Chapter 132: Calm Before The Storm
The sun hadn’t even risen above the Whitemane Estate when a loud crash echoed through the training grounds.
BANG!
A wooden dummy flew back, its body sliced into several parts.
Letting out a deep breath, Roderic slowly lowered his blades.
’’That’s the third one, young master,’’ a familiar voice complained from behind him. ’’At this rate, we’ll run out of training dummies before the enemy even arrives.’’
Turning around, Roderic found Captain Harris standing behind him.
The veteran captain had his arms crossed, his gaze moving between Roderic and the remains of the training dummy.
’’You’ve improved immensely since the last time I saw you.’’
Captain Harris picked up a shattered piece of wood and dragged his finger across it.
’’Your strikes have become much more precise,’’ he continued. ’’It’s like I’m standing in front of a completely different person.’’
Raising an eyebrow, Roderic couldn’t help but stare at the brown-haired man.
Captain Harris casually tossed aside the piece of wood and turned back towards him.
’’Though I must admit, young master,’’ he added, ’’I’m far more surprised by how quickly you’ve recovered. When I heard about your condition, I expected you to be bedridden for weeks.’’
His gaze slowly moved across Roderic’s scarred body.
Only after reaching Roderic’s missing ear did Harris finally avert his gaze.
’’It’s reassuring to see you back on your feet, young master. But I’d still advise you to take it easy. The enemy could arrive within hours, and we’ll need you in your best condition.’’
Roderic glanced over at the shattered dummies.
After a moment, a deep sigh left his mouth.
’’You’re probably right,’’ he replied casually. ’’I suppose I’ve done enough of a warm-up for today.’’
Captain Harris nodded once, a small smile appearing on his face.
’’A wise decision, young master,’’ he said warmly. ’’I’ll leave you to your rest, then.’’
With that, he turned around and left towards their army camps.
Roderic watched him leave before letting out another sigh.
’Well, I suppose he has a point.’
While his wounds had mostly healed, bruising and stiffness still lingered throughout his body.
A little more rest certainly wouldn’t hurt.
’My injuries, huh,’ he thought. ’They’ve certainly been healing fast.’
The Supreme Aura Physique truly deserved its name.
Although his wounds had initially been severe, his body had repaired nearly all the damage in an absurdly short amount of time.
Even the hole through his calf had completely closed, leaving behind nothing but a large scar and blue bruising.
Unfortunately, his missing ear hadn’t grown back.
’Even this physique has its limits, I suppose... or I simply haven’t waited long enough.’
Whatever the case was, Roderic wasn’t worried in the slightest.
Sufficiently skilled high priests could restore missing body parts through divine magic, after all.
There was just one problem with that.
’’They have some kind of agreement not to interfere in conflicts and wars,’’ he muttered. ’’It’s not that I can’t understand why, but it is rather annoying to walk around like this.’’
Reaching towards the side of his head, he gently touched the scarred skin where his ear had once been.
It was the first time in both lives that he was actually missing a body part.
’Well, nothing I can do about it now.’
Shaking his head, Roderic walked towards a nearby patch of grass and slowly lowered himself onto the ground.
He stretched out his legs before lying down, folding his arms behind his head.
Above him was a dark, empty sky.
The moon had already disappeared beyond the horizon, while the sun had yet to rise.
For a while, he simply lay there, enjoying the cool morning air.
But even with his eyes fixed on the sky, his thoughts soon returned to the approaching war.
’They should be passing through Riverwood any time now,’ he thought. ’I wonder how many soldiers they’ve lost.’
He had no way of knowing exactly how effective his traps had been.
But considering the sheer number he’d prepared, he would be rather disappointed if they hadn’t managed to kill or injure at least two hundred soldiers.
’At least there’s absolutely no way their morale is high,’ he thought. ’That was the main purpose of that place, after all.’
For a moment, his mind went silent.
Roderic closed his eyes, feeling his heart pound.
’Soon... the real battle will start.’
A small grin appeared on his face.
He had spent the past several days preparing for this moment.
Now, all that remained was to see whether his preparations would pay off.
’Of course, things probably won’t go exactly as planned.’
After all, Aldric wasn’t some inexperienced fool.
He was a veteran knight who had fought in several conflicts, and his army still outnumbered theirs by a considerable margin.
Not to mention the support they’d gained from the Ironharts and the Second Prince.
’Speaking of support,’ he thought, his brows furrowing. ’When is the First Prince finally going to lock the Ironharts down?’
He’d reported them well over a month ago already.
And yet, nothing had happened.
’It’s like he’s waiting for something specific... and only one thing really comes to mind.’
Perhaps the First Prince wanted the Ironharts to commit even more of their forces to the invasion before taking action.
That way, he’d have a much easier time moving through their territory.
’Even if that’s the case, I doubt he’ll wait much longer. We are known to have a rather small army, after all.’
Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed across the training grounds.
’’Young master!’’ Edmund’s voice rang out.
Opening his eyes, Roderic spotted his attendant approaching from the direction of the estate.
’’What is it?’’ he asked, slowly sitting upright.
Edmund stopped in front of him, completely out of breath.
’’A scout has returned from Riverwood! The Baron wants to see you in the war room now!’’
Roderic’s eyes immediately lit up.
’’Oh?’’ he said. ’’Is it finally time?’’
He quickly rose to his feet, brushing the grass from his clothes.
A wide smile spread across his face as he picked up his blades.
’’Well then, let’s go!’’