Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 145: Poised For Battle (2)

Chapter 145: Poised For Battle (2)

The rest of the meeting was carried out in silence for the most part. Adrian tossed his strategy of allowing the elves to pass and attack the outpost the following day.

Once they have the outpost under their control, a small group would head into Nexaria to scope out the situation and gather intel regarding the ongoings of the Church and the Ravens.

Since Adrian, Amelia, and Sophia had lived in Nexaria, they would be included in the task force along with A’Mila and a few others from the tribe.

Much to Akila’s annoyance, he would become the next Chieftain just in case they didn’t return, which meant Akila would stay behind in the Wilderness.

The Banurs would hold their control over the outpost for two days. If the task force didn’t return, they were instructed to destroy the outpost, denying the Nexarians a path to their new settlement. This decision carried heavy consequences if things went south.

Akila and the council understood the risks and were against that idea as they thought two days wasn’t enough time for such a complex mission. But A’Mila silenced the objections.

Adrian had already informed her about his plan when they went to ’live in the moment’ last night. There was a high probability that they won’t return to the Wilderness.

They were about to launch an assault on the Church. A mission that would likely end in tragedy. After all, unlike the Zodiacs, Adrian lacked the manpower and resources necessary to bend the Church to his will. He was acutely aware that their mission had real possibility of failure.

But he and A’Mila were hell-bent on saving Vesper, no matter the cost. If things went south, Adrian was even prepared to unleash the [Soul Devourer] to buy the rest some time to escape. However, he conveniently hid this fact from everyone, knowing they would disapprove of it.

It won’t be an act of heroism but a planned retreat. Adrian could figure out a way out of the Church’s clutches later. However, he would do absolutely anything to save Vesper.

’Hopefully, things won’t come to that, but it is better to prepare as if everything would go wrong,’ Adrian thought while the others reviewed his plan.

"I still think the time limit for the plan is too strict," Akila voiced his concerns once more. "Even if you’re familiar with Nexaria, two days won’t give you enough time to accomplish anything!"

The voices rose, backing Akila, but everyone went silent once A’Mila sighed.

"It’s not about what we can do, but what we’ll be able to," she said, her gaze following everyone’s face. "You might think we want this done quick, but the truth is, time’s not on our side. We might only have a few days to do something before all hell breaks loose."

"For all we know, the Church and the Nexarian army would periodically check on the outposts," Adrian continued. "Once they find something amiss, they wouldn’t hesitate before retaliating. The deadline of two days is to prevent that from happening."

"That is true..." Sophia chimed in. "After what I’ve seen here, even I can’t say for sure what the Church might do once they realise what we have done."

Amelia silently nodded, not speaking much.

Akila realised he couldn’t do anything to sway their minds, so he didn’t even bother speaking anymore. The meeting ended quickly, leaving only preparations to be done.

The group members began to filter out of the room one by one. Adrian watched them go until only Sophia remained.

"Sophia, could you stay back for a moment? There’s something I need to discuss with you," Adrian said, his tone more of an order than a request.

Sophia nodded before glancing at Amelia, hoping she would stay too. But Amelia just shrugged and flashed a playful grin before strolling out of the room, twirling her knife in hand as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

’This bitch!’ Sophia cursed the elf.

Sophia let out a soft sigh, then turned her attention back to Adrian, who was watching her expectantly.

They used to be lovers, but since Adrian lost his memories, things have been different between them. Sophia wasn’t sure if he still felt the same way about her or if he was even the same person she had known before.

"Sophia, I need to ask you something." Adrian cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

Sophia’s heart skipped a beat. This was the moment she had been both dreading and longing for.

Questions rushed through her mind. Did Adrian regain his memories or a fraction of them, and did he want to know more about them? Or did she do something to upset him?

"What is it, Adrian?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I was wondering... about us," Adrian hesitated momentarily, then continued. "Did we know each other or share something special? You know... like... I mean..."

Watching him nervously stutter was all Sophia needed to see to realise that Adrian was still the same man she fell in love with. Technically, he had changed, but a part of him remained unchanged, relieving her.

But then Sophia felt a pang of uncertainty. How could she explain everything to him? The memories they had shared, the love they had once felt for each other—how could she put it into words? What if he decided it wasn’t something he could expect and moved on?

’No matter what he says, I should be honest with him,’ Sophia thought to herself, remembering the time in the instance dungeon when Adrian got really mad at her for not telling him about the entities.

"We... we were lovers," Sophia began, her voice barely above a whisper. "But things changed. Circumstances beyond our control pulled us apart, and when we met again, you didn’t remember me."

Sophia then looked at Adrian, hoping to see some emotion. But there was none. It was as if he had expected her answer all along.

’What is going on inside his head?’

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