It's Too Late To Be Saved

One hour had passed.

Cien and Mia were still in the meeting room.

About half an hour ago, Kirana and the others had come to them. They wanted to bid farewell before heading to Marina.

However, Cien stopped them, instructing the four individuals who were about to leave to wait for Princess Sravati's decision.

Kirana understood. She finally waited alongside Cien inside the room, while the others remained outside.

When exactly an hour had passed since Cien contacted Ian, he dialed the number again.

As usual, the dial tone sounded once before connecting.

"Ian."

<Ah! Lord Millard! Please hold for a moment... Princess, Lord Millard from Death Valley has just contacted.>

<Oh, can he hear me at the moment?>

"I can."

Cien replied, understanding what Sravati wanted. He switched his phone to loudspeaker mode so that her words could be heard by the other two people in the room as well.

<Ahem! Lord Millard, currently there's a deep-seated feud between Huntara and Farnodt.>

"..."

<However, if the situation has indeed evolved as you've described, I personally don't want to see any loss of life. Moreover, Marina is the home of several Huntara heroes. Without their contribution during the Blackwinter War, Huntara might have suffered the same fate as Farnodt is facing now. Therefore, on behalf of the Princess of the Huntara Kingdom, I grant you permission to utilize the Huntara knights in your region. Use them as your subordinates, Lord Millard.>

"Thank you, Sravati."

Cien's words, conveyed by Ian to the Princess. However, it seemed Sravati wasn't done yet.

<Currently, the council is hesitant to provide assistance. Farnodt's actions yesterday have clouded their judgment. As such, it will be challenging to secure substantial aid from the royal side. However, I personally will dispatch three thousand troops from Blackwinter to support the war in Marina. Nevertheless, there's one issue.>

"An issue?"

<Yes. If the worst-case scenario unfolds, where Marina falls, and we need to prioritize the safety of the remaining civilians. To be honest, letting them seek refuge in Huntara is not a good idea.>

"Is it discrimination?"

<Perhaps more than that. The Huntara citizens' animosity towards Farnodt might have surpassed the level of animosity the native Blackwinter residents currently hold. Urging them to come to Huntara would only subject them to more suffering.>

"Sravati."

Cien then presented a new plan. He looked at Mia first, and she nodded her head.

Mia had also realized from the situation outlined by Cien that the fate of the Farnodt Kingdom was really just a matter of days.

It seemed impossible for the kingdom to stand again, even if Cien and thousands of Blackwinter troops arrived and managed to fight back, even win the war.

With the devastation that had already occurred and the countless lives lost, it would be difficult for the kingdom to sustain itself in the current chaos.

Even if they forced it, many problems would arise; from food to security.

Cien and Mia were both certain about the inevitable outcome for the Farnodt Kingdom. Therefore, Cien proposed something to Sravati.

Instead of waging war to take over or win the battle, the Blackwinter forces led by Sravati would be better off prioritizing the opening of a route in the northern region of Marina so that the citizens of Farnodt could escape.

Where would they find refuge?

"Death Valley will receive them."

<Are you sure about this, Lord Millard?>

"They have no other choice, Sravati."

<There will be consequences to your action, Lord Millard, whether from within or outside.>

"I know. Don't worry, I've considered it."

<Very well. Do you need any further assistance?>

Cien smiled faintly, feeling that Sravati already knew what he was contemplating.

"Plenty. Do you have any?"

<Hehe! There's still a lot of leftover expedition equipment from the previous war in Blackwinter. Tents? Quite a lot! Rationed food? Enough for a few weeks! We can sell everything at discounted prices.>

"Thank you, I'll let Mia handle it."

Cien glanced at Mia, signaling for her to come closer and take a seat in his chair. In front of her was a phone connected to Ian.

Cien explained that Mia only needed to speak into the phone as if she were talking to someone in front of her.

With that, Cien left his phone with Mia for the time being, so that she could manage the logistical matters. Now, he turned his attention to Kirana.

His daughter had heard the discussion between Cien and Princess Sravati earlier. She was aware of the situation and their mission in Marina.

"Evacuation."

Cien nodded, "When you arrive on the battlefield, it won't be a war to fight anymore. Farnodt is no more. Marina is just the last bastion before it falls. Your mission is just one. Save all the remaining citizens there."

"Kiran understands, but... it will be tough for Reiss."

Cien shook his head softly, "No. I'm certain Reiss knows the current situation of Marina. He's been aware ever since he heard the word invasion."

Realizing that his kingdom was going to lose.

Reiss might appear simple, but he's sensitive and intelligent. That's why he survived the massacre of his team and was instrumental in saving Blackwinter.

Cien, along with Kirana, exited the building, planning to gather the seven knights under Sravati's command who were stationed in the village.

The seven of them had already gathered in front of the meeting hall. They had learned about the current situation through the news spread by Old Man Sid.

