told them that he is Riftans wizard and in the end he also joined them

After that we have a time skip and four years have passed since he joined the Remdragon knights

In that time, he became the vice-captain and the Remdragon knights became more and more famous in the seven countries over time

He also got Anatol from the king, so that Riftan could have something to strengthen his name because of his humble origin

The Remdragon knights needed to participate in a war between the Duke of Croix and the country Dristan and after winning, they needed to participate in a victory banquet that the Duke held in his manor

Riftan always tried to avoid the palace of the duke and never visited it since he leaved it when he was 12 years old, because he was afraid to see his stepfather living a miserable life after leaving him. So, he again tried to avoid going there, but because there will be negotiations between Dristan and the Duke, they need to attend and stay for about a month there, till everything is done

When they arrived there, Riftan was afraid and nervous, but didn’t know if it was because of his fear of seeing his stepfather living miserably or that maybe his only happy memory could be scattered like a mirage

he was mad at himself for being afraid of that, because he no longer clinged to the memory and stopped thinking of her as a soothing memory and he no longer wanted to meet her. Still, when he saw a flower field, he sometimes feels a strange longing, but he knew, that what he cherished was only an illusion

But he thinks that maybe it is a good thing for him if he woke up and realized that it’s just a memory and nothing more and goes into the palace of the duke

Click to expand...

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH
AWWWW HE STILL THINK ABOUT HER HE EVEN JOIN THE fencing competition JUST TO SEE HER AHHHH
WILL HE SEE HER THIS TIME ?

iiiiirrrrriiiii · Sep 14, 2020

@ainosz thank you for your spoilers!
Took me a whole day with all the spoilers
Can I ask for spoiler or scene when Max fought on the war? Or atleast a scene where she was able to show off her magic bc I read previously that the king somehow regretted mocking her or something in the future due to her good/great reputation as a wizard and ofc bc I love a strong female lead that will wow everyone with her power.

Only if it's convenient for you

ILAMM · Sep 14, 2020

@ainosz thank you for all the spoilers ❤. Seriously!!!! Can someone be anymore amazing and generous than you? You really are a nice person for giving all this time to give us spoilers and make us grinning like fouls or crying like babies all the time. Really thank you we appreciate all of your efforts ❤

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