"They are really retreating," said the man beside me, looking at the receding horde.
They are retreating and like many, I had a hard time believing it. When I had seen the horde; I was pretty sure, that I would die in it, but Stone that bastard, had pulled a victory out of it.
We are still careful with the company keeping me in the center.
The priest in the company healing the injuries of people; everyone is injured, but he is focusing on the ones, who are most injured.
The worse injuries belong to the albino orc, like last time; he had heavily injured himself and even then, standing tall, ready to deal with any attack that came at us.
If not for those big cuts and body pale as paper, nobody would have guessed he was standing.
I am dead tired and wanted nothing, more than to sit down, but I didn't. Instead, I remained standing with my back straight.
It is necessary for my men to see me calm and resolute, and posture plays a big part in that.
Finally, the horde had left us, and many companies and squads began to merge together. While the gates opened, people came with stretchers and healers and began to take back those who needed immediate medical attention.
There are a lot of dead among the thousands of bodies of undead, but they didn't touch them.
The dead will be moved soon. They will need to move before tomorrow night or they will rise up. There is heavy death energy with all these undead; it is enough to make thousands of dead rises.
I looked up and it was still night. It will be a little more than an hour before dawn.
The battle had lasted for only one and a half hours. It was short and intense and killed a lot of people. It was a regret, that these people didn't even receive complete training before we made them fight the battle.
It will be another big funeral.
Still, they were brave soul. It is due to their sacrifice, that city and people are safe.
I turned to the horde, every second, it was getting further and further away from us. Making me, more and more relieved. Still, there is a fear in my heart, that it might come back; it wouldn't be strange for it to do that.
"My lord," Stone greeted as appeared by me. "How are things?" I asked.
"Good. We have come out better than we had expected. The enemy had suffered a loss big enough that they won't be coming back soon," he replied, and a frown appeared on my face.
"Why? I think the next twenty-four hours is the best chance for them to come at us?" I asked, to which he shook his head.
"They will not come," he replied, sounding quite confident.
"They have failed miserably. If they came back within a day, we will be ready to deal with them, with many of our powerhouses advancing in this battle,"
"Unless, of course; they bring out an even bigger horde and just release it at us," he added, and my expression turned serious because they had done that, many times.
The big horde is unlikely, the forces of the undead are tied up. We might have finished our battle quickly, but the battle at Port Midlet and Deerpond is still in full swing.
However, I am more worried about what is happening at the Gailhorn. The third port city of the region.
A small undead ship had suddenly appeared there an hour ago, and a few minutes after that, the city fell silent. There was no response from it; all the Shaun's messages were repelled.
"What do you think, happening at Gailhorn?" I asked, and his expression turned serious.
He didn't answer for a couple of seconds, before opening his mouth.
"If I am not wrong, by morning, we will receive information that Gailhorn had signed some type of agreement with the undead kingdom." He replied, surprising me.
"In reality, the city will be their puppet, controlled by them in all but name," he added, and the confusion on my face became deeper.
The small undead ship is far from enough to capture the city. If Stone is right, then they have been working on the city for a while and sent the ship there to hammer out the authority and as a signal to those watching.
"Why couldn't they just capture it? Doing it would be much easier?" I asked but immediately understood the answer.
He didn't say anything other than nod.
The answer is simple, with the city as its puppet, they will be able to do things that they couldn't with the captured cities. Nobody will have any relationship with Vris'alud, at least not this quickly.
It is a completely different thing for the city, that only has an agreement with them.
While everyone is aware of the reality, it is hidden behind the curtain. Maintaining relations and even doing the trade, wouldn't cause a backlash from the citizens and allies.
Once they accomplish their objective; they could always make it an undead city or keep it as it is to accomplish their goals.
The undead kingdom had done it many times in Vris'alud and now they are doing that in the renwell region. It didn't make me feel good at all; it meant, the undead kingdom had serious plans for the region.
I pushed those thoughts away and looked at the receding horde, which I could barely see in the dark.
It is leaving, with many citizens on the wall cheering.
I had made preparations before the battle, that if we won. I will bring a few thousand citizens to the wall to watch the retreating horde.
It will boost the confidence in the city. Which is extremely important; I don't want people to leave like the last time. The city had lost many people; many were talented and experts in their field.
