Chapter 143 Staredown
The soldiers, carriages, and carts of the Maugier Family's convoy formed an imposing sight outside the Claudwill City walls. The air was thick with anticipation as the troops eagerly awaited the opening of the gates. The soldiers stood at attention, their armor gleaming under the sun, while the horses pawed at the ground, their restlessness evident.
The convoy itself stretched for quite a distance, with a long line of carriages and carts laden with spoils and treasures acquired through their conquests. The wealth and power of the Maugier Family were evident in the opulence of their banners, which fluttered proudly in the wind, displaying their coat of arms.
The atmosphere was charged with a mix of triumph and eagerness, as the soldiers and members of the convoy contemplated the riches and glory that awaited them within the city walls. They anticipated a hero's welcome, with the spoils of their conquests being paraded through the streets, showcasing their might and dominance—or so the guards at the walls thought inwardly, looking at the magnificence of the convoy.
Naturally, everyone grew curious as to what the convoy entailed but since it carried the banners of the Maugier Family and this kind of activity wasn't that much rare recently, no alarms were raised. Even so, the gates remained closed, the guards waiting patiently for further command.
The word also began spreading inside the walls that a large convoy had arrived. Knowing this, the citizens grew ecstatic—for they knew that each time a large convoy arrives at the city gates; it brings great riches and fortunes with it, making the city burst with vigor and excitement.
The foolhardy commoners obviously wouldn't look into it too much as meddling in the state affairs and the activities of nobles was a taboo no one wanted to commit.
And so, the official story of this 'convoy' was that the Maugier Family often sent their merchants along with a large convoy of soldiers for protection. This convoy traded with the many foreign merchants going through the Golden Silk Road. The convoy would head out in the middle of each month and bring back traded commodities, rare treasures, food, and novelties from foreign countries.
This is why no one was surprised to see the convoy yet again. Just that this time, the convoy was several times larger than usual. Looking ahead with eyes that seemed to sparkle with enthusiasm, the soldiers and guards drooled seeing the long lines of carriages outside the city gates.
The excitement could be felt everywhere. Some of the soldiers were almost fanatic. Their eyes glinted with temptation, greed, and ecstasy. So much so that if not for the fear of death, they would have opened the gates themselves and personally headed down to welcome the convoy.
The sun glistened over the heads of everyone as the time ticked, then suddenly, a clamor rose as waves and waves of soldiers and knight's appeared behind the gates and on the city walls.
Even this sight wasn't foreign to the citizens of the city as this was the usual routine whenever the convoy would return from the expedition.
The 'Lord' was an extremely cautious man who was quite thorough in safeguarding the city from radical outsider threats. He would always personally reside over the process of welcoming the convoy inside the city. He would verify personally that nothing is wrong and only then the entry would be granted.
And although this practice was a bit strange and rather overly cautious, the average man expected this to be a cautionary measure against the nefarious and crafty bandits roaming around as of late.
This time too, was the same. Baron Maugier personally rode out on his horse, leaving his mansion and galloping through the streets along with his group of subordinates and officials, arriving at the city gates in little to no time.
Seeing the image of their beloved Lord riding through the streets gallantly, the people cheered and encouraged with their good wishes while standing at the sides of the streets, creating a sort of festive atmosphere in expectation of seeing the merchant convoy and the things they brought.
Lord Craith simply smiled bitterly seeing the enthusiastic crowd as he felt the weight on his heart increasing. Glancing beside him at Adrian, he sighed in hopelessness and jumped off his horse, completely unaware of the feelings of expectation and bewilderment in the corner of his heart.
Adrian too, couldn't help but slip a tint of anticipation flashing on his otherwise poker face.
'Military Grade high-quality weapons and armor…' Adrian muttered inwardly in a daze. He was very excited to get his hands on the spoils.
The weapons and armors made in the Kingdom of Eldarath were very famous. Although these weapons were pretty useless for Mystics and Martial Warriors, it didn't change the fact that they were rather extremely significant for normal soldiers.
