Once Marcus had cleared the capital city, he went back into his ghost form and floated towards the liberation’s encampment as fast as he could.
He was still had this nagging feeling of anxiousness that Ziemia or Cibor might catch on to his trick and come after him.
The last thing he needed was to end up being destroyed and having to waste his revival skill, or even worse, being caught and forced into some sort of contract.
Luckily, his fears were completely unfounded, and he made it back to the base where Lyra and Mrazivý were waiting for his return without issue.
When he arrived, the first thing he did was to gather up all of the other leaders and tell them about everything he had learned during his scouting mission.
“These eight areas are the least defended and I would recommend them for our attack points. Also, there were some hidden fortifications in the city here, here, and here.” Marcus said while going over the defenses of the outer city
“Unfortunately, I was not able to get into the inner city as they had been prepared for me. Great knight number seven Ziemia, found me within just a few minutes, being alerted by some sort of spirit detecting formation. Oh, and she has a level sixty-five contracted earth spirit called Grunt. I assume that you did not know anything about this, since no one ever informed me of her having a spirit.”.
After saying this, Marcus looked around and it seemed that everyone was indeed surprised to hear this, none of them having know that Ziemia’s family had long had a powerful contracted spirit under their control.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtOf course, this was a closely guarded secret only ever known to the higher ups in Ziemia’s family and the current monarch of the kingdom.
“I see. I suppose that would be one of the reasons that her family has always held a high position as guardians of the royal capital. Hm, that means we may also need to watch out for a spirit or maybe some other powerful entity backing the second ranked great knight. Like Ziemia’s family, theirs has always raised one member to be the protector of the royal castle and the king, which is why they almost never leave the city.” Marek said with a conflicted expression on his face.
Certainly, he was happy to have the information about Ziemia’s contracted spirit, but it also meant that they had another powerful opponent to look out for.
“Well on behalf of everyone here I would like to thank you for the intel you have gathered and the danger you put yourself in to get it.” Marek said praising Marcus for his efforts.
Nodding his head robotically, Marcus could care less about Marek’s praise, and was only after achieving his goals.
‘Well, it will all be worth it as long as I can keep Lyra alive. Plus, I was promised quite the reward should we win.’ Marcus thought as he sat down.
Quickly, the leaders began planning troop placements, attack patterns, and when would be the best time to strike the capital.
This was going to be the final battle and probably the deciding factor on which side would win the struggle for power.
Since while the liberation currently held the majority of the kingdom, if their strongest fighters died, but the king’s survived, they could once again oppress the people with force.
“The problem now is how to handle Cibor and the second ranked great knight. In all of our previous encounters both the chief and Argus fought him together. But this time that is not going to be possible.” Francis said, pointing out the biggest obstacle to their victory.
In terms of troops, they outnumbered the kingdom by more than ten times, but the majority of their fighters were in the low or mid-teens in terms of levels, and even thousands of them would not be a match for Cibor.
“I am certain that I can take on the rank two myself without any backup. He only received a rank above mine simply because of his family’s prestige.” Argus said with a confident expression on his face.
Nodding their heads, everyone agreed that this would be the best option, if he could pull it off.
They all then looked towards Marek, who would have to take on the role of facing Cibor, when Lyra stood up and said, “I will help you fight my master. I know most of his moves and can anticipate his actions. I can leave Knox to command my troops. He has grown stronger and become a better leader in these last few months and I am confident in his abilities. Plus, since my master knows about my reflector shield and has seen what it can do firsthand, he will have to be wary of using big attacks while I am around.”
Sitting back down, Lyra looked towards Marek with a resolute expression, waiting for his answer.
Of course, some of the other leaders came out and protested Lyra’s involvement in battling Cibor, since she was too weak, and her value as a duchess was too great to lose.
“I will also help fight against Cibor, and so will my companion M.” Marcus said getting everyone’s attention.
However, before anyone else said anything, Marek smiled and said, “Very well, I will be more than grateful to have both of you watching my back. With the three of you assisting me, I feel I will be able to finally beat Cibor. This time he will not get away.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmWith Marek’s approval, Marcus, Lyra, and Mrazivý were going to be part of the team that took on the kingdom’s strongest man.
Yet, Marek still felt that they might not be enough, and scanned the other leaders, before stopping on one of them who normally was quite quiet and reserved.
“Verona, would you also be willing to assist us in the battle against Cibor. Your support magic is second to none, and it would be a great help to have you with us.”
Startled to be called out Verona, nearly jumped out of her chair and said, “O- of course, I would be willing to if you need me chief.”
“Thank you Verona, I feel much better now that I know you will be watching our backs.” Marek said with a smile.
Nodding her head shyly, Verona was obviously a little awkward being the center of attention.
She had pretty much just been a bookworm for the majority of her life. Reading and learning about magic simply because she thought it was fun. Though with her talents and luck in acquiring a unique skill, she became an elite mage for the kingdom at the behest of her family who wanted to use her to increase their status.
After that the finer details of the attack were put in order and the date was chosen.
“Very well. In six days’ time we will commence our offensive on the capital, with our forces broken up into eight armies. Each of you do all you can to prepare in these next few days, since if we fail here, there will likely be no second chance.”
With those final words, Marek dismissed the liberation leaders and began the intense preparations for his unique skill.
He planned to use the next few days to stockpile as much power as possible before the final battle for Tralenstein began.