The city needs such people desperately and doesn't want to lose them anymore.
"My lord, the preparations are complete," said Shaun. I nodded and turned to Stone; he understood immediately,
"Return to the city," he ordered, and the horns blew. A few seconds later, the army marched back toward the city gates.
Soon, we reached the gates and mounted on the horses that were waiting for us.
Clap Clap Clap!
Thousands of citizens applauded the moment, we rode through the gate. Surprising many people riding behind me; very few people were aware of the preparations I had made.
Though they may have been surprised, they are happy. Ecstatic, seeing the big crowd cheering for them; showering them in petals.
I rode ahead, with Stone slightly behind me. Behind him are Lt. Col. Azalia and Colonel Cardin. Behind them a Valentina, Lt. Colonel Hiren, Julian, Captain Vandal, and Shaman Trik.
Behind them are even more powerhouses.
Symbolism and theatricality are some of the most important tools in the hands of rulers.
Throughout history, it has been used to enhance one's power and loyalty and shape public opinions. Every big leader from Alexander to Hitler used that, and the politicians of modern times have dedicated people to that.
I rode without smiling or waving. I kept my face impassive, with Active Presence blasting at full power.
I didn't even move my hand to remove showing petals stuck to my face.
Thankfully, the mages worked impeccably, and the gentle wind would come and move those petals away from my face. It is not the only thing they are doing; they are also responsible for the beautiful swirl of petals around us.
The people would throw petals at us, and they swirl around us mesmerizingly. It is beautiful to watch.
It is also producing the illusion of grandness and divinity. Some of the priests are secretly casting divine spells, around the petals, making it look like, it is a blessing from the divines itself.
While I kept my face impassive, many behind me smiled and waved. Some even kissed the hands of the woman who offered.
Soon, the army reached the city hall, and I rode inside with some men, while Stone, took the rest of the army back to the barracks. The people will need to be checked by doctors and healers, and their injuries dealt with, before putting them to sleep.
Sleep is very important, not only for the rest but also for the level-up.
Thud!
I dismounted from my horse and turned to the two women in front of me. "Both of you did a wonderful job, with the arrangements," I said to them.
The parade was their responsibility, and they did an excellent job.
"Thank you, my lord," they said.
I smiled and walked inside. I didn't immediately go to my office, but the suite I have in the city hall.
Click!
As the door closed. I sat down; I wanted to sleep on the couch as I did, but I controlled myself and instead just closed my eyes.
The images of the battle flashed in front of me. I got used to them seeing in my nightmares, but still, they affect me.
A few minutes later, I got up and walked into the bathroom, before activating the Cleaning. Immediately, all the wet and dried blood, along with pieces of skin and bones, stuck to me came down like a tide.
I opened the tap and let wash into the drain, while I removed my clothes, which was a struggle. My injuries hadn't healed and every movement I made sent a spike of pain through my body.
I should have used maids. It is common in many in my position to do that, but I am a little uncomfortable with it and even called prude by Carla.
Finally, after much struggle, I removed my clothes and showered. It was another pain-filled experience, but by the time, I finished, I felt much fresher and a lot calmer.
I changed into simple clothes, walked out of my suite, and entered my office, where Zela was waiting for me.
"What is the update?" I asked as I took my seat. "The battles are still ongoing at Port Midlet and Deerpond."
"The merchant state had informed us that we should expect the change in leadership at Gailhorn by the morning," she replied.
It is the same as earlier; the only surprising thing is the change in leadership.
I didn't like the lord of the Gailhorn much, but he was the man, I could work with. I don't know who the next leader will be and how he will be, but it is likely someone the Vris'alud chose.
I am worried about the relationship with the Gailhorn.
Before the undead invaded. We had a good amount of trade with the Gailhorn, but in the past month and a half, there was barely any trade.
I had talked to the Lord of Gailhorn about it and planning on sending the delegation. We were supposed to talk tomorrow about it, but it seemed like with things changing, it won't be possible.
I really wish Gailhorn hadn't fallen. With it, they now control half of the region, more like a few days, if I exclude Gailhorn.
It is a big deal considering the size of the region is comparable to a small kingdom and undead control effectively half of that. They might control more in a few hours if they win any battle.
I really hope not.
Especially not Deerpond. The river is the only stable trade route I have left; I want nothing to happen to it.