The King was a tall man with long black hair that framed a tough-looking face, and even amongst the Generals, he possessed an aura of power that made him stand out! The king looked around at the surprised looks on the faces of his generals and continued speaking.
"The Witch has been a pain in our side for more than a decade now. If we continue to pull our punches, then we will lose this war. I believe the civilians themselves would wish for this madness to end as soon as possible, so if we need to kill a few of them to ensure the others are safe, then that is what we will do."
The generals all nodded along as they heard the confidence in the King’s voice! They had already been prepared for something like this from the start, since they knew it was inevitable, so they quickly accepted their King’s plan. One of the Generals on the right-hand side of the table finally spoke up.
"There is something else I found, my King. Bring him in."
The King hummed as the general turned and told the guard to bring someone in, and they all watched as a man was allowed to enter the war room. The man was wearing the armor set of the Honduran Witch Slayers with the helmet tucked under his arm. He had a handsome face with a scar running along the left side of his neck, and there was a hard look in his eyes that showed he had survived many difficult battles. The man bowed to the King respectfully once he entered the room, and the General spoke to the King while gesturing to the man.
"This man here is known as Patrice, and he is a Lieutenant in the eastern division of the Witch Slayer Corps stationed at the Eastern Hondura valley, where the fighting is most intense. Patrice has participated in many great battles, and as one of our strongest Lieutenants, it is already certain that he will become a general very soon. But recently, it has been discovered that Patrice shares a peculiar relationship with the Witch of Calamity, which I believe will prove useful in the coming war."
The King’s eyes narrowed when he looked towards Patrice and asked him what sort of relationship he had with the Witch. Patrice spoke in a calm tone as his words shocked the entire room.
"The Witch and I were born from the same parents."
The generals all began to murmur amongst themselves, and some of them began to look at Patrice with newfound interest! Even the King couldn’t help but be surprised by this development! They all knew just how important familial relationships were to Hondurans, so the fact that they had the brother of the Witch with them could prove very useful in the coming war! The General who discovered Patrice couldn’t help the smile that came over his face when he saw the interest from the other generals and the king, and the General spoke confidently.
"I’m sure you already know how useful this could be to us, my Liege. The coming war might be the last stand we make against the Witch, so throwing her off by using her brother as a distraction would be an ideal battle plan. We could have him lead the vanguard and lure the witch out before launching a surprise attack."
The King hummed as he looked Patrice over thoughtfully. For a few seconds, the King was silent as he organized his thoughts, but then the King asked Patrice a question.
"Why did you join the Witch Slayers?"
"Because I despise all Witches. They are a stain on this world and should be eradicated."
It was an immediate, automatic answer that Patrice didn’t even need to think about! Every single Witch Slayer is taught to despise Witches from the moment they join the army, so they would never hesitate to kill a witch, no matter how old or young they are. The King hummed once again, and he waved his hand.
"But this Witch is your sister. Are you saying you hate her as well? You don’t feel any form of familial affection for her?"
Patrice’s eyes narrowed slightly in anger, and the next time he spoke, it was with a sneer that showed just how irritated he was by that question.
"That... thing, is not my sister. We might’ve been born from the same parents, but she was born as a defect. A cancer that must be eradicated. Leading the army that sees to her death would be my great honor."
Even the Generals in the room couldn’t help but be surprised by the sheer hatred that they could feel in every word Patrice spoke! It was obvious that Patrice hated everything about this witch, and he didn’t give a damn if she was his sister! The general who discovered Patrice couldn’t help the smile that came over his face when he heard that answer, and the General spoke to the King!
"Patrice here was the one who warned the Witch Slayers years ago that his parents were hiding his two sisters, who were witches. The Witch Slayers did not complete their task properly back then, and that is what put us in this predicament in the first place. Patrice’s loyalty to the crown and our people is unquestionable, and if it weren’t for his actions back then, I believe we would be dealing with two Witches of Calamity rather than one. He is a true patriot."
The King nodded along to the general’s words as he studied Patrice closely once again. It was true that sibling witches were usually around the same level of power, so if Patrice’s other sister hadn’t been killed, then there was a chance that she would’ve grown to be just as strong as this Witch of Calamity. And from the amount of runes the King could see on Patrice’s armor, the King knew that Patrice also had to be one of the strongest members of the Witch Slayers. The strength of a soldier was usually evident by the number of runes they could withstand. The Runes worn by the Witch Slayers drew power from mana stones that they consumed from magical beasts, but consuming too many mana stones would normally lead to mana poisoning. The number of mana stones a person can consume depends on how high their tolerance is, and the more mana stones they can consume, the higher the number of runes they can use.
It was obvious that both Patrice and his two sisters had been blessed with the potential to become exceptionally strong, so the King believed it was only right that the last two members of this family were pitted against each other. The ideal scenario would be for Patrice to kill the Witch, but if it ever looked like the witch was about to win, then the king didn’t mind sacrificing Patrice and killing them both just to get rid of the witch.
The King cleared his throat, and all the soldiers in the room turned towards him as he spoke up:
"Very well then. Reach out to our allies in the eastern kingdoms and have them rally their troops. We will place Patrice and his vanguard squad at the head of the attack and use him to draw out this witch for one last stand. With this attack, we will determine the future of our world, and I demand nothing but victory. Do you understand!?"
"YES, YOUR MAJESTY!"
The soldiers all saluted the king with enthusiasm, and the King was about to speak again, but he was cut off as another voice echoed through the room.
"So that’s what caused all this nonsense."
Every single person in the room felt a feeling of dread envelop their entire body as they froze in place! None of them even knew who had just spoken, but they all had the exact same feeling at that moment! If they dared to move, then they would die! It felt like the devil himself was standing behind them!