Book 4: Chapter 168: Returning To The War-ridden Sarni City

The southern border of Gabriel Empire, Sarni City, the capital of Sarnia Duchy had become the last line of defense for the humans. If it were captured by the Beastmen Army again, the entire southern border of Gabriel Empire would be exposed to the Beastmen.

The two moats outside the city walls were dyed red by the blood of the Beastmen, and the river was full of their corpses. At the bottom of the wall, the bodies of Beastmen were everywhere. After nearly a week of besieging the city, millions of them were still unable to defeat Sarni City, which was manned by only sixty thousand soldiers.

On the tallest building in the central area of Sarni City, there stood a lily flag, symbolizing the Kingdom of Sarnia. The white flag fluttered in the wind and could be seen from miles away. Just a while ago, the Beastmen’s joint attack was once again repulsed by the defenders. With the long-range support of the catapult troops in the rear, the defenders of Sarnia Duchy successfully held the wall.

The air was filled with the smell of blood. At present, the Beastmen Army still surrounded Sarni City. Their garrison was located on the outskirts of the city, outside the range of super artillery. The Beastmen Army didn’t dare to send troops to the depths of Sarnia Duchy. More than thirty thousand Wolf Cavalry had been deployed before, but no one made it out alive. They had all gone missing inexplicably.

Because the attack was aimed at the rear, Nolan City had been hit by a long-range attack via catapults. Wolf King Springhall, one of the eight Beastmen Kings, was lucky enough not to be killed. However, some of the senior generals of the Wolfmen didn’t make it, so they wouldn’t have any commanders in these next few days.

Bella’s horse carriage took the road around Sarni City and headed for the rendezvous point in the Darkness Sacred Region. The Beastmen Army had just been defeated, and many humans were fleeing on the road. They were all war refugees who had fled from the defeated duchies and were lucky enough to escape because they lived just outside the city.

“Pal, do you have a way in? Now that the southern border of Gabriel Empire has been completely sealed off, we probably won’t be able to go past them.”

“Why don’t we take refuge in Sarnia City?!”

“You fool! Sarnia Duchy is now surrounded by millions of Beastmen. It’s only a matter of time before the city falls. This time, I really made a mistake. Brandt Duchy, which was the strongest, was the first to be breached, and I actually kept all my assets there.”

Bella heard a lot of useful gossip from the refugees. Gabriel Empire seemed to have decided to give up on this region. Sarnia Duchy had been fighting for almost a week, but the reinforcements from Gabriel Empire had yet to arrive. This caused rumors to spread all over the southern border region, and various versions of insider information were revealed.

There were two main points of view. One was that the Grand Duchess Bellina had died in battle, and it was only a matter of time before Sarnia Duchy also fell. Bella had been away this past couple of days and didn’t appear on the wall, so this rumor still made sense. The other was even more ridiculous. Apparently, the entire Sarnia Duchy had betrayed the Human Race under the leadership of the Grand Duchess Bellina, and the current war was merely a ruse.

Gossip was indeed a horrible thing. God knew who spread such rumors. Bella looked at the large number of refugees wandering on the road and was speechless. Sarnia Duchy wasn’t going to accept any refugees, and Bella had already spoken to Eleanor about this. Anything could happen during the war, so they could not take any risks.

Forget about whether the rumors were true or not, but some of the gossip going around was at least true. There was a possibility that Gabriel Empire would give up this last line of defense. On top of the fact that no reinforcements had been sent to support Sarnia Duchy, even the border was now blocked, and convoys transporting supplies weren’t allowed into Sarnia Duchy to provide assistance.

No one dared to bother Bella’s horse carriage. Its members and the puppets looked so frightening that the refugees didn’t even dare to look at them.

The horse carriage rode into a hidden forest where Bella met her subordinate, Succubus Queen Aisha, and Demon World Princess Diaz. Behind them stood many tall demon guards while the forest floor was covered with Wolfmen bodies.

“These are… The Beastmen have made their way here?”

“Mmm, mistress, this area isn’t very peaceful either. The Beastmen seem to be looking for another way to bypass Sarnia Duchy and attack Gabriel Empire.”

“Forget it. Don’t worry about them. Is the transfer array ready?”

“Yes, it is.”

Behind Aisha and Diaz, a dark-red magic transfer array had been established. The periphery of Sarni City was surrounded by the Beastmen Army. There was no way for Bella to drive the horse carriage into the city in such an ostentatious manner, so she had to get her staff to prepare the magic transfer array here.

Lisha was on duty at the inner wall of Sarni City. The Beastmen Army was still strong in fighting spirit. If no accident occurred, another offensive would be launched soon, so the city walls needed a constant watch.

“Sister, you’ve worked hard. Please, have some rest when we get back. You’re so dedicated that I feel embarrassed.”

Bella hugged Lisha from behind, relieving her nervousness. She had been highly strung these past few days and finally enjoyed a moment of peace.

“Older sister, I’m fine. This is what I should do.”

