Serlon escorted us into the conference room, filing the troops against the wall. Edwin sat at the end of the table, sparing a knowing glance at our presence.

On the other end, Leon flipped through various documents. Filling the empty seats were nobles, whose expressions flickered between concern and curiosity at the new strangers.

Both of the royals looked exhausted. Their eyes were dark and heavy, as they stared in silence at the map laid out in the middle of the table.

Figurines lay scattered across the map, some already knocked down. I couldn’t help but notice the positioning.

Some pieces had been placed in three areas surrounding Florence. I assumed they represented the demonic troops.

Certainly, it was a strategy with which I was familiar. In fact, Dagon and Adbeel had taught me this long ago. A larger force was positioned in front of the gates.

Meanwhile, two middle-sized troops filled with archers and long-range infantry would launch from the sides.

They would rotate the direction of the fire occasionally, while slowly pressing towards the gates. In a perfect siege, corpses would be thrown over the walls to incur diseases. Humans were weak enough to get sick like that, especially when low levels of demonic energy had been mixed in.

If it were Dagon assisting in strategy, the kingdom should be in shambles. With the last battle being swift and bloody. My former general was more than qualified to make sure of it.

A guard behind Leon raised the hilt of her sword, stabbing the metal against the floor. Soon, the attention of the entire room was focused on the King.

Leon cleared his throat, “First off, I wanted to thank everyone for clearing their schedules to make this meeting. I apologize that it was the last minute. But I’m glad that everyone is present.”

He sighed, placing down the papers in his hand, “As you may know, Florence has been in siege and warfare against the demons for two years. It is believed that they will fall any day now.”

A noble dressed in a lavish coat raised his hand, only answering when the King allowed, “How about the supplies sent through the portals?”

Leon shook his head, “Despite supplies, the war has taken a toll on more than food. With the constant and random attacks, bodies are piling up faster than they can manage.”

“So, it’s disease that’s killing them,” Another noble interjected, waiting till Leon was done, “Can’t potions be sent through? People?”

“We don’t have the mana to power the portals for those types of things regularly. Nor do we have enough capital for sparring potions to that degree. Other kingdoms are stingy to help in fear of preparing for war themselves.” Leon informed with a grim expression.

Once the capital was mentioned, the nobles turned to Edwin. The question that they wanted to ask was clear. It was no secret that Trane had been a main supplier in the turning war.

And they had been able to keep that position throughout the years. In such a desperate time, they were beneficial to have to support you.

“Our potion production rates were lower in the last few years. If you incorporate quality, my father invested into improving schooling to foster a better generation of alchemists.” Edwin started explaining, despite the actual question not being asked.

He went on, “Because of that capital investment, we’re now able to produce larger amounts of potions. Of course, we’d happily supply Leton with their needs during this rough time.”

“But were you unable to assist Florence?” A noble blurted, visibly cringing at the realization of his mistake. Rows of glares were sent in his direction by the others. Edwin remained poker-faced.

Another clank of the sword echoed through the room, silencing the crowd. The knight behind Leon rested the sword back on her side.

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“Enough. Trane is willing to help Leton with war supplies,” Leon glared over at the noble, who gulped, “Whether Trane keeps relationships with Florence is none of our concern. My security head will explain the situation on the map.”

The armored guard walked to the side of the table, reaching to pull a figure out of her pocket. She leaned over, placing the figure further East.

“Greetings, I am King Leon’s head of security. I’ve placed the figure to where we stand on the map. Florence is marked to the West of it,” She pointed to the cluster of figurines, “Currently, Florence is surrounded by three fleets of demons.”

I listened in carefully, wanting to see how legitimate their guesses were. If strategies were similar to a hundred years ago, I already knew how it would play out.

Again because of my time loss, all was fair game. This would evaluate Leton’s intelligence capabilities to the extreme.

Who knew at this point? I could only guess based on Dagon’s style of attacking.

“The fleets consisted of ogres, hellhounds, goblins, and other types of demons. Some have abilities to cast dark magic, so the Dragon general’s uppermost commanders are the main subjects.” She informed, stepping back from the table to look for any questions.

For a brief second, Serlon and Edwin’s eyes dart over at the mention of my former title.

But I had no reaction, besides shaking my head slightly. To others, it looked like a mere flick of the head. They were looking for some sort of reaction from me. That much was clear.

Even if I was bothered, I had no willpower to give towards hearing my former title. It was lost for a reason that could only be attributed to my own faults. This was something that my father had been right about. And I acknowledged that.

The two of them sighed in relief before redirecting their attention to the conversation. Edwin was the first to raise his hand.

“Do we have an estimated timeline of when Florence will fall?” He questioned the knight.

“We lost connection to their mages last week. According to a returning scout, it could be any day now. Their situation was hopeless,” She answered, moving on to another noble.

