Chapter 7: Beastman Rude

  "Are you Ruz?"

  Lemon looked at the Bimon people in front of him.

  After obtaining permission from Robard, Raymon immediately came to the west gate of Rokh Castle. At this time, there was not much time left before the festival began, and he had to start setting up immediately. The one who greeted him was a Bimon tribe soldier who served as the captain of the city gate guard.

  He was a typical Bimonian, ugly in appearance, tall and large in build, with dense fur covering his entire body. What caught Raymond's attention, however, was the large tattoo on his shoulders and chest, which depicted not the war god Feres like most beastmen, but the life goddess Bersna, an odd sight amidst the Bimonian's scarred physique.

  Moreover, it was his eyes that were calm and tranquil, as if gazing at a windless and waveless lake surface, vastly different from the ferocious and bloodthirsty gaze of other Mongolians.

  In short, this seemingly ordinary castle official gave Raymond a lot of different feelings.

  "Yes, I have received the order. Welcome, Your Highness, I will do my best to assist you." The Bimon soldier named Lutz bowed deeply.

  "Alright, let's take a walk around here first." Raymond temporarily suppressed his interest in Rud and decided to check the city gate situation.

  The western gate was inconspicuous in the massive city of Gouga. Because a large river flowed outside the city, forming a natural barrier, the defense of the city gate was not as strict as that of several other gates. Apart from the usual patrol team, there were only dozens of dog-headed men led by Rutz and a squad of Minotaur soldiers guarding it.

  However, based on the Orc's consistent grand style, the entire city gate is still very large. The city wall over 10 meters high is built entirely of giant stones. The top of the city gate is like a small square, with ample space for hundreds of people to move around freely.

  The gate's arch is several meters high and five meters wide, with a massive iron grille controlled by a winch placed above the gate. There is no moat outside the city wall, as about 100 meters away from the exit is the deep and wide Hafdan River, and there are no bridges on the river because normally nobody enters or exits from here.

  No wonder Lobart would advise Raymond to give up here, because even if flowers are grown in such a remote place, there will be few people who can see them on the night of the festival. However, this is exactly what Raymond dreams of.

  As Raymond carefully observed every part of the city gate, Lutz followed closely behind him without saying a word. He didn't show any extra interest in Raymond's actions, but whenever Raymond asked a question, he would respond promptly.

  "Who lives near the city gate?" Raymond asked.

  "It's a bit out of the way here, so only some poor Dog Heads live here." Lutz replied briefly and to the point.

  "Alright." Raymond nodded slightly, it seemed that making any noise here wouldn't attract attention.

  After scanning the terrain, Raymon recalled his plan in his mind and shifted his attention to Rudes: "Your tattoo is quite interesting. Why did you get a Berserker? Don't you believe in the God of War?"

  "From the moment I was born, I have dedicated my body and spirit to Phares. I never doubted his glory."

  "Why then?" Raymond pointed at his tattoo in surprise.

  Hesitating for a moment, Rutz said: "That was a long time ago, a memento from my adventure career."

  "Adventure? So you've left the Northern Wilderness before?" Raymond found this guy more and more interesting.

  Rud nodded: "Yes, before joining the army, I was an adventurer and traveled all over the Mojina continent. When the civil war broke out 20 years ago, I returned to my hometown and joined under Amada's command."

  "So why are you still serving as a small garrison commander of the city gate?" Raymond was surprised, this was actually a veteran who had participated in the civil war.

  "One reason is my tattoo, which was accused of not being firm enough in the faith of the war god; two is because I refused to kill prisoners and women and children during the war. So after the war ended, I was demoted here." Rudes calmly recounted his experience, but without a hint of resentment at the unfair treatment he received.

  In the army of beastmen, due to their extreme faith in the war god Pherys, they believe that battle and slaughter are the best way to communicate with God, and life is the best offering to give to God.

  So, although the Beastmen will take prisoners, they will also kill them without hesitation when necessary. As for the old, weak, women and children, the Beastmen's love of indiscriminate slaughter is not a new thing. Because of these two behaviors, they have been synonymous with barbarism and cruelty in other human nations of Mojina.

  So if what Rutz said is true, then his behavior is really quite another class.

  Raymond was also surprised and couldn't help but ask: "Why are you doing this?"

  "I can kill my enemies without hesitation, for that is reverence to the war god; but killing prisoners and women and children would be desecration of life, such sacrifices would only insult Pherys. And..."

  As he said that, he turned his head and glanced at the tattoo on his arm, a nostalgic look in his eyes: "This is the promise I made to her, to this tattoo."

  "Who is she?" Suddenly, Basute with a pair of gossip-filled "star eyes", rushed to the middle of the two: "Quickly tell me more stories, I want to hear them."

  Raymond ruthlessly pinched the cat girl's adorable ears and gave a fierce tug. A shrill cry of pain was heard, and poor Bastet rolled to one side with tears streaming down her face.

  "Meow, ah, ah, Young Master, it hurts so much!"

  "Pay no attention to that fool, Rutz. From now on you'll be taking orders from me, we've got a lot of work to do for this festival." The last sentence he said with a double meaning.

  "Yes, as you command." Rudeus bowed deeply.

  "Uh-huh, good." Raymond nodded in satisfaction: "First, have someone guard the winch at the city gate and keep it ready to operate at all times. Also, arrange more torches on the city wall, even on the night of the festival, they are not allowed to be extinguished. In addition, mobilize all the personnel you can deploy to take turns being on duty. I don't want any negligence during the festival."

