Chapter 572 – Enemies Approach.

The great stone towers of Valewatch Keep pierced the afternoon sky, the Valerian banners fluttering in the highland winds. From the highest balcony of the inner keep, the sweeping view extended far over the green plains and hills that formed the core of Theodore Valerian’s lands. The city below bustled with activity: civilians rebuilding walls, knights tending to their wounds, and smoke rising steadily from smithies and workshops. Despite the scars left by the recent dungeon break, Valewatch remained standing with minimal damage.

Inside the fortress, torches cast long shadows across the arched ceilings of the war room, a circular chamber built deep into the heart of the castle. Maps and ledgers covered the long table at its center, weighed down by steel markers denoting troop placements and city conditions. A scent of iron, sweat, and parchment hung in the air.

The doors opened with a heavy groan. A knight in full plate, burnished and bearing fresh battle-scratches, strode inside. He said nothing, moving directly toward the man seated on a large throne before a map of Dragnis Island. At the center of the map rose a towering volcano with a figure of a dragon on top.

“My Lord Valerian”

He said. His voice was steady, though a trace of fatigue lingered beneath the surface.

“We’ve completed the sweep of the southern pass. The dungeon’s corruption has faded. Most of the surviving monsters have been purged.”

Theodore sat back on his throne as if he were already a duke. He didn’t rise. He didn’t need to. Instead, he rested the side of his head on his hand and waited. His armor remained pristine despite the chaos of recent days—polished to a mirror shine, gilded along the seams, and marked by the stag-engraved pauldron that signified his authority as the duke’s son and acting commander.

His gaze was sharp, with auburn eyes framed by a hawkish nose and arched brows. Unlike his younger brother Arthur, his hair held no hint of white. It was pitch black, slicked back to reveal a high and wide forehead. He looked like a man nearing his thirties, someone who had little patience for opposition. His focus remained fixed on the knight who had delivered the report, and finally, he spoke.

“Tell me, what of the casualties?”

“High, my lord. Many of the commoners have perishe…”

Before the knight could finish, Theodore raised a hand to silence him. His expression darkened.

“Our soldiers.”

“Ah, yes, of course, my lord. Our forces suffered only minimal casualties and we managed to defend most of our settlements… but…”

“But?”

The knight hesitated. Though he had faced monsters and horrors from the dungeon itself, it was the weight of Theodore Valerian’s gaze that made him falter. The silence in the war room became oppressive, like a blade pressed lightly against the neck.

“But… the cities took the brunt of it. Infrastructure is in ruins in both Harkendale and Greybridge. Supply lines have been disrupted, and we lost several key experts and healers during the first wave.”

He paused before adding.

“We also have… refugees. Thousands. And not all of them are from our domain.”

“We must be careful of spies, I’m sure our enemies will use this as an opportunity!”

Another voice entered the conversation, it belonged to an older man and was rather dry.

“Vellan brings up a good point.”

Theodore nodded, already deep in thought. In his mind, this was the perfect chance for his eldest brother to expand his influence. Sending people into the cities during reconstruction would be easy. They could lie in wait and disrupt operations later. Now was not the time to worry about refugees or a few injured commoners. He had to protect his power base and prepare to strike back. If his brothers could benefit from the chaos, so could he.

“Focus on repairing our defenses. Any refugees can wait outside the city walls. Send our agents into Julius’s lands. There’s no way they handled the dungeon break better than we did.”

As the orders were being handed down and scribes rushed to record Theodore’s commands, the discussion shifted to less significant locations. His domain included a mix of major and minor settlements, but his eyes lingered on one spot near the city of Albrook. Just as he was about to ask about the city closest to it, the doors to the war room flew open.

“My lord, news from Aldbourne!”

“Aldbourne? What about it?”

Vellan, his chief advisor, turned to the man who had stormed in. He was a member of their intelligence unit, authorized to deliver sensitive reports in times of crisis. Judging by the sweat on his brow, Theodore was already expecting the worst.

“We’ve lost contact with our forces stationed there. No signals have come through for two days.”

The man handed over a sealed report. Vellan took it and scanned the contents quickly, his expression tightening with concern.

“This… they’ve been rejecting our magical queries. The chances of foreign interference are high. But from Albrook, of all places? That doesn’t make sense…”

Theodore listened intently, his mind already racing through possible scenarios. When the report was handed to him, he read it swiftly and thoroughly. Aldbourne had requested reinforcements, but the plea had been dismissed. Command believed the threat had been exaggerated, so troops were diverted to areas considered more critical.

Now it appeared that a foreign force had moved into the area. According to intelligence, that force operated under the banner of his younger brother, Arthur.

“What is that bastard doing… Do they take me for a fool?”

He wouldn’t be deceived. It was clear to him that Arthur was not acting alone. Someone else was pulling the strings, most likely Julius, the most powerful and dangerous of his brothers. Theodore saw through the ploy. This wasn’t about Aldbourne. That city was the distraction.

He would not take the bait. He would not waste his forces trying to reclaim a city already lost. Instead, he would reinforce the other flank, where the mines, grain stores, and key trade routes lay. That was where the real prize was, and he was certain Julius knew it too. Aldbourne was not the goal. It was the opening move in a larger game, and Theodore had no intention of playing it on someone else’s terms.

“Alphonse!”

“Yes, Lord Valerian?”

The knight commander stepped forward and knelt before his lord. Theodore’s eyes narrowed as he studied the man. Aldbourne had fallen under Alphonse’s area of command. While it reeked of a distraction, Theodore couldn’t afford to leave the city in enemy hands. It was too exposed, too close to his borders, and letting it remain under foreign control would send the wrong message. He would not commit to a full campaign. That was exactly what Julius wanted. But he also would not sit idle. A measured response was necessary.

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“Gather a detachment. A modest force. Enough to retake the city and reestablish control, nothing more. We are not walking into their trap.”

Alphonse bowed his head in acknowledgment.

‘The situation is manageable. Albrook has been expanding, but they still lack the strength to challenge us directly. The recent dungeon break will keep most of their forces occupied.’

Theodore nodded as he thought to himself. He knew Julius was behind this. It was a tactic meant to stretch him thin, to force him to divide his forces. But he would not fall for it. He was well aware of the slavery taking place in that city, but even if it were exposed, nothing could be traced back to him. He had prepared scapegoats for exactly this kind of situation. He had to give his older brother credit for being clever enough to see through it, but he would not be fooled. He was smarter than Julius, more cunning than anyone, and he would be the one to become duke.

*****

“Is… is it over?”

“I don’t see any more… It has to be!”

The sound of clashing steel, monstrous howls, and explosive magic had faded, replaced by cheering. On the battered walls of Aldbourne, soldiers raised their weapons high, their dirt-covered faces split with tired grins. Victory songs echoed across the ramparts: hoarse, uncoordinated, but joyful. The dungeon break was over. The last of the aberrations had fallen, their bodies joining the others that were shot down by magical golem blasts from afar.