Apparently, Serlon hadn’t moved from his position outside the chambers. It didn’t look like anyone had come into the room either. Unless they left zero traces.

Even if they did, you couldn’t mask your scent. If someone entered, I’d be the first one to know.

So, we didn’t appear to be caught. I was half-expecting to land back on the balcony to a fuming guard, who would accuse me of kidnapping. But if anyone had gotten kidnapped, it was me. I was the victim in the situation, existing as collateral damage.

All there was to do was wait for Edwin to be called to the council. We’ve been absent for a short time. However, I doubted that they would delay the meeting for much longer.

The longer they waited, the worse the circumstances could become. And considering my father’s ideals of war, they wouldn’t waste a single second. The fall of Florence would be soon. Very soon.

I leaned against the wall, waiting for Serlon to barge through the doors to shuffle us to the conference room. Edwin fixed his garments.

Since arriving back, he was silent. Between the pressure of negotiations and the guilt that he felt, the prince’s expression had remained grim. He stared at himself in the mirror, adjusting the tunic’s collar. Trane’s crest garnished his sleeve, acting as a reminder of his responsibility.

“You still owe me the mana potions,” I voiced, snapping him out of the trance that he appeared to be in, “When will I get those?”

“Oh. I’ll work on that after the council today. Unless Leon pulls me into another meeting, I’d assume they laid out the rest of the afternoon for this,” He sighed, walking over to the doors.

“As long as you keep up your end of the deal,” I crossed my arms, standing up the meet him halfway.

“I’m pretty sure you’d kill me if I didn’t,” He scoffed, pausing before reaching for the door, “If you don’t plan to already...”

“The world’s fate rests on deals, Edwin. Even you humans follow these conventions.” I explained to him, “As I stated, my intentions here are purely by circumstance.”

As it stood, Trane was the best place to be. I had no real reason to act otherwise. Unless Edwin betrayed his side of the deal, exposing me, I’d honor my current duty. That was the whole gist of it.

“I know. I was joking,” He sighed, moving on, “If you wanted me dead, you’d have done so already.”

And he wasn’t wrong.

Edwin opened the doors with a huff. He had only pushed them halfway before several hands took over from outside. They opened, revealing several bowed Leton guards. Eran and Serlon stood next to the others, stopping to turn around.

“We were just about to get you, Your Highness,” Serlon said, strolling over to Edwin, “King Leon has gathered the generals. They are awaiting you in the conference room.”

Edwin nodded, already walking forward, “I’m assuming that you’ve already prepared a briefing for me.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Serlon paced beside him, the rest of the troop trailing after them.

I fell back next to Gunnar, who smiled at me. For the most part, he seemed to be moving well.

Despite the injury he received, it was expected that he’d be present for the council. The medical wing made sure of it. Plus, I couldn’t smell blood on him anymore.

“Have you ever been to a war council before?” Gunnar whispered, tapping my side.

Yes. I basically was raised in the war council room. From hatching, my entire life revolved around violence. Of course, I couldn’t say this.

“In a sense. Still, never in this matter,” I admitted, meaning not as a guard. Normally, I was the one in charge. Not this time around.

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“I see. Figures since it’s you,” He marvels, “Well, don’t be nervous. All we need to do is stand and wait till the prince is done. Pay attention to the discussion too! It’s easy to zone out.”

“Right,” I responded, holding my grin at the absurdity of the situation. Me? Nervous about a war council?

If only he knew who he had said this to.

In front, Serlon and Edwin had been discussing the details of the council. I got the gist of it, making sure to pay attention while amusing Gunnar’s talk.

The party stopped in front of the conference room. Serlon stepped ahead of Edwin, pushing open the doors. As soon as we passed the doorframe, the tension in the room was apparent.

Armored generals eyed us carefully, as we filed in. Edwin hurried over to the seat across from Leon, who looked more stressed than earlier.

Eran led the troop along the walls, as Serlon walked over to position himself behind the prince. Joining Leton’s King was the same guard from earlier, who hit the hilt of her sword against the floor.

With that, the meeting commenced.

“Thank you, Prince Edwin. We are lucky to receive Trane’s assistance in the upcoming war.” Leon spoke, peering around at his generals, “Not just him, but I’d like to express appreciation for clearing your schedules. As we all know, the situation is dire.”

In the middle of the table, the map was still laid out. This time, new pieces marked Leton’s location. Three figurines to mark the number of generals in the room.

Leon’s knight stepped forward, projecting her voice throughout the room, “When Florence falls, we’ll be faced with the responsibility of protecting the citizens from the demonic forces. Because of your position, I assume that everyone in this room is aware of our reality. We have little time left. Your full effort in this will mark life and death.”

The first general raised their hand, “My troops are already aware of the situation. It’s safe to say that the pressure is being felt throughout the entire kingdom.”

“Well, it’s impossible to hide the truth. General Lang’s soldiers have been patrolling the streets to monitor this,” Leon exhaled. They focused their attention on the bearded man, who frowned in agreement.

