Chapter 304: High-Ranking Warrior

Darion continued deeper into Vrethka. As he walked, he began paying closer attention to his surroundings.

The settlement looked less like an ordinary village and more like a military stronghold. Warriors were everywhere.

Some were carrying weapons or checking their equipment. Others were talking in small groups, discussing matters Darion couldn't quite hear as he passed.

Even the buildings seemed designed around the settlement's military needs. Supplies were stored in organized piles, weapons were kept within easy reach, and guards moved through the streets with the confidence of men accustomed to following orders.

'These people really do live for war.'

From what he could see, fighting wasn't simply something Vrethka's men did when their chief called upon them. It seemed to be a central part of their lives. Most of the men he encountered appeared to be warriors, and even those who weren't actively training or carrying equipment seemed familiar with military life.

Yet there was another side to the settlement. As Darion passed a group of houses, he caught sight of several families gathered outside. Some men sat beside their wives while their children played around their feet.

Others gazed quietly at the moon hanging above the settlement, enjoying what little peace the night offered them. A small child tugged at his father's leg, trying to get his attention. The man smiled and lifted the child onto his lap while his wife watched.

It was an ordinary scene. A family spending time together beneath the moonlight. But Darion couldn't help looking at it differently.

'I'll have to kill them all eventually.'

The thought came to him with surprising clarity. If Vrethka attacked Percvale, he would have to destroy the force threatening his territory.

There was no guarantee that the warriors standing in his way would surrender, and he couldn't afford to show mercy at the cost of his own people's lives. He had already killed the previous owner of the armor and mask he was wearing. Taking another life wouldn't suddenly become impossible simply because he had seen the man's family or imagined what his death might mean.

Darion felt no particular pity for the warriors themselves. They were part of the force that intended to destroy everything he had built. If they stood between him and Percvale's survival, he would kill them. But the women and children were different.

He glanced toward a family sitting outside a nearby house.

'Their husbands might never come home.'

A wife could spend the next several days waiting for her husband to return from battle, only to learn that he had died somewhere on a distant battlefield.

A child could grow up without ever seeing their father again. And if the fighting devastated Vrethka itself, these families might lose their homes along with the men they depended on. Darion understood that war wasn't limited to the warriors holding swords. Its consequences spread to everyone who had never picked up a weapon.

'Maybe they could rebuild afterward.'

The thought appeared almost immediately, and Darion frowned beneath his mask.

'Rebuild what? Their homes? Their settlement? Their lives?'

Even if they survived the war, nothing guaranteed that they would be able to start again. He had seen what destruction could do to a territory.

He had experienced the aftermath of battles himself. Rebuilding took time, resources, and people willing to keep going even when everything seemed lost. He had been trying to give Percvale exactly that. And now he was walking through a settlement that might soon force him to do the very thing he had been trying to protect his own people from.

Darion shook the thoughts away.

'Why am I even thinking about this?'

He had no idea how the coming war would unfold. For all he knew, Vrethka might overwhelm Percvale before he could put a proper defense in place.

He had only a limited number of undead knights, while Vrethka appeared to possess a substantial army. He was standing in the enemy's territory, surrounded by warriors who could kill him if they discovered his identity. He hadn't even found out the full extent of their plans yet.

'I'm already thinking about what happens after I win. Who said I'm even going to win?'

Darion exhaled slowly. He couldn't afford to get distracted by possibilities, whether good or bad. First, he needed information. Everything else could wait.

Darion continued farther into the settlement, keeping his pace steady and his head held high. He tried to imitate the behavior of someone who belonged here.

He didn't rush, didn't stare at people for too long, and didn't behave as though he were searching for something. The mask concealed his face, while the armor helped him blend in with the other guards. So far, his disguise was working surprisingly well.

In fact, he began noticing something that made the situation even stranger. Whenever he passed certain warriors, they saluted him. Some straightened their backs and briefly lowered their heads.

Others raised a hand in acknowledgment before returning to whatever they had been doing. Darion returned each greeting with a small nod, careful not to say anything that might expose him.

'Wait. Why are they saluting me?'

He glanced down at his armor, then remembered the elaborate mask he was wearing. The guard he had killed hadn't been an ordinary soldier. Judging by the way the others treated him, the man must have held a relatively high position within Vrethka's military hierarchy.

'Great. I killed someone important enough that people are saluting me.'

It was both fortunate and dangerous. On one hand, the respect he received made it easier to move through the settlement without being questioned.

On the other hand, someone of that rank would probably be expected to know certain people, follow specific orders, and attend important gatherings. If another high-ranking officer approached him and began asking questions, his disguise could fall apart in seconds.

'Let's hope nobody expects me to start a conversation.'

Darion kept moving, observing the paths ahead and the guards stationed around important buildings. Gradually, the settlement's layout began to make more sense.

He had already passed several storage areas and groups of warriors. Now, farther ahead, he could see a more heavily guarded section of Vrethka. The buildings were larger, and the surrounding area appeared better maintained. Guards stood at several points along the route, while warriors moved in and out of the nearby structures.

Darion immediately understood what he was approaching.

At the center of the guarded area stood a large building that was clearly different from the surrounding structures. It was more imposing than the ordinary houses, with a broad entrance and enough space around it for guards to gather. Darion slowed slightly as he took it in.

'That must be the chief's palace.'

He had finally found it. After everything he had seen and heard tonight, this was the place he wanted to investigate most.

If he could get closer to the chief or overhear a conversation among the settlement's leaders, he might finally learn why Vrethka had decided to target Percvale. He could also discover whether the chief was planning to attack immediately or whether Darion still had time to prepare his defenses.

He carefully examined the guards around the entrance. There were enough of them to make approaching carelessly a bad idea, but his current disguise might allow him to pass without attracting attention.

Darion took another step forward. Then another. He was almost within sight of the palace entrance when someone suddenly rushed toward him.

Darion froze internally. The approaching man wore a mask similar to his own. His movements were quick and purposeful, and he appeared to be in a hurry. Darion's heart began pounding.

'Shit. Am I busted?'

Had someone discovered the dead guard's body? Had another soldier noticed something wrong with his armor? Or had someone recognized that the man who had entered the settlement earlier wasn't supposed to be there? Darion couldn't know. The masked man was already closing the distance between them.

Darion's mind immediately began working through possible escape routes.

'If he knows who I am, I need to summon my undead immediately.'

He could summon Ghet Ulg and the others to create an opening, then use the confusion to escape through the settlement. Of course, that would expose his identity to everyone nearby. He would have to fight his way out, reach the place where Seren was waiting, and get both of them out of Vrethka before the settlement's forces could surround them. It wouldn't be easy.

'Come on. Think.'

His fingers twitched slightly beneath his armor. He was ready to act if the man made a hostile move. But when the masked warrior finally reached him, he didn't raise an alarm or demand to know who he was. Instead, the man spoke in a hurried, almost impatient tone.

"Hurry up! The meeting starts in a minute, and you know the Chief doesn't like it when someone is late."

Darion stared at him through the narrow openings of his mask. For a moment, he wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

'A meeting?'

The man had apparently mistaken him for someone expected to attend a meeting with the chief. Darion's mind raced. He had come here hoping to learn more about Vrethka's plans. And now, without even trying, he might have just been handed an opportunity to get closer to the people making those plans.