City of Desire: Chapter 1021 Conquering Almin II (Patreon)

Proofread by Thomas F

Count Summerfield

“Fucking bitch!” I roared across the room, not caring for all the people sitting around me.

She had crossed all limits.

“She is really acting like a bitch in heat. My lord, ask Lord Vurin to prepare for war and destroy the city. By the time she gets it, there will be nothing left of it,” said Ronda. I nodded.

If the bitch wants the city, I will give it to her. It will be nothing but a husk.

In conditions worse than when I had taken it from the undead.

“Then what?” asked Silva, my general. I had asked him to devise the strategy to deal with her, but like my cowardly cousin, he too only advised me to abandon the city.

The city- I had spent so much of my wealth upon it.

“What do you mean, then what, General Silva? It will show everyone not to mess with us. If they come for our cities, we will destroy them as such, so that there will be nothing left for them to rule,” replied Darius.

“It will show the cost of attacking us to Viremont and Grimvale!” added Ronda.

I will not abandon my cities. They are the last bastion of my house; abandoning them is giving up on my house, and I will not.

Silva looked at us before sighing.

“That logic might have worked on Almin, but it will not work on Deerpond. Even if you burn every inch of it and cave in the mine, it will remain desirable.”

“It is in the middle of the region, in the most strategic place in the region.”

“There is the most prosperous mine in the region, which they can dig back, and a large population. All of it makes it the most desirable city in the region after Greltheaven.”

“Grimvale and Viremont will desire it, no matter what the condition.”

“The only way to deter them is to have our complete army and your powerhouses here. With the whole army and the threat of destroying everything, we might be able to deter those two.” He stated calmly as always.

I want to punch his face.

“Only deter, General? Yes, they may have a bigger army and more powerhouses, but I believe we could crush them.”

“It will cost a lot, but we can do that,” replied Ronda, glaring at him intensely, like I am and like many in the room are doing.

“Yes, we can,” agreed the whole room. Only Silva and a detestable few had remained quiet.

In the time I had, I was not just waiting, twiddling my thumbs. I had made preparations.

Including buying those alchfire orbs Silver loves so much. It is because of that bastard that the price of orbs has shot through the roof.

He is buying them left and right, paying any price for them.

“The army currently stationed in the city is more than enough to deal with the threats approaching us. But more would certainly be better. With a larger force, we could crush those bastards completely.” Ronda said.

I frowned, and he bowed.

“We will let her have it temporarily. Once the dust settled, we will march back to Almin and take it from that bitch’s hands.”

“We’ll do the same with Riverbell,” He declared. I hesitated; I don’t want to give up Almin; it would be humiliating.

“That bitch is too arrogant,” I replied.

I might have given her the city, but she wants me to pay for the ransom of my troops as well. That is too humiliating; I will become a laughingstock in the empire if I do that.

“She is, Lord Father, but General Ronda is right. If we have the entire army in one place, we could crush our enemies thoroughly and conquer them back to wash away humiliation.”

I looked at my son—my heir—and knew he was right. Some victories demanded difficult choices and patience before their rewards could be claimed. Fine. Let her have the city for now. In a few weeks, I would return and take it back.

And repay this humiliation she had inflicted on me tenfold.

…

Vurin Summerfield

The gates opened, and Marchioness Arenthal rode inside on the wolf, fully armored and watchful like every person behind her.

Her army followed and not just through this gate, but all the gates of the city.

As they did, they moved to take control of the gates, which were already abandoned for them.

I felt the pain of seeing that, but there was nothing I could do. If I had felt any hope that I could defend it, I wouldn’t have surrendered the city, but from the beginning, there was no hope of that.

Although I couldn't help but wonder whether she could keep this city.

Viremont is coming with an army more than twice as big as hers, and he has declared his desire for Almin. It's the best place to launch an attack at Panar and Gailhorn, which is his confirmed aim.

Well, the real aim is Greltheaven. I don’t think he will attack it directly.

He will first conquer at least one of those cities or both before moving to Greltheaven.

I pushed those thoughts away and walked toward Viscount Larcastle. They didn’t restrict my movements, but they have taken away my guards and put their own for my safety, of course.

