Chapter 109: A Challenge from the Captain

Ethan gave a small nod.

"Understood, Commander. We’ll follow the patrol leader’s instructions and won’t act on our own."

The commander nodded.

"Good. That’s what I want to hear."

He then turned towards the door.

"Someone come in!"

A soldier entered the office and saluted.

"Commander!"

"Take these students to Captain Roderick’s patrol unit. They’ll be joining them from now on."

The soldier glanced at Ethan and the others before nodding.

"Understood, Commander."

He turned towards the group.

"Please follow me."

Ethan looked at the commander.

"Thank you, Commander."

The commander gave a small nod.

"Just make sure you don’t cause trouble for my soldiers."

Ethan didn’t say anything else. He turned around and followed the soldier, while the others went after him.

Garrick also followed them. Since he was responsible for the Silvercrest Guild’s branch in Ironhaven, he wanted to see how things were going with the patrols.

After leaving the headquarters, the soldier led them towards the area where the patrol units usually gathered.

"Captain Roderick’s unit is one of our more experienced patrol teams," he explained as they walked. "They’ve been dealing with the beastfolk attacks for quite some time, so they know the surrounding areas well."

"How many people are in the unit?" Ethan asked.

"Eight, including the captain. They’re usually sent to areas where we expect trouble."

Ethan nodded and continued following him.

A little later, they arrived at a large open area where several soldiers were gathered. Some were checking their weapons, while others were preparing supplies for their next patrol.

The soldier led them towards a man standing near the group.

"Captain Roderick!"

The man turned around.

"What is it?"

"These are the academy students the commander said to bring to you. They’ll be joining your unit."

Roderick looked at Ethan and the others.

"These are the students?"

"Yes, Captain."

Roderick studied them for a moment before his eyes stopped on Victor.

"You’re the captain?"

Victor looked uncomfortable.

"No. He’s the captain."

He pointed towards Ethan, his expression showing that he wasn’t particularly happy about it.

Roderick turned towards Ethan.

"You’re the captain?"

"Yes. My name is Ethan."

Roderick looked at him for a moment before shaking his head.

"That commander really knows how to give people trouble."

He didn’t seem particularly pleased with the arrangement. He had expected to receive a few experienced soldiers to help with the patrols, but instead, the commander had sent him a group of students.

Still, there was nothing he could do about it now.

"I’m Roderick. I’ll be leading the patrol while you’re with us. As long as you follow my instructions, we shouldn’t have any problems."

"Understood."

Roderick looked at the others before speaking again.

"We’re currently preparing to patrol one of the mining routes. The beastfolk have been seen around that area several times, so we need to check whether they’ve returned."

He then pointed towards a soldier standing a little distance away.

"That’s our scout. He’s usually the first to spot any approaching enemies. He’ll be keeping watch from higher ground while the rest of us move through the area."

Ethan looked towards the soldier.

The man was carrying a bow and had a pair of short blades attached to his waist. He seemed to be checking the equipment on his body.

"He’s quite good at his job," Roderick added. "There aren’t many people who can spot enemies from as far away as he can."

The scout noticed them looking and briefly raised his head.

Roderick then turned back to Ethan.

"We’ll be leaving in a few hours. Get your people ready. Once we’re outside the city, stay close to the unit and don’t wander off."

"Understood, Captain."

Ethan turned towards his teammates.

"Let’s get ready."

The others began checking their equipment and preparing for the patrol. Victor was still looking somewhat displeased, but he didn’t say anything.

Roderick watched them for a moment before turning towards his own men.

"Make sure everything is ready. We’ll leave in a few hours."

The soldiers began preparing their equipment. Some checked their weapons, while others gathered the supplies they would need for the patrol.

Roderick, however, didn’t immediately leave. He looked at Ethan and the other students again, then a small smile appeared on his face.

"Actually, there’s something we should settle first."

Ethan looked at him.

"What is it?"

Roderick pointed towards the archer.

"Since you people will be joining my patrol, I’d like to see what you can actually do."

He then looked at Ethan with a slightly smug expression.

