It's time (2/2)

Rafael opened the door, ready to leave his lab, but was surprised to find Edmund standing there with his hand raised, about to knock.

"Oh, sir, I spoke with a known carpenter, and he's going to finish your bed frame today," Edmund reported, sounding pleased with himself.

"That's good. Now take this." Rafael handed him a parchment. "On this, you'll find a new trigger mechanism and an ergonomic frame design for the crossbow. I've also outlined ways to create a bigger and stronger crossbow and a new reloading mechanism, so you won't need to pull the string back with your bare hands."

Edmund stared at the parchment, his mouth open in surprise.

"Find Count Edwin or even that commander of his and give this to them. And tell them we're going to need a lot of blacksmiths and carpenters, so I suggest they incentivize and fund new ones."

Edmund was at a loss for words, still staring at Rafael.

"What's wrong? Come on, this is of great importance. Go, go!" Rafael urged, giving him a light push to send him on his way.

With Edmund gone, Rafael wasted no time. He walked back into his room, grabbed some unused parchments, and sat down at his table, sketching and writing ideas that had never been seen before.

The troop commander was the one to meet Edmund and receive the parchment. As he read through it, he couldn't help but express his amazement. "I've got to say, I was skeptical about his claim of being one of the creators of the crossbow. But it seems it was true, in the end."

"What else can you tell me?" the commander asked.

"He said you should incentivize and fund new woodworkers and smiths."

"I understand why he's asking this, but it's not as simple as that. I'll need to speak with Count Edwin." After dismissing Edmund, the commander made his way to see the lord of the land.

"I'm sorry, Commander, but Count Edwin is in a meeting right now. You'll have to wait," a soldier at the large door informed him.

"Meeting? With whom?" The commander found it strange that Edwin was hosting a meeting without him. As the troop commander, he was usually involved in all important matters.

"A priest and the High Priest himself."

The High Priest? This must be really important if even he came in person. Well, if it's him, then I understand. He waited for about 15 minutes until the doors finally opened, and two old men, presumably the priests, exited without even acknowledging him.

"Sir, I have a report about that man called Rafael," the commander said as he approached Edwin, who was sitting by a large table with the compass in front of him.

"Go on," Edwin replied, though he appeared uneasy.

"He provided new ideas on how to upgrade the weapon. I took a look, and I believe it will truly improve the crossbow."

"Good, that's good. Send it to the workers right away. Is that all?"

"I have more good news, sir. The soldiers sent by the capital arrive today. We've already made some adjustments in our barracks to accommodate them."

"How many are coming?"

"180 spearmen and 20 archers."

"Only 200? That damn pig! He shouldn't be king! He doesn't care about his people at all!" Count Edwin snapped, his anger boiling over upon hearing the paltry number of reinforcements. After a few moments, the commander continued, passing on Rafael's message about training new workers.

"I was actually thinking about this the other day. We could benefit a lot by training more workers and metalsmiths. Let me speak with my advisers and see what they say. If that's all, you can go."

The commander considered asking what the High Priest was doing there but refrained. His only clue was the compass sitting in front of Edwin.

The next day, Rafael was visited by a priest and two metalsmiths eager to learn how he had made the compass. He explained the process of magnetizing an iron needle and constructing the final product.

Knowing a priest was present, Rafael emphasized the idea that everything came from the earth, how simple and divine it was, and how incredible God was for making such things possible. The priest remained silent throughout, leading Rafael to believe his approach had worked.

I guess my share of the profits is closer than I thought. Okay, back to brainstorming.

The rest of the week passed without incident, though the constant psychological burden of not knowing when the enemy would attack weighed heavily on everyone.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the north. The largest city in the kingdom's northern region had been under siege for over two weeks, and things were not looking good.

In the south, enemy scouts were occasionally spotted near Fritsburg, but no troops had been seen... Until now.

A soldier was granted permission to enter the large room where all war meetings were held. There, he found Count Edwin, his troop commander, and advisers seated at the table.

"Sir, our scouts spotted a large group of enemy soldiers gathering at Calistoga. They estimate it will take around ten days for such a large group to reach our walls."

The message was met with subtle, distressed, sad, and fearful expressions. "How many do you think were in that group?" asked one of the old men seated beside the commander.

"Our men managed to get a good look before escaping. They estimate the enemy force to be around four to five thousand." The fearful faces were no longer subtle; it was clear that the upcoming battle would be anything but easy.

"How is our food and grain stock?" Edwin asked one of his advisers, an older man in charge of the city's crops and food supply.

"The harvest ended two days ago, and all the grain has been stored. The Lord Creator has smiled upon us, as we estimate this harvest produced the same amount, if not more, compared to last year. This would be enough to endure the winter if we weren't at war."

"The farmers and workers have already started plowing the fields in preparation for the next crop," the adviser added.

"I think we ought to stop them. We'll be under attack in a few days, and those savages will definitely destroy our fields. We should save the people from this wasted effort and direct their energy elsewhere," another adviser suggested.

The meeting ended hours later, with some orders set in motion and other ideas still needing more thought. The weight of the impending battle hung heavily over everyone as they prepared for what was to come.