“Talk of the drafting is already rampant throughout the streets.” General Lang admitted, crossing his arms, “Crime rates are the highest they’ve ever been.”

“I feared you say that” Leon despaired, “Our priorities need to be preparing the Kingdom for siege warfare though. Any ideas are welcomed.”

This time, Edwin chimed in, “Trane will send food and potions through portals. I’ll send a pair of my troops back tonight to relay the request.”

“And troops?” The third general asked, “Will Trane be sending troops to aid us?”

“Unfortunately, I have no dictation over that. Trane prides itself on remaining the main supplier in trade and war. However, my father has direct control over the distribution of additional troops.” Edwin informed sullenly.

“Understood. That’s no problem. I’ll send out a letter for Trane’s King myself then.” Leon took over, cupping his hands in front of him, “Well then, I’ll set up storage points for the supplies. We’ll need to establish martial law over the Kingdom. General Lang, can your troop enforce that?”

“Of course, your majesty. I’ll inform my soldiers once the decree is issued. I’ll also handle drafting procedures.” He added.

“If I may, your majesty,” The third general offered, “I’ve faced demons before. The walls should allow us protection to establish safe points near the inner city. To avoid disease from attacks aimed above our walls, we should block off the outer parts.”

“So, are you suggesting that we evacuate the citizens into the inner city? Will there even be enough room for that? I fear there’s too little time to set up the proper shelters.” The first general implored, “They’ll kill each other.”

“It’s better that, than demons. If we are to protect the Kingdom from being exposed to disease, then perhaps we only escort the non-criminals.” The third proposed.

Lang slammed his hand on the table, “Are you proposing that we abandon a large portion of the outer citizens?” He raised his voice in dismay.

“Do we have a choice? Your troops may patrol the streets, but my soldiers are the ones who guard the gates. My men are dying left and right from stray demons! The lives of criminals are meaningless to me.” The third scoffed in protest.

Leon’s knight slammed the hilt of her sword into the floor once more.

“Order! Order!” Leon interjected, “I’ll open the Castle’s quarters to nobles and traders. We’ll make room by filling the noble houses. I intend to fit as many people as possible in the inner areas.”

“The nobles will be displeased to give up their houses, Your Majesty,” Lang cautioned.

“Well, they’ll have no choice but to. It’s either that or we risk disease spreading faster than we can handle it, “Leon exhaled.

“In that case, I’ll send scouts further West. We’ll stay away from Florence, but my trackers should be able to monitor the army’s movements.” The first general adds.

“We have potions in our carriage. Feel free to take those. You’ll be able to set off faster than without wasting resources,” Edwin insisted.

“Thank you, Prince Edwin,” The first general bowed his head, “I’ll head over myself to fetch them after the meeting is adjourned.”

“Very well,” Leon began, “Now that we’ve discussed the basics, I’ll inform everyone of what we know about the enemy.”

He motioned for his knight, who handed him a stack of papers.

Leon sent the papers around the table, “Their forces consist of hellhounds, ogres, and other varying demons in their front lines. Our last letter from Florence warned of dark mages as well.”

I snuck a glance at one of the papers. It was a letter, the letters rushed and spatted in extra ink. The pleas were desperate, probably being written seconds before doom.

“The leader of the siege has not revealed themselves yet. Scouts that were sent to find out never made it back. Instead, their heads were launched over the walls,” Leon grimaced.

If it were my first brother leading, they would not see his face till he’d covered the Kingdom in blood. He was not the type of demon to be outdone by human scouts.

“King Leon,” Edwin chimed in, holding the paper in his hands, “My guard unit was built off the same foundations of those that assisted in the takedown of the dragon general. We’ve faced countless demons before.”

Takedown? I was right here.

“Go on,” Leon allowed.

Serlon was the one who spoke up, “As Prince Edwin says, we’ve faced many demons before. The demonic race is violent. They’ve been raised with fighting as common nature. If we try to overpower them in pure combat, we’ll lose. And because Leton lacks mages to handle the numbers, facing them head-on is unwise.”

I could swear he snuck a glance at me.

“What are you proposing we do then?” Leon urged him to continue.

“Light magic,” Serlon spoke carefully, “Position them to launch magic attacks around the walls. Preserve their mana to only attack higher-level demons and large clusters. The frontlines will need to take out the lower-level ones.”

“Do you assume that the few mages we have learned light magic?” Leon questioned.

“I do.” Edwin chimed in, “My father taught me when I was younger. I’ll explain the premise of it. They should be able to pick it up quickly.”

“And we have time for this? Can they learn it that quickly?” The third general questioned.

“They’ll have to,” Serlon asserted, “The point is that without the use of light magic to assist in killing the higher-level demons, the front lines will be wiped out completely.”

“Understood. We’ll follow Trane’s advice,” Leon consented, earning nods from the generals.

Light magic, huh? It was a decent plan. My wing and my palm had been burned because of it.

But it wouldn’t be enough. Not against my first brother.