The Fall of Everything [Rewrite]

Ilyada sat in the center of the tent, her hard gaze fixed on Belisarius. After tapping her hand lightly on the table, she asked, her expression showing no sign of softening: "Who is this little girl and why is she here?"

She asked the question in such a serious tone that for a moment the warriors in the tent could not tell whether she was joking or not. Ilyada's demeanor added to the seriousness of her words. The warriors looked at each other in silence, not knowing what to do in this tense atmosphere.

Belisarius was trying to understand what Ilyada was saying because he could not speak Rhazgord language. Nevertheless, with his eyes he recognized the tension around him. His eyebrows furrowed involuntarily as he sat up slightly, trying to get a clue as to what the situation was. He felt threatened to be pointed out by a 'crazy' woman in a foreign country.

"He is a close friend of mine and prince of the Kingdom of Adler," Corvus said, giving Ilyada a stern look. His voice clearly conveyed his authority. "He is here to make deals on behalf of his country. Do not disrespect him, Ilyada."

But Ilyada did not seem satisfied with Corvus' explanation. Without taking her eyes off Belisarius, she continued to speak in a mocking tone.

"And why the fuck is he here? Is the 'Great' Kingdom of Adler going to support us?"

These words, punctuated by a contemptuous smile, made everyone in the tent tense. Ilyada's harshness had suddenly made the atmosphere even heavier. But there was some truth in what she said. Adler was no longer the power it once was; the once great empire was no longer in a position to provide enough support for an independent and powerful entity like the Rhazgord.

Besides, the real purpose of the meeting in the tent was to inform Ilyada and her soldiers. The presence of a foreigner like Belisarius was problematic, both in terms of privacy and security. From Ilyada's point of view, he should not be here.

Corvus took a deep breath and turned his tired gaze to Ilyada. "His ideas have helped us before," he said in a calm but firm tone. "Your uncle will agree with me. So let's drop the subject."

Corvus turned his eyes to Tharvork as soon as he had finished speaking. He needed to explain the situation and diffuse the tension. Tharvork, noticing the intense atmosphere in the tent, sat up and slowly began to explain the situation.

"The kingdoms of Galir, Behem and Laxon have formed a coalition against us. A few months ago they infiltrated Bahoz and lured Tanar to their side..."

As Tharvork's words echoed through the tent, Ilyada frowned and quickly interjected. "Galir? Isn't that the little kingdom on our border?" she asked, a look of open derision on her face. Tharvork nodded at Ilyada's question and prepared to continue. But Ilyada interrupted him again, this time with even more sarcasm in her tone.

"Last year we 'accidentally' violated the borders of Galir. We 'borrowed ' things from a few villages and instead of getting angry, they sent gifts to my father!" She continued, smiling slightly: "I will never believe those cowards attacked us!"

Although the mood in the tent seemed to soften a little with Ilyada's sarcasm, everyone knew the truth behind her words. All three kingdoms were small and militarily weak. In fact, even if they were to put all their forces together, they would only be half the size of the Army of Rhazgord. This made it clear that a direct attack on Rhazgord would be a form of suicide. It was at this point that Corvus stepped in. The seriousness in his face added weight to his voice. "That's the problem," he said, catching Ilyada's gaze. "They wouldn't dare do it alone. Someone might be behind them."

His words suddenly created a deep silence in the tent. Then Corvus continued, a little more sternly: "Moreover, the enemy forces include highly trained and Lightstone-empowered warriors."

Corvus' words made the atmosphere in the tent heavy again. Lightstone-empowered warriors posed a serious threat even to the warriors of the Rhazgord. This meant that they would have to deal not only with numerical superiority, but also with individual skill. The amusement faded from Ilyada's face as she tried to digest this information, replaced by a more serious expression.

"So what does this hidden enemy want?" Ilyada asked, his eyes fixed on Corvus. Her question was direct, but the answer came from an unexpected place. Belisarius, whom she had just sarcastically called "little girl", was silently following the conversation with the help of a translator. He had learned that he was being called a "little girl" and was clearly uncomfortable.

"They want the most valuable thing on the continent: The Lightstones!" said Belisarius, his voice taking on a serious tone. This immediately drew the attention of those in the tent. Ilyada raised an eyebrow and looked at Belisarius. Although she had difficulty speaking Adler language, she understood it very well and was following what Belisarius was saying carefully.

Belisarius continued: "More precisely, they want to know how you know where the demons will attack, I think."

These words instantly changed the mood inside the tent. The mockery on Ilyada's face gave way to seriousness. What he had heard implied much more than a simple conspiracy theory. But the seriousness lasted only a moment; then Ilyada turned to Corvus with a slight smile on her face.

"This is to be expected from my fiancé!" she said, with both pride and sarcasm in her voice. Then she turned to Belisarius and added, "You have found a wise friend, even if he looks like a little girl." Belisarius's face showed a brief look of displeasure at these words, but Ilyada didn't seem to mind.

Then she pulled the map from the table towards her. She placed her finger on the spot on the map labeled Lakson and slowly traced the border line. "Instead of dealing with enemies we don't know, let's deal with those we do know," she said confidently. Her eyes reflected the seriousness of her plans. "My cavalry and I will reach the borders of Laxon before morning."

