The next day, Roddy woke up from a nightmare to find his mother sleeping tiredly at the bedside, her cheeks still marked with tears. He silently cursed himself for lacking the courage of a man. After all, what did killing two people amount to? Especially since Marcus and Emma were not good people to begin with. People like them, even a hundred deaths wouldn't compare to the death of an ant.
He carefully covered his mother with a blanket and tiptoed out of the house.
Arriving at Marcus's home, when Roddy's mental strength had recovered, Marcus and Emma stood up again and followed behind him. Roddy, seeing their terrible dead appearances, quickly ordered them to sit still and not move. Searching the house, he found the poisonous black bread that Emma had made, containing a black powder that mildly corroded when mixed with water, infuriating Roddy.
Killing Marcus and Emma was indeed a wise decision. Now, Roddy felt much less guilty.
"Hey, Marcus, Emma, are you two at home?" Suddenly, Roddy heard someone calling softly from outside the door.
"Cough, cough! Shh!" Unable to let Marcus and Emma respond and fearing that the person outside would get suspicious, Roddy had to cough himself and signaled for the other party to be quiet. He recognized the voice – it was Grace, the personal maid of Lady Mary. His previous suspicions were correct; the mastermind behind all this was the 'kind and compassionate' Lady Mary.
"In the next few days, some distinguished guests related to that little bastard will arrive, so you'd better hold off on acting for a few days! Keep a close eye on that little bastard and that slut. As long as you can successfully hand them over a week before the young master's knight initiation, you'll be rewarded with an extra five gold coins. Be vigilant! And Emma, don't overdo it with the poison. Don't accidentally kill the little bastard and the slut; it might backfire!" The maid instructed arrogantly outside the door, then left silently.
Roddy wanted to rush out and strangle the maid, but reason told him that the most important thing now was to escape with his mother.
Leaving Marcus and Emma behind was not an option, as their bodies would soon be discovered. Moreover, if a magician or a clergy member from the temple came by, his identity as a necromancer would be exposed. Besides, having Marcus and Emma with him would provide some resistance should they encounter wolves or other wild animals on the road.
The biggest problem now was how to deceive everyone.
If the bodies were not treated, they would start to rot and stink in a few days, and it would be impossible to hide the truth from his mother, let alone passersby.
"Mr. Spike, how much for a bottle of 'Preservation Potion'?" Roddy thought of something that might prevent decay – the 'Preservation Potion' developed three hundred years ago by 'Commoner Law Saint' Christian the Saint, to allow ordinary people to consume fresh meat throughout the year. This potion was not only cheap to source and simple to refine but could be successfully produced by mid-level magicians and above. It was hundreds of times cheaper than potions of the same level, making it very suitable for commoners.
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"Thanks for your wild boar meat, young man. Two silver coins a bottle. How many do you want? What? Three bottles? Haha, it looks like you've caught quite a bit of game! Anything else you need?" Spike, a plump mid-level magician who had retired from the battlefield after losing his left leg, now sold various potions. Besides being fond of alcohol, he had no other vices and was one of the few in town who sympathized with Roddy.
"Another bottle each of 'Cure Weakness' and 'Restore Life', please! I feel like I'm getting sick. Cough, cough!" Roddy pretended to cough painfully.
"Young man, take care of your health, especially since you're not as strong as your peers. Two bottles of potion cost one gold coin and five silver coins. They are expensive and taste bad... I'll charge you two gold coins and give you nine silver coins back. My silver coins are pure and heavy; one gold coin can only exchange for twenty silver coins. How about I give you a small potion of vitality with added holy water? Drinking it also mildly restores physical strength." Seeing Roddy accept his suggestion, Spike's face beamed with a smile. He swiftly packed the potions for Roddy and sent him out the door.
Roddy left with the potions, then returned empty-handed from the darkness.
He hunched over, slowly making his way through the shadows.
Blacksmith Xander and several men waited in the distance, drinking with red eyes, watching Roddy like wolves. They had seen Roddy come down the mountain and into town, and deliberately blocked the town entrance to catch him.
Just as they were about to surround him, a figure came out not far behind Roddy.
It was Marcus, responsible for watching Roddy. Wrapped in a cloak and moving somewhat clumsily, he waved at Blacksmith Xander to disperse them. Then, in full view of everyone, he quietly tossed a purse into a corner before slowly following Roddy, one in front of the other, into the darkness. Blacksmith Xander was confused about Marcus's actions, but they had heard a bit of news, so they let Roddy pass, muttering curses under their breath.
Someone picked up the purse and found nearly ten silver coins and a gold coin, enough for them to drink merrily for a few days, and they cheered.
"It looks like Marcus is doing a big deal. Later, we'll squeeze him more, and after he gets the reward, we'll make him treat us!" Blacksmith Xander, seeing Marcus slowly following Roddy, looked slightly pleased and said, "What do you say, guys? With Marcus the big spender treating us to drinks, why be polite?"
"Eventually, we'll beat up that little bastard, but there's no rush! Let's find some fun first, ha ha ha!" The men, fearing being left behind, hurriedly followed Blacksmith Xander to the tavern.
Beating up Roddy was satisfying, but almost certainly one of them would risk getting their testicles smashed – Roddy's reputation as a genius bird hunter of Coro was not for nothing. In the past few years, no one here had escaped the fate of 'bird injury and smashed testicles'. Blacksmith Xander had a special iron groin guard, but not everyone did, and no one wanted to be the one writhing on the ground in agony. If they temporarily spared Roddy and instead went to the tavern to flirt with the saloon girls, that would obviously be much safer.
With a few coins in hand, the hottest bombshell in the tavern, with a body that could squeeze out water, was waiting. Why wait any longer?
The crowd rushed off, not noticing the cold smile on Roddy's lips.
"Ha, who do I see? The third young master of the Rhine family!" Just as Roddy was about to turn the corner, the sound of galloping hooves thundered behind him, with several riders rushing down another road. Roddy, seeing this, quickly tried to retreat into the darkness, but it was too late. One sharp-eyed warrior spotted Roddy and immediately started mocking.
"Don't go, we haven't greeted the third young master yet!" The rest of the men also burst into laughter.
"What's going on here?" A powerful voice shouted from a distance, followed by a group of riders galloping forward. The leader, in shining silver armor and a bright red cloak fluttering in the wind, complemented by his white horse, appeared imposing. He was followed by a dozen well-trained, harmoniously moving guards in gleaming armor and distinct flags.
Roddy, seeing it was his elder brother Lotte returning, tensed up.
Lotte, seeing Roddy, flashed a look of cold indifference, but his voice remained unchanged, still exhibiting the nobility's unique arrogance and politeness. "Is it you? My brother, it's been a long time. I'm very pleased to see you here!"
"Cough, cough, cough..." Roddy tried to speak but suddenly started coughing loudly.
His face showed great pain, and he bent over like a shrimp, eventually collapsing on the ground, his fingers covering his lips, faintly showing traces of red.
Lotte coldly watched, as if seeing a stranger struggling in death, indifferent to Roddy's reaction. The many guards also wore an unspoken smile, their expressions unchanged, but their eyes filled with schadenfreude.