In the end, large wars were dominated by waves over waves of normal soldiers, and Mystics or Martial Warriors could only create splashes in these waves by themselves.
This is why military-grade weapons were very important. The Eldarath Kingdom had the best blacksmithing skills and techniques in the entire East and this is why they maintained their significance by marketing their superior weapons and armor.
But even so, the Eldarath kingdom couldn't use these skills to dominate the East. Mostly because the Kingdom did not have a large population. And on top of that, they didn't have a large pool of Mystics and Martial Warriors either who played a pivotal role in any conflict even though they couldn't easily change the entire tides by themselves. And beside this, the Eldarath Kingdom did not have natural resources that are used to create strong high-quality military tools.
This is why, despite having the capability to produce such high-quality military weapons, The Eldarath Kingdom needed to rely on its weapon trade to maintain its power and influence.
So, a secret shipment of weapons from the Eldarath kingdom to the Atrana Capital under the guise of an extravagant merchant convoy didn't seem so far-fetched.
Naturally, Adrian, who harbored grand ambitions, was ecstatic to get this information and immediately sent most of his bandit army to plunder the entire convoy.
One could imagine the excitement in his heart when presumably the mission indeed turned out to be successful. And if this were to be true, then…
The large supply of military-grade weapons and equipment would be his!
And with this unexpected good fortune, his little army would become even stronger.
With this, he could begin the next phase of his plan.
As Adrian pondered all this in his mind, he couldn't wait to see the spoils for himself. However, his excitement and ambition did not cloud his judgment as he was still very cautious.
Adrian's lackeys who were following him like shadows were also infected with his enthusiastic and anticipating mood and burst out in cheers of happiness and murmurs, discussing among each other how good their prospects would be.
"Let's see!" Adrian abruptly blurted and began heading to the top of the city wall where he would be able to scrutinize the so-called 'merchant convoy' and see for himself if anything were to be shady.
Under countless gazes of civilians and soldiers alike, he 'loyally' followed Baron Maugier to the wall.
Upon seeing their Lord, the guards located on the walls kneeled respectfully and greeted the entourage with their gazes lowered. While some of them discreetly exchange glances with Adrian at the back; strange glimmers flickering through their gazes.
"Rise!"
Baron Maugier commanded gracefully, not a hint of gloominess from before could be noticed on his face.
It was as if nothing was amiss. He was Baron Craith Maugier as always. Most dignified and graceful as well as prestigious.
Baron Craith once again sighed inwardly as he shook his head. Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he turned slightly and looked at the magnificent 'merchant convoy' and the carriages supposedly filled with riches lined one after another.
Seeing such a scene, even he couldn't hide a trace of astonishment and restlessness in his eyes.
At the same time, Baron Craith's 'Loyal' subordinates and officials accompanying him also saw the same view, their faces glowing with joy and expectations alike. And of course, the most 'Loyal' of all, Adrian… was one of them.
Seeing the large crowd gathering on the city walls, the man riding closely with the bandit leader snickered as his lips curled upwards.
Walking his horse even closer to the bandit leader, Raven—the man disguised in normal Maugier Family's armor, Viper—softly whispered in Raven's ear as if he were a dreadful Devil from hell, "Now, Obediently do what you're told! Otherwise, I have many ways to make your life worse than death! You should know that at this point, there's no hope for you or your little gang out there. You should think for yourself. Understood?"
Hearing Viper's voice, Raven shivered all over. His one hand still felt empty and his physiological scars were fresh. His spirit was completely crushed and he could simply nod his head lifelessly.
Raven forcefully calmed himself down and pondered his final decision. Then, he realized that he had no other choice. He knew that he would die either way. Only, he had some hope by obeying.
Alas, his face contorted as he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Then, he looked sideways with his resigned gaze, whereupon, he once again saw the man who least expected to see.
The man exchanged glances with Raven. His gaze also drowned in hopelessness and resignation.
Raven once again sighed and turned his head, looking ahead at the city walls; his eyes flashed with resolve as he jumped the reigns of his horse lightly and approached the wall along with the other man.
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