Chapter 94: Journey Back
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The Whitemane group had been back on the road since the morning after the ambush.
Their numbers were smaller now, and the atmosphere around the carriages had noticeably changed.
Now that the adrenaline had worn off, they all knew war was unavoidable.
Roderic hadn’t wasted those three days either.
Gareth had turned out to be surprisingly cooperative once death became a certainty.
Their numbers, defensive positions, supplies, allies. If Gareth knew about it, Roderic knew about it now.
Of course, that hadn’t changed the man’s fate.
Though... Gareth seemed to be under the impression that it had.
Roderic had never promised it would, but he’d happily allowed Gareth to build up that little illusion of hope.
At that moment, he was sitting inside his carriage with a small wooden gift box resting on his lap.
’’There,’’ he said.
Click!
He closed the lid with a satisfied smile.
’’That makes three great presents.’’
After placing the box beside two others on the seat, Roderic leaned back.
All three were neatly closed, looking no different from ordinary gifts.
Roderic stared at them for a moment before nodding proudly.
’Presentation is important, after all.’
A faint groan suddenly came from the other side of the carriage.
Roderic glanced up right away.
Gareth was lying on a pile of blankets on the opposite bench.
His condition had improved considerably over the past three days, though calling him healthy would be ridiculous.
’’Would you look at that, our little princess has woken up!’’
Gareth groggily opened his eyes.
Unlike three days ago, there was far less terror in them.
’’R-Roderic...’’
’’Good morning,’’ Roderic waved happily.
Gareth’s breathing grew heavier for a moment.
Then he swallowed hard.
’’I-I told you everything,’’ he stuttered.
Roderic nodded just as happily.
’’You’ve been very helpful, indeed,’’ he replied.
Relief washed over Gareth’s face.
Roderic quietly shook his head, almost impressed by his delusions.
’You don’t understand just how much value your death has for me,’ he thought, smiling. ’Whether I execute you for citizens or kill you in front of your father when he attacks the city... both lead to immeasurable results.’
’And that isn’t even all I can do eith—’
’’C-Can I get s-something to eat?’’ Gareth’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
Roderic glanced up at once, annoyance flickering across his face.
’’Seriously?’’ he asked. ’’I was in the middle of something.’’
’’B-But I haven’t eaten since—’’
’’Alright, that’s enough,’’ Roderic interrupted.
He stood up and walked over towards him.
Gareth’s eyes widened in terror immediately.
’’W-What are you doing?’’ he stuttered.
Roderic flashed a small, innocent smile as he grabbed him by his hair.
’’You’re going back into timeout,’’ he said.
Before Gareth could respond, Roderic flipped his body around, planting him face-first into the pile of cushions.
’’Mmph?!’’
Roderic adjusted the cushions slightly before giving him a satisfied pat on the back.
’’There. Much better,’’ he said. ’’Nice and quiet.’’
Gareth’s head trembled inside the cushion pile.
’’MMMPH!!! MMH!’’
Roderic shook his head lightly.
’’No, no, don’t do that now,’’ he replied. ’’You know very well that making noises means you’re not eating.’’
As he returned to his seat, Gareth continued making muffled noises.
Roderic let out a sigh.
’At least it’s better than before,’ he thought. ’Now where was I?’
For a moment, his mind wandered back towards the countless effective ways to deal with Gareth.
But then, he just shook his head.
’I’ll decide on a perfect plan back at home.’
There were other things he desperately wanted to look at right now.
Roderic leaned back and let out a slow breath.
’Alright, system,’ he thought, having calmed down. ’Show me my status.’
A familiar blue screen popped up in front of him right away.
—————Status—————
Strength: 50
Agility: 45
Aura: 120
Mana: 1
Talent: Supreme Aura Constitution, Golden Appraisal Eye, Weapon Recall
Minor Traits: [Minor Poison Resistance], [Noble Bearing], [Light Sleeper], [Sharp Memory], [Strong Lungs], [Deep Focus], [Late Bloomer], [Steady Hands]
Medium Traits: [Eagle Eyes], [Medium Pain Resistance], [Skilled Horse Rider]
Advanced Traits: [Ambidextrous], [Enhanced Spatial Awareness]
- - -
Roderic stared at the screen for a moment.
A lot had changed after breaking through.
Most of his stats had increased by fifteen to twenty points, while his aura had increased by seventy.
’The traits are becoming an eyesore though,’ he thought, swiping the screen away. ’Especially the minor ones.’
The main system screen popped up in front of him.
—————World Throne System—————
Name: Roderic Whitemane
Age: 18
Throne Coins: 17384
> Status
> Quests
> Shop
> Archive
> Territory
> Retainers
???
- - -
Roderic’s gaze immediately settled on the throne coins.
’Seventeen thousand...’ he thought, eyes drifting to the shop tab.
For a moment, he truly was tempted.
Then his gaze dropped to the last tab on the system.
’I should save this for those retainer morons, huh,’ he thought, smiling slightly. ’They deserve better techniques more than anything.’
His smile only grew warmer as he thought about the two.
’I wonder how much they’ve grown...’
An entire month had passed since he’d left, after all.
That made it two entire months since he’d started recruiting them.
Their basics and physiques had surely reached a sufficient level by now.
’And then their real trial by fire will be the war,’ he thought. ’Not exactly ideal. But at least it’ll show their talent.’
Roderic dismissed the system screen and rested his head against the side of the carriage.
His gaze landed outside, watching the green fields pass by beneath the afternoon sun.
’The war, huh,’ he thought, heart pounding faster. ’I wonder if it’s similar to those gang wars back in my neighborhood.’
All sounds around him slowly began to fade.
His mind began wandering back to his life on Earth, reliving countless memories one after another.
’’Mhmpg!’’
The sound barely registered.
’’MMPHG!’’
Roderic continued staring outside, his breathing growing more excited yet nervous simultaneously.
’’HELP— MMPHGH!!!’’
In an instant, Roderic snapped out of his thoughts and quickly turned around.
Gareth was violently struggling against the cushions, his entire body twisting as he desperately tried to lift his head.
’’Oh,’’ he said. ’’You probably can’t breathe very well like that, huh?’’
’’MMMMMPH!’’
Roderic stared at him for a moment.
Then he shrugged with a smirk on his face.
’’Just hold on for a while,’’ he said. ’’I’ll flip you over later.’’