### Chapter 130: The Roadblock (Part 1)
Noon was approaching.
The strong wind quieted down, and amidst the rolling mountains, snow fell silently, blanketing the world in pure white. Between the peaks, a low valley surrounded by mountains was bustling with countless flickers of firelight and moving shadows.
The sound of wheels rolling over the ground and the snorts and whinnies of Horned Horses mixed together as soldiers in fiery red and black armor mingled about. Outside the crowd, several soldiers riding Horned Horses shouted loudly, and the southern supply team had nearly all gathered. After waiting a while without orders, many began preparing snacks, while others considered heading to the nearby lake for a drink. They could hear intermittent shouts erupting from the soldiers, and although no one knew what they were yelling about, it was clear the mood was quite spirited.
In stark contrast to the battle-hungry soldiers, the support crew were looking increasingly sluggish and anxious since arriving here.
Handsome Uncle Taku dumped me near a group of soldiers by Erin Castle, chattered some instructions while grumbling, and, after telling me not to wander off, he sauntered away with a few others.
Soon enough, the supply team lumbered over, with the scruffy guys driving Horned Horses, and they parked their carts near other supply teams. They exchanged glances, passed around drinks, and chatted a bit, though they didn’t really know each other, so before long, they all got back to their own business.
I stood by the Sword Demon Miss, holding onto that scrawny Horned Horse, spacing out as I eyed the chaotic crowd ahead. After a moment, Ral fed the Horned Horse some more medicine, saying it was recovering nicely and could probably be ridden soon.
But whether to leave or not, I was still hesitating.
From Taku’s words, I hadn’t picked up much useful information. Nobody seemed to know why the army was gathering here. Orders had been sent in a hurry last night; the battle noise certainly indicated something had changed, but the specifics were still a mystery. I needed to find a knowledgeable officer or someone who might spill the beans—preferably about my father’s exact location, or maybe Viki would be useful too—then I could skedaddle.
After waiting for what felt like ages, Taku the Uncle came rushing back to find me.
“You lot, pack your things and scram!”
The man hurried over, his face slightly reddened from the cold under his armor, puffing white breath as he pointed the way eagerly: “Head east from here, follow the river; there’s a town about twenty miles out. No soldiers there, just civilians. It’s a small town, and the risk is low… Rect seems okay now? If you go now, you’ll definitely make it before dark…”
“Look, I’ve got a few silver coins that I won’t be using for now; they’re all yours… Just promise to pay me back after the battle, if we ever meet again…”
As he spoke, he was about to pull out coins from his waist, and I immediately stopped him.
“No need, we have…”
Grabbing hold of his hand to prevent him from taking out the silver coins, I tilted my head and weakly asked, “Aren’t you all supposed to be heading to Baihao City… so I…”
“Stop it! Why’re you so stubborn!”
He was getting cross now: “We can’t leave just yet; we might have to wait around here… for who knows how long. Whether we go to Baihao City or not is still up in the air! d*mn bad luck… Just don’t follow us anymore; I’m doing this for your own good, got it?”
“Is…something wrong…?”
“Don’t ask too many questions, just hurry and leave. If it gets late, you might not even be able to leave.”
Taku wasn’t planning to talk to me anymore; he insisted on shoving three Valen silver coins into my hands. I was at my wits’ end trying to refuse, couldn’t explain myself, so I reluctantly accepted them. Just as he turned to go, he stepped forward, then stopped and sighed, looking back to extend his right hand—perhaps he wanted to pat my head, but hesitated and ultimately just patted my left shoulder instead.
“We don’t really know each other… and this is as far as I can help you. Listen, I don’t want to see anyone I’ve helped get into trouble; it would ruin my mood, downright terrible… I’m saying this: if you want to go to Baihao City, I won’t stop you anymore, but just don’t let me see you again, okay?”
“……”
I didn’t know what to say.
Watching that broad back retreat, merging into the distant, bustling crowd, I stood there, staring down at the three silver coins still warm in my palm, suddenly feeling what seemed like a familiar warmth stirring gently… like it was softly tugging at… the frozen, motionless chords of my heart.
A blurry face flickered through my mind—Grandma Claire.
“Silver coins… should I take them?”
After a moment, the voice of the Sword Demon Miss echoed in my ears: “Are we leaving?”
“…no.”
I took those three silver coins.
Delicately putting them into my pack, I gently patted my face, breathe a long sigh, shook my head, and said to her, “You stay here and wait a bit; I’m going ahead to take a look.”
