Meanwhile, inside the war room of Nortrom Castle, "blam," the doors were thrown open. Edgar whipped his head around to see a soldier rushing in, supporting a comrade in Toreno armor who still had an arrow buried deep in his shoulder.
"What happened?" Edgar demanded, standing up and marching toward the two men.
"R-report, my lord. Steelhold Fortress and Farport have fallen to the enemy. I fled to Toreno Castle, but it was crawling with bandits... I came straight here to report. I've only just arrived," the wounded soldier wheezed.
"W-what? Are you certain? What about Bruno?" Edgar asked in a panic.
"I... I don't know, my lord. The last thing Lord Bruno did was order me to find you," the soldier replied.
Edgar fell silent. He stared at the battered, half-dead man before him, then walked back to his desk and "blam," slammed both fists onto the wood.
"A tsunami... we were hit by a tsunami, my lord," the soldier gasped. "According to the survivors from Toreno who made it here with me, they also saw a mountain walking toward the castle."
"A tsunami? A walking mountain? So the legend is true... the triplets are the reincarnations of the ancient kings... damn it... damn them all to hell!" Edgar roared in fury.
The two soldiers stood frozen as they watched their lord unravel, beating his desk in a blind rage. Finally, Edgar turned to the soldier supporting the wounded man.
"Go, now! Get word to Alesya. Call off the attack on Hargar... tell her to bring her army back here immediately!" Edgar screamed.
But the soldiers just looked at each other, paralyzed by silence. Seeing them stand there like statues, Edgar marched right up to them.
"Why are you just standing there, huh?" Edgar barked.
"M-my apologies, my lord. The border with Mirriad is closed and heavily guarded. The reinforcements Lady Alesya requested were forced to turn back; they couldn't pass through without a full-scale battle," the soldier explained.
"W-what? Mirriad is interfering? Is that old man actually siding with... this is bad. Do you have any news on Alesya?" Edgar asked, his anger turning to dread.
"I don't know, my lord," the soldier replied.
Edgar backed away and sank into the chair at his desk, his strength failing him. He sat there in a daze, mouth agape. The fate of his two children was unknown, and his home territory had fallen to the enemy. If Mirriad was working with Levent and Toreno, it was a total nightmare for Nortrom—they were isolated in the middle. He realized the situation was critical. His only move now was to seek help from the Council of Lords at the capital. Edgar looked back at the soldier.
"Ready my carriage. I have to go to Castletown and reconvene the Council of Lords... now get out!" Edgar screamed.
"Y-yes, my lord," the soldier replied.
With great effort, the soldier helped his friend out of the room. Edgar spun his chair around to face his desk. "Blam." He slammed the wood once more.
"Damn it... am I supposed to just hand Nortrom over to them? That's impossible. And what about my two idiot children? Argh... all of this is really pushing my patience and my sanity to the limit," Edgar growled to himself.
***
Meanwhile, inside the main command tent situated just behind the cliffs of Hargar, Leon, Lucia, Livia, Dustin, Patrick, Theo, Gwen, Lulu, Mariana, Casey, Calvin, and Cyrill sat together around a table. A map of southern Vanadias, or Seriyan, was spread out before them.
"Thank you for your help, Lord Patrick. The three of us will return this city to its rightful owner, House Levent. Once our main force arrives, we'll head for Farport immediately. I'll also leave a few naval fleets here for protection," Leon said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I truly appreciate it," Patrick replied with a bow.
"Cyrill, can you send your assassins to scout Nortrom Castle?" Leon asked.
"I can do that, Your Majesty," Cyrill replied.
"Good. Send them immediately to see what we're up against. We need as much intel as we can get," Leon said.
"Understood, Your Majesty. They'll slip in there tonight," Cyrill said, subtly signaling with his hand behind his chair.
"Now, what about Bruno and Alesya Clark? What's the plan for them?" Lucia asked.
"One thing is certain: we can't just let them go. Personally, I think we should send a letter to their father. Tell him to surrender peacefully if he wants his children back in one piece," Livia suggested.
"Before we do that, we need to interrogate them and figure out where they stand with their father," Leon countered.
"That's true. When Alesya realized who I was last night, she threw her father under the bus immediately. She's the type to betray the man who raised her without a second thought. The real question is whether she actually matters to him; that's what we don't know," Lucia noted.
"Hmm... alright. Keep them in the dungeon for two days. Give them water but no food. Once they're weak and their minds start to fail, then we'll talk to them," Leon decided.
