Chapter 909: The Crucial Transmission
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Grant dashed out of the tent instantly.
Outside the tent, the soldiers on both sides were shocked and uncertain. All of them looked towards the same direction not knowing what had happened. However, following their line of sight, the blurry back of a figure could be seen moving further and further away, at an extremely high speed.
"Quick! Block him!"
Seeing this sight, Grant had wanted to fly over there himself at first. However, he seemed to have suddenly thought of something. He halted his footsteps and turned around to start giving commands to the soldiers in the camp.
The soldiers were stunned for about two seconds, before they moved their feet to give chase. Nevertheless, it was a pity that those few seconds were all it took for that figure to increase its speed, escaping immediately from the camp and disappearing into the distant horizon. By then, the soldiers had just taken a step forward before they had to stop. They turned to look back at Grant in a daze, not knowing what to do.
Grant floated in the air, staring in the direction in which the man had disappeared. His expression had become extremely ugly.
It was only then that the bishop followed him out of the tent.
"What, what happened?"
"...That mercenary." Grant was quiet for a few seconds, before he opened his mouth to speak in a constrained voice. "The mercenary who’s in the same gang as the Academy of Magic. When did he sneak in here? Why didn’t anyone discover him? Where’s the alarm?"
For a moment, each and every one of the soldiers around him was as silent as a cicada in winter. They dared not make a sound.
Upon realizing what had happened, the expression of the bishop changed dramatically. "This... How much did he eavesdrop on? Then our battleplan... Your Highness, this isn’t good, we got to begin operations immediately! If he has heard about that, our entire operation would fail completely!"
It was apparent that Grant had also realized the seriousness of the situation.
"There is no time to rest. Quick! Everyone, start moving. We set off in ten minutes, we must rush and reach Worchester tonight!" He immediately opened his mouth and gave the command. "Also, inform the fleet that they have to begin increasing their speed over on their side!"
The entire camp of the royal army descended once more into panic.
At the same time, at a place approximately a thousand meters away from the camp of the royal army, Miles pulled out a Transmission Woodpiece as he ran at high speed.
"Withdraw from Worchester quickly, if you don’t withdraw now, it’s going to be too late!" He spoke into the woodpiece. "The royal army has prepared a secret navy, carrying and equipped with ten Cannons of Holy Light. They’re currently going around, by way of the sea, and they’re planning to attack from the front and back. The entire city will be surrounded by them!"
Very quickly, a weak magic oscillation was spread, bringing this piece of news towards Worchester.
Having done this, he stopped by the roadside and found a thicket to conceal his tracks. Increasing his speed and sneaking around had expended huge amounts of his energy, and the effects of the Magic Potion had already come to an end. At the moment, all he could do was wait until his physical strength had been recovered before continuing to move. He could not help but feel some anxiety surging up in his heart.
The delay of the Transmission Woodpiece would take an hour plus. It was all he could do to hope that the royal army would not have time to act within this one hour, and Benjamin could take his men and withdraw in time. Otherwise, he might not be able to rush back to Worchester in time himself; if the Black Nightmare Army was not able to retreat, things would definitely be extremely terrible.
After a few minutes, Miles, who was hiding in the thickets, laid himself flat on the ground. All of a sudden, he heard the trembling sound of a rumble. The royal army was already passing by this place; hooves galloped past him on the ground like airtight drums. Listening to them, one would feel a tightness in the chest.
Miles could not help but take a deep breath.
Meanwhile, most people had not yet realized how rushed and busy this night was.
At least... Worchester did not know.
"Yes, those self-exploding, fiery pigs. If you have time, take the opportunity now to produce a few more." In the small hut near the city gates, Benjamin was speaking to the two rune research mages. "If we have to prepare for war, they’d definitely be able to shine on the battlefield."
He had yet to receive intelligence on the royal army from Miles, but in his opinion, they had the capital to defend Worchester to the death as long as Elizabeth was willing to provide aid. Therefore, if they wished to protect this city, it was imperative that they prepare for battle well.
The defensive work within the city was already under reconstruction. On the other hand, it would be even better if they could produce more "war machines".
For example, pigs.
"As long as we have sufficient materials and test subjects, we can begin production immediately." The two mages did not decline; they instantly nodded in agreement.
Those were things that Benjamin had definitely prepared earlier on. All that was left, was production. In actual fact, he had already thought of an even better method to utilize these self-exploding organisms. A method that did not involve sacrificing his own soldiers, that would trigger the explosion without him having to form a small suicide squad.
The Church would definitely be pleasantly surprised.
Thus, Benjamin left the small hut and went to the magic production district in the city. Night had fallen, but the entire production district was still as busy as ever, going ahead in full steam. He made his rounds, before finally entering a laboratory deep in the district to find a busy Morris.
"Have you produced the things I wanted?"
"The assembly is done. Put them in the depository, they can be transferred and used at any time." Morris nodded. He hesitated for a moment after speaking, before saying, "It looks like you’re really planning to defend this city at all costs. To be honest, everyone has dived into full production now. There’s no way to pack up the machines and materials, so it won’t be convenient if we need to make a retreat."
"Doesn’t matter, let’s just prepare ourselves well." Benjamin said reassuringly. "If we really need to retreat, we can abandon those excess baggage. Our men are the most important, after all."
Seeing that, Morris nodded and said nothing more.
However, just as Benjamin turned around to leave, ready to make an inspection at the depository, his Transmission Woodpiece suddenly vibrated gently.
"...Looks like we have news." Benjamin was startled for a moment, before taking it out from his pocket.
An extremely agitated voice rang out from within it.
"Mage Benjamin! Miss Elizabeth... No, the honorable duchess has agreed to provide aid, they’re already beginning to dispatch the reinforcements. The honorable duchess herself will personally set out as well, and she’s bringing many mages with her. They’ll definitely be able to rush and arrive in Worchester in less than three days!"
Having heard that, Benjamin’s spirits lifted. Even Morris, who was beside him, nodded in a pleasantly surprised manner.
"They’re unexpectedly decisive," Morris looked at Benjamin, speaking with some astonishment. "Looks like we’ll really be able to defend Worchester this time!"
Benjamin chuckled as well, saying, "They’re our allies after all. With every additional force, we increase our chances of success in uprooting the Church. We’ve also helped the Wood family on numerous occasions. Elizabeth isn’t that kind of person. They’ll definitely come to our aid."
Although Duke Collin’s plans were unclear, an ally was still an ally; it was unnecessary for them to bear grudges.
He could give the order to put up full defenses for the city now.
Even Morris had pushed his wheelchair out, ready to leave the laboratory and inform the other mages in the production district. However, something strange happened; all of a sudden, the Transmission Woodpiece that Benjamin had just returned to his pocket began to vibrate with a buzzing sound once more.
"What now..."
Both of them frowned in unison.