"Apologies for not giving you a chance to know. I figured you would never attend a war council with demons."
The cold voice of his uncle drifted in from his side. Standing beside him was a young man with dark skin. It was clear the young man was Jarvis, the family’s assassin.
The man who spoke was his uncle, Cassian Brightwater.
Damon lowered his head slightly. His uncle really thought he hated demons that much.
Honestly, he didn’t. He had just been acting.
The man with golden hair kept his eyes fixed on the dark haired youth, who hesitated for a mont before whispering,
"Its fine. I don’t care anyway."
There was a bitter venom in Damon’s voice that did not go unnoticed.
Duke Cassian sat next to Damon and then glanced at Seras.
"Lady Blade, don’t you have your own seat. This seating area is reserved for my daughter and you’re taking her place."
Seras stood up, bowed slightly, and moved toward the area arranged for those in the Seventh Class.
The duke was not in the Seventh Class, but he seed closer to it than ever before. Still, he was not a monster like Seras Blade who could simply step into it through sheer force.
He glanced at Damon as the lights dimd and the war council began.
A speaker was chosen and began to speak on the battlefield situation. Honestly, it was kind of boring. It was all about food supplies, building roads, maintaining supply chains, making weapons, and scouting new terrain.
It went on for three hours and nothing truly significant was said. It felt like a slow and dull seminar, yet everyone seed focused. Evangeline, who had shown up slightly tardy due to Ranar, was even taking notes.
"What happened these three years anyway."
His uncle did not look away from the front. He rely began to whisper in a hushed tone as the speaker continued.
"We continued the war. When we returned to the battlefield the outsiders were gone but they left a clear ssage. Those of us in the Seventh Class advancent could still be killed by them and they made it look easy."
Cassian paused, his cold eyes sharper than knives.
"Ironically, we didn’t stop the skirmishes and battles for a whole year. We knew there was a greater enemy out there but we fought the demons instead."
"Yes, sohow the war is now in Soltheon and demons are invited to our war council." Damon’s tone was flat, making Cassian think his nephew was trying to suppress his displeasure.
"That’s unfortunate, but we couldn’t maintain our supply lines and the higher ups pulled back. The war was too expensive and both sides lost the resolve to keep killing each other."
Damon was surprised. He had expected the war to go on longer.
"Six months in, we were in a battlefield close to the demon city Trace when a few of the outsiders managed to break free with the help of the ones in Lysithara. They even managed to resurrect Ythar, the outsider whose corpse made up the Whispering Forest."
Evangeline’s voice cut in, and what she said made Damon’s blood run cold.
"The worst was yet to co."
She began to narrate what had happened and the more Damon learned the more his face paled.
Ythar was an outsider killed by Vathren, the Lord of Lysithara, and even its corpse had beco a death zone. Ittorath brought it back apparently by killing three outsiders and using them for a ritual.
Ythar, along with a few other outsiders, began spreading rot and corruption, turning both humans and demons into abominations.
Demons had a higher resistance to it so they could endure for longer, but they did not last forever.
So demon cities had been turned into entire corruption infested lands and Ythar was still hunting.
The demon army decided to offer a truce until the enemy was vanquished. The goddess races surprisingly accepted, at least secretly.
"Officially we lost in the demon continent and the demons made landfall on Soltheon, but that’s a lie. The real truth is that we are planning to attack the outsider base of operations," Evangeline whispered just as the speaker displayed images of the area around Lysithara and began explaining it.
"The demon army are here to assist for their own interest of course and we are on the other side. Officially and to the public we are still fighting demon wars but reality couldn’t be more different. We have been forced to ally with our ancient enemies to defeat a greater evil," his uncle added.
Damon pressed his fingers against his forehead and raised an eyebrow.
"I understand the agreent from a political and strategic standpoint but how did the Temple even agree to this without labeling everyone a heretic."
"Actually," Evangeline turned to him slowly, "they were the ones who proposed the offer. The rulers rely accepted before they could send offers. The demons did first so we had the upper hand in negotiations."
Damon placed his hand on his chin.
"Think they got permission from the goddess or is this just politics."
She shrugged. She really did not care.
"Focus. The next part is important."
The speaker finally reached the most annoying and impossible obstacle for a siege on Lysithara.
"This is Ashergon Nest."
When he said that, everyone suddenly stopped moving. Damon glanced around and saw fear. He could even sll it because it was so thick in the air.
Right. Ashergon Nest was in the way and he would never let anyone pass, especially those high in class advancent.
It was part of the reason why back when they were stuck in Lysithara he couldn’t count on the academy or the people in the Seventh Class to save them.
Because of Ashergon in the path.
’Ah, so the lizard lives,’ Ashcroft’s voice echoed in his head.
"They can forget about leaving Lysithara with Ashergon in the way."
"For this part we will split the army into a few divisions. I will na the leaders of the divisions. The goal is to get your troops past the Duhu Mountains and Ashergon Nest."
The speaker glanced down at a paper.
"If you are called, please stand up. You will be given a division to command."
"Xander Ravenscroft.
Bakemon Baal.
....
Simon Agares.
...
Terra Hightower...
...
Evangeline Brightwater...
.... Leona ...."
Nas were called, all of them outstanding in their own right. Finally, after a few more divisions were assigned, the last na ca.
"Damon Grey."
Damon raised his hand slightly and said in a loud, clear voice,
"I’ll pass. Thank you very much."
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