Volume 4 Chapter 168 - Returning To The War-ridden Sarni City (1/2)

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?”