Despair

--- Everlasting City, City Halls ---

Baron Lark had gathered all of his best knights and esteemed acolyte subordinates.

"Aurora and James have fallen...They could not kill the [Ice Demon] in the end...", Baron Lark spoke with great regret.

He knew that the mission he sent them on was dangerous, but he never expected two intermediate rank acolytes to completely vanish after an assassination attempt. With their personal strength, especially considering James' ancient golem artefact, Baron Lark expected them to be able to escape in case of danger.

"We also lost contact with our spies in the Elderwood Alliance Settlement...I don't know how they did it, but we lost three beginner rank knights who had thoroughly infiltrated their ranks", Baron Lark spoke.

The three knight-level spies he talked about were no longer assets, but captured prisoners who were rotting in the same frozen hell that Aurora despaired in. The information which they were holding no longer was a secret anymore.

Plans, numbers and even external parties he had contacted, especially the unexpected Viscount Nalestone who wasn't in the region, but rather, came from the [Golden Plains]. There was an unwritten rule forbidding a territory to mess with another region's politics. The only times where it might happen was during a royal succession with several princes fighting for the throne. However, the current king was in his prime, with deep ambition and a solid hold to his throne. Although he had three sons and one daughter, he was expected to reign for at least three more decades.

Surprisingly, the king was an extremely powerful Grand Knight who had dominated magi in the Porfield Kingdom with an iron hand.

All in all, the war could not look any worse for Baron Lark.

All the variables were now in Arthur's hands. Baron Lark could not even launch a desperate charge, because his position was sealed due to the numerous traps Arthur had invested in. Surely, Baron Lark could try to avoid them, but according to his sources, ever since Arthur took command, hundreds of soldiers worked days and nights under the supervision of skilled engineers using blueprints that Arthur had drawn himself.

At first, Baron Lark rejoiced, since the Elderwood Alliance soldiers were exhausting themselves before the battle and worked rather than trained with swords and shields.

Now, however, he could feel the terrifying genius of the [Ice Demon]. The traps were now even deadlier than the Elderwood Alliance soldiers themselves. It prevented his army from moving, and now they could only wait to be slaughtered.

"Sir...the situation is not looking very good...The loss of a watchtower and repairing the breach has cost too many lives. We have already lost more than a hundred soldiers because of one single man, who could not be assassinated by two skilled intermediate-rank acolytes", his most trusted knight Jake Perignon spoke, "We have to consider surrendering, before there is no longer a city and a fief to save. They raided villages and showed mercy, but if we can't accept a loss, then they will lose patience"

Baron Lark sighed: "What do you think?"

His disciples, mainly cousins, sons, daughters who had learned the art of magic from him, pondered for a while.

"They probably aim at conquering the Lark territory...If we surrender, it's unlikely whethere he will end the Lark Household thoroughly, killing us all. Even if it means the Everlasting City surviving, I am not sure that trusting the [Ice Demon] virtues is the right thing to do"

Arthur applied his past life's chess skills to his strategies, and Baron Lark was trapped in a position called "Zugzwang". In dutch, this meant that no matter what move Baron Lark played, he would be at a loss.

Surrendering was the extreme choice, leading to the loss of a war he had invested the past decade in. Dozens of thousand of gold coins, countless hours to befriend wandering acolytes, and his public image after using prisoners and forced labour to reinforce Everlating City walls...would be lost

Resisting would eventually lead to an even worse outcome, with army and family unlikely to survive.

And launching a desperate attack was now impossible from Arthur's traps.

The only thing he could do, was call for help, promising even more rewards for the Reveneer Baron and the Viscount Nalestone to help him. Yet, they had already backed down once after seeing Count Elderwood's army.

Why would they join his side when Everlasting City was on the brink of falling, with a fearsome strategist in commands. No promise could possibly bring them into the war unless

The room became increasingly more heavy.

They all realized the situation they were in.

They were trapped, and there was nothing they could do about it. Even training the militia, which seemed to be the perfect counter to the big numbers they were facing, seemed irrelevant in this situation.

[Despair]

As time passed, the more imminent their loss became. The lower the morale became. And the more despair they felt.