“What’s the direct fear for Leton? After Florence falls, where does that leave us?” The noble asked.

“Of course, we’re not West most to Florence. However, we’re the last stronghold before the land opens into the main travel routes. Established villages border the road between Florence and Leton. But those will fall within a single day.” The knight frowned, glancing over to Leon for approval.

“It is, how it seems. Every second counts,” Leon warned, his fists clenched around the papers.

It was interesting to listen to the gravity of their situation. Initially, I was on the other side, planning the downfall alongside Dagon and Adbeel.

My job had been to lead the demonic troops to bloody victory in the name of my Father.

However, what was the use of that now? I was no longer a pawn for my father, despite my unwilful dismissal from that rank. Serlon was right about my proposition.

I had no outstanding loyalties, nor place to go back to.

You couldn’t call this betrayal if I could no longer tie myself to a specific place. How absurd it must be to watch a dragon aid humans? Ludicrous.

“Is that so?” Edwin mumbled under his breath. He looked up with conviction, “King Leon. May I give a suggestion?”

“Of course. You are more than welcome to.” Leon offered.

“First. We’ll clarify the terms for our negotiations at a later time. Secondly, my troops have faced countless demons before I may have the knowledge to offer on future attack patterns. After all, this troop’s foundations came from assisting in the takedown of the Demon King’s dragon.” Edwin suggested, earning the scowls of several nobles.

“You make a good point,” Leon sighed, looking over to his knight, who nodded in agreement, “Very well. I’ll schedule a meeting with your knights and my general for later in the afternoon.”

One of the nobles clicked his tongue, crossing his arms, “We’re on the brink of war. Now it’s suggested that we leave our future in the hands of strangers. Ridiculous! Why should we change our system now? We should be preparing for war!”

A collected murmur broke throughout the meeting room. It was obvious that most of the nobles were on the same track.

With the silent agreement between the wealthy men, I understood more of Leton’s inbred issues. Money was filthy here.

Ridiculous? Would they prefer dying? That notion, itself was the most baffling.

“Then what? We run like headless cattle into battle. Trane’s history speaks for itself,” Leon challenged, giving an icy glare to the nobles. They said nothing.

“Are the other general free today?” He sighed, questioning his knight.

“It’s hard to say, Your Majesty. We can go check,” His knight suggested.

“His Majesty is serious…” A mirage of confused chatter ensued.

A kingdom’s pride was solid and unwavering. So, for them to openly accept help like this was telling. All the nobles understood that.

“I agree that collaborating on battle strategies with Trane will be beneficial,” Leon reasoned, “We’ll need help in all the ways possible. I encourage everyone with the private militia to make sure you’re soldiers understand that we’ll be working as a team.”

“If I may interject, my private militia has encountered demons before. Why do we need outside help if my troops are experienced?” A noble countered, concealing the smugness of his question.

“Your private soldiers patrol the northern borders of the kingdom, correct?” The King questioned, tapping his finger against the table.

“That’s correct,” The noble confirmed.

“Well, the northern borders only hold lower demons. We’re dealing with levels higher than that. Have you not been paying attention?” Leon hummed, glossing over the noble’s empty suggestion.

A scoff was heard from the noble, who crossed his arms.

“Private armies will be unpleased to learn that another kingdom is helping with battle. Your safety will be at risk,” His knight interjected.

“And if I don’t do anything, no one’s safety will be promised for long.” He countered, not willing to put up with any more refusal, “This meeting is adjourned. I hope you know that it’s expected to keep everything under wraps till the time is right.”

I watched as the grumbling nobles exited the conference room with scowling faces. They were not happy with the decision. However, they didn’t have the power to refuse either.

“I thought those nobles were going to burst a vein,” Edwin sighed, strolling over to where the troop had been waiting, “I’m sorry to add more to our schedule.”

“No need to apologize, Your Highness,” Serlon stepped out from beside me, “We will follow your orders.”

The prince exhaled, a smile tugging at his lips, “And I’m grateful for that.”

Leon approached, his knight trailing behind him, “You’ll have to excuse the nobles. They were selected from my father’s rule due to their influence over the private militia of their own.”

“No need. I understand,” Edwin waved him off, “Trane’s situation here is tricky. We came here already knowing that. You don’t need to worry about us getting offended.”

“I’m relieved to hear that, Prince Edwin,” Leon chuckled, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll talk to my generals to schedule a meeting. Please feel free to rest or attend to other matters.”

The King exited the room.

“Sir Serlon? What does my schedule look like?” Edwin questioned, walking over to my position on the wall.

“You’re free till the meeting, Your Highness,” Serlon informed, looking at a note of the itinerary for the day.

“Great,” He grinned, staring at me, “Guard Asta. Let’s talk in my chambers.”

What did he want now?