She turned her head to Corvus and stared at him. "Give the order, and before morning we will destroy Laxon. At least that will be one less enemy."

Ilyada's words caused a brief silence in the tent. While offense had always been known as a good defensive tactic, the boldness and danger of her proposed plan weighed heavily on everyone. Moreover, everyone knew that Ilyada could actually do it. Laxon's military strength was far greater than Ilyada's two thousand cavalry. But this superiority would only mean anything if they could capture Ilyada and her cavalry.

Even if Ilyada and her cavalry could not completely destroy the Laxon army, the trouble they would cause would be enough to put Laxon out of the war. A sudden attack on the Laxon frontiers would not only weaken the enemy, but also undermine their credibility within the coalition. But this plan also meant that Ilyada and her men were taking a huge risk.

"We can't move until we solve the problems in Bahoz," Corvus said, his voice still tired, but still commanding the attention of everyone in the tent. "Even in Bahoz they have managed to hide thousands of troops and logistics. The enemy is not simple and Valerius' orders are clear: we hold Bahoz until reinforcements arrive."

Ilyada seemed determined to act. But as soon as Valerius' name was mentioned, her expression changed. In the absence of Sanguinar Saakhar Tiamat, Valerius was the military leader with the highest authority. If the order came from him, there was no room for argument. Ilyada took a deep breath, stood up and reached for the hilt of her sword.

"No point in talking here then. Let's go and send the bastards in Bahoz to hell!"2 he said, his anger flaring again. But Draknar's cold voice stopped her instantly.

"Sit down."

The displeasure on Draknar's face sent a message much stronger than his words. Ilyada sat back down, sighing reluctantly. She was acting like a child. For a while she looked at her uncle with unconscious eyes. She was not going to sit still until she knew why she had to sit down.

Draknar turned to the map on the table. Pointing his finger at a few points on the map, he began to speak. "Send some of your fastest men to these areas," he said. His voice was filled with the tone of a leader accustomed to orders. "Tell them to report any enemy activity to us."

"Would their armies really dare to cross our border?" asked one of the soldiers who had come with Ilyada. The young warrior could hardly conceal his concern.

Corvus turned to the warrior and replied calmly: "As I said, they've massed logistics in the city and seem intent on defending it to the last moment. If they are positioned close to the borders, they might make a move to capture the city. They can't take the logistics no matter what, but if we lose the city, it will be a lot of work to get it back."

These words added to the tension in the tent. The enemy might not be as weak as they seemed. It was illogical for three small kingdoms to challenge Rhazgord, but if one of the great powers of the continent was backing them, it could pose a great threat to Rhazgord.

Corvus had another dangerous thought in mind: These small countries could be part of a larger strategy. Perhaps they had been put forward as pawns to exhaust the Rhazgord and drain its resources. Even if they won this war, there was no guarantee that another war would not start immediately or simultaneously.

Moreover, the situation in Rhazgord was already complicated. Sanguinar and nearly half the army were dealing with a massive demon raid in a kingdom far away from Rhazgord. This severely limited Rhazgord's military power.

Ilyada was the first to notice Corvus deep in thought. Unable to sit still, the young woman suddenly jumped up and turned to her uncle with an affectionate tone and a sweet smile on her face: "Now that we've discussed everything, can we go, please?" The gesture pulled Corvus out of the depths of his thoughts. Ilyada's sudden departure had somewhat diffused the tense atmosphere in the tent. Those around her began to rise from their seats with a slight sense of relief.

Corvus stood up and turned to Belisarius. "Belisarius," he said in a calm voice, "if it's not too much trouble, come with us. There are some things I need to discuss with you." The fact that Corvus had asked for his help so many times before made him feel a little embarrassed.

But Belisarius immediately accepted the offer with a big smile on his face. "I already felt trapped in this camp," he said, adding a slightly sarcastic tone to his voice. This seemed to ease Corvus' tension a little. As the two made their way towards the exit of the tent, Ilyada suddenly sprang into action. Ignoring her uncle's attempts to stop her, she began to speak, whining like a child.

"Uncle, uncle, uncle! Will you take care of the cavalry for me? You always said I should spend time with my fiancée anyway. Besides, I can't leave the wounded Corvus in the care of a little girl and send him off to the battlefield, can I? Yes, I'd say so! I can't let my fiancée die, can I?"

Ilyada said these words at once, without allowing her uncle to reply. Draknar was about to open his mouth, but Ilyada finished before he could say a word, and her uncle acted as if he fully approved of what she had said.

Then she quickly pushed Belisarius aside and took Corvus's arm. With a playful smile on her face, she leaned quietly into Corvus' ear. "At least I can't let someone else kill before me, can I?" she whispered.

Meanwhile, Belisarius understood only one word of what Ilyada was saying: "kill." That single word made Belisarius shudder once more. Ilyada's dangerous aura was a reality that both fascinated and frightened him.

Corvus continued on without reacting to Ilyada's words. There was no change in his expression, but it made Belisarius think once more. The fact that his friend was engaged to this "mad" woman made him sad and pity him.