Novel Full Chapter 403: Arrival At Delwig
Chapter 403: Arrival At Delwig
The road north wound steadily downward, the mountains of Greshan fading behind them as Delwig’s fertile plains slowly stretched into view.
Fields of wheat and orchard groves extended for miles, all bordered by the faint outline of walls in the distance—walls that shimmered faintly with enchantments layered so thick that even Damien could taste them on the air.
Fenrir padded forward in silence, pulling the carriage as if it weighed no more than a feather. The soldiers of Apnoch’s advance unit marched in a tight wedge formation around them, their polished armor catching slants of orange as the evening sun dipped toward the horizon.
The quiet broke when Apnoch slowed his pace and drew closer to Damien, who was walking just ahead of the carriage.
“You spoke of experiments,” the captain said lowly, his tone carefully measured so only Damien and Arielle could hear. “Why arrive at such a theory?”
Damien didn’t break stride. “Because the evidence lines up too neatly to ignore.”
Apnoch frowned. “Evidence?”
“We’ve been fighting demons longer than either of us have been alive,” Damien continued. “Records spanning centuries—hordes, incursions, corruption, wars. Always the same enemies. Always the same patterns. But only recently do we see demons that behave… unnaturally. Mana beasts carrying traits they never should, mutations that don’t fit bloodlines. That doesn’t happen on its own.”
Arielle cast a sidelong glance at Damien, recognizing the weight in his voice. Lyone, who listened from the carriage window, swallowed nervously.
Apnoch’s brow furrowed. “You’re certain? Not merely conjecture?”
Damien turned his head slightly, blue eyes glinting under the dimming sun. “I’ve fought more demons and beasts in the past two years than most men fight in a lifetime. Willful ones as well as stray encounters along forgotten roads. I’ve seen their bodies, felt their essence, studied their cores. None of these were natural. Not one.”
Apnoch studied him in silence for several paces. The captain had expected a mercenary’s bravado, or at least exaggeration. Instead, he heard the cold certainty of someone speaking from experience. And that experience unsettled him.
“You’re not even twenty,” Apnoch muttered, half to himself. “How is it you carry such knowledge… such certainty?”
Damien’s lips curved faintly, though the expression held no humor. “I guess one could say circumstances pushed me where I am.”
The answer was maddeningly vague, yet final. Apnoch knew he would get nothing more from pressing. Still, curiosity burned hotter.
“I’ve fought alongside prodigies before,” the captain said, voice lowering further. “Children of nobles trained from birth, wielders of old bloodlines, those who walk paths the rest of us cannot even see. But you… you carry something else. Something I can’t name.”
Damien didn’t reply. His silence seemed to say more than words.
The rest of the march passed with that heavy unspoken weight between them, broken only by the faint jingle of armor and the thud of boots striking dirt.
At last, the walls of Delwig towered above them. Massive, runed stones spiraled upward, humming faintly with layered wards that could repel siege weapons, magic, or worse. The gates themselves were thronged with merchants, peasants, and travelers queued in long lines as guards in steel inspected every wagon and traveler one by one.
But as Apnoch approached, the reaction was immediate.
The soldiers stationed at the gates stiffened, saluting sharply. “Captain Apnoch, sir!”
The crowd parted instinctively, wary eyes following the crimson insignia on the captain’s breastplate. At his gesture, the gatesmen pulled open a smaller reinforced side passage, a private entry reserved for military use and dignitaries.
Damien noticed the subtle change in the air as they walked through—merchants muttering under their breath, a few peasants glaring with envy as they trudged toward the slow-moving main gate. Yet not one dared speak too loudly, not with armored knights standing at full alert.
Inside, the streets of Delwig spread wide and orderly. White-bricked buildings lined the main avenue, banners of the hawk-and-spear snapping in the wind. Soldiers patrolled every corner, their discipline as tight as Apnoch’s own men.
Apnoch slowed slightly beside Damien as they crossed into the heart of the city. “The theory you carry… it changes much. Our reports told us only of stray demons breaching through weak points. But if they are being manufactured…” He trailed off, jaw tightening. “Then we are at war, though no declaration has been made.”
Damien’s tone remained calm. “Then your kingdom should prepare as if war is already here. Because it is.”
Apnoch’s eyes flickered. That calmness again. The voice of someone who didn’t speculate, but knew.
“You truly are an enigma,” the captain muttered, shaking his head. “And yet, something tells me I’ll regret not listening.”
Damien offered no reply.
They moved deeper into the city until the avenue widened into a vast square dominated by a towering building of black stone, its surface engraved with layers of protective sigils. Soldiers in full ceremonial armor guarded the entrance, their helms adorned with the hawk-and-spear crest.
As Apnoch approached, the guards crossed their spears and bowed.
“Captain Apnoch. Welcome back. Report?”
Apnoch gestured behind him. “Travelers of interest. They carry knowledge regarding the recent demonic incursions. I am escorting them to the general directly.”
“If that’s the case, then we better get to it. Time waits for no one.” The first guard stated hurriedly.
“Pfft…” For some reason, Damien and Lyone ended up letting out a short chuckle which they quickly dismissed.
Their laughter was simply due to the fact that under Lyone’s command, time could literally wait for him.
“Apologies for the laughter. It kind of just happened.” Damien apologised, not in the mood to explain the reason to the others.
The guards exchanged glances, then shifted into rigid salutes. One spoke quickly: “General Ivaan awaits within.”
Damien caught the shift in tone—respect tinged with unease. Whoever this general was, his presence was heavy enough that even hardened soldiers spoke his name with caution.
As the massive doors swung open and the air of authority pressed outward, Apnoch glanced once more at Damien, his expression unreadable.
“General Ivaan does not suffer fools,” he said quietly. “Choose your words carefully.”
Damien’s golden eyes gleamed. “I always do.”
And with that, he and his companions followed Apnoch into the fortress of Delwig’s might, where truths and suspicions would soon collide.
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A/N: Dear readers. I apologise greatly for my inconsistencies so far. I know I have promised and failed a thousand times. I’ve always brought up with excuses every now and then as to why I haven’t been able to consistently update the book and I am sorry for all of it.
Right now, I’m trying to start a stockpile as I have decided to release all of my privilege Chapters for next month and then start filling it all over and I ask you all to bear with me for a while.
I promise to be consistent this time with only very few days of “no update” unlike right now where I rarely update. Thank you all for staying and enjoying the book. You all are the real VIPs.