"Is everything ready?" asked the handsome pale young man. "Yes, my lord," replied the man in a grey robe.
"Then send the welcome party to our new neighbors," said the young man. "As you command," said the man in a grey robe in pleasure.
…..
Knock Knock
I was in a deep sleep when a loud knock rang out on my door. "Fucking bastard!" I cursed loudly in anger as I got up.
The first thing I did was look at the watch.
It is one am. I had slept for only four hours. I thought I would get an undisturbed sleep tonight, but it seemed like I was wrong. That bastard Lancel didn't want to let me have even one night in peace.
"I will be ready in a minute," I said, and quickly washed my face in the bathroom and changed into the clothes I had placed on the table before sleeping.
Lancel doesn't like it when I am late. I need to get to him within half an hour of summoning, or get even angry.
He will not be present. It will be his assistant, telling me the task, he left for me, before he went to sleep a few minutes ago. Which is a flat lie, he just timed summons, to make me frustrated.
Five minutes after waking up, I am ready.
Click!
"Mister Silver, Lord Lancel had summoned you urgently," informed Zela. "Let's go," I said and climb down the stairs of my house, with Stone and Zela following behind me.
Sometimes, I regret hiring stone mercenaries. As before them, Lancel would have needed to send his men. Now, he just sent the message to my mages, making things frustrating for me.
I had reached the first floor when I found Jill coming out, looking ready.
She did not look sleepy, like half of the girls of the establishment. She also had the skill that let her operate on less sleep, unlike me, who needs to sleep for at least six hours.
Soon, we reached the carriage, where the driver opened the door within a few seconds. The carriage is moving fast toward the palace.
At midnight, there was no traffic. We had reached the palace within fourteen minutes. The gates opened after guards looked at me and checked my credentials. They look especially focused tonight.
Soon, the carrier reached my reserved spot, and I got out. Getting immediately surprised.
There are more carriages than usually there are. At the same time, I also noticed there are more guards patrolling the palace than usually are, looking a lot more alert. Like the guards at the gates.
Seeing that, the frustration and anger caused by sleep deprivation disappeared. It is clear something had happened.
"Adviser Silver. Lord Lancel had asked to appear in Lord Count's study," informed the guard.
"Thank you, Simon," I said to the guard and walked toward the study. Nearly jogged, while feeling eyes all over me. It is not just the security of the outside that had tightened, but also of the inside.
I became even more sure something had happened.
Soon, I reached the study and saw Secretary Marta at her usual spot. She is usually not present at this time.
"You can go inside, young Remus," she said, as I reach the study. I nodded my thanks and walked toward the door.
Click!
I pushed the door and entered the study. There are many people inside. Aside from Count Darrow and Lancel, there are also three advisers of Count Darrow. High Mages York and Commander Atticus.
All of them had tense expressions on their faces.
"My Lords," I bowed. "Commander Atticus," I greeted, before quietly walking inside and standing behind Lancel.
"Are you sure, it is not a full-scale attack?" asked Count Darrow. "Yes. I am sure. Fifty thousand undead is a small number. It is just them teasing us," replied Commander Atticus.
"It is not just a guise, they are using to hide their real attack?" he asked. "They used this strategy before. So, I can't deny it entirely, but agree with Commander Harrison of it being a tease attack," answered Commander Atticus.
I am shocked by what I heard. By these words, I could easily guess that Mirador Hold had been attacked by the undead of Navr.
The first attack of such scale they have launched on us in these past three years.
Fifty thousand undead may seem huge, but they are not. I have read everything I could about the undead after the island and from the past attacks of hundreds of years. I know it requires far more than fifty thousand undead to crush the Mirador Hold.
"Fucking bastards. They are not willing to give us even a year of peace," cursed Count Darrow.
It had been exactly five months since the city had been inaugurated. We had hoped the undead would let us live in peace for at least a year before doing something, but I guessed we were wrong.
"It is going to be complete chaos tomorrow," said Lancel, and Count Darrow massaged his head.
It will be a complete shit show. The news is going to spread and once it does. People will panic and they will try to leave the city, the same will be with business.
If not handled correctly, it is going to cause a lot of damage, that will need the city months to recover from. It is that if it is a tease attack. If it is an actual attack, then the city will need to raise its defenses and I might need to think about running away.
'Lord Count, the advisory council had gathered,' said Marta through the magical intercom.
"Let's go," said Count Darrow, and got up before walking out of the study. I followed behind with the rest.
"You have come early," said Lancel as we walked toward the conference room. "I came as fast as I could," I replied politely, as always. "It would be great if you keep arriving such fast in the future," he said with a hint of mocking.
"As you wish, my lord," I said.
Soon, we reached conference room 5. Reserved for the advisory council meeting.
"My lord,"
All of them got up and bowed as Count Darrow entered. "At ease," he said as he sat down.
Lancel and Commander Atticus sat on his left and right while I stood behind Lancel. With a clear view of Damon Hardt, who was sitting in the opposite row.