"Agreed. Lulu, pass that along to the guards," Livia said.
"Understood, Your Majesty," Lulu replied.
"Any idea when Lot Har will arrive with the fleet?" Lucia asked.
"Should be tomorrow or the day after. We just have to wait," Leon answered.
"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but I have to ask—how did you get Lord Malcolm to cooperate? From what I know, he's incredibly stubborn," Patrick asked.
"Dustin saved his life yesterday, plus Casey is his niece. I've already heard the whole story from her," Leon replied.
"Ah... so that's how it is," Patrick said, nodding.
"Dustin, could you tell the story to Lord Patrick? I've already heard the details from Cyrill," Livia asked.
Dustin then recounted the events at Mirriad Castle and the betrayal by Malcolm's son, Jourell. Listening to the explanation, Cyrill snorted and crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. After Dustin finished the overview, Patrick spoke up.
"So he was nearly killed by his own son," Patrick muttered.
"Something like that, Lord Patrick," Dustin said.
"So, what's next for us?" Theo asked.
"For now, you, Gwen, and Lulu stay here on guard. We'll let Hugo and Valen handle things in Farport. Dustin, can you head back there to assist them?" Livia asked.
"I can, Your Majesty. I'll leave right away, but before I go, may I pray here with the Lady Saint?" Dustin requested.
"I think that's a great idea. I was planning on praying all day tomorrow anyway, and it would be even better if Master Dustin joined me," Mariana added.
"Hmm... alright. Dustin will head back to Farport the day after tomorrow," Leon said.
Suddenly, Theo raised his hand. Everyone turned to look at him, and when he was given the floor, he spoke.
"What if Gwen, Lulu, and I head out first until Dustin is ready? I'm worried their prayers might take a while," Theo suggested.
"He's right. Sorry if I'm being blunt, but I think Theo's idea is solid. We need people on the ground there. If it's just Hugo and Valen, they might get overwhelmed," Cyrill added.
"I agree," Calvin chimed in.
Leon, Lucia, and Livia fell silent, thinking it over as Theo's proposal hung in the air. After a moment, Leon spoke up.
"Alright, I get it. Dustin, you stay here with Mariana. Theo, Gwen, and Lulu—I need you to go to Farport and back up Hugo and Valen," Leon ordered.
"Wait, do you even know Hugo, Theo?" Lucia asked.
"Not yet, but my sister Valen is there," Theo answered.
"Ah... right. Good point," Lucia said.
"So we're parting ways for a bit, Theo," Casey said.
"Yeah, but it's okay. Once we take Nortrom, we'll all be back together," Theo replied.
"Exactly. Oh, and what about Isabel? Is she awake yet?" Leon added.
"Still out cold in her room. Just leave her be," Mariana answered.
"Why didn't you tell me last night that Isabel was your sister, Cyrill?" Livia asked, leaning in close and looking him right in the eye.
"Oh... um... I didn't think it was that important. Sorry," Cyrill muttered.
"Fine. Let's go to our room then," Livia said, standing up and pulling Cyrill with her.
"Hey... is this meeting even over yet?" Leon called out.
"It's just logistics now, right? I'm not interested. I'm leaving. Come on, Cyrill," Livia said.
"Alright... sorry, Leon," Cyrill said, looking apologetic.
"Calvin, you're staying here with Lucia. You don't mind, do you?" Leon asked.
"Not at all, Leon," Calvin answered.
"Perfect. Come on, Calvin, let's finish this in our room," Lucia said, standing up and pulling Calvin to his feet.
"Hey... we're not done!" Leon protested.
"We are as far as I'm concerned. You handle the details; Livia and I trust you, brother. Let's go, Calvin," Lucia said.
"Um... yeah... sorry... Leon," Calvin stammered as he was dragged away.
Eventually, only Leon, Casey, Mariana, Patrick, Theo, Gwen, Lulu, and Dustin were left. As Lucia exited with Calvin, Leon shook his head.
"Haaah... they never change," Leon muttered.
"Hang in there, Leon," Casey said with a giggle, patting his arm.
"Alright, let's get back to it. Let's discuss the logistics for Farport and the troop movement from Hargar," Leon said, refocusing.
"Got it," Theo, Gwen, and Lulu replied in unison.
The group continued their discussion, focusing on the supplies and the coordination of the troops that Theo, Gwen, and Lulu would take to Farport by sea.