City of Desire: Chapter 1033 War Begins (Patreon)

Proofread by Thomas F

“He arrived,” said General Azalia, and I nodded as I looked at Virement’s army through the binoculars.

He had stopped twenty miles away from the city, and his people seemed to lie down in the camp. He was not attacking immediately, nor had we expected him to.

“If we had enough force, this would have been the best time to attack him,” said Leila, and I laughed.

Given the disparity in the numbers, we will not fight outside the city. We will fight from the wall; it is the best strategy we have on hand.

I looked at the army, even from such a distance; the sheer scale of it put fear in my heart.

“It’s quite an army he brought,” said Hardt, his expression turning somber. He'd been quite joyful all day, but seeing the army made him serious.

“Indeed.”

It is three and a half times bigger than ours.

They are not some mindless undead horde, but people. Every one of them is experienced; they are unlike anything we have fought so far, and that makes them extremely dangerous.

“Viremont is asking for permission to send his envoy,” informed Hardt.

“Agree,” I replied.

Barely anything would come out of it, but I want to give peace a chance. If the battle could be avoided, then I am more than willing to do it.

I stayed on the wall until it was completely dark, then walked down.

Since morning, the city had completely changed. All movements were restricted except for emergencies of the highest level. One couldn’t see a single person moving so casually.

There weren't any; it was mostly soldiers and some officials, along with healers and a few others.

Hours passed in a flurry of meetings before the door of my office opened at ten pm, and a tall, blue-haired man in his mid-thirties stepped inside.

He was ruggedly handsome, with a square jaw and pale green eyes that swept the room before settling on me.

There were two people behind him, but I barely looked at them.

He stopped and looked at me, expecting me to get up, but his rank was not high enough, nor was his power to warrant such respect.

“Lord Silver,” he greeted.

There was not a hint of displeasure from him. The man was quite good, and he was doing it with no active skills; only the passive ones were on.

“Baron Fairwyn,”

Halin Fairwyn was a powerful noble in the late Lv. 30s; he knew the aura method. Viremont had sent someone formidable enough to show respect, but not one of his strongest nobles.

He could be said to be a second-tier powerhouse, right below the Lv. 40’s.

So, if I broke convention and captured him, Viremont would suffer a loss, but not one severe enough to significantly affect his plans.

“I hope the march has been comfortable, Baron Fairwyn?” I asked, bringing the faintest surprise into his eyes for a fraction of a second. It couldn’t help but make me happy.

The man might have expected me to get straight to business, but I asked about the march.

“It was good, but would have been more comfortable if you hadn’t assassinated Viscount Balmos; he had skills that would have made the journey more comfortable.”

Ah, the man could reply skillfully.

“Yes, I heard about those skills. I wish I had something like that; it would have made long journeys comfortable.” I didn’t even acknowledge the killing, which is the answer itself.

His expression twitched ever so faintly. If I weren’t looking, I wouldn’t have noticed it.

“My lord, Count Viremont sent me to you with an offer,” he said. I barely reacted other than the curve of my lips.

“Let’s hear it.”

He didn’t speak immediately. Instead, put a file forward. I didn’t touch it. Instead, I kept my eyes focused on the man.

“Count Viremont wishes you surrender your dominion to him.”

He paused, his eyes searching for any change; there was none. I mean, why would it be?

It is the reason he had brought such a massive army.

“In exchange, he will grant you a barony in Nakar. As for the legacies, there will be no interference from him as long as you hand over all the essence that Velvet Garden and Twilight Hall produce,” he stated.

It took all my willpower not to burst out laughing.

“How generous of him. I will get a little territory and even get to run my own legacy. Though I have to say, Count Viremont is being miserly,”

“I mean, even the greediest lord gives 1% to the master, but Count Viremont is not willing to do even that.” Hurt appeared on my face, and I put my hand on my chest.

“Don’t you think that, Baron Fairwyn?” I asked, and for a moment, he kept his expression controlled before it twitched.

