City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread by Thomas F

Leonas Cardin

“I did it,” I said as I looked at the unconscious Daphus.

The battle is yet to be over, but Chief Elar has dealt with the Lich as he ran, and in a few minutes, the port gate will be in our control, before the undead forces reach it.

Many of them have already surrendered it. Those who didn’t are being dealt with.

“I have proved them wrong,” I felt the burden that I had been carrying for years vanishing.

At that moment, I felt something. Something is coming out of deep within me. Something grand, something that is part of me

I could feel the eyes turning toward me, and a smile appeared on my face.

“Dam my luck…a few minutes earlier, and it would have saved me a lot of pain,” I said as I felt the aura that I had awakened.

Most warriors awakened their auras in battle. Especially when they are desperate, with their emotion heightened and will focused.

It is rare to awaken after it.

I am happy, ecstatic even, that it has happened. It is the strongest strength; classes could disappear, skills could be destroyed, but not the aura.

It is a power that always remains with one; even the gods cannot take it away.

A moment later, I cleared my thoughts and picked up the spear. Seeing the enemies we face, this will seriously help us.

“Secure him and keep him under tight guard,” I said, and took out the harness that I had brought to secure the powerhouses like him.

The officers begin to secure him before activating it. It will be tough to escape from it.

Though with his current condition, it’s demanding even without the harness.

Seeing that, I took out the potion and took a sip of it before feeding him. It is the last thing I want to do, but he is more useful alive than dead.

We need to show that we can spare enemies. It will be encouraging, but also a deterrent, because for some people, surviving such circumstances could be worse than death.

His condition is bad, but the potion should keep him alive. I would have had a healer to look at him, but we can’t spare one right now.

Seeing him secure and under the guard of trusted men. I walked away.

I didn’t move where the rest of my army is dealing with the remaining undead. Chief Elar and Trask are more than capable of that; I should be here to deal with any unexpected event that might happen.

‘We have captured the port gate, General,’ informed Axseer, a few minutes later, bringing a smile to my face.

‘Excellent, Brigadier General,” I replied.

Despite her lack of experience. I knew she had the ability to do it. The amazing thing is, she did it, barely using her shamanic powers.

What she achieved is a testament to her leadership rather than her power.

General Stone is exceptionally skilled at selecting individuals. I was quite opposed to her promotion, but she had proved me and every other person who doubted her wrong.

I walked around, taking stock of the situation. Everything is good.

My people are in their places, while some are being healed. Not only ours, but also Gailhorn’s forces; there are a lot fewer injured there.

They didn’t fight much, only a group around Daphus. The rest were undead.

Most of these people were kept in the back by the lich.

‘General, the undead had been dealt with,’ informed Trask. ‘Good, scour the city. Find any undead who is hiding and deal with it,’ I ordered.

Yes, there might be more hiding. We need to thoroughly inspect every part and address the problems before we can say the city is reconquered.

They began to do that, going through every inch of the city looking for the undead.

We have also begun rounding up the army of Daphus. There will be an investigation and verification. It is for their safety and ours.

Most of the soldiers rebelled and surrendered, but some chose to follow the undead.

We will need to investigate the causes and gather the information. Based on it, the military court will make its decision.

Lord Silver prefers clear documentation, and I intend to follow all procedures strictly.

Things are simpler that way.

Time passed, and finally Trask appeared in front of me. “At ease, Brigadier General,” I said as he saluted.

“The progress?” I asked. “We had scoured through the whole city and found the undead that had been hiding.” He replied. 

“We have also found a lot of other things, and I arched my brow,” he added after a moment of hesitation. “Glowleaf, there are warehouses filled with them,” he stated.

“We already knew they produce the drug here,” I replied. Glowleaf is a powerful drug; it is banned in Greltheaven and nearly the whole continent.

It is a highly addictive substance—especially the glow drops synthesized from it.

The intelligence stated that the gangs from the merchant states grow it here with the help of the undead. They have established a substantial operation here, complete with farms and processing facilities.

He informed me of the other things before walking away, while I mounted the beast.