…

Marchioness Arenthal

The guards opened the door, and I stepped into the office that used to belong to Vurin Summerfield, but like the city, not anymore. Now, it’s mine.

It has been only a few hours since I entered the city. I could have come here first, but I had to make sure everything went smoothly.

Now Summerfield’s army is in its barracks, while mine is standing at every position, with my clerks and accountants going through every piece of record in the city’s offices.

“It’s good, quite tasteful,” said Kadira, looking at the office.

“It is,” I agreed.

It’s not as gaudy as many nobles’ offices, filled with expensive paintings or heirloom pieces. There are few of those things here, but the ones that are are tasteful.

Still, I will have to change a few things.

I sat down, and she sat opposite me. I felt something settle on me that I had never felt before, and it kind of scared me.

“So, this is our home now,” she said, and I nodded. Turning to the large window, which provided a view of the city and the vast wasteland around it.

“Thank you, I am lucky to have a friend like you,” I said, taking her hands into mine. “Me too, but don’t forget what you had promised me,” I laughed.

But soon my expression turned serious.

“I will not.” It will be very hard and expensive, but I will do it. It is the least I could do for her.

“How are the negotiations going?” I asked after a few seconds of silence. Uncle is negotiating the army's ransom with Count Summerfield.

“He is trying to lowball us,” I smiled.

We will not budge on the amount. It's high, but he could pay. If he didn’t, Viremont might go for him, and it’s not something he would wish to happen, nor would I.

“Will our gamble work?” she asked. Her voice trembled with nervousness; I was scared about the plan, but I knew it would work.

“It would,” I replied confidently.

It’s a massive gamble, but I know it will work because they would not want the other thing to happen.

…

Count Viremont

“I have to give it to her; she has guts. She had taken Almin, despite you clearly stating you wanted it,” said Loxley, riding beside me. I glared at the man.

I wanted Almin; I had made that plenty clear with my call with her and even stated it publicly.

It was a slap to my face.

It is a strategically important city, through which I could attack Silver. Now, it’s either Bilgas or Deerpond. I wanted to conquer them in time, but only after I dealt with Silver.

“It will not change the plans,” I replied.

Yes, it's a hiccup, but among the hundreds we had already expected. Nothing is perfect in war, especially when dealing with people like Arenthal, Grimvale, and Silver.

People with experience, potential, and minds sharper than a blade.

I refuse to underestimate any of them.

“Do you think Delavere will agree?” he asked after nearly minutes of silence. My army is moving toward Inam; it will reach there in three days, while I am moving around to gather more allies and powerhouses.

Silver is a tricky enemy and has not lost a single battle.

It is not just because of luck; every battle was meticulously planned, trump cards were used at the right time, and most importantly, Silver himself took action.

I am gathering as many allies as I can.

So, when I move against Silver, I would be like a tsunami that will sweep through anything that he throws at me, including the man himself.

There is another reason I want to recruit Delavere. He has a particular skill.

It could help against Alchfire Orbs.

Silver had bought a large number of them. Including Grade V ones; those are terrifyingly dangerous. So I am gathering people and tools to help me deal with it.

I have already gathered a slate of them, including Loxley. He sould be able to deal with it, but one can never be sure.

“I don’t know, but I will go as far as offering him the territory,” I replied, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Delavere doesn’t have an army. He let go of most of it after taking revenge for his wife and, since then, has stayed in the manor with his daughter.

It would be incredible if he could join. He is very powerful; even Loxley might not defeat him.

He also has three artifacts.

“I heard he had become mad after his wife's death and relentlessly hunted those who were responsible.”

“Do you think he will agree to a spar?” he asked, his eyes once more shining, but this time, there was a madness creeping into them. “I don’t know, but don't ask him until we get our answer.”

A little over an hour later, the manor came into view.

Seeing it, I couldn’t help but be surprised. I was told it was a manor; it’s not. It’s a small, two-story house covered in vines.

As we reached near it, I turned to Loxley.

“Be on your best behavior,” I warned before turning to the compound. I will not hesitate to pay the high price for his aid; he is worth it.