  According to the plan previously drawn up, Raymond swiftly issued a series of orders. To these strange commands that were made in the name of the festival but actually strengthened defenses, Rudeus did not show any signs of doubt and answered them all without hesitation.

  Finally, Raymond said: "Right, put some wood on the top of the city gate frame, the more the better, uh... I mean, if we light a bonfire that night during the festival, it will be very eye-catching."

  This time, a hint of surprise flickered in Rudes' eyes, but he nodded in agreement without hesitation.

  With everything arranged, Raymond said to Rutz: "Next, I'll leave it to you. These things need to be done as soon as possible before the festival. I'll come back in two days to check."

  "Come on, Bastet," he said, beckoning to the cat woman, "let's go."

  Bast followed Ramon down to the city wall, and as he passed by Ruz, he whispered: "Next time we meet, you have to tell me the story of your tattoo. Don't worry, I promise not to tell Young Master."

  "Bastard, I heard you."

  "Meow, I didn't say anything."

  Looking at Raymond's back, Rud's gaze changed several times, and finally, as if making a decision, he opened his mouth and said: "Your Highness."

  "What else?" Raymond turned his head in response.

  "If you want to control the city gate and prevent someone from entering or leaving, it's not enough just like this." Rudes said calmly.

  "Unexpectedly, this seemingly apathetic guy actually saw through his own scheme so quickly. Raymond's heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean by that?"

  Lutz remained calm and unruffled, seemingly not caring about the impact his words had on Raymond. He said, "To control the city gate from the inside, these measures are far from enough. With the beast tribe's power, just a squad of lionmen can easily break through."

  "No wonder he's a veteran of the civil war, this little trick of mine can't fool him..." Raymond thought to himself in admiration. At the same time, he became more and more interested in this discontented city gate officer.

  At this point, it's pointless to cover up anymore. Raymond said straightforwardly: "So, you have a better way?"

  Rud nodded and turned around to point at the street directly opposite the city gate: "If you give me a little time, I can set up some traps here, I believe they will be useful."

  "Hmm..." Looking at the calm face of Lutz in front of him, Raymond's eyes narrowed slightly again. To think that he would run into this guy here, was it an unexpected gain?

  "Hey, Rutz, can I trust you?"

  Rudolph met Raymond's gaze unflinchingly: "I will forever be loyal to Your Majesty."

  This is a very clever response, but Raymond did not suspect that his loyalty would be an issue. Firstly, it was due to the intuition of his first impression of Rudolph, and secondly, he was certain that Verona and Haken would not notice such a humble gatekeeper, let alone try to win him over.

  "Alright, I believe you." Raymond wasn't a hesitant person, once he made up his mind, he nodded and said: "Let's do it as you said then."

  It didn't occur to him that Raymond would believe in himself with just one sentence, and a hint of surprise and emotion flashed through Rud's calm eyes. He immediately bowed his head deeply: "I won't let you down."

  "Young master, why have you never said such things to me before? I'm so heartbroken." Suddenly, the cat girl's face full of grievance again leaned in between the two.

  "Good girl." Raymond gently patted Beaster's head, followed by a sentence that made her collapse: "Because you never made me trust you anyway."

  "Meow!?" A bolt of lightning struck down behind the cat girl, petrifying her on the spot.

  Bastard, who was seriously hurt in spirit, walked to the edge of the city wall and looked at the river outside the city: "Do you have any good way to transport many people across the river for a short time?"

  Lutz looked at the cat girl who was standing still in embarrassment and said, "Do you want a boat?"

  "Raymond shook his head: "No, the boat is too conspicuous and also very troublesome to operate, with too many variables. What I want is something more stable."

  Rudolph thought for a moment and said, "If it's a temporary floating bridge, I might have a way."

  "What, a floating bridge?" Raymond exclaimed in surprise, this guy was indeed able to surprise him every time.

  Rud said, "In the past when I was an adventurer, my party was once employed by a local noble in the Rurin Empire to participate in the war against the mountain barbarians. There, I saw the technique of the regular army of Rurin setting up pontoon bridges. Although it can't be completely replicated, if it's just a simple pontoon bridge for temporary use, I might have a way to imitate one."

  "Will we make it in time? Won't we be discovered?" Raymond hastily asked.

  Rud thought for a moment and said, "I'll use the excuse of transporting goods needed for the festival to do this job, and hire those dog-headed poor people. Currently, everyone in the city is focused on preparing for the festival, no one will notice this small action."

  The guy in the dark alley was really reliable, and Raymond nodded in satisfaction. Afterwards, the two of them discussed some other related matters before Raymond prepared to leave.

  Just then, Luz quietly said: "Your Highness, forgive my impertinence. But will something unexpected happen in the city during the festival?"

  Raymond couldn't help but laugh: "You finally asked, I thought you really didn't care about anything."

  "Please forgive me, it's really none of my business. But such an arrangement is truly unusual..." Rutz apologized.

  Raymond waved his hand nonchalantly: "It's nothing, it's normal for you to have such doubts. Otherwise, I'd really suspect that you're a person without any principles, who can do things without asking any questions or considering the circumstances. If that were the case, you'd be an extremely frightening person."

  "But..." Raymond threw up his hands in frustration: "I don't know either."

  Facing Rutz's surprised gaze, Raymond explained: "It's precisely because I don't know if anything will happen or what will happen that these preparations are necessary."

  He said, pointing to himself: "Just think of me as being overly sensitive and making arbitrary trouble. In fact, I hope so too, it's best if we're just wasting our time, haha..."

  For the first time, a faint smile appeared on Ruz's calm face: "I understand."