Chapter 128: Determination
At the meeting table, the nobles were arguing fiercely.
"Must attack for me."
"Attack your head."
"The plan arranged is to defend and wait for counterattack; now actively attacking, we aren't even prepared."
"They killed even Cavensyl's children and you can just watch?"
"Look broad, endure first."
One side was bellicose, one side wanted to wait for the opportunity. Truly, it only added to the confusion.
These were also just a few nobles in a city of a viscount; they could not be equal to higher nobles; the arguing was still no different from children fighting.
Cavensyl still was very sorrowful, only knowing to hold his head and bow his face down parallel to the table.
"Funa, Clamr, Min..."
Biting his lip so hard that red blood even flowed out; the warm feeling of the blood as if soothing the wound made him grit his lip even tighter.
In Cavensyl's head, he suddenly remembered the image of Selena standing before him, her face calm. A comparison flashed through his mind.
"No... it can't be. I am the leader of the city yet I'm like this? That girl Selena is still so strong yet I am like this. Truly not worthy of being a father."
He seemed to pull back his spirit with just a fleeting thought.
"My children, forgive me. I will avenge you."
Cavensyl's eyes suddenly shifted and he raised his face, a determination flashing in his eyes, his face turning extremely serious.
Boom!!!
He slammed his hand hard on the table, making all the nobles startle and turn back.
"Alright, no need to argue anymore."
Cavensyl growled, just like that going straight to the point:
"We will send people into Roam, and try to cause as much damage to the other side as possible before the battle occurs."
"We will still keep the defensive-counterattack strategy."
He stood up and turned away.
"The meeting is over."
The nobles were all bewildered, not understanding what happened. But a few nobles noticed Cavensyl's eyes and thought back, also smirking because Cavensyl still had his reason. Mostly these were the nobles who wanted defensive-counterattack.
Although having to fight on the home ground and having prepared. But after all, home ground is home property, so it would obviously be severely destroyed, but one must sacrifice to get a return.
…
Selena was lying in the house; when she was about to sleep, she received news of her siblings being attacked on the way back. Her face stared dazed at the ceiling, tears flowing down the soft fabric pillow and soaking in.
In her heart, she was extremely angry, but the sorrow won the portion and made her hug the pillow and curl her body in the blanket and cry sobbingly to the point of heartache.
"Why did everything turn out like this? Why? Brother? Sister? Younger sibling?"
The moonlight shone from outside the window coldly.
…
At this time, Cavensyl was sitting in the tent and waiting for the hired mercenaries to arrive. As for the vice-captains, they had already been carefully instructed beforehand. His eyes shifted to be as sharp and cold as a blade waiting for revenge, stained with blood.
Stepping into the tent were six people. Cavensyl signaled for them to sit on the six chairs placed ready before him.
"Sit."
All six of them glanced at each other and then sat down.
The first person was a beast-kin. She had a stature that was not too large, but the muscles were very sharp as if they were tattoos. Short brownish-orange hair like a boy's, along with two ears on the head that were a bit large, half-circle shaped but also slightly pointed at the tips. Her ears had orange striped fur along with black. Behind was an orange-black tail wagging behind the chair; she also quite attracted the eyes with revealing clothes but easy to fight in. Her eyes had a brownish-yellow color looking like a tiger or leopard. She looked quite young, always keeping a quite cute smile. She was Kamika.
Sitting beside was Zill; this guy was covered over his whole body, hiding his face and eyes, leaving only two black eyes silently. On both hips were two black, shiny, razor-sharp daggers. This guy's stature was quite low and small; along with the solid black clothes, he was like an assassin in the darkness.
Next was an Elf, named Dell. Two long and pointed ears characteristic of the Elf race, long green hair and green eyes. Behind his back was a bow with vines wrapped around.
Cattara. A girl with a slender stature and dark skin. But exactly because of the dark skin, her beauty was revealed in an extremely beautiful way. Sitting with legs crossed and arms folded, her face quite arrogant.
This was Zaier. An old man with silvery-white hair and beard long down to his upper body. Wrinkled skin, aged eyes but those of an old fox. Don't look down on him when behind those solid black clothes was a layer of muscles hard as iron and steel.
The last person was Numb, a middle-aged man. A calm face, behind his back were two large axes crossed over each other. Stature as large as a bear; just looking at his collar, one could see how large those muscles were as his neck was no different from a pillar.
