Chapter 139: 139: Go! Go! Go!
Roderic wasted no time.
Turning away, he hurried down the stone staircase.
At the foot of the wall, he immediately spotted his four retainers waiting beside the enormous wagon.
Four horses had already been harnessed to its front, while the ballista remained concealed beneath a thick cloth.
Frederic noticed him approaching.
”Young master!” he said seriously. ”Everything’s ready. We’re waiting for your orders.”
Roderic glanced at the four horses harnessed to the wagon.
”Good,” he replied. ”Unfortunately, I’ve got one small problem to deal with first.”
Paul raised an eyebrow from on top of the wagon.
”What happened?” he asked, lining up one of the cloth’s ropes.
”There are a few Deres scouts watching the southern gate,” Roderic replied. ”If we leave now, they’ll see us coming from a mile away.”
Paul nodded once, understanding the situation.
”That’s why I’ll go kill them now,” Roderic continued. ”Be prepared for when I get back here. We’ll leave at once then.”
His retainers nodded firmly.
With that, Roderic turned around and hurried back towards the southern gate.
Barely a minute later, he found himself standing on top of the wall once more.
His gaze was locked onto the distant cluster of trees.
‘Good, they’re still there.’
Unfortunately, there was one thing he hadn’t properly accounted for.
Roderic glanced up at the sky, finding a large, nearly full moon above him.
‘Fuck,’ he cursed. ‘Couldn’t it have been a cloudy night?!’
Much of the landscape ahead was completely illuminated.
That made getting to the scouts without being seen quite problematic.
Clicking his tongue, Roderic shook the thoughts out of his head.
‘I don’t have time for this,’ he thought. ‘I need to go, now!’
He climbed onto the edge of the wall without another thought.
A nearby guard noticed him.
”Y-young master? What are you doing?”
Roderic glanced over with a small smile.
”Just going for a walk,” he replied.
The guard’s eyes widened slightly.
But before he could say anything, Roderic jumped.
WHOOSH!
He plummeted to the ground below.
A moment later, his boots struck the grass with a heavy thud.
‘Easy enough,’ he thought.
Without wasting another second, he rushed forward.
As he ran, Roderic’s eyes suddenly lit up.
The surrounding fields weren’t nearly as open as they’d appeared from atop the walls.
Scattered trees, thick bushes, and several small wooden sheds were spread across the landscape.
A grin spread across his face.
Without slowing down, he adjusted his direction and rushed towards the nearest cluster of trees.
WHOOSH!
His figure disappeared behind a thick trunk, only to emerge on the other side a moment later.
He immediately changed direction again, racing past a small wooden shed before disappearing behind another cluster of bushes.
Despite the bright moonlight, the terrain provided more than enough cover.
Roderic moved from one obstacle to another at incredible speed, using the trees, sheds, and uneven ground to constantly keep himself out of the scouts’ line of sight.
Within barely a few minutes, he had already crossed most of the distance separating them.
And fortunately, none of the scouts appeared to have noticed a thing.
‘Okay,’ he thought, slowing down. ‘Now I’ll need to be a bit more careful.’
The cluster of trees was now only a short distance away.
Roderic came to a halt behind a small hill, his gaze locked onto the scouts ahead.
Several figures were gathered beneath the trees.
One was sitting against a trunk, while another stood beside a horse.
The other two appeared to be talking amongst themselves.
‘Wait a second,’ he thought. ‘Weren’t there five earlier?’
A deep frown appeared on Roderic’s face.
There was no way they’d spotted him; otherwise, they would’ve all run away.
‘He’s probably gone to deliver a report.’
A wide smile slowly appeared on his face.
‘Isn’t this the perfect time to take action, then!’
He could kill the four scouts before the fifth even realized what was happening.
Then, all he’d have to do was wait for the bastard to return.
Roderic drew his blades right away.
Without another moment of hesitation, he began creeping forward.
”I bet we’ll be within their walls in a day,” one of the scouts said loudly.
Another shook his head.
”It isn’t as easy as you think,” he replied. ”They aren’t exactly pushov—”
SHHS!
The first scout raised an eyebrow.
”They aren’t what?” he asked, slowly turning back.
His words caught in his throat.
The man who had been standing beside him was gone.
Or rather, his body was still standing.
His head, however, was nowhere to be seen.
THUD!
A moment later, the headless corpse collapsed onto the grass.
”W-WHAT THE FUCK?!”
Before he could even stand, another blade flashed across his throat.
Blood sprayed into the air as his head left his body.
‘That’s two.’
Roderic immediately turned towards the remaining two scouts.
One was sitting against a tree, while the other stood beside a horse.
Both stared at him in complete disbelief.
”E-ENEMY!” one of them shouted.
Before either of them could react, Roderic hurled both his blades forward.
They shot through the air at incredible speeds.
SHHK! SHHK!
One pierced straight through the first scout’s throat, while the other buried itself deep in the second scout’s chest.
Both men collapsed almost simultaneously.
THUD! THUD!
Silence fell inside the small cluster of trees.
Roderic grinned faintly.
‘Four down,’ he thought, walking towards the bodies. ‘One to go.’
Pulling his blades free, his eyes narrowed slightly.
The fifth scout was nowhere to be seen yet.
Roderic crouched down, carefully scanning the surroundings.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long before he spotted something.
A lone figure on horseback was making his way towards the cluster of trees.
‘Ah, there he is!’ he thought, smiling.
Roderic calmly crawled forward, both blades ready to be thrown.
The sound of a galloping horse slowly grew louder.
”Oi! I’m back!” a voice called out moments later.
CLOP! CLOP! CLOP!
The horse galloped past Roderic’s hiding place.
Without hesitation, he stood up and hurled both his blades forward.
SHHK! SHHK!
Both swords pierced deep into the scout’s back, killing him instantly.
His lifeless body fell from the saddle while the horse slowed to a halt.
‘That’s five!’
Roderic instantly dashed forward.
Within moments, he caught up to the slowing horse.
”Easy, easy!” he said, grabbing the reins.
HUP!
With a single careful leap, he landed in the horse’s saddle.
The animal neighed nervously, startled by its sudden new rider.
Roderic tightened his grip on the reins before driving it forward.
”Go! Go! Go!”
CLOP! CLOP! CLOP!
The horse immediately broke into a gallop, racing towards the southern walls of Whitemane City.
The wind rushed past Roderic’s face as he urged the horse to go.
Within moments, the southern walls came into view.
As he drew closer, several guards stationed atop the walls noticed his approach.
Before any of them could say something, Roderic opened his mouth.
”IT’S ME! OPEN THE GATES!” he shouted.
The guards’ eyes widened in surprise.
”QUICKLY!” Roderic shouted. ”WE DON’T HAVE ALL NIGHT!”
This time, they reacted instantly.
”Y-YES, YOUNG MASTER!” one shouted back.
He turned around right away.
”OPEN THE SOUTHERN GATE!”
CREAAAAK!
The enormous wooden gates slowly began opening.
Roderic didn’t bother slowing down.
He rode straight through the widening gap, causing several guards to hurriedly step aside.
Within moments, the waiting wagon with his retainers came into sight.
”THE SCOUTS ARE DEAD!” he shouted, jumping off his horse. ”LET’S GO!”
His retainers instantly sprang into action.
The wagon had already started moving forward when Roderic jumped onto it.
”HYAH!”
Frederic snapped the reins, sending the four horses into a gallop.
The enormous wagon rattled as it passed through the southern gate into the night.