Eleven.

That's the number of fighters Death Valley could currently send.

Since Sravati had entrusted these seven knights, Cien wouldn't hesitate to employ them. He brought some of his weapons along, such as the Hellteak Spear, Ice Wand, and Fire Sword.

Cien distributed six Hellteak Spears to six knights, handed two Fire Swords to Reiss and one knight, and finally, the four Ice Wand was taken by Terrion and three knights.

He also shared various potions like Healing Potions and Mana Potions.

After all the equipment had been provided, Cien explained that the eleven individuals were now a new squad.

Not soldiers of Westya or Huntara, but of Death Valley. Their sole task was to evacuate the citizens of Marina.

The squad would be led by Kirana as the Captain, along with Brook, a Huntara knight who had borrowed the Fire Sword from Cien, as the Vice-Captain.

Kirana was well-versed in the detailed situation of Marina and would brief her squad members on the situation and mission while they were on their way.

Cien watched them depart, carried by Fenrir on his back. As their silhouettes faded into the distance, he could only pray for the safety of those eleven individuals on the battlefield.

After seeing his daughter off, Cien walked back into the meeting room. Inside, he saw Mia still in discussion with Ian and Sravati.

Mia lifted her head, looking at Cien who had just arrived.

"Wait a moment, Ian," Mia requested, then turned to Cien, "Did they leave?"

Cien nodded and took a seat in the nearest chair to the main seat.

"How is it?"

"For now, there are about four thousand emergency tents available, then approximately one week's worth of rations for four thousand people, and around five thousand sets of clothing, both new and used. To increase these numbers, Princess Sravati will face some opposition from those who refuse to provide aid to Farnodt."

"Hmm, can you estimate the current population of Marina?"

"Based on last year's data, Marina's population was around twelve thousand. This number might have increased if people from other cities fled to Marina or could have decreased if they can't defend themselves right now. So, for now, their exact number can't be predicted."

Cien frowned, at least twelve thousand was a conservative estimate.

The area of the protective formation could likely accommodate all of them. Fortunately, he had already expanded the territory of the Protective Formation to the other side of the river.

Now, the issue was primarily their living conditions. The number of tents that Sravati could provide was relatively insufficient.

"The opposition is due to Sravati being one of the high-ranking members of the kingdom, right?"

"Yes."

<Yes.>

Mia and Sravati answered almost simultaneously.

Cien understood that the reputation of the kingdom's leaders would be tarnished if they helped citizens from the kingdom that had slaughtered Huntara's people out there.

"That means we're free to do business with merchants within the kingdom. Or are they restricted as well?"

<For now, we are free to do business with them. But, the restrictions have been placed on Farnodt. If it's Lord Millard making the purchase, there are no written rules against it. However, I cannot do it myself, as it would be seen as collusion. You need to find neutral merchant.>

"What about Shiwa?"

Cien asked. Mia grinned widely.

"Do you know that Shiwa Amary is not originally from Huntara? She's a merchant from the Holy Kingdom, who eventually became a Huntara citizen after marrying Viscount Amary. So is she neutral? Very much so. Especially since the main headquarters of her company isn't in Huntara but in the Holy Kingdom."

"Hoo~ that's why Shiwa said she's retired now."

Now Cien understood. The first time he met Veronica and Shiwa, they mentioned that Shiwa was the leader of a company but no longer involved in its affairs. She was semi-retired.

Shiwa's trading company is one of the top in Huntara, although not the largest. When combined with her holdings in the Holy Kingdom, her status as a merchant was quite high.

That's why, even as the wife of a Viscount, in the eyes of Huntara's nobility, Shiwa's status was quite noteworthy.

She was often invited to various high-ranking noble parties and even royal family events.

"I'll contact Shiwa later."

Mia nodded, then finalized the business with Sravati for now.

When it was done, just before ending the call, there was one more thing the Third Princess wanted to ask.

<Lord Millard, about the proposal for the Heart of Ice exchange. Are you serious?>

"Yup. I need Eternal Ice to create a potion for my niece. It would be highly appreciated if you could consider it."

<But I've heard that the Heart of Ice you obtained has become a sword for your daughter.>

"I have a way to duplicate the material. I will give one Heart of Ice for one Eternal Ice. I promise."

<Hmm, honestly, for me personally, this proposal is quite enticing. The Heart of Ice only appears about once every hundred years. So, I suppose there wouldn't be any complaints if that were to become a reality. However, the higher-ups will likely be skeptical about this. I will try to convince them. So, please contact me again in about two weeks.>

"Hm, I understand." With that, the call ended.

Now, all that was left was to contact Shiwa. After that, Cien needed to prepare for his departure the day after tomorrow.

The enemy forces were vastly greater. It was impossible for Cien to create an entirely new weapon in such a short time. However, he could craft new types of arrows to aid him in overcoming the challenges posed by the enemy.