Struggling as a Villain

The interrogation went for half an hour and after hearing things from the prisoner, the council was, once again, gathered in the conference hall to discuss the matter.

The atmosphere of the hall was more severe than it initially was, a testament to the things they learned about the other side.

The preparations, the troops, and the fact that every being on the other side is an Ambrobate internally shook the people of the council.

The soldier who heard about it was told to remain silent on the matter since if the news got out, people would begin to panic even more. The portals have already caused a ruckus.

"A war is approaching." The Emperor began, "They are preparing to launch an all-out attack on us to gain control over humanity."

The chief advisor added, "While we remained uncertain about these portals, they were sending troops to assess the situation on this side to prepare themselves."

Gideon snarled, "Such underhanded tactics."

"Rather, it's quite cunning of them, no?" Bellarine suggested, and no, she wasn't showing favoritism just because she once belonged to that world.

After interrogation, it was discovered that those people had been sending men, under the guise of Ambrobate ambush, to discover this world and report back.

It was the most basic tactic in war to first assess your enemy—measure their strength and discover their weakness.

It was a failure on their part to not be able to catch the spies that entered Clion and have been living here for who knows how long.

"When did this start?" The newly assigned Prime Minister asked in a hesitant voice—the man has yet to completely integrate with the upper echelon, which justifies why he seems nervous around people like Bellarine and the Emperor.

"Over two weeks, it has become frequent. We still have no evident proof to say that these portals have been appearing before that. But there is a possibility." Harold responded.

The room was engulfed in a brief silence which was broken by the Commander of the Imperial Legion, "Your Majesty, I apologize if I sound impulsive, but we shouldn't wait and let the enemy attack us first."

Every eye turned towards Bennet who was wearing a grim expression on his face. His hands were clenched under the table.

"Your Majesty, we have a history of not initiating an attack even though we knew that the enemy forces were preparing to attack us."

"However, this time we cannot afford to rest back. We need to take the lead and dominate the enemy with our forces, my Lord."

His words weren't just fueled with anger—the man was devoted to his duty and his people. And this time the enemy is coming with the only thought of destroying the peace they have been preserving for so long.

Their enemy was the Dark side but unlike mindless Ambrobates, this time they were facing those beings who know how to utilize their head more than their strength.

If they had been any regular goon then they would have ambushed Clion by now. However, they used war strategies and prepared things silently.

If they hadn't caught the man they might not have caught the whiff of what they were planning.

Bennet's words were being seriously considered and no one in the room said anything against it.

"Bella…what do you suggest?" The Emperor asked, ushering every eye to turn in the lady's direction.

In the past, Bellarine has led many wars and has won all of them. Her battle intelligence and war strategy have always been effective, albeit a little brute.

Bellarine was in agreement with her student, as she said, "Bennet is right, Your Majesty, we shouldn't wait and attack them when we still have time."

Taking a brief pause, she added, "And when I say attack, I meant removing the root of the problem."

The Prime Minister gulped, "D-Do you mean the energy generator the prisoner talked about?"

From what they heard the earthlings have a steady and infinite magic source that is allowing them to summon these portals that led them here.

By what Bellarine is suggesting, they should not only take down the enemy forces but end the energy source as well.

"Won't it be too dangerous, tho? They must have kept that source hidden in the deepest depth of their base." Gideon added.

Bellarine heaved a sigh, "Look, we don't have any choice. The technology that allows them to open the portal can never be completely destroyed—however, the most important thing to utilize that artifact is a massive source of Aembr."

The technology must be widely shared among humans, Bellarine meant, and going around and destroying it would take ages.

However, the fact that only a single faction has been sending troops and is preparing for this war means that only they possess the factor that makes teleportation possible.

That power source. Explore more at mvl

"And what are the chances that other factions do not have such power sources? Or they won't in the future?" Harold asked, his question caused many people to shift in their seats uncomfortably.

Bellarine shrugged, "I play the deterrent."

Harold's face slowly turned pale as he realized what she was implying here.

The Prime Minister hesitantly asked, "Do you mean to say…you are planning to go to the other world and cause mass destruction, Madame Duchess?"

The tension in the room describes the horror they have seen in the past whenever Bellarine was allowed to run amok.

Not so long ago, when everyone was failing to deal with the Clones, Bellarine arrived and swept away the trash effortlessly.

And no one can forget the incident of the Headless Demon.

"Instilling fear in the heart of those otherworlders so they think twice before attempting something like this again ... .I find this suggestion quite appealing." Gideon voiced, and Bennet wordlessly agreed to it.

There were only three people in agreement with that suggestion—while the others seemed hesitant.

Regardless of their origin, they still were humans, they thought. And letting Bellarine go berserk to assert dominance sounded a bit…

"If you feel sympathy for your enemy, then you are nothing less than a traitor to your people, gentlemen," Bellarine added, which made the council members glance at each other nervously.

The Emperor allowed a sigh to seep through his lips, as he said, "Okay, Bella. We are going with your plan."

Bellarine grinned; feeling her palms itching for some action already.

The Emperor soon added, "However remember, your true goal should remain slaughtering that thing which is allowing those people to enter our territory."

Looking at Bennet, he added, "If the Duchess has to engage in battle with the masses, you, Commander, must eliminate the power source."

Bennet's eyes turned icy cold as he got up and swore, "I promise you, sir. Regardless of the obstacle and the person standing in my path, I won't stop until I get rid of the connection."

Lucius nodded, "I expect nothing less from you."

—------**-------

They finally were reaching their destination. The shore was in view, and it wouldn't take more than half an hour for them to touch the land.

Standing near the end of the ship, Richard gazed at nothing particular when he sensed someone approaching him.

"All preparations done?" He asked his beloved.

"Yes, my Lord." Lilia stepped forward to stand beside him before asking,

"Is…everything fine, Richard?" She could sense that he had been avoiding her for some time now, which was making her nervous.

Richard heaved a sigh before confessing, "I heard your conversation with Cristina last night."

Lilia's eyes widened in shock upon hearing that. The last person she wanted to hear those words was him.

"Richard…I-she didn't mean it…you know-"

"I know, Lilia, and I don't blame Cristina for worrying about you. It's every parent's right to be concerned about their children. And surely no mother would like to see their children getting into dangerous situations again and again."

Lilia looked worried….fearing about what he would say next.

Separation from her master was not something she ever even thought about. That's why she didn't even entertain the idea of breaking up with Richard even when her mother seemed so adamant about it.

Richard fondly smiled at her before holding her hand and saying, "I am the successor of the Death God…it's inevitable for me to remain surrounded by danger. However, it's a fact that I cannot live without you…I just can't."

Drawing her closer, he rested his hand on her waist and fondly said, "Keeping you close will be dangerous, and your mother will continue to suffer. However, I can't let you go, Lilia. Now what should I do?"

Lilia's eyes were filled with tears, but anyone, even a stranger could tell that these tears were of happiness.

Hugging his neck, she softly whispered, "Dying beside you is far more appealing than living without you."

Resting her head against his, she added, "So just hold me and never let go."

—-------**--------

A/N:- Okay, I need a Lilia now! Like, right now! Damn, my favorite is Lilia and Bellarine.