“Don’t jest, Lord Silver,” he said, his expression turning serious.

“Count Viremont had brought an army, many times greater than what you have here, with more powerhouses than you can contend with.”

“It won’t take us much effort to conquer Panar.”

“Once we have done that, we would march to Greltheaven, and nobody could stop us,” he said with such confidence that I could see he believed it himself.

“Then come at us with everything you have, because you’ll get only one chance,” I replied with a faint smile. His expression hardened.

“You’re making a mistake, Lord Silver. It’s a fair offer. Accept it,” he said.

“Only battle will decide whether it’s a mistake,” I replied simply. He studied me in silence for a moment, then rose and left, without saying a word.

“They seemed quite confident of their victory,” said Leila as the door closed.

“I would, too, if I had been in their place.”

They brought a vast army and many powerhouses; it would give anyone confidence.

“What do you think our chances are of defeating them?” She asked with a somber voice. I opened my mouth to answer when I saw her expression change drastically.

“Undead arrived at Gailhorn,” informed Zela.

“It's earlier than I had thought.”

I had expected them to attack after Viremont launched the attack, but they did it before. Still, they had two more targets.

“Connect me to Knight Liorian,” I said to their surprise.

They thought I would talk with Trask, and I would, but first, let me give the warning to the undead. So they wouldn’t complain about what is going to happen.

I had been waiting for this because my response would create a deterrent that would buy me years.

…

Count Viremont

“So, the undead moved,” I said.

“How much time will it take for them to reach the coast?” asked Loxley. Undead ships have appeared; they are still away from the coast to Gailhorn.

“If they kept moving at the speed they are moving, then two hours,” replied Kaus.

“Any land movement?” asked Viscountess Valebrook; that's the thing that we are focused on most. We don’t want to be surprised by the undead after defeating Silver.

“No,” he replied.

“They might be moving through subterranean ways; it’s hard to say, seeing how they let nothing move in their core territory,” I stated.

I have kept the people watching, and Arenthal also promised to warn me if she senses any movement.

She is just as worried about them as I am; even more than I am. She would be in massive trouble if the undead attacked her or Panar, as her city comes in between.

“It didn’t matter if they came for us. I will destroy them,” said Selvaron, full of confidence.

His presence gives me confidence; mages have the highest destructive potential. The higher the level, the greater the destruction they could cause.

He will be instrumental in winning against Silver and defending against the undead.

“I have complete confidence in your abilities, Great Mage,” I replied. Despite his title and power, he enjoys praise as much as anyone else.

I need to keep him happy. He is important for my victory, but also for the things that come after.

A few minutes passed when I turned as the flap opened and a blue-haired man stepped inside.

He nodded and sat down in an empty chair.

“What does he say?” asked Loxley.

“He declined.” Nobody seemed surprised. We had expected it; it was not the purpose for which I had sent him.

“What did you observe?” I asked. It was for that which I had sent him. He is quite good at it and has related skills.

His expressions turned serious, making everyone focus on him.

“He is confident; he genuinely believes that he has a chance against us, almost like he could win.” Hearing that, the mood in the room turned somber.

We might boast about winning, but nobody here dares to underestimate Silver.

“We already knew it wouldn’t be too easy to defeat him, but we have come prepared. I am confident in all your abilities and know that you all will help me defeat Silver.” I paused, looked at them, and saw understanding in their eyes.

“We have lost our territories and most of the wealth we had.”

“The only thing that remains with us is our names and the power we have, through which we have to earn what we have lost, and we will,” I said.

Nobody said anything, but one by one, they each thumped their fists on the table.

This is the greatest gamble we have taken. If we win, we will gain what we have lost, more than that, but we failed. We will be destroyed.

This desperation gives me confidence, as these people will throw everything they have to win.

“I’ll be dammed!”

I smiled and opened my mouth when a loud curse rang out from Selvaron.

“What happened?” asked Loxley.

“The gates of Greltheaven had opened, and the army seemed to be coming out of it,” he replied, shocking everyone.