Chapter 1729: Hill
"Given the current layout, when the army reaches here, we should split our forces." The Pride Queen’s voice rang through the tent. "They’ll come from here and here. Best we prepare to ambush them before they get comfortable."
A large map sprawled across the table. Around it sat Zenon alongside numerous figures clad in heavy purple armor.
Aside from Zenon, these were the generals of the Chosen Alliance. The air around them warped faintly, their mere presence subtly distorting their surroundings. Nine gems were embedded into each of their crowns, with the last gem emitting a low glow.
Lower-Level Nine.
Every brow furrowed as they studied the areas the Pride Queen had indicated.
"Your... proposal isn’t entirely unreasonable," one of the generals said stiffly. "But splitting the Chosen army based on assumptions is reckless. The fastest way to lose a war is to let yourself get isolated and crushed."
"Dunson’s right." Another general scoffed, openly eyeing the Pride Queen with disdain. "No offense, Lord Zenon, but I’d rather not gamble the entire army on the instincts of someone who isn’t even Chosen."
The others nodded in agreement.
Zenon tapped his fingers lightly against his folded arms, silently studying the map for a few moments before finally turning toward the Pride Queen.
"I understand your intentions are good," Zenon said. "But my generals raise fair concerns. Can you give us a convincing reason why we should commit to this plan?"
Eyes turned toward the Pride Queen. Even Anorah, standing quietly at the edge of the table, looked at her.
A brief silence passed before the Pride Queen answered without hesitation.
"No."
"...No?" Zenon blinked.
"No." The Pride Queen turned and began walking away. "I came because he asked me to. Whether you listen or not is your business."
"You’re seriously leaving just like that?"
She didn’t even slow down.
"You’re not important enough for me to stand here arguing."
"What?"
"How dare—!"
Several generals immediately rose halfway from their seats. But the Pride Queen didn’t spare them another glance before leaving the tent.
"Hmph. Empty arrogance." One of them sneered after she left. "We don’t need her, Lord Zenon. Everyone here has survived centuries of war. We’ll manage perfectly fine without some outsider lecturing us."
Zenon exhaled quietly and shook his head before signaling for the meeting to continue.
But another general had barely begun speaking when someone else started making her way toward the exit.
A flicker of emotion crossed Zenon’s eyes.
"Anorah... wait."
Anorah ignored her father’s call and stepped outside the tent.
An endless sea of pitched tents greeted her, stretching so far into the distance they almost seemed without end. Soldiers marched across the camp in organized squads, each led by commanding officers barking sharp orders.
The atmosphere was heavy with tension and anticipation.
They had only arrived early this morning, yet many were already mentally preparing themselves for the battle ahead.
Anorah sighed.
A week had passed since her father revealed the major factions had declared war, and ever since then everything had been a maelstrom of emotions.
They hadn’t even given her enough time to properly process the situation with him before throwing them straight into this war.
Zenon was everything she had imagined... and at the same time, completely different.
Truthfully, she had never needed to ask those questions to confirm his identity. She had seen countless pictures of him growing up. Her grandfather had told her endless stories about him over the years.
She had always dreamed about meeting him.
Somehow, after learning he was alive, she had convinced herself that finding him would finally lift a huge burden from her chest.
Instead, the opposite had happened.
She hated him for abandoning her, yet she still couldn’t stop remembering the grand and beautiful stories her grandfather used to tell about him.
On top of that, the entire matter of him being the leader of the Chosen only pushed her further away.
Once again, Anorah sighed.
Her thoughts felt heavy enough to crush her anytime she dwelled on them for too long.
Eventually, she found the others seated outside a tent, conversing amongst themselves.
Only Ozeroth, Ozerra, Azeron, Thora, Zion, the three Apexes, and the still-slumbering Whisker had come to battle. Atticus hadn’t allowed anyone else to follow.
"Where’s he?"
"Same place." Azeron answered, pointing toward the distant hill.
Anorah nodded before heading off.
Moments later, she approached the lone figure standing atop the hill.
Atticus seemed completely unaffected by the violent wind sweeping across the plains. Yet his snow-white hair and white trench coat still billowed steadily behind him.
His eyes remained fixed on the horizon, body tense and unmoving, as though he were already standing on the battlefield.
Anorah’s gaze lingered on his focused expression. It was one of the things she admired most about him... loved, even.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of fear or hesitation despite what was coming. Honestly, she doubted there was truly anything in this world capable of shaking Atticus.
"How was the meeting?"
The question pulled her from her thoughts. Anorah shook her head lightly.
"They decided not to listen to the Pride Queen."
"...i see."
Atticus said nothing else, but the atmosphere around him grew subtly heavier. It was clear what he thought about that.
Silence settled between them as Anorah stared at the horizon alongside him, allowing the cold wind to brush against her face.
Eventually, she spoke again.
"What will you do after all this?"
"...After the war?"
"No." Anorah shook her head. "After you finally achieve your goal."
"Honestly..." Atticus was quiet for a moment. "I haven’t really thought that far ahead. I guess... I’ll live a simple life with my family."
Anorah’s mouth scrunched slightly. The expression looked unfairly cute, making her resemble some delicate flower despite the battlefield surrounding them.
"That’s it?" Anorah shot him a look. "Your future doesn’t even have me in it?"
Atticus blinked. Only then did he realize the problem with what he had just said.
Luckily, he came up with a save almost immediately.
"...You’re obviously included. You’re part of my family, so..."
Anorah slowly tilted her head, staring at him with a look that practically screamed I know exactly what you just did.
