"My lord, my name is Drogo, and I come from the northeast. Our villages were attacked, but they only drove us out without killing us. They told us we could come in this direction, and you would provide us aid. Can you accept our warrior people?"
Drogo was a man with coppery skin, black hair, and eyes who was tall and robust. He had a mustache and a long beard, and his hair was braided, adorned with small bells that reached down to his legs. According to the customs of this great warrior tribe, they let their hair grow as a sign of honor from their battles. Since Drogo had long hair, it showed that he had never lost a fight.
But that wasn't important; Damian looked at him and at the thousands of people approaching with their horses and carts to the city he had been managing, building, and protecting for the last fifteen years, so there was more to this.
"What is your decision, my lord?" Raúl commanded at this moment the most elite guard of the Night's Guard; they all wore black armor with black bear fur capes, their swords were also black, and each of them wore a helmet.
The Night's Guard were the ones who guarded the walls, stopped demons, and eradicated evil. For the city of Snowstorm, which now had over a hundred thousand citizens, this elite guard was the pride of every man who was a warrior.
"Check that there are no infiltrated demons. If they all agree to be thoroughly checked, then they will be accepted." Damian knew that if he denied access to these people, they would likely die.
This was a trap, and he knew it.
That is to say, there was no problem with the people, but with the intention of sending them to this northern city. Over a hundred kilometers away, there was no other nearby city; Snowstorm had expanded its territory into an isolated area, which is why it was allowed to have even more territory because at any moment they could be attacked by demons.
The only reason they haven't been attacked is because of Damian's existence, who was an extremely powerful mage, so much so that he had been classified as a first-class mage since he was fifteen years old.
It had been a long time since the demons attacked this city, which gave credit to Damian's power here and his constant expansion.
So, if the demons didn't want to attack this city, since they would lose hundreds of thousands of demons in the attempt, how would they weaken the city? The answer is clear: by sending many mouths to feed, we exhaust supplies and create chaos from within.
Crimes would increase, causing unrest among the residents and the refugees, who would feel threatened by the city's hostility towards them. Chaos would invade the streets, giving the demons the opportunity to attack and wipe out the city completely.
"They are very intelligent, but they don't know what lies beneath the city." Damian thought, knowing that underground were the large farms that simulated greenhouses to harvest fruits, vegetables, and increase livestock.
As food is essential in the north, Damian took advantage of this for a long time to create a way to bring food quickly through magic. This allowed him to create underground farms that were constantly producing tons of food.
Having a population of three hundred thousand people was not a problem at all; although this would increase the work for the departments that had been adapting, it still wouldn't be a problem.
"They are a warrior people. Should we send them to the wood farms?" Raúl knew these people would do anything to remain in this place.
Damian thought carefully about this; obviously, he needed warriors, and Drogo seemed to be a distinguished warrior, so he called him to talk privately. "Drogo, do the people with you have honor?"
"Are you afraid we will wreak havoc in your city?" Drogo understood Damian's thoughts perfectly, so his gaze became sharp.
"I need an answer."
"We are all warriors. We have fought for the north for generations and were among the few who did not move closer to those cities protected by shields." Drogo was honest with his words.
None of the humans intended to commit crimes, especially in the north. They had all suffered, and many had sacrificed themselves for generations, so they had honor and principles.
Damian did not apologize for this; he had no reason to. "In this city, there are over a hundred thousand people; we all look out for each other, and if war breaks out, we would be willing to die to protect our home."
Drogo looked at Damian's figure, his blindfolded eyes, long white hair, and black cape that covered most of his body. He could see a sword on a magical staff floating around him, so he estimated that this ruler was one who fought his own battles.
"Have you seen it? Everyone in the village is welcoming your men, friends, and family with open arms. I want it to stay that way, but you must understand that this will be the last time you surrender to the demons." Damian's voice turned cold with hints of murderous intent.
Drogo then felt his hands tremble; his gaze couldn't focus on Damian's face again, and he can say with certainty that he felt fear.
"I need a good general for the Night's Guard. You are strong, and I see an insatiable fire in your heart, but you are weak. Other warrior tribes would have fought even if the demons had no intention of killing them, even if their families were in danger."
"You have no idea how terrifying it is to lose a family." Drogo looked at his hands and remembered when he felt his family would die in front of him when the demons came to his village.
Raúl frowned but said nothing.
Damian looked at Drogo and said, "I have no children; my friends have died on the battlefield. Many sacrificed themselves so that I would live. Perhaps they envisioned a safe city where their ruler doesn't send them to fight only for his own death."
Times of war are complicated; food is scarce, forcing leaders to act with little intelligence. But that wouldn't happen in Damian's city; he was sure of that.
"So, if you accept me and this city is protected, I promise never to surrender to the enemy again." Drogo took a knife, and before Raúl could react, he cut the braid on his back.
All the people in the distance, especially the men, were astonished, not knowing why Drogo had done this.
"Warriors, we have lost to the enemy, but we have a chance to regain our honor on the battlefield. Our lord offers us a place in his legions that hunt demons. Who else wants to reclaim their honor by my side?" Drogo shouted as he kneeled before Damian and said, "I am willing."
Everyone then understood, especially those who were warriors. By giving up their lands, they had lost; this meant they were not worthy to wear their hair long, so they all cut it one by one.
"We swear eternal loyalty to you, my lord. Thank you for giving us the opportunity again to find our path as warriors and reclaim our honor." Drogo offered his loyalty to Damian, who received them all with great words.
"Without a doubt, we will end the demons."