Chapter 54: Smooth Journey? I Think Not!
Two days passed by in a flash.
Early in the morning of the third day, Roderic stood in front of the mirror with a bitter expression.
’’This is absolutely ridiculous.’’
He tugged lightly at the extremely tight collar around his neck.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he wasn’t wearing some simple clothes.
Instead, an expensive black coat covered his body, decorated with silver embroidery along the edges and the Whitemane crest proudly displayed across his chest.
Beneath that was a dark-gray linen shirt, while black trousers disappeared into a pair of knee-high leather boots.
As Roderic saw himself in the mirror, he couldn’t help but shake his head.
’Fashion is dead.’
Just then, Edmund walked through the door behind him.
He halted, glanced him up and down, before nodding slowly.
’’That looks good on you, young master,’’ he said lightly. ’’I’m sure finding another fiancée will not be a problem!’’
Roderic turned around with dead eyes.
’’Another fiancée, huh,’’ he said without a single emotion. ’’I think I’m good. I still have enough of a mess to clean up from my ex-fiancée after all.’’
Edmund blinked several times before letting out an awkward cough.
’’Right... perhaps another time then.’’
’’Preferably another lifetime,’’ Roderic replied while turning around.
Glancing at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t help but sigh.
As uncomfortable as the clothes were, he had to admit they made him look considerably more like a noble.
’’Well, everything seems to fit properly,’’ Edmund said from behind. ’’You can change into something more suitable for travel now, young master.’’
Roderic’s hand immediately moved to the collar.
’’Finally,’’ he said, pulling it loose. ’’And we’re leaving after I change, correct?’’
Edmund nodded behind him.
’’Yes, Young Master,’’ he replied. ’’Everything has been prepared and is fully ready to set off.’’
Nodding once, Roderic’s expression couldn’t help but grow annoyed again.
Today would be the start of his ten-day journey towards the Valemont territories.
And he was absolutely not looking forward to it.
’Ten days of misery, followed by three days of hell before ending on another ten days of misery,’ he thought. ’The only light at the end of the tunnel is completing my main quest.’
Letting out a long sigh, Roderic turned back to Edmund.
’’Give me a few minutes to change.’’
Edmund nodded before leaving the room.
Not even ten minutes later, Roderic had changed back into a much simpler set of traveling clothes.
He grabbed both his Azure Hooked Blades and headed downstairs.
By the time he stepped outside, several carriages were already waiting in front of the manor.
Servants hurried around them, checking the luggage one final time while several knights waited on horseback nearby.
As Roderic walked towards them, he couldn’t help but glance at the training grounds.
Dennis was there again.
Except this time, he wasn’t sparring anyone or having someone instruct him.
Instead, he was repeatedly swinging his wooden sword against a training dummy.
His clothes were soaked in sweat, and even from this distance, Roderic could see how exhausted he looked.
’I can’t believe it,’ he thought, raising an eyebrow. ’That snobby little shit had a complete turnaround in a month.’
Well... Dennis was starting to cry as he hacked away at the dummy...
Even so, clearly an improvement compared to before.
’Margaret must be forcing him, or he’s trying to live up to her demands,’ he thought as he continued walking. ’It actually kind of makes me pity him.’
Roderic could kind of guess where the mood change came from now.
After he’d been performing all kinds of stunts around the territory, Margaret must’ve started feeling threatened by his sudden burst of talent.
And now, Dennis ended up becoming the victim of that.
’Even so, acting that way to a child?’ he thought, shaking his head. ’She must be out of her damn mind.’
It wasn’t as if the servants and knights didn’t know why Dennis was training like that.
In fact, thanks to their heated argument and the threats she’d made, Margaret’s reputation had already taken quite the hit around the estate.
And now, she was voluntarily spreading more negative rumors about herself.
Roderic let out a chuckle as he stepped into his carriage.
’Carry on,’ he thought, closing the door behind him. ’It’ll only make it easier for me to kick you out later.’
...
At the same time, the very woman in question was staring at the carriage, a fan in front of her mouth while hatred flashed through her eyes.
As the minutes ticked by, the grip on her fan only grew tighter and tighter.
Only after the carriage pulled away did she relax a little.
’’Enjoy your little trip, Roderic,’’ she said coldly. ’’I’ve prepared quite the surprise for you along the way.’’
She closed her curtains before walking away while shaking her head.
Over the past month, she’d heard all kinds of ridiculous stories which had been spreading through the territory.
Roderic had defeated bandits, criminal groups, and even corrupt officials!
Everywhere he went, people suddenly seemed to sing his praises.
All of it made Margaret want to laugh.
’’As if that useless boy could accomplish any of that himself,’’ she muttered to herself. ’’I don’t know how he suddenly awakened aura, but it’d take months to become strong enough to do that.’’
In her eyes, everything was painfully obvious.
Roderic had merely taken trained knights to deal with problems, ordered them to clean them up, and then happily accepted the praise afterward.
Yet somehow, everyone had fallen for it.
Even Arthur!
Margaret’s expression darkened further.
After a moment, she snapped her fan shut and closed her eyes.
’’This time, things will be different,’’ she muttered. ’’You won’t be faced with some garbage mercenary anymore.’’
As her eyes opened again, a cold smile grew on her face.
’’You think you can hide behind those knights forever?’’
Letting out a soft chuckle, she slowly started shaking her head.
’’Let’s see how well that works when they aren’t all on your side.’’
Just imagining the scene that was about to unfold made her feel a strange excitement.
’’Enjoy the journey, you cursed bastard.’’
’’It’ll be your last.’’
Margaret smiled to herself as she pulled open her door and walked away.
What she failed to notice, however, was the small figure standing just behind her door.
Dennis stood completely still, his face deathly pale.
He hadn’t missed a single word of what she’d said.