Cavensyl spoke:
"Then I will divide the work for you now."
All six people sat silently listening.
"Because behind my city is a large hill with a vertical slope. Therefore, I will only leave one person there. The rest concentrate toward the main city gate."
Dell spoke, his voice clear:
"So you don't think they will launch an attack from behind?"
Cavensyl nodded, still calm and extremely serious.
"I know these problems. But even if they could climb that high cliff, in the forest are many monsters; we don't even dare to sweep that place."
"I have also sent people to attract monsters back near the city; if they want to, they must cross a swarm of monsters as well. I also have a barrier behind sufficient for me to have time to bring troops back if really attacked."
Numb's voice was hoarse as he laughed loudly:
"Haha, I didn't expect you to prepare so thoroughly. Choosing Tharros this time was truly not wrong."
Zaier's voice was hoarse like an old man about to run out of breath, lowering his voice in warning:
"Keep being happy, kid; what is that side lacking in mercenaries?"
Kamika said loudly:
"If it weren't because this nation, once there is a war between two noble sides, usually blocks mercenaries like us from participating, otherwise we would have hired a few dozen people already."
Dell glanced over calmly.
"That's how the dispute is fair; I guess those nobles want to watch the show. Partly the Royal family wants to borrow the two sides fighting each other to check the strength of both sides as well."
Cavensyl was silent, not speaking, only observing. He had guessed that from the start.
"Alright, no need to go off-topic anymore. I will discuss straight to the point."
"The six of you try to lead the rest of the mercenaries."
"Kamika, Zaier, and Numb. You people will split up and temporarily not enter the battle yet. Kamika on the right wing, Zaier on the left wing, and Numb at the rear."
"You will wait until they press deep into the city to appear and surround them."
Dell with sharp eyes regarding Cavensyl's strategy.
"Such an old strategy and you still dare to use it?"
Zaier stroked his white beard and burst out laughing:
"Hahaha, an obsolete strategy is exactly a good strategy. Who would go thinking about this thing anymore?"
Zill only now spoke, his voice deep behind the face-covering cloth:
"But you people are making everything too easy. Surely the other side will have a card hidden until the end to use."
Cavensyl with sharp eyes.
"Does only one side have it? You just follow the plan. Tomorrow morning must gather and concentrate everyone very early; I have something."
Hearing that, the six of them glanced at each other. Eyes also had a bit more trust and hope.
Cavensyl seemed to remember.
"Ah, discussing the amount of money to be paid to you as well."
Their eyes lit up, but were also full of worry and a bit of prayer in their souls. They understood clearly, only by choosing one side and bringing it to victory would there be money, a lot of money. But if they lost, then surely there would be nothing because the losing side is mostly completely destroyed; who would pay anymore? They could even lose their lives; in general, this was like a gamble, very dangerous. When first invited, only a certain amount of money was paid according to the agreement as a precaution; asking to pay once was impossible because the money still had to run the race for weapons.
Cavensyl raised his hand and spread it wide.
"5000 gold coins, if I win."
All of them stood frozen before the large sum of money.
Cavensyl was a noble so he knew. If he won, then scooping up all the money on the other side would be much more, but there were many things more needed. And the thing that would earn him money if he won was the big bets of the nobles with each other; sometimes several hundred nobles played this game. Thus he priced it like that as a gamble, as losing means losing everything so play all-in. Winning gets glory, losing gets buried forever.
After a while, they also discussed and finalized the price to be paid. All six of them went outside, each carrying a bit of worry, flashing in their eyes was the thirst for money coming from them.
Cavensyl sat leaning back in the chair, his body relaxing tiredly. His head ached violently, the wills of wanting to win, must win, did not allow him to close his eyes as if it were insomnia.
"Cannons? Must bring the civilians down to the basement to avoid them. Surely there will be stray bullets flying in without being able to defend. Erecting a barrier is also only temporary and stalls for a bit. Still need to fight directly."
"Currently traps are also set enough, so just wait for the battle to occur."
He no longer leaned back in the chair, sharp eyes remembering Varlen's face during parties; although they talked very little because both sides originally didn't like each other, but attending parties of other or greater nobles, they had seen each other's faces until they were smooth. The more he imagined Varlen's face, the more it made Cavensyl's thought of wanting to destroy Roam even more solid as stone.
"Varlen, wait. I will kill you."