I will be going to the city hall building. Chief Elar is already there.

It took me a few minutes to reach the city hall. It’s a square building, old but very well maintained, with a manicured garden, fountains, and all.

It is painted in gold and silver, with large flags hanging down from it.

My people have already removed all the undead flags. They are lying in a pile; they have kept the Gailhorn’s flags, which is good.

They have put our flags there, on the ground floor, not high up. We didn’t bring those flags with us.

I dismounted and walked into the city hall. The soldiers are guarding every door of it; they saluted as I walked into the city hall.

It is a four-story building, and the office chief is currently occupying is on the top floor.

Soon, I reached the top floor and reached the office a few seconds later. There, I saw a large group of very nervous people surrounded by heavily armed guards.

They are divided into two groups. I am surprised that she brought the other group, instead of sending them to jail directly.

They are bronzed-skinned people, like General Stone. They are from Mayhurst Island, but unlike those we have, these belong to the enemy.

“Chief Elar is waiting for you,” the soldier informed, and I nodded and walked straight into the office.

It is a big office, but it’s minimally decorated. The only items I could see are weapons. Some are hanging, while others are encased in a showcase.

It surprised me. There should be more items, considering it is the office of the Lord.

“Surprising, isn’t it?” asked Chief Elar, not looking away from stacks of files in front of her. “Yes,” I replied as I took the seat in front of her.

“He is a minimalist and keeps good records. Still, I am interviewing people working in the city hall to get the idea of things here.”

“I like to finish the preliminary report before Lord Silver arrives here,” she said.

“Have you talked to him?” I asked. To that, she shook her head. “No, he is still sleeping, and Lady Knox didn’t want to wake him up unless it’s an emergency,” she replied.

Even I got some sleep yesterday, but not him.

He didn’t come with the army to Panar and followed the undead. I heard he didn’t even sleep that whole night. Only did so after he reached Panar.

It is why I didn’t press to talk to him. 

“What have you found so far?” I asked. “A lot of things, good and bad,” she replied with a sigh.

“Trask said, There are a lot of glowleaf here?” I asked, and she laughed. “That is a gross understatement,” she replied, and I kept looking at her.

“You will understand it when you see the sheer scale of it,” she added, before her expression became serious.

“I believe you have heard about the reinforcement from the undead?” she asked. “I have been informed about it, but I think it is unlikely to happen now that we have captured the city,” I replied.

“Still, I will be making preparations for it,” I added. It brought relief to her face, and she nodded.

A few minutes later, I walked out of the city hall. I need to make the preparations for the undead. I don’t think they will come, but I need to be ready to deal with it if they come.

…

Knight Liorian

“I will take responsibility for it,” I said, and there was a moment of silence.

‘You should, you might not have been in command, but you also share the fault in the destruction of the great horde.’ Replied the man on the other side.

The call lasted for a few minutes before it ended.

I sighed and lay against my chair with my eyes closed. I stayed like that for a few minutes before opening my eyes.

“Redirect the reinforcement to Norke,” I said finally.

They have captured the city, so there is no use in sending them to Gailhorn. They will be prepared to deal with them, and the numbers aren’t overwhelming enough.

“It is better to focus on what we have than on what we have lost.” Replied Lomos.

We have lost a lot. We have lost a Great Horde, two Lv. 40s and cities. Three cities, all conquered within a single day’s time. I had never thought such things would happen.

It wiped away nearly all our progress in the region.

Now, only two cities are remaining in our control. Ashton Harbor and Norke.

Losing Almin and Bilgas didn’t matter much, but losing Gailhorn matters a lot. It is one of three port cities, and we effectively controlled two of them.

The Norke isn’t a port city, but we have no choice but to use the sea route to supply the forces.

The land route now could be said to be cut off. If we tried, they might attack us, and I would rather not take the risk before I have enough forces to deal with it.

We might have lost a lot, but we have gained a few things as well.

Many had awakened the aura; the enemies had killed many of those who had, but some had survived. They have also leveled, including a Lv. 40.

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