He smiled at me as I looked at him, but I could see jealousy and a little anger and hate.
I heard he was also interviewed for the adviser's position but did not get it. While it is a level lower than his advisory council position, but my position is closer to the leadership. Thus, could wield more power.
He would give up his position on the advisory council within a moment to become an adviser to Lancel.
"I have summoned you all here to inform you of important news," he said as he looked at all of them, while the High Mage York whispered something to his ear, which only he could hear.
"The undead of Navr had attacked the Mirador hold with the number of fifty thousand."
"Commander Harrison of Mirador Hold and Commander Atticus believe it is a tease attack."
"According to the latest information, Commander Harrison had sent a first company to fight them and is confident, in crushing them before dawn," he informed the people who suffered mild fear to horror on their faces.
This is the advisory council. Every person here is powerful and influential and holds important positions in the city. From Damon Hardt, the leader of the Merchant Guild, to the priest Harold of the god of war, everyone is important.
More than half of them had never seen the undead, but they heard the horrors of them. From the war in Mayhurst to the attack on the island that we faced.
"Are we really sure it is a tease attack and not the bastard launching a full attack in the guise of it? They have done it before," asked the priest to the god of war.
"95% chance it is not."
"The signs are not there and also, they will gain nothing for that. The region's populations hadn't reached high enough for them to launch the full-scale attack for the bodies," replied Count Darrow in confidence.
That seemed to soothe away a lot of fear.
"Still, we need to prepare. If this is an actual attack," said Damon Hardt. "We are prepared," commander Atticus replied gruffly.
"The important thing is, the news is going to spread, and once it does. It is going to cause a lot of damage. So, we have to manage it very carefully to minimize the damage."
"Does anyone have any idea how we will achieve that?" he asked and looked at the table.
The attack is important, but ripples caused by it are most important as they cause long-lasting damage. They are very dangerous for the new city, like Greltheaven, where trade had just started budding.
The big business hadn't invested enough to be at the root of this place. If they sense the dangers, they will cut short their losses and will leave.
It would be very bad for the city.
"We should contain the news as long as we could and closed the gates of the city. If Commander Harrison can wipe those wretched undead, we will just say it is a minor skirmish."
"By evening, everything will calm down," said the Priest, more than half of the people nodded with him.
'Idiot!' I cursed.
"It will not work. Even If the undead is dealt with by morning, and we announced it. The news will still cause panic if we close the gates. We will have riots in our hands," said Count Darrow.
Such an approach might work in the middle regions of the Empire, but not here. Where the undead is a constant threat and had ravaged this entire region a few years ago.
"It will be much better to have restricted entry and exit. Along with containment of news, as long as possible," said High Mage Albelda. The leader of Mage Guild.
This is bad as the first choice, even worse. People will riot.
"It is not the best option, but seemed to be the only wise one," said Count Darrow and turned toward the table. "Does anyone have any better idea?" asked Count Darrow, and nobody spoke.
I have an idea, but it is risky, and if it did not work. Losing this position of adviser would be the last thing I would need to worry about.
"Remus has it. He had told me on the way here and I think it is pretty good," said Lancel and every eye turned to me.
'Fucking bastard!' I cursed. He did it again. It is not the first time he did something like this, but this time, the stakes are high.
"Do you have a better idea Remus?" asked Count Darrow, and I wish, I could say no, but that is not a choice I have.
'Fuck it!'
"Yes," I replied, and he looked at me to explain. "If we are sure the commander Harrison's forces will deal with the undead by dawn, then we shouldn't hide the news.
"We should indeed publish it to the whole city, like any normal news, and even keep the gates opened as they are on any other day," I said to the shock of all sitting. Even Count Darrow and Lancel seemed shocked by it.
"Are you mad, Remus? If the whole city comes to know about it, people will leave, the business will leave."
"They will desert the entire city by the evening," said Damon Hardt.
"We will have to be careful about how we tell the public and instill confidence in the security through various ways,"
"Yes, the people will hear the news, and a lot of them will leave, but there will not be any riot. If we project everything is normal, people will act normal and those who are gone will come back."
"Most importantly, this will reduce the losses to the city by a lot," I finished.
"This is madness, it will not work," said the Priest. This bastard hates me, he was one of the vocal opponents of my position as an adviser. He hates me for the simple reason that I own a brothel.
"Priest Harold is right. The plan is madness," said Damon Hardt, and a few others nodded at him.
Nobody said anything and turned to Count Darrow, who was silent, thinking.
"If we act, according to your plan. What would be the steps we will need to take?" he asked after a minute of silence.
Surprising everyone, including me, as I had not thought he would accept it. It is opposite to what they all are proposing.
Now he wants the details of it. I barely conceived the idea a few minutes ago. Even I don't know the complete details. Still, I still opened my mouth and words begin to come out.
"We will start with the newspapers…."