Novel Full Chapter 420: I Bleed Enough For Everyone
Chapter 420: I Bleed Enough For Everyone
The shower was brief but refreshing, steam rolling from the small bath chamber as Damien stepped back into the room twelve minutes later fully dressed.
Apnoch was already waiting, arms folded like a sentry, patience stretched thin but intact.
“Lead the way, Captain,” Damien said casually, slipping his sword across his back. “Let’s not keep your general waiting.”
The walk through Delwig’s military quarter was brisk. Soldiers hurried past in organized ranks, messengers darted through corridors carrying rolled parchments, and the ever-present clang of weapons against training dummies filled the air.
Despite the city’s apparent safety, a tension hung over it—an unspoken readiness that felt heavier than yesterday. Maybe because of what he’d experienced the previous night with Lyone but he saw Delwig slightly differently now.
Apnoch pushed open the double doors of the command hall, and the low murmur of discussion cut off instantly.
General Ivaan sat at the head of the long oaken table, his silver hair tied back, armor still strapped across his chest as though he’d never removed it since the battle. His eyes, sharp and heavy with the weight of leadership, landed on Damien the moment he entered.
“Damien,” Ivaan greeted, voice steady. “Sit. You’ll want to hear this.”
Damien dropped into a chair, leaning back with his usual casualness even as his gaze swept the maps spread across the table.
Several tunnels were marked with ink, leading toward the inner districts. Soldiers flanked the walls, silent and alert, while a few other officers—captains Damien hadn’t met—stood ready with reports.
Apnoch moved to Ivaan’s side, saluting before speaking. “As requested, I’ve brought him. Yesterday’s incident is the focus of today’s strategy session.”
Ivaan nodded once. “Good. Let’s begin.”
One of the captains stepped forward, unfurling a fresh parchment. “Our scouts confirmed the point of entry. It’s obvious that the beasts did not breach the barrier walls directly. They tunneled. Three of the mutated creatures were discovered to have clawed their way up beneath Delwig itself.”
He placed a finger against one of the marks. “The attack was contained, but only because the barrier was raised in time. Had the signal come later…” His voice trailed off grimly.
Damien raised an eyebrow. “Signal?”
Ivaan glanced at him. “Each guard post along the barrier is tasked with sending immediate alarms if they detect anomalies—beast movements, seismic shifts, anything that hints at an attack. Yet yesterday, no such alarm was raised… Early that is. The signal was delayed, giving some of the beasts enough time to tunnel into the city.”
The room stiffened. Damien leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “So either the guards fell asleep on their duty… or they deliberately stayed silent.”
One of the younger captains bristled. “You dare imply treachery among our men?”
Damien’s gaze cut to him, calm but sharp. “I don’t imply. I observe. If beasts can crawl over and under your walls without a word raised, there are only two explanations: incompetence or collusion. And if it were incompetence, the guards wouldn’t still be breathing.”
The silence that followed was thick. Even Apnoch’s expression hardened at the blunt truth.
Ivaan finally spoke, his tone grave. “The men stationed nearest the breach have been taken into custody. Interrogations will begin shortly. If they are guilty, we will uncover it. If they are not…” He exhaled, heavy with burden. “Then our enemy has already seeded spies within our ranks.”
Damien leaned back again, fingers drumming idly on the table. “Good. At least you’re not blind to the obvious. But the bigger issue isn’t just the guards—it’s the tunnels themselves. The fact that they existed means someone’s been carving beneath Delwig for a long time. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment breach.”
Apnoch nodded grimly. “He’s right, General. The runes etched near the entrances—they weren’t ours. They weren’t military arrays. Whoever made them has been preparing in secret.”
“Which is why,” Ivaan said, eyes narrowing, “I intend to send teams down those tunnels. If there is more to be uncovered, we will find it. Burn out the remnants, collapse what needs collapsing, and secure Delwig from below as we do above.”
Damien’s lips curled into the faintest of smirks. “A suicide mission if you send the wrong men.”
Ivaan’s gaze sharpened. “And who do you suggest, boy?”
Damien spread his hands innocently. “Me.”
The table erupted in murmurs, several officers turning sharply toward him.
“You?!” one barked. “This is Delwig’s fight. Outsiders shouldn’t meddle in our defenses.”
Damien tilted his head lazily. “Funny. Yesterday, when those beasts were ripping through your streets, I don’t recall anyone rejecting my help. Besides…” His eyes gleamed faintly. “I already have more experience with these creatures and their masters than most of you combined. You need someone who won’t hesitate when it matters. And I don’t hesitate.”
Apnoch’s lips thinned, but he didn’t argue—he’d seen Damien in action firsthand.
Ivaan tapped a gauntleted finger against the table, studying him. His expression revealed nothing, but his silence spoke volumes. Finally, he leaned back in his chair.
“You want to go down there,” the general said evenly, “into enemy-dug tunnels, where beasts and masked traitors may lurk in the dark, with no certainty of survival. You realize what you’re volunteering for?”
Damien grinned faintly. “Of course. But survival isn’t the issue. Answers are.”
For the first time since the meeting began, Ivaan’s stern face cracked into the smallest of smiles. “Hmph. You speak like a soldier of Delwig. Very well. I’ll allow it. But you won’t go alone.”
He looked to Apnoch whom he trusted most. “You’ll lead the squad into the tunnels. Take men you trust. I don’t care how deep they go—if there’s something buried beneath my city, I want it unearthed.”
Apnoch saluted sharply. “Yes, General.”
The meeting dissolved into rapid exchanges—officers scribbling assignments, messengers sent to coordinate troop rotations, guards doubling posts along the barrier. But Damien let their noise wash over him, his mind drifting elsewhere.
The masked humans he’d seen through [Hindsight]… the sigils etched into the stone… the way the beasts fought with reckless abandon. None of it was random. It was structured, calculated, orchestrated.
And now, with tunnels running like veins beneath Delwig, the fortress kingdom wasn’t as untouchable as its people believed.
As the officers filtered out one by one, Ivaan rose to his feet, walking to Damien. He extended his hand again—the same way he had on Damien’s first day here. Damien clasped it firmly.
“Remember my words,” Ivaan said quietly, his eyes sharper than steel. “Delwig may be abandoned by the empire, but it will not fall while I still breathe. This city holds because men like Apnoch bleed for it. If you intend to walk our path, boy, then walk it with the same resolve.”
Damien smirked faintly. “Don’t worry. I bleed enough for everyone.”