Chapter 162: Siege Plan (Part 1)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
About two hours ago.
Before Benjamin was surrounded, before the flame appeared in midair. It was nighttime in the Town of Crewe, the area around the Crusader Gateway was quiet; it was going to be closing time soon and the guard was doing the final rounds before their break.
"Hey, do you really think we can do this?"
Hidden in a tree not too far away from the gateway, a man and a woman, both mages, were quietly observing the activity around the gateway. The man’s expression showed that he was hesitant, looking at the majestic gateway, he couldn’t help himself and so he he said softly.
‘Andy, you have no b.a.l.l.s." The girl turned her head and glared at him, "Sir Benjamin already said, this is our only chance. Andrew is a traitor! If we doubt it any further, we will all be killed but the church."
When Andy heard this, he sighed and looked back to the gateway, not saying another word.
She was right, this was their only chance.
Chance…
Before Sir Benjamin appeared, the word was all but gone from the mage’s mind. They hoped that they could escape from the town of Crewe, but were blocked by the unattainable gateway. Week after week, month after month, even the most ambitious person had eventually given up.
Left behind in the town of Crewe, the twenty plus people built the Mage’s Guild here. Out of them how many were desperate to find a way out?
Everyone was just lying to themselves and each other, pa.s.sing through the motion of everyday.
But then Benjamin appeared, and with him he brought the laws of meditation, leading them to the right path. From then on their lives were filled with color again – they finally knew what they wanted, and they knew how to get it.
When he thought about all this, Andy’s eyes filled with hope.
Originally, he had already lost all hope and expectation in magic. Because he knew his skills were only sub-par, he felt like what magic he could learn was all coincidental. But ever since he learnt the law of meditation, in just a few short days, he had already learnt a new spell; it made him, who knew only two spells before, very excited.
Every time he meditated, he felt himself get a little stronger than before. He became intoxicated with the feeling of witnessing the change in his body.
To think this world had such an amazing thing!
Meeting Benjamin, Andy was full of curiosity. He could sense Benjamin’s unease at facing everyone, but every time he opened his mouth to say something, it would always stir something in Andy.
Why?
Why was he brave enough to boldly refute the preaching of the church’s G.o.d? Why were there so many unbelievable thoughts in his head? Why did he have so much precious knowledge and yet still not be able to share it with others?
Not to mention this afternoon, he suddenly gathered everyone together and told them in confidence that Andrew was a double agent of the church. Andy was shocked speechless.
Andrew was a traitor?
But he had been with the guild for the longest time, how could he be a traitor?
In the beginning, there were a lot of them who didn’t believe it, only a few of them looked like a lightbulb flashed above their heads. But Benjamin revealed everything down to the minute details, and those who were listening realised something wasn’t right with Andrew. At the end of it all, Benjamin revealed the straw that broke the camel’s back.
"The uncle that came to deliver the message wasn’t even a mage, he was a priest from the Crusader Gateway. The priest never revealed his face, but my Spiritual Energy is very special, even allowing me to observe people’s faces through walls. When I was spying on the gateway a few days ago I spotted him, that was why I could recognize him."
And after Benjamin demonstrated his extraordinary observation powers, the Mage’s Guild had no doubt - they believed that Andrew was a traitor.
‘That b.a.s.t.a.r.d, I’m going to go get him now!"
Immediately, the old blacksmith stood up angrily, and in his anger, he wanted something done. The others in the guild also felt the same way, rage filled their hearts – betrayed by someone they knew and trusted, was a difficult pill to swallow.
However, Benjamin stopped them.
"There is no point in you killing him. The church is still there, and one day they will kill us all. But, if we let him stay…" When he mentioned this, Benjamin revealed a sly smile, and continued on saying, "He is a hateful traitor, but at the same time, he is also our greatest chance at getting through the gateway."
So, there they were, hiding in the tree, observing the scene before them in the dark.
When Benjamin first mentioned his plan, Andy was very hesitant. Will it actually work? Can they really do it? But after thinking about what Benjamin said, they are like frogs in warm water, feeling as though they are not in any danger, but slowly they will be cooked alive. By the time they realise, they will have no time to escape.
And so, even with his heart full of dread, Andy took a deep breath, clenched his hand into a fist, and with a heart full of determination, volunteered to be responsible for the vanguard.
No matter where they turn they would die anyway, why not just give it their all!
With this line of thinking, Andy no longer had fear in his heart. In the calm of the night, he hid in the trees with another companion, patiently waiting for the previously determined time to strike.
After about fifteen minutes, a group of people suddenly appeared on the town street.
Seeing this, the two mages who were hiding in the trees suddenly became more alert.
They were here. Andy suddenly felt a cold chill in his spine.
They could only see about five to six people in the group, excluding the leader, the others were pus.h.i.+ng a small cart. The cart was piled high with sacks of food. And their leader, was someone whom they were very familiar with, it was the merchant mage Varys.
He took the few carts laden with food, and made a transaction with the people at the gateway.
While observing what was happening, Andy knew how important this part of the plan was. And so, he couldn’t help but be a little nervous. Whilst holding his breath, his eyes stared unblinkingly at Varys and his team of helpers.
Pretty soon they reached the gateway.
"Hold up, what are you doing?" the soldier stopped them and asked coldly.
"What is happening? Did your supervisor not tell you?" Varys said and looked at them, an expression of doubt on his face, "was it not you who decided to order food from me? Now that the food is here, you should pay up."
As he said this, he pulled out a receipt from his pocket, handing it over to the soldiers.
The soldier took the receipt, looked at it briefly, and showed an inquisitive expression. He spared a glance to the soldiers beside him before turning around and saying:" The thing is, our supervisor is out today, come back tomorrow."
However, when he heard this, Varys smacked his thigh, suddenly looking anxious.
"This will not do!" the words flowed like water on a field, "for this much food, if you leave it overnight, other people will definitely steal it, then who will pay for damages lost? I don’t want to pay for the cost of this food. Don’t forget, it was you people who ordered the food, and want it sent around this time, don’t blame it on me. Hurry up and pay me! If you guys refuse, I’ll see the next time you want to place an order, n.o.body will want to do business with you!"
The soldier was uncertain on how to settle this situation, and facing Varys the merchant’s argument, he was a little confused.
‘Be that as it may, but the supervisor is really not around. We cannot make our own decisions."
‘If your supervisor is not around then what about your general? The bishop? There must be someone who can make the decision?"
"They... they are currently busy, and are unable to leave..."
Upon hearing this, Varys’ machine gun of a mouth finally stopped.
He stroked his small moustache. With a roll of his eyeball, the speed of his speech slowed down, the tone of his voice also sounded like he had another intention.
"Wait... You are saying, now at the gateway, there is no one who can make decisions?"
The soldier couldn’t guess if anything was out of the ordinary and nodded his head, as though with the speed of Varys’ talking slowing down, he was no longer under pressure.
However, he could not have guessed what would happen next.
"Hahahaha! What sort of legendary gateway is this, what kind of blessed kingdom is this? Shameless church, contemptible military, I’ll just wait for you to die! Today, I will let you taste the wrath of the powerful mage Joanna’s flame anti incantation!"
Following the sudden burst of laughter and declaration, two fireb.a.l.l.s appeared, no one knows where it came from but it flew fast - directly toward the soldiers of the gateway.
At the same time, two mages leapt out from behind the tree near the gateway. The female mage stood in front, pointing at the gateway and laughing; the boy mage stood behind, clutching his forehead, he couldn’t bear to watch what was happening.