Supreme Magus novel Chapter 2059

Chapter 2059 The Price of War (Part 1)

"There's no point in putting Awakened lives at risk for a losing battle. Just ask them to bring with them as many people as they can. _{fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm}

"General Berion, the moment the evacuation is complete, I want you to activate the self-destruct mechanism of the arrays and the City Gate. I don't want to leave behind anything that might be used against us." Meron said.

"As you wish, Your Majesty." The storm howled and hammered through the solid stone walls of his office with such violence that he needed a Hush spell to be able to listen to the orders.

"Excellent." The King nodded before turning to Vorgh. "How is the situation at Vesta and Prode?"

"The weather mages managed to push the hot winds away from the cities and toward Thrud's armies. As soon as they lost control over the storm front, they retreated without a fight. We didn't lose a single soldier or Awakened.

"There are just a few injured from the skirmish to buy time for the weather mages." The Brigadier General replied. "I think it's an outstanding result and it's all thanks to our strategists."

He gave Jirni and her great-great-great-great-grandaunt a deep bow.

"What about Belius?" The rest of the Royal Court was smiling but the Queen's expression was as grim as the King's.

"There's no saving it." Vorgh replied with a sigh. "The silver lining is that we suffered minimal losses. The barrier arrays we set up against War Mage spells held long enough to evacuate the outer walls.

"Aside from about one-third of Colonel Varegrave's regiment, no one died."

"No human died, you mean." Jiza snarled. "We lost three Awakened elders today and each one of them was worth thousands of your insignificant soldiers, if not millions! While you ants sit behind the safety of your city wall, my people fought against the progeny of the gods!"

At those words, Vorgh became livid and rage turned his face to a deep red.

"And we are grateful for that." Meron stepped in before the General could compromise the frail alliance with the Council. "You have my word that their sacrifice will be honored and that we'll compensate their families for their loss."

Now that Thrud had Divine Beasts among her generals, the Awakened were paying the highest price at every battle. If before a Council elder would die solely due to a cunning trap or a major blunder, now the slightest mistake was enough to cause their death.

It had led the Council to reconsider their involvement in the war and to renegotiate the deal with the Kingdom.

"That's not enough." Jiza shook her head. "What about those who put their lives on the line and managed to survive? If you want them to return to the battlefield and fight against immortals, you need to offer us more than a thank you, Your Majesty."

"You are not fighting for us, you are fighting for your homeland." Queen Sylpha's tone was calm but her eyes were cold. "If the Kingdom is defeated, you'll have no army of soldiers or 'fake mages' to throw at Thrud to test her defenses.

"Our deal benefits both parties, it simply demands different sacrifices." She shoved the Small World centimeters away from Jiza's nose. "Imagine what would happen if the Mad Queen gets her hands on the Royal Artifacts and finds a way to use them.

"We'll see how long your Council will last."

As the two women argued, Meron could almost see his figure replacing his wife's and Lith in place of Jiza.