“No, rest now. People might think that I was abusing you!”

Lisha didn’t resist when Bella pulled her away without hesitation. Perhaps, she was expecting this to happen, so she let her have her way.

The soldiers guarding the city didn’t look surprised at all at what was happening. Although it wasn’t right for them to pay too much attention to their mistress’s private life, the soldiers preferred to see her being ambiguous with women. If it were men instead, they would be very jealous of that person. Therefore, it was better if she only flirted with women. At least, they wouldn’t be envious.

Princess Kriss, Lisha’s replacement, soon arrived and took over her position as the commander on the inner wall. Bella smiled apologetically at her. As the only girl who had officially accepted her confession, Kriss could be considered as her formal partner.

Kriss was very understanding and indicated to Bella that she was fine. She didn’t seem to know about Bella’s infiltration into Nolan City and her collection of exclusive “items”. Anyways, it wasn’t a big deal whether Kriss knew or not. Bella had the confidence that she could convince Kriss to accept her wild side.

Kriss had just taken over Lisha’s post when the Beastman Army outside Sarni City began its daily siege. Following the sound of war drums, a large number of Beastmen troops came from all around Sarni City like a vast dark shadow making its way over.

The defenders of Sarni City had long been accustomed to this scene. They raised their arquebus and copper guns unsteadily and began their daily tasks. The cannons on the wall also started spouting flames. Right then, Sarni City became “lively” again.

Bella sent Lisha back to the city lord’s mansion. There, each of Bella’s best friends had their own room to rest.

Lisha must’ve been too tired and fell asleep as soon as Bella carried her to bed before the quilt could even be covered. Bella didn’t disturb her sleep, either. She helped her remove her clothes, covered her with a blanket, and left.

Before leaving the room, Bella kissed Lisha on the forehead and left in satisfaction. She had helped Lisha remove her clothes because she was an advocate of sleeping naked. Only Bella knew whether she had any intention to do something bad.

“Silly girl, I give up. So serious this time? You’ve got several new types of perfume on you. Does she secretly want me to seduce her?”

Lisha wasn’t sleeping. She had now switched back to the image of Demonic Dragon Emperor Alisha, with long black hair and golden demonic eyes. She exuded a dangerous and seductive smell.

“Hey, this is… I couldn’t tell. Bella, you really understand a girl’s mind, but why don’t you dare cross the line? I didn’t think that you’re this timid.”

Demonic Dragon Emperor Alisha found Bella’s gift to Lisha on the bedside cabinet. It was a small box filled with jewelry and ornaments. Although it was a bit vulgar to gift jewelry, anyone would be happy to accept even the most common things from their sweetheart.

In the small box was a heart-shaped sapphire ring engraved with Lisha’s name. This made Demonic Dragon Emperor Alisha envious. Although she wanted to take away the ring and pretend it was Bella’s present for her, she finally resisted the impulse.

Before long, Demonic Dragon Emperor Alisha discovered that Bella’s gift box contained a mystery—the jewelry box had two compartments. Alisha was just about to pick up the case when she found that the weight of the box was wrong.

The inner compartment of the box was also filled with jewelry. Still, the style was very different from that of the top chamber. The jewelry on the top compartment of the box was more formal, while the one in the inner compartment had a darker design. The jewels had Darkness Attributes and were wrapped in dark gold.

What tempted Demonic Dragon Emperor Alisha was a heart-shaped ring inlaid with precious black jewels, which were rare gems only found in the Darkness Continent inhabited by the Demon Race. The black gem ornaments found among the Human Race were precious and priceless.

Alisha wasn’t greedy for wealth, but the name on the black gem ring made her heart a little volatile. Bella had engraved the name of Demonic Dragon Emperor Alisha on the heart-shaped ring. This ring and the inner compartment of jewelry were sent to Demonic Dragon Emperor Alisha without mistake.

“Hmph, I thought you changed for the better, but I didn’t know that you grew even more cunning. Bella, you can’t be thinking about me… Forget it. Since you dared to send this, I’ll lose if I’m moved by it.

Alisha said to herself a little proudly. Although she spoke righteously, she still put the ring on the ring finger of her right hand. She couldn’t hide the happiness on her face. This formed a sharp contrast with her usual icy expression.

Bella, whose reputation was deeply obscure, planned to find something happy to do after instructing the soldier to stay on guard in the hidden areas of the residence. She didn’t know that Demonic Dragon Emperor Alisha had been awake. She had already planned to leave an extra compartment of jewelry for her when she sent the gift.

“Mistress Bella, the messenger from Gabriel Empire has arrived and wishes to see you. The emissary is waiting for you in the reception room of Grand Duchess Residence!”

“The messenger was actually able to enter Sarni City to report the news? This is simply using their life to… Diaz, is the messenger a man or a woman?”

“It’s a man. Looks like—”

“I won’t see him. Tell Eleanor to tell the messenger… that I happen to… that I happen to take a day off because I got my period today. Get him to leave the letter and go.”

