NOVPUB
Chapter 183: Vicanti Town
"The town of Ilyon has fallen?" Aldrian frowned.
"Is there any news about what happened to the young miss of the Rivas family, Irene Rivas? I heard she was dispatched there to help fight the devils," he asked.
"I’m not sure. We’ve lost all contact with Ilyon, and there’s no report on Miss Irene’s situation. We can only hope for the best, as it would be truly devastating if something happened to her," Pac replied.
"We have to go to Vicanti Town, where the devils are moving south right now. The evacuation order has already been given, so we need to assist the Rivas family with the evacuation. Let’s hope we can hold the devils there, otherwise, the entire northwestern part of the Rivas Grand Duchy will fall completely under their control."
Aldrian’s anxiety was rising; his mother’s fate was unknown, and they had to go to another town unrelated to her.
"What about Grand Duke Rivas? Where is he right now?" he asked.
"The Grand Duke is in another sector, positioned in the northeastern region of the duchy, where reports say the Wrath Devil has appeared. He’s there with the imperial army, defending the fortress city of Karak, this city is of great strategic importance, serving as a stronghold that protects much of the Rivas Grand Duchy’s northern territories. He must have already received word of Ilyon’s fall. He must have already heard of Ilyon’s fall and is likely in a frenzy over his daughter."
Aldrian pondered for a moment before asking Pac,
"When we arrive in Vicanti, I want to head to Ilyon. This is an important part of my mission—I need to meet with Miss Irene," Aldrian said.
Pac frowned at Aldrian. "Are you serious? The devils are relentless, and they’re incredibly strong. How do you plan to get past the approaching devils? I don’t mean to underestimate you, but these devils seem crazier than ever, to the point where even king-stage cultivators hesitate to face them without support. And yet, you want to go to Ilyon, a town that’s already fallen? For all we know, the devils may have already reduced it to ashes," Pac said.
"It’s okay, I have my own ways, and I have to meet her, no matter what it takes. I’m telling you now—once I take care of the devils in Vicanti, I’ll head straight to Ilyon," Aldrian said.
Hearing Aldrian’s confident words about handling the devil problem, Pac couldn’t help but think Aldrian was an arrogant fool who didn’t understand the devils’ true power. He saw Aldrian as a pampered young master, unaware that such arrogance and ignorance could easily lead to his death. Pac wondered which family had raised Aldrian and why a direct bloodline’s retainer would bring such an ignorant and arrogant man to the battlefield.
By the looks of it, Aldrian seemed to be the leader of this group, and Pac couldn’t help but think he really didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. With a leader like this, the group would meet their end much faster on the battlefield. Still, because they were connected to the successor of the Rivas family, he felt the need to persuade Aldrian. But before he could speak—
"We are changing our plan. We’ve just received a report that Ilyon has fallen to the devils, and our new task is to assist Vicanti. The devils will arrive in approximately six hours, close to the town’s vicinity. Our mission is to help evacuate the town, which has a population of six million. Many will be moving south, deeper into the territory. We will manage the evacuation, ensuring it’s orderly. If it comes to the worst, we’ll have to fight the devils." The leader shouted, his voice amplified by energy so it could be heard across the entire plaza.
Aldrian recognized the man. He had already heard from those around him that this was Ryusei Collins, the guild master and leader of this mercenary group. Aldrian was somewhat surprised to see the guild master himself involved in the effort, which made him realize just how dire the situation truly was.
"Remember, don’t sully the name of the Mercenaries Guild! Each private must obey the orders of their captain and refrain from being conceited toward other factions. This time, we are working alongside the Adventurer Guild and a few cultivator families. You must show the discipline and strength of the mercenaries!" he added, his words met by a resounding war cry from the mercenaries.
Aldrian found their spirit admirable, especially how they could unite, at least outwardly. The Mercenaries Guild was made up of cultivators from various races, usually, they are not part of any faction, but rather cultivators who seek to earn wealth through their power. With such diverse backgrounds and characteristics, it was already a great feat that the guild members maintained harmony and discipline.
Aldrian then looked at another group standing nearby, the Adventurer Guild. The two guilds were not all that different; the main distinction lay in how they operated. The Adventurer Guild was more flexible and individualistic, taking on ’safer’ tasks compared to the mercenaries. While adventurers might be tasked with hunting, scouting, or finding something, the mercenaries handled more brutal, large-scale tasks—such as subjugating groups of bandits or criminals, escorting, or even fighting devils, as they were doing now.
The division of tasks helped minimize overlap between the guilds. However, due to the special circumstances, all of them would have to move to the frontline as reinforcements.
After the speech, Ryusei Collins shouted again.
"Let’s go! We can’t let our brothers and sisters wait out there!" With that, he stepped into the teleportation portal, followed by some of the Mercenaries Guild’s executives. Then, it was finally Aldrian’s group’s turn.
"Just stay close to me for now. We still need to adapt to the real situation in Vicanti before you decide on your next move. Although I’ve only been tasked with getting you to the battlefield, I hope you don’t die in vain because of your arrogance," Pac said to Aldrian.
Aldrian felt confused by Pac’s warning, but eventually, he understood what he meant.
"He thinks I underestimated the devils and don’t understand their power." Aldrian appreciated the man’s concern, so he simply nodded.
After Aldrian’s group stepped into the teleportation formation and arrived in Vicanti, they exited the portal. What Aldrian saw was a large crowd of people waiting in line to enter the teleportation portals. Just as the leader had mentioned, the evacuation of the town had already begun earlier, prompted by the news of Ilyon’s fall.
There were two methods of evacuation: through the teleportation stations or by using carriages and traveling south on foot to the next city. If everyone relied solely on the teleportation stations, there wouldn’t be enough time, so some would have to use the traditional method. Someone might ask, why not evacuate before the devils got too close, long before the fall of Ilyon?
The reason is that evacuation isn’t as simple as just moving people. It requires huge resources, and coordinating millions of people isn’t an easy task. They can only act when the place that serves as their ’buffer’ has truly fallen. Once that happens, the town mayor will issue the evacuation order. In the end, it comes down to the effectiveness of resource allocation.
Aldrian could already sense the anxious and tense atmosphere from the people around him. He glanced at Pac, who was leading them to the Mercenaries Guild branch in the town. The scale was obviously not as grand as in Rivas City, but for now, this place had become the mercenaries’ base of operations.
Aldrian and his group stood there, waiting for Pac to assess the real-time situation by coordinating with the local branch. Once Pac had gathered all the information and understood what needed to be done, he relayed the task to Aldrian.
"We will protect the citizens from the town wall. Until the evacuation is complete and everyone has left the city, we will need to defend the wall. As for the Rivas family’s cultivators, they will handle the devils outside the wall. Our job is to eliminate any devils that slip past their defense line. Also, it looks like we have some bad news."
"What is it?" Aldrian asked.
"The devils will arrive much faster than predicted. Our scouts observing their movements report that the devils are using summoned beasts, not just marching on foot or running."
Aldrian nodded. After that, Pac led his group to the town’s wall, where they would wait for the devils. The time was near—they would soon face the devil army! 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