Something’s not right…
There’s definitely something off…
Taku’s words were sprouting a terrible premonition in my gut—why, I couldn’t say, but nearly an hour had passed since the gathering started, and not just us “fringe folks,” but all the soldiers were still waiting indefinitely for new orders. Their once-boisterous spirits were gradually cooling down, and it felt like they had turned into a swarm of headless flies, foolishly waiting here without a clue what to do. I saw many of them sitting in the snow, sipping liquor…
…no way.
I must figure out what’s going on; I can’t just sit around waiting with them.
“Keep an eye on our Horned Horse, I’ll be right back.”
After waving at the Sword Demon, I adjusted my hood, fiddled with my mask that felt slightly askew, got it properly back on, tightened my cloak, and hurried towards the area where the soldiers were clustered the most.
As the snow fell heavier…
Combined with the chaos of the crowd, I was less likely to draw attention wrapped in my cloak. Even if someone occasionally caught a glimpse, they thought I was just some worker from a supply team and didn’t pay it any mind.
In no time, I found myself moving among the army, weaving through the towering armored strongmen, keeping my head down and listening intently to the chatter around me.
“Here, have a drink, warm up a bit…”
“Geez, this damned weather! It’s chilling me to the bone…”
“It’s probably because we haven’t moved a muscle in ages…”
“Ugh, I can’t figure out what’s going on anymore—we’ve been waiting here half the day…”
“Are we still leaving, and when? Lady Annie Count should at least give us a concrete update… Wasn’t she supposed to be coming? Has anyone seen the Countess around…?”
“Not me…”
“Let’s hang on a little longer…”
“Maybe the snow is too heavy over there, and there’s a delay…”
“I heard the Countess rushed over from Baihao City overnight… Oh, a guy from the Red Knights just told me that. Some of them were already on a task downstream of the Ice River and got the order earlier to come lend support…”
“Do you think something happened at Baihao City? I just spoke with someone from Kaliye New City, and everyone’s worried about this…”
“Come on! What could happen…”
“The folks in the Royal Palace are having a hard time saving their own skin… Do you think they can handle any troubles coming their way? Those with eight guts wouldn’t dare…”
Looks like they really had no idea what was going on…
But surely, someone knew something, like Taku.
When Taku hurried over earlier, he seemed desperate to urge me to leave, so he must have heard something—hence his impatience…
But I couldn’t find him now…
I’ll keep moving.
The hubbub in the crowd, with its clamor and assorted noises, was disorganized, and many words passed by unheeded. I furrowed my brow, walked quickly for a while without catching any useful intel. The raucous atmosphere filled with manly scents was starting to gnaw at my nerves. I couldn’t help but want to get out to breathe, so I glanced up and noticed a small clearing not far to the left, turning in that direction.
But as I got closer, I realized this wasn’t unoccupied—on the edge of the clearing by the snowy hill, a soldier from Erin Castle was talking to two horned-headed knights. Their figures were shielded by the small hill, and I only noticed them once I was near, clearly trying to avoid the crowd. The faces of the two knights were covered by their helmets, concealing their expressions, but the soldier’s face looked serious.
What are these three up to…
“…so, it seems our suspicions might not be wrong after all…”
…huh?
Suspicion? What suspicion…
A flicker passed through my mind.
Realizing what was happening, I quickly squatted down, concealing myself behind the snow pile, my eyes darting around. Then I plopped down in the snow, flinging some flakes over myself and closing my eyes.
Ah…
The snow is pleasantly cool…
Let’s see what they’re discussing.
“So, how far are the Fourth Knights from here?”
Hmm…
They’re talking about the Fourth Knights…
“About three kilometers or so.”
“How many of them?”
“Hard to say… Taku and the others went to investigate…”
“Blocking our way back to town at this juncture… Their intentions are crystal clear: the Church doesn’t want us going back, and they wouldn’t even want to confront us directly. Something’s definitely gone wrong in Baihao City; we need to be careful… Should we inform the others?”
“Inform the others? What would you say? That Lady Annie likely fell into the Church’s hands? What then? Are you going to order them to push ahead to demand her release, or, after everyone learns Baihao City has been silent since last night, expect them to still be calm and collected? How many would listen to you? Especially those rowdy folks from Kaliye New City… Do you think you can convince them?”
“If things spiral out of control and we end up clashing with the Church, are you willing to take responsibility for that?”
“d*mn it, what then? What do you suggest we do?”
“The Knights are definitely aware of our location… And judging by their posture, they’re coming to intercept us. Lady Annie hasn’t shown up for a while; she’s likely been taken out before us…”
“Now that we’ve lost our leader, we’re as blind as bats. The best course of action is to first ascertain Lady Annie’s whereabouts. If she’s truly under the Church Knights’ control, well… then we’d have ample reason…”