As soon as she heard that the envoy was a male, Bella lost any interest she had. What was there to look at? A direct rejection of the messenger would be disrespecting the Emperor of the Gabriel Empire. After much deliberation, Bella used one of the girls’ privileges, so even the Emperor couldn’t accuse her of rejecting him.

As Bella expected, the emissary from Gabriel Empire had a helpless expression when he learned that the Grand Duchess Bellina took an official holiday today. It wasn’t convenient for her to meet anyone. Even the Grand Duchess wasn’t immune to such a thing as a girl’s period day off. Her reason left him speechless; he had no choice but to go after presenting the Emperor’s personal letter.

The Emperor had sent him, at the risk of death, to deliver a letter to Sarni City with a Griffin Knight primarily to let him confirm something with his own eyes, that is, the current state of the Grand Duchess Bellina. There were too many rumors spreading along the border, and word of the Grand Duchess’s death had reached the Emperor’s ears, as well.

It would be troublesome if the Grand Duchess Bellina were dead. Sarnia Duchy had helped Gabriel Empire contain the main force of the Beastmen Army, comprising of millions. At this time, the Grand Duchess Bellina’s life and death was directly related to the safety of the border. In order to confirm her current situation, the Emperor didn’t hesitate to send several messengers, one after another. He needed to make sure whether the Grand Duchess Bellina was still alive.

Sarni City, the capital of Sarnia Duchy, the hidden area deep in the residence of city lord, Bellina. Bella came to this area alone to relax. Only her trusted demon aides, Demon World Princess Diaz of the underworld and Succubus Queen Aisha, followed her.

Not many people knew about this secretive area, except the close associates brought in by Noesha and Bella. Even Blood Demon King Eleanor and Sky Demon King Dolores were unaware of its existence. When Bella came, she didn’t bring in even the strongest of her current associates, Devastating Evil Dragon Emperor Lolita.

Bella heard the sound of firearms and cannons firing on the wall, but she didn’t care. She was pretending to be ill, and the Emperor’s messenger may not have left Sarni City yet. It was rather dangerous for the Griffin Knight to fly out of the city during the siege of the Beastmen Army as he might be shot to death by their long-range weapons.

If Bella were to appear at the city wall now, her lie about today being an official day off would be revealed! Outsiders, like the messenger, were forbidden to visit the three inner, middle, and outer walls surrounding the entire Sarni City. The secret that the firearms relied on the support of ghosts to reload the ammunition had to be concealed from the messenger.

If the messenger saw it, Blood Demon King Eleanor would kill him without prior instructions from Bella. Anyways, the Emperor wouldn’t know whether the messenger had died in the hands of the Beastmen or Bella. Since they were cannon fodder on the battlefield, the Emperor could send as many as he pleased. He could always find more envoys after sending one since there were a lot of people who could take up the job, and he would never have to worry that there weren’t enough candidates.

This was an absurdly large secret chamber, which could also be called an underground paradise. This was Bella’s treasure house for all kinds of trophies. The doors of the secluded hall alone were made out of several layers of massive stone. They couldn’t be blown open by the ordinary explosives.

The cavern wasn’t equipped with any magic lighting artifacts or lights. Bella disliked the smell of smoke from the burning flames and had switched to luxurious luminous pearls and sunstones for illumination. The luminous pearls were fixed on the pillars while the ceiling of the secret chamber was inlaid with sunstones.

The light from the sunstones and luminous pearls formed daytime in the dark, enclosed chamber. All sorts of gold and silver treasure and countless gold coins had piled up into large heaps. These treasures had been plundered by Bella first from the Sea God Temple, the New Moon Demonic Dragon’s treasure isle in the middle of the lake, and not too long ago, Nolan City.

Of course, Bella stored her treasures in more than one location. The more ridiculous treasure rooms were built in the central area of the Darkness Sacred Region. This treasure room paled in comparison to the ones there.

In the hidden treasure room in the Darkness Sacred Region, luminous pearls and sunstones were merely ordinary treasures. They didn’t even qualify as lighting artifacts. There, the lighting artifacts were made of precious stones, and the luster of those stones illuminated the entire secret chamber.

There were many succubi in the secret chamber who were responsible for helping the Honorable Demon King look after her special collection. The girls Bella had captured before were all placed here. Bella would only consider letting them move to their original world after they had completely fallen into her grasp.

Some of the more famous trophies included the former Oceanic Princess Tina, Sea General Una, President Caroline, and others. The newly added spoils included the daughter of the Grand Duke Brandon, Miss Emily, President Anya of the Assassins’ Union, and head assassin Dinah.

“Aisha, Noesha isn’t here, is she?”

“Honorable Mistress Bella, Honorable Mistress Noesha is now in the Darkness Sacred Region. She still doesn’t know that you borrowed her room.”

“That’s great. Diaz, help me guard the door. If others come to see me, tell them that I’m temporarily in seclusion and won’t see anyone. If something comes up, you can look for Eleanor or Kriss.”

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