Chapter 98: No Time For Despair Father!

Margaret’s scream continued for several seconds.

Then it suddenly stopped.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head while her legs gave out beneath her.

Thud!

She collapsed on the floor.

Just like that, a heavy silence returned to the room.

Roderic stared down at Margaret’s body, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.

’’Huh,’’ he said. ’’I think I broke her.’’

But Margaret wasn’t the only one who’d been in mental distress.

Roderic’s gaze shifted to his father in this world.

Arthur’s eyes remained fixed on the empty space in front of him, barely even blinking.

Within minutes, the poor man had aged by ten years.

It made sense.

He’d learned that the woman he’d been married to for over a decade had never truly loved him, hated his deceased wife, and had tried to murder his son countless times.

’Though I planned and prepared a lot...’ Roderic thought slowly. ’I never really considered what it’d be like for him.’

Alas, there simply was no way to avoid a situation like this.

Margaret’s evil plans needed to be laid bare to get rid of her, no matter the cost.

Letting out a deep sigh, Roderic gestured for the three knights to head to Margaret.

They immediately understood and stepped forward.

Two of them carefully approached and lifted her unconscious body from the floor.

Arthur still didn’t react.

Only when they were about to exit the room did his mouth finally move.

’’Keep her inside the estate,’’ he mumbled, his voice barely a whisper.

The knights stopped for a moment.

Arthur glanced up slowly, his expression having fallen completely.

’’Don’t let her speak to anyone,’’ he added quietly. ’’Make sure the room is guarded at all times.’’

The knights lowered their heads respectfully.

’’Understood, my lord.’’

With that, they left the room.

Roderic immediately glanced back at Edmund and the remaining knight.

’’Can you two carry this mess away?’’ he said, pointing at Gareth and the body parts. ’’I’d like to speak with my father alone.’’

The two didn’t hesitate for a second.

In fact, they couldn’t get out of the room fast enough!

Roderic shook his head with a smile as he watched them leave.

’Alright,’ he thought. ’I guess I’ll make an attempt at sobering him up.’

Arthur hadn’t moved in the slightest.

His eyes remained fixed on the floor, as if he hadn’t even noticed the others leaving.

Roderic waited for a few seconds.

’’Do you want to know about everything that happened?’’ he eventually asked.

Several more seconds ticked by.

But no reply ever came back.

’’Whether it’s the trip or everything that happened leading up to it,’’ he continued. ’’I can give you the full details now...’’

This time, he waited nearly half a minute.

Yet there still wasn’t a reply.

Roderic’s eyebrows slowly began to furrow.

’’Father?’’ he asked, crouching down in front of the man.

Only then did he see that Arthur wasn’t even blinking!

’No, this can’t happen right now...’

Roderic understood the man was devastated and must feel utterly betrayed, but there simply wasn’t time for him to fall apart.

He needed Arthur.

More specifically, he needed Baron Whitemane.

Now that Margaret had been imprisoned, rumors would spread soon enough.

It was only a matter of time before they’d reach Baron Deres as well.

And then there was the matter of Gareth’s disappearance after the incidents in Aldermere.

’Gareth was definitely that predictable,’ Roderic thought. ’Anyone could guess he’d go for revenge... and knowing his previous squad didn’t return from the first ambush...’

There was no way Baron Deres was unable to put two and two together.

Simply said, time was running out!

Roderic’s eye twitched slightly.

’I need him to be a good lord for once so he can lead the fucking war.’

He waited for a few more seconds while his mind churned.

That’s when his patience finally ran out.

SLAP!

Arthur’s head snapped to the side.

For the first time in minutes, his eyes moved.

Slowly, he turned towards Roderic, complete disbelief appearing on his face.

Roderic stared back at him in annoyance.

’’Wake the fuck up,’’ he said. ’’As the baron, you damn well know what’s going to happen soon.’’

He paused for a moment.

’’I need you to act like a proper leader for once. You can despair after that all you want.’’

Arthur’s lips parted slightly.

But no words came out.

Roderic stared at the man for several more seconds.

Then he threw up his hands in resignation.

’’Damn it, go figure it out yourself,’’ he said, turning around. ’’I have more shit to prepare.’’

Like before, it remained completely silent behind him.

Roderic’s expression tightened slightly, but he didn’t bother trying again.

He’d already done what he could.

With that, he pushed open the door and left his despairing father behind.

Click!

As the door fell shut behind him, Roderic let out a sigh.

’At least most of it went well,’ he thought. ’With the inside threat gone, it’s time to finish the preparations for the outside attacks.’

There were two things on his mind in particular.

The final traps needed to be made and his retainers needed their techniques.

’Let’s get the traps out of the way first,’ he decided. ’They’ll take the longest and are crucial.’

He quickly made his way through the estate.

Several servants bowed as he passed, though more than a few curious glances followed him.

Roderic ignored them.

It didn’t take long before he stepped outside.

The familiar sight of the estate grounds greeted him, but he barely spared them a glance.

He had only one destination in mind.

And that was the blacksmith.

’I wonder if they can make my toys,’ he thought, rubbing his hands together. ’Especially my metal-piercing ballista...’

A glint of excitement flashed through his eyes just thinking about it.

Before long, a set of familiar buildings appeared in the distance.

Roderic’s pace only increased, already happily imagining what kind of chaos and damage his toys could cause.