Chapter 138: 138: Tension
Roderic wandered through the city, slowly glancing around.
Soldiers hurried through the streets, carrying bundles of arrows, shields, and various other supplies.
Others were busy reinforcing the gates, while several officers shouted orders at the top of their lungs.
But most of all, he noticed the expressions on the soldiers’ faces.
Fear and uncertainty were written all over them.
‘The atmosphere is growing worse,’ he thought, narrowing his eyes. ‘Seems like the reality of the situation is finally sinking in.’
Of course, that was only natural.
Fortunately, things weren’t quite as bad as they could’ve been.
‘In times like these, people love clinging to miracles and gods,’ he thought. ‘And it seems our victory at Riverwood has given them exactly that.’
A miracle to hold on to.
The belief that it will happen again.
That’s what Roderic had been relying on all this time.
‘They aren’t exactly wrong,’ he thought, grinning. ‘Tons of miracles will be happening here!’
He clenched his fists slightly, feeling his heart pound in his chest.
Despite his confidence, Roderic couldn’t help but feel a little nervous himself.
After a few minutes, he finally arrived back at the blacksmith.
”I’m back!” he shouted, pushing open the door to the courtyard.
Four heads snapped up at the same time.
”Young master!” they said, quickly standing up to greet him.
Roderic smiled faintly as he waved them off.
”How are the preparations?” he asked, closing the door.
Frederic took a step forward, his expression serious.
”Everything is complete,” he reported. ”John has tested the mechanism several times. There shouldn’t be any problems tonight.”
Nodding once, Roderic began walking ahead.
A horse-drawn wagon stood in front of him, a large cloth hiding the ballista bound to it.
For a moment, he examined the reinforced wheels and thick iron supports holding everything in place.
”We’ll probably need four horses to drag this,” he mumbled, dragging his hand across the wagon’s wheels.
Roderic glanced back at Frederic.
”Have you informed the stablehands already?” he asked without another thought.
Frederic nodded once.
”They’ll have the horses ready at sunset,” he replied seriously.
A satisfied smile grew on Roderic’s face.
Everything was truly prepared for the night now.
Of course, whether the enormous contraption would actually perform as intended was another matter entirely.
‘John better not miss,’ he thought.
Just then, a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
”Young master, if I may ask,” Peter started. ”How is the situation looking outside?”
Roderic glanced back at the young man.
”So far, it’s been the best-case scenario,” he replied. ”Their army has started setting up camp, and they don’t seem to have an attack planned for today.”
A relieved sigh left Peter’s mouth almost immediately.
Frederic nodded thoughtfully.
”That’s perfect,” he said. ”We should have enough time then.”
Of course, they all knew everything could change in an instant.
In fact, if the Deres attacks started towards the end of the day, it would be the worst-case scenario for them.
Roderic didn’t let that thought bother him.
”Anyway, you can all take a short break,” he said. ”There’s still some time before sunset, and I’d rather have everyone well-rested tonight.”
All four of his retainers instantly nodded.
After saying their goodbyes, they quickly returned to their quarters.
With that settled, Roderic walked towards a nearby chair and sat down.
There was still one final preparation he wanted to make.
‘System, go to the miscellaneous section of the shop.’
A familiar translucent screen immediately appeared before his eyes.
—————Miscellaneous Shop—————
[Flint Rock] — 50 Throne Coins
[Beast Repellent] — 150 Throne Coins
[Mana-crystal-powered Lantern] — 200 Throne Coins
…
Dozens of rows with all kinds of strange items unfolded in front of him.
The items ranged from everyday items and unusual tools to artifacts with magical effects.
However, Roderic wasn’t interested in any of those.
He needed something that would help him locate the mage if Finn’s plan went wrong.
‘There should be something useful here.’
Roderic began browsing through the available items.
A few moments later, his eyes suddenly stopped on one particular listing.
[Tracking Compass]
[Price: 1,000 Throne Coins]
[Description: A single-use magical compass engraved with second-circle tracking magic that allows the user to track a designated target for twelve hours after establishing visual contact.]
Roderic’s eyes lit up.
‘Oh? Isn’t that the perfect item for this?’
He leaned forward slightly, carefully rereading the description.
Of course, there was one rather unpleasant detail.
‘A thousand Throne Coins for something I can only use once?’
Roderic grimaced.
However, after thinking about it for a moment, he reluctantly nodded.
‘Well, it’s better than having that bastard escape.’
Without further hesitation, he selected the purchase option.
[Would you like to purchase Tracking Compass for 1,000 Throne Coins?]
[Yes] [No]
‘Yes.’
[Purchase successful!]
[1,000 Throne Coins have been deducted.]
Almost immediately, a small metallic compass appeared in his hand.
Roderic examined it curiously.
Instead of the usual directional markings, its face contained a strange circular pattern, with a thin silver needle resting motionlessly at its center.
‘Magic truly is interesting,’ he thought. ‘This’ll definitely cover us in case something goes wrong.’
Though… he did still have to make visual contact with the mage.
But that wasn’t the biggest concern in his mind.
…
Over the next few hours, Roderic made several trips to the northern walls, each time more nervous than the last.
He carefully observed the Deres army, looking for any signs of an impending attack.
Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.
If anything, the enemy seemed increasingly occupied with establishing their camp.
More tents appeared across the distant fields, while hundreds of soldiers busied themselves unloading supplies and preparing for the night.
‘Good, good,’ Roderic thought, nodding approvingly. ‘Keep doing exactly that.’
As the afternoon gradually gave way to evening, he finally decided to head towards the southern gate.
This was where they intended to bring the ballista wagon out of the city.
Unlike the northern side, which faced the enormous Deres army, the surrounding fields here appeared relatively peaceful.
At least, to an ordinary observer.
Roderic stepped onto the battlements, his eyes squinted.
Almost immediately, he began scanning the distant fields, paying particular attention to the hills and patches of vegetation.
It didn’t take long before he noticed something.
Far beyond the southern gate, several figures were positioned near a small cluster of trees.
Two were crouching among the bushes, while another stood farther back beside a horse.
Every now and then, one of them would turn towards the city.
Roderic narrowed his eyes.
‘Enemy scouts, huh?’
He continued observing them for another moment.
Their positioning made their intentions rather obvious.
They were keeping watch over the southern gate, presumably to report any unusual movements to the Deres army.
Roderic scratched his chin.
‘Mhm, that’ll be a bit of a problem,’ he thought. ‘I’ll need to take care of them alone before we do anything.’
His gaze shifted towards the horizon.
There was still a faint orange glow in the distance.
‘It’s not dark enough yet, though.’
If he went out right now, they’d instantly spot him and report back.
Minutes ticked by one after another.
Roderic kept close watch on their positions, his heart pounding steadily.
Eventually, the moon hung a quarter of the way up in the sky.
‘It’s time,’ he thought, pulling out his blades.