"You… you!" Alex stared incredulously at Melissa, his entire body trembling with rage as he struggled to form words. His teeth ground together audibly, and his gaze burned with fury, though deep within, there flickered a hint of insecurity. After all, as Melissa had pointedly remarked, he was merely a guard in the caravan—he had no standing to challenge her.
"Get out!" Melissa shouted once more, and Alex clenched his teeth, letting out a huff of frustration as he spun on his heel and stomped out of the tent.
Upon stepping outside, a chill wind blew against Alex, clearing the fog from his mind. In that moment of clarity, he realized the foolishness of his actions—he had thoroughly angered Melissa, jeopardizing all chances of advancement within the caravan, and increasing the likelihood of expulsion.
Biting his lip, he contemplated turning back to apologize, but the memory of her earlier reprimand paralyzed his pride. With a last frustrated remark tossed over his shoulder, he sulked back into the tent, determined to bury himself in sleep. "Hmph, I'll just quit if it comes to that. I won't really starve to death by it!"
As Alex fell into slumber, Melissa remained wide awake, her thoughts a tangled web after the confrontation. With the candle inside the tent flickering low, she suddenly rose, almost as if compelled by forces beyond her comprehension, extinguishing the flame before stepping out into the night.
Outside the tent lay the camp of the caravan, shrouded in darkness, yet in the distance, flickering lights hinted at life. Melissa knew that those lights belonged to Richard's camp. With an unconscious impulse, she started toward them, unsure of what she intended to say or do.
Meanwhile, within the First Guard's encampment...
A beeswax candle sat atop a flat stone, beside which lay a scroll of papyrus. Richard was diligently using a quill to jot down rapid calculations upon the scroll.
Scratch, scratch, scratch...
After an indeterminate amount of time, Richard paused, finally lifting his head to exhale slowly. His eyes rested upon the densely written scroll, a smile creeping across his lips. Through strenuous effort, he had successfully computed various models for the simultaneous release of the Explosion Fireball spell and a myriad of construction hypotheses.
In the course of the calculations, he had identified eight viable solutions. To determine which among them was the most optimal, further computations would be necessary. Yet, with this progress, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders; the challenge he had established was now more than halfway conquered.
As he sighed in relief and lowered his head to tackle the final set of calculations, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching from afar.
"Hm?" Richard turned his gaze toward the source of the noise, his brow furrowing slightly.
The members of his First Guard understood the necessity of silence to facilitate his research and would typically avoid disturbing him. Lucy, the young maid, would remind him to take his dinner, but she had succumbed to fatigue and was dozing nearby. Who, then, could it be?
Could it be an enemy tracking his party? Yet the cadence of the footsteps suggested it was merely a single person and not a band. That person was...
Richard's eyes narrowed as the figure drew closer from the shadows, and he recognized the merchant caravan's willful young lady—Melissa.
What business could she have here?
Richard's eyes glimmered with curiosity as he continued to observe her. She closed the distance, and as she approached within ten paces, she finally sensed the intensity of his gaze and abruptly turned to meet his eyes, but not a word was spoken between them.
This silent standoff endured for over a minute until, unable to withstand the tension any longer, Melissa broke the stalemate. "What are you staring at?!"
"I merely wished to see what you are doing here," Richard replied, devoid of any expression.
"I can come here if I choose to! It's not your domain!" she retorted fiercely, her voice brimming with defiance.
At this, a quiet laugh escaped Richard's lips internally, as he responded, "In fact, the very ground upon which you stand is indeed my domain."
"Excuse me?"
"Just this noon, our caravan departed from the land of Lord Lanster, entering the territory of my father, Baron Leo. Therefore, by your own logic, I possess the right to inquire as to your presence here."
"You…" Melissa faltered, though unwilling to concede easily. "Even if it is your father's territory, what of it? It is still not yours! You have yet to inherit your title, so I owe you no explanations!"
With that, she glared defiantly as she approached the nearby stone.
Casting a glance at the papyrus scroll upon the stone, she voiced her surprise, "You're writing? What are you writing about?"
"Things that you wouldn't understand," Richard replied concisely, unwilling to share the truth and too indifferent to concoct elaborate fabrications.
"You!" Upon hearing this, he could see her delicate brows furrow in indignation, resembling a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "How can you presume I wouldn't comprehend? I… I assure you, while in Myron, my father hired five erudite tutors to enlighten me on language, art, etiquette, poetry, and physics.
Physics! Pray tell, what do you know of it? That is a most profound discipline!" Melissa exclaimed proudly, her expression radiating arrogance as she continued, "Do you know why boats float upon water instead of sinking? Can you measure the volume of a crown? Hmph, I bet you cannot, yet I can! My tutors have taught me all of this!"
Watching Melissa strut about like a proud rooster, Richard nearly succumbed to laughter but managed to suppress it. However, as she seemed intent on elaborating further on her rudimentary understanding of physics, Richard shook his head, deciding it was best to enlighten her on some harsh realities sooner rather than later.
"Did your tutors only touch upon buoyancy?" he began, his tone measured as he regarded Melissa.
"Uh?"
"Did they teach levers?"
"Levers?"
"Well, it appears not. What of friction?"
"…"
"Apparently not. I dare say they surely neglected to teach you about static electricity. And as for electricity and magnetism, well, those would be even further beyond your grasp. Clearly, your understanding of physics has barely reached a first or second-grade level in primary school—there remains much ahead for you to learn."
"…"
"The study of physics is generally divided into five branches: classical mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, relativity, and quantum mechanics. If you truly wish to engage me in discussions on physics, I suggest you master at least one of those branches first before venturing forth," Richard stated calmly, meeting her gaze unwaveringly.
At this, the smugness on Melissa's face slowly faded, bit by bit, until it was gone entirely.
After a prolonged silence, Melissa let out an angry huff, muttering "playing tricks" before she turned away and fell silent. Richard, feeling no desire to pursue the conversation further, returned his attention to his calculations.