Chapter 192 (1/2)

Chapter 192

After hs onto the carts, Riftan finally turned to look at Max

Max tilted her head away at his hardened expression His piercing eyes looked like they were full of annoyance and he sighed lightly as he led her to where the horses were standing by Then, he pulled so he had tied to his saddle

“I bought this yesterday I chose the lightest one there was, so be sure to carry it around even if it is cu at the dagger a little over a kvet long (30 cm) Riftan carefully fastened a sturdy belt with a scabbard around her waist and hung the weapon at her hip

“I didn’t really intend on giving you such a hideous thing, but…” He frowned as he gazed down at her with a coot lost in the le weapon, er”

“Th-thank you I’llit to you with the intention of using it This is just a precaution” He said sharply but soon added with a groan “But still, I’ll show you how to use that later”

Max nodded her head looking grateful The fact that Riftan had given her a weapon, despite treating her as an extra finger on this expedition, ht at her reaction, but he simply shook his head and led her back to the inn They quickly finished their siht away

Max rode her horse with ease over the vast plains, surrounded by the knights The endless plains around them were much easier to traverse compared to the uneven rasson clouds Max looked up at the clear blue sky, free of clouds, then turned to see two rolling carts, swaying and rattling behind theht froed to keep up with the war horses, despite carrying carts that were full of hay, barrels of water, food, and firewood

“Do we really need thathis horse real close to her, looked up at the sky and answered “Although there’s a strearass or a puddle of water will be near impossible as we continue further on And it probably won’t rain for a few days froh to keep all the horses going”

Hearing that, Max became a little concerned since the rain was not a welco would soak through,the movement very unpleasant, not to mention herbs and food which often ended up ruined

Yet, riding across the eainst the intense summer sun was another for sun and wiped away the beads of sweat that had already started to trickle down the bridge of her nose That heat would only get worse when midday hit

And just as she feared, when the sun rose above their heads, the blazing heat began to scorch their skins The horses whinnied and snorted, and even the knights, whose faces remained impassive, were drenched with sweat They traveled across the e to take a break near a streaulped down the water voraciously, the men ate a simple lunch of bread and dried meat and as soon as they finished, they iht she would miss the mountains in just half a day of travel She s of the , she looked ahead at the dry plain that didn’t have a single blade of grass in sight Her scalp tingled fro just above her head, while the sweat on her back dripped endlessly

When they finally stopped to set up cae rocks, Max felt like a spinach pickled in vinegar Max, covered in sweat, aardly got off her saddle She was deeply upset that the bath she had taken so sincerely the day before had gone to waste in just one day It was probably best to scrap the idea of hygiene during an expedition

She trudged to where the knights were gathered to help feed the horses Yulysion tried to stop her, but she felt unco tirelessly while she was left alone, co to the supplies in the carts, Max scooped up a pile of hay, placed it in buckets, and carried it to the horses She also filled buckets ater to help the drink

However, Riftan, ith a couple of knights to survey their surroundings forher

“Don’t bother with these useless chores and rest” He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the tent that was set up “Lie down and rest until dinner is ready That would beelse”

Max looked at him with a dissatisfied expression but nodded helplessly, she knew arguing with him would be pointless She was not as exhausted as before now that her body had adapted to traveling and cath was still incoorously every day

Like Riftan said, it was better to focus on regaining her strength as often as possible Crouching near the entrance to the tent, Max looked out over the widesun

Riftan placed food on a tray and brought it straight to the tent She satisfied her hunger with barley bread and stew made with saltedwithout leaving a single drop or cruhs still hurt?”

“It… it doesn’t hurt thatperiods now”

In fact, her inner thighs and shoulders still ached, but Max tried her best as she could to look honest Riftan stared at her for a while, searching her body with his eyes, as if trying to detect any lies in her words, then stood up

“Good, I’ll show you how to use the dagger before you go to bed Come with me”

“N…now?”

“Is it too hard for you?” Max quickly shook her head and got up from her seat to follow him Riftan took her a little further away froer”

She looked around and felt the discohts, ere sitting near the ca at thehed aardly, then reached for the dagger that was secured in a scabbard tied around her waist She wanted to remove it in one smooth motion to avoid embarrassment herself, but the blade remained stubbornly stuck in the leather sheath