Overwhelming Momentum

Without a moment's rest, we rushed back to Silver City. Upon our return, we received news that Garen and the King's two armies had assembled and begun their flanking maneuver.

Just as Garen had predicted, Darius moved his army to the border and then re-established it there, neither participating in the fighting there nor being unable to launch an attack on the interior at any time, ready to reap the benefits.

"What are your plans for the future?" I asked Fiora.

"I am the king's guard, and it is my duty to protect him. Now that he has set off, I will immediately give chase."

"They didn't send anyone to look for you, which suggests they're wary of you being with us."

"I don't care what His Your Majesty thinks. As long as I remain his guard, I will have no complaints."

Fiora set off immediately after speaking. She was a person who valued honor, and this time of crisis was a good opportunity for her to demonstrate her Knight.

Her handling of the Leivo matter has already demonstrated her stance—everything for Demacia.

"Shall we go together?" Riven asked me.

"That day in the palace, I proposed an alliance with Noxus, but their attitude was very cold, making us seem like cowards. Since they are so bold, we don't need to get involved in this mess."

"That's just something said in anger. Let's go, not for Demacia, but for Fiora."

As Riven said, I was just saying it in anger. Even if you don't take other people's opinions into account, you don't have to be so cold to those who come to help, do you?

They didn't even send anyone to find Fiora during this campaign. If they're still harboring resentment over Bordewin's matter, then they're far too narrow-minded.

However, I still decided to help. Riven was right. This wasn't for Demacia, but for Fiora. She lacked experience against mages and was easily at a disadvantage.

The sun rose, illuminating the ruins of Silver City, a place that had been magnificent not long ago.

We didn't rest much and immediately set off after Fiora...

The king's army was making a detour from west to north, and we took a shortcut to meet them. However, the king refused to see us, citing his busy military affairs. I knew this was just an excuse; he was simply too confident of victory to bother with us.

The royal army's operation went very smoothly, with the army advancing rapidly and driving out the mages who were causing trouble in various towns.

Meanwhile, Garen was also reporting a series of victories. He had successfully joined forces with General Dali, and their next step was to wipe out the City of Light.

These mage units were not small in number, but their operations were chaotic. Like the Ionia coalition, they could only engage the well-trained Demacia army in skirmishes and could hardly fight them head-on. Moreover, most of these people were low-level mages who only wanted freedom and had no intention of dying in battle.

A few days later, the royal army also arrived in the City of Light. The three armies joined forces and were personally commanded by the king.

The Demacia was brimming with confidence, for just as the town's name suggested, light was on the horizon.

Sylas also rallied all his remaining forces and retreated to the northern outskirts of the City of Light, attempting a desperate last stand.

The king ordered a rest in the city. The soldiers were exhausted from days of fighting, and once they had recovered their strength, they would annihilate Sylas in one fell swoop.

Two days later, he convened a military conference with his generals, and strangely enough, he invited me and Riven to join him this time.

→

The military tent was magnificent, capable of holding hundreds of people. In addition to important figures such as Jarvan, Garen, Daly, Fiora, there were also many generals, including Lux's husband Witt.

After everyone had arrived, the king began to speak, "As you all know, we are about to engage in a decisive battle with the Rebel Army; they have no other choice."

"Demacia, forever!" the crowd shouted.

The king gestured to silence the commotion. "Sylas still holds Lux and many other nobles captive. They are important citizens of Demacia, and I don't want to sacrifice them. Do you have any ideas?"

No one spoke; clearly, no one had the confidence to rescue the person from a group of mages. Then Garen spoke:

"Your Majesty, I am deeply sorry that my sister was taken hostage, which delayed our offensive. However, for the greater good of Demacia, her sacrifice was worthwhile!"

Everyone remained silent, but their expressions revealed their support for Garen's idea, with only one exception: Witt.

Garen is Lux's brother, Witt is Lux's husband; they are the two most qualified to speak on this matter.

"I disagree with General Garen's opinion. I think we should negotiate with them. The best outcome would be to ransom the people."

With a loud "slap," General Dali slapped Witt across the face. "You idiot, what kind of time is this to be talking about personal feelings? Even General Garen was willing to sacrifice his own interests for the greater good, and you actually say such things!"

"No, Father! Although I Lux very much, this matter is not that simple!"

Dali was surprised, seemingly not expecting his frail son to talk back, and reached out to hit him again, but was stopped by Jarvan:

"General Dali, wait a minute. Why don't we hear what Witt has to say?"

"Hmph, since His Highness the Prince pleaded for you, I'll give you a chance. Tell me what you think."

Witt glanced gratefully at Jarvan and continued, "The reason the mages were able to form such a force this time is ultimately because they've deciphered the secrets of the Nullstone. This means we can no longer rely on the Nullstone to defend against magic. If we push them too far and they join forces with Noxus or the northern barbarians, how will we defend against an even fiercer attack?"

"Well said! That's what I meant too. Actually, I came back this time intending to liberate the Demacia mages, so that we could all live in harmony and establish laws to regulate each other. I just didn't expect them to riot first."

Jarvan greatly admired Witt, and Witt was very grateful to Jarvan. He seized the opportunity and said:

"First demonstrate our military might, then show them leniency; this is the most advantageous approach for us in peace talks!"

"What you said makes a lot of sense. Does anyone else have any other opinions?"

The king appeared to be asking everyone, but he was actually speaking to General Dali; as long as he agreed, no one else would have any objections.

"I'm still worried. Will they negotiate with us? They killed many nobles, and we killed many mages. This feud won't be easy to resolve."

"How will we know if we don't try? We already have the upper hand, and if they dare to continue their rebellion, I can send troops to wipe them out at any time!"

"Alright, I agree to make contact with them first, but who should be the envoy? They might not feel comfortable with someone of such low status."

"I've already thought about it," the king said, looking at me.