"To be honest, I don’t really want to take a group of inexperienced students into the mining areas. I already have enough people to worry about, and I don’t want to spend the entire patrol watching over you."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"How about this? Let one of your people compete with our archer. If your person can beat him, I’ll let your team take part in the patrol like the rest of us."

Ethan glanced at the archer.

"And if we lose?"

Roderick smiled.

"Then you’ll stay behind the main group and won’t get involved in any fights. You can watch and learn until I decide you’re ready to help."

He seemed quite pleased with his suggestion.

The archer standing nearby also smiled a little. He had heard what his captain said and didn’t seem worried about the challenge.

"Captain, what kind of competition do you have in mind?" Ethan asked.

"A shooting contest."

Roderick pointed towards the archer again.

"He’s one of the best ranged fighters in my unit. He’s a Third Order Archer, and his accuracy is quite good. I doubt any of your students can match him."

He then looked at Ethan’s group.

"Of course, we’ll use practice equipment. I don’t want anyone getting injured over something like this."

The archer nodded and took out his bow. It was a well-made weapon with a polished body and several small magical patterns carved into its surface.

Ethan took one look at it and could tell that it was a Fourth Order weapon.

Roderick noticed him looking.

"That’s a good weapon. He bought it from one of the blacksmiths here in Ironhaven."

He then turned towards one of his soldiers.

"Bring the practice arrows. Replace his normal arrows with those. We don’t need anyone getting hurt."

The soldier nodded and went to prepare them.

Roderick looked back at Ethan.

"Well? Do you have anyone who can compete with him?"

Ethan glanced at his teammates before turning towards Adrian.

"Adrian will compete with him."

Roderick followed his gaze. When he saw the cloth covering Adrian’s eyes, he couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

"That blind student?"

His expression showed that he wasn’t sure whether Ethan was being serious.

"Are you sure about this? My archer is one of the best in my unit."

Ethan didn’t change his expression.

"That’s fine. Adrian will compete."

Roderick looked at Adrian again before shaking his head slightly.

"Alright. It’s your decision."

He didn’t say anything else, but he clearly didn’t expect much from Adrian.

Lydia also looked at Adrian with some concern.

She knew Adrian was blind, and although he could move around and do things like a normal person, she still found it difficult to believe he could compete with an experienced Third Order Archer.

Roderick had just praised the soldier’s accuracy, claiming he was one of the best ranged fighters in the patrol unit. How could Adrian possibly compete against someone like that?

"Are you sure about this?" she asked Ethan quietly.

Ethan glanced at her.

"What’s the problem?"

"Adrian is..."

She stopped herself and looked towards Adrian.

Ethan understood what she wanted to say, but he didn’t bother explaining.

"Don’t worry. He’ll be fine."

Lydia still looked uncertain, but she didn’t say anything else.

Kael, on the other hand, didn’t seem worried.

He remembered Adrian’s performance during the academy assessment very clearly. Back then, Adrian had easily defeated him during their match.

Every shot seemed to know where to go. No matter how Kael tried to defend himself, Adrian’s attacks always found a weak point. It was almost as if the bullets could see through his movements before he even made them.

Kael had tried several ways to block them, but none of them worked.

"Don’t underestimate him," Kael said.

Lydia turned towards him.

"You think Adrian can win?"

Kael nodded.

"I’ve fought against him before. His accuracy is incredible. I don’t think his blindness will be a problem."

Roderick glanced at Adrian once more before turning towards Ethan and the others.

"There’s no need to do this here. Ironhaven has several training facilities for different professions. There’s one specifically designed for ranged fighters, and we can settle this there."

He looked at the students.

"It’s called the Ironclad Proving Grounds. The blacksmiths built several mechanical training systems there, including moving targets and aerial targets. It’s quite popular among people with ranged professions, as they can use the different training systems to test their accuracy and abilities."

Ethan nodded.

"That works."

Roderick turned towards his archer.

"Get ready. We’re going to the proving grounds."

The archer smiled and nodded before putting away his bow.

Garrick looked towards Kael. "I’ll be heading back first. I still need to report the equipment situation to your father."

Kael nodded.

"Alright, Uncle Garrick."

Roderick then gave a few instructions to his other soldiers, telling them to finish their preparations while he took the students to the facility.