Chapter 240: Rufus

Rufus watched his master leave in the carriage together with his servants.

Right now, the young man is alone in front of the Isengard Fortress. 

He had mixed feelings about his master's decision to leave him like that… However, he felt that there must be a reason why he did that... 

'Anyway, he said that he'll look for me one day…'

The young man pondered… He's not aware when would that happen but it seems that the Sentient Arcana was implying that he should get stronger first before his master would look for him.

'Mhmm… I even got an Arcana… Maybe that's why he felt it's alright to leave me now?'

Rufus scratched his head as he couldn't understand a Sentient Arcana's train of thought.  Nevertheless, he knows that his master has already acknowledged his skills. This is why the Arcana was already confident of leaving him be…

'Ugh… But I'm not confident…'

The young man grumbled as he dragged his feet to reach the Fortress. 

"Haaa~ Haaa~

Rufus covered his mouth with his hands as he breathes on them to warm them up…

It heavily snowed last night and it is chilling outside the Fortress. Once he entered the walls, he knows that he will be affected by the array controlling the temperature inside. 

This is why he couldn't wait to enter the place. He also noticed that no other people are entering the place so he thought that he could easily get in.

As soon as he reached the gates, he was stopped by the guards as he needed to confirm his identity… 

Rufus looked at the gate manned by about 8 guards wearing light armor. They were all looking strong compared to the guards that he would normally see in the city. 

'They look scary… It suited their job…' The young man commented in his mind. These guards don't look amiable on the outside as they have stern faces or wearing frowning expressions with scrutinizing eyes.

Nevertheless, there are many reasons why security has to be strict. There's a Three-Eyed Imp Cult that is active around the area, there's a war on the western border where Beast Tamers were said to have sneaked out of their defensive lines, and lastly, there were recent reports about the human trafficking or slave trades in this region…

General Julian, the strongest Arcanist in this region, hated those especially the last one…

Slave trading is what he hated the most though no one knows the real reason. Once he managed to get such reports, he would normally send his right-hand man to settle it for him… 

"Am I allowed to enter?"

Rufus asked in a low voice. He already showed his emblem indicating that he's part of the Tower and an Arcanist.

Aside from that, although he wouldn't inherit anything from his father, he is still part of the nobility. However, the guards weren't impressed with his identity. They even looked condescending at him.

'What did I do?' Rufus felt a subtle change in their attitude. Though they are already frowning from the start, he felt that it had actually worsened.

"Why are you here?" One of the guards said. He's a bald man in his thirties and he seems to be the leader of the group.

"I was told that the army requires capable Arcanists… Although I'm only temporarily staying here, I thought of visiting here in case I could be of help."

The young man answered. It is true that the kingdom lack Arcanists that were capable when it comes to a real battle. 

Most of these Arcanists were already in the Knights Order, Arcanists Association, Arcanists Tower, or perhaps remained unaffiliated. Only a small percentage of Arcanists goes to the Army… 

The leader of the guards nodded at his answer before letting him in…

"If you want to be part of the special unit, visit the Elderberry Tavern. The Special Unit Officer should be staying there. Just ask the people there."

"Special unit?" Rufus repeated. He heard his words but he's not aware of the Special Unit that he is talking about.

"It's the small unit meant for Arcanists like you…"

"Ahh… I see…Thank you for informing me, sir."

Rufus bowed slightly to thank them… They don't look like a bad person once they started talking. 

The fortress wasn't bustling like the previous cities he's in but there are still merchants and various shops within the place.

After all, the soldiers here still require plenty of supplies and there are also nearby towns and villages in the area that needed to do trades…

"Ahh… Finally, it feels better."

He's now affected by the array helping the fortress to control the temperature. Although it is still cold, it now bearable as long as they have covers on their bodies.

'Elderberry Tavern…'

He looked around the shops and buildings within the fortress but it seems that he needs to get help in order to find the tavern. 

Nevertheless, he still looked around the shops to see what this place could offer.

Most of them are Weapons Shops but he also noticed a lot of Clothing Shops… The clothes themselves weren't enhanced by Arcanist's power but they seem to be made of exquisite materials. 

Rufus was tempted to purchase a change of clothes… The quality is really impressive and he thought that it would look good on him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The chimes of bells rang after entering the clothing shop.

"Welcome! How may I help you, Sir?"

It came from a young girl about 7 or 8 years old. She's wearing a rosy dress that suited her really well.

Before Rufus could answer, he heard a woman's voice at the back of the counter. She's probably the owner and this young girl is her daughter…

She saw Rufus and smiled at him before looking at her daughter…

"Oh… Chalia, serve our customer well…"

"Yes… Mister, please have a look at our shop… I won't disturb you know… Just come to me at the counter if you already found what you're looking for… Hehehe…"

The young girl said before running behind the counter. Her mother just shakes her head at this before asking Rufus.

"If there's anything you need, you can ask me…"

"Ahh… I'm fine for now… I'll just look around for a bit and see if I can find something that suits me."

"That's fine… In case you can't find one, we can also make clothes… I can just take your measurements and I'll make one for you… I'll give you a discount."

Rufus thanked the lady as he looked around the shop.

The jackets were of top quality and the fabric used can be compared to the ones used by the nobles…

He bought one of them so he can already wash his current jacket that is already quite sticky.

The jacket was only being sold for 6 silver coins and 10 copper coins. It might be expensive to average people but the quality is definitely something that Rufus is willing to pay for…

"I can see that you're an Archer… Are you from the Army? No, perhaps a Hunter?"

The owner asked. Rufus's bow and quiver are quite obvious so he can be easily misunderstood.

"Eh… No, But I wanted to enlist in the army's Special Unit… Do you know where the Elderberry Tavern is?"

Rufus asked.

"Oh… So you'll be in Special Unit?! You must be an Arcanists then?!"

The lady seems to be shocked.  It seems that she rarely sees an Arcanist visiting her shop.

"Yes… I'm Arcanists…" Rufus smiled at her. The woman's daughter was just watching him curiously as she doesn't seem to know what an Arcanists is.

"I see… Thank you for visiting my shop, Sir Arcanist… The Elderberry Tavern is at the third intersection if you walked from this side…"

The lady said pointing to her left…

"You can easily recognize the place once you arrived there…" 

The woman added.

"Thank you… Right, do you know the Special Unit Officer? I forgot to ask the guards a while ago…"

"Ahh… I'm not sure about his real name but I'm hearing them call him Boss Ma."

Rufus thanked her again before leaving the shop. He walked in the direction he was told to and sure enough, the Tavern was indeed quite easy to notice… The building was painted in ready and decorated with plants that he's not aware of… It also has beautiful pink and violet flowers that seem to attract customer for them.

The young man entered the tavern without any problems… 

As soon as he entered, he noticed that the place was barely filled with customers… There are about 20 tables and only 3 of them have customers.

He was then greeted by a waitress working in the Tavern…

Rufus kindly stated his purpose which made the lady smile …

"So, you're looking for Boss Ma… He's already passed out… He should wake up in about an hour or so…"

"He's drunk? Is that alright for an army officer?" The young man asked as he looked in the direction where the lady was pointing.