Chapter 60: Reality And Opportunity
Without another thought, Roderic turned back to the corpses.
His two azure hooked blades were still exactly where he’d left them.
One lay on the ground, while the other sat buried deep inside the chest of the first knight he’d killed.
’Retrieving them is such a drag,’ he thought, walking over to them. ’I’ll have to check the system later for sure...’
Roderic quickly retrieved both blades before finally glancing across the battlefield.
To his right, the ordinary soldiers had nearly reached the archers.
Three soldiers had already fallen to the constant barrage of arrows before they managed to close the distance.
But now that they had?
The situation was rapidly changing.
’The archers seem like ordinary hunters,’ Roderic realized. ’Or at least, they aren’t proficient in close combat.’
One after another, they’d started falling against the ordinary soldiers.
After seeing that they could handle themselves, Roderic quickly glanced away.
His attention shifted over to the knights.
And the situation there was even better!
One of his knights had already managed to kill his opponent.
’Oh, how the tables have turned,’ Roderic thought as a grin grew on his face. ’Excluding me, it’s a five versus four now.’
’Well then, time to overwhelm the—’
Just before Roderic was about to move, something caught his eye.
Thud!
One of his knights had suddenly crashed onto his back.
The enemy knight standing above him gradually raised his aura-covered sword.
Roderic reacted instantly.
With no time to reach them, his gaze flickered to the ordinary hooked blade he still had.
WHOOSH!
He hurled it towards them without hesitation.
The enemy knight’s sword had just begun descending when something pierced straight into the back of his skull.
SHHK!
His entire body went stiff as the aura surrounding his sword vanished.
Then his corpse toppled forward, crashing directly on top of the terrified Whitemane knight.
Thud!
Roderic stared at the scene for a moment.
’Damn, I’ve really gotten better at throwing,’ he thought, slightly impressed. ’All that training wasn’t for nothing.’
To be fair, there wasn’t much skill needed other than aim.
The hooked blades were literally surrounded by sharp sides, hooks and other sharp points.
’I’ll have to thank the Eagle Eyes trait too, though,’ he thought, letting out a soft chuckle. ’Without it, my aim would’ve never been this good.’
Snapping out of his thoughts, Roderic gripped his Azure Hooked Blades tightly.
Then he finally kicked off once more.
...
THUD!
After nearly ten minutes, Roderic finally collapsed onto the ground.
’’Fuck...’’ he muttered, glancing up at the sky.
His chest heaved heavily while a familiar sensation burned inside his chest.
For once, Roderic had truly expended all his aura.
But the cleanup was finally over.
For a moment, Roderic remained completely silent.
He slowly glanced around at the scene around him with mixed emotions.
’We won,’ he thought somberly. ’But it wasn’t without cost...’
Not too far away, two young knights stood around one of the corpses wearing the Whitemane crest.
Both had tears dripping down their faces while their bodies trembled.
’Fuck...’
The corpse they were standing by was the first and only knight from Roderic’s side who had passed away.
And from what Roderic had heard, it happened in the most gruesome and dishonorable way imaginable.
’Three traitorous knights stabbed him in the back at the same time,’ he thought, shaking his head. ’Didn’t even get the chance to fight back.’
For a knight with honor, there couldn’t possibly be a worse way.
Especially for one who was only twenty-four years old and had nothing outside that honor.
Roderic let out another deep breath as his gaze shifted to the side.
There, several ordinary soldiers were similarly saddened, having lost four people themselves.
Roderic stared at them for several long seconds as a strange feeling began spreading through his chest.
Death or killing someone had never particularly bothered him.
It had been that way ever since some particularly unpleasant experiences back on Earth.
But this was completely different.
’These people died for me,’ he thought. ’Four soldiers and a knight...’
Especially the soldiers’ deaths hit him.
They’d followed his orders and charged straight towards the archers.
Hell, they most likely already knew they were going to die!
And yet... they’d continued anyway.
Roderic didn’t quite know what to make of it.
’They are just strangers to me,’ he thought. ’Yet somehow, their deaths cause more discomfort than those of acquaintances.’
After another moment, Roderic couldn’t help but shake his head.
Despite how strange and annoying it felt... he knew he needed to get used to it.
In a world like this, where wars were fought with people, losses would be inevitable.
But accepting that sure as hell didn’t mean he was going to accept what happened here.
Roderic’s expression slowly darkened.
’Margaret, Margaret, Margaret,’ he repeated with narrowed eyes. ’You really are making it difficult for me to leave you alive.’
It didn’t matter how she’d done it.
But she had gotten people to try and backstab him.
And if there was anything Roderic hated, then it was getting backstabbed.
Just then, Roderic stopped for a moment.
’Hold on,’ he thought. ’Can’t I make something positive out of this for me?’
A small smile suddenly began growing on his face.
’You might’ve really fucked up this time, Margaret.’
He pushed himself to his feet instantly before calling the knights and soldiers over.
After making sure they were all there, Roderic cleared his throat.
’’I know everyone’s grieving right now,’’ he said somberly. ’’But this battle isn’t over yet.’’
Wary and confused expressions spread amongst the soldiers.
Many exchanged glances with each other, the same thoughts in mind.
’’I’m sure you’ve noticed by now,’’ Roderic continued in the same tone. ’’These weren’t some ordinary bandits! This was a coordinated attack!’’
He paused for a moment. ’’And until we find out who launched it, we’ll never be safe!’’
For a moment, everyone remained silent.
Then realization gradually spread through the group.
Without needing another command, several soldiers and knights began moving towards the corpses, searching through their belongings.
Roderic watched quietly from behind with a smile on his face.
’If I’m right... this could get interesting.’