Chapter 30: The Mayor’s Speech
Boom!
"The honorable and esteemed Mayor of Red Bell City announces an important message. The enemy is within sight, lurking with malice, but fear not, dear citizens. Know that we are ready for them, and we will not let any harm come to our beloved city. Today, at noon, our bell will be stained with our blood before we stain the ground with the blood of our enemies. Gather and bear witness!"
"Today, at noon, our bell will be stained with our blood before we stain the ground with the blood of our enemies."
The town crier continued to repeat his message, while the drummer beat his drum to capture the attention of the public. And so, they roamed through the main street, the inner and affluent districts, and some middle-class neighborhoods before noon arrived.
In the library, Sollivan sat quietly, listening to the crier’s voice fading as he moved away. He raised his head, scratched his chin with a strange expression, and then looked at Ellis and Devlin, narrowing his eyes. "Don’t you feel like something’s off?"
Ellis glanced at him and asked curiously, "What do you mean? Do you know something?"
"No, but I genuinely feel there’s something wrong with the current situation. The enemy forces are stationed nearby, and their numbers surpass ours, yet the mayor is acting so relaxed and carefree, as if he’s already secured victory."
"What do you mean, Mr. Sollivan?" Devlin didn’t fully understand his point, but he considered Sollivan’s words a priority and trusted everything he said.
"Well..." Ellis wanted to dismiss his suspicions, but he suddenly fell silent and began to think carefully.
Sollivan noticed this and asked curiously, "You know something, don’t you?"
"Not really, but there’s a rumor that’s been circulating recently, which a friend from the guard told me. Although it’s somewhat confidential..." He leaned closer to Sollivan and lowered his voice. "The Southern Army has established an advanced base near this location, stationing around nine thousand infantry and a thousand cavalry under the command of a silver-ranked commander named Leopold."
When Sollivan heard the familiar name, he recalled the image of a noble-looking man he had seen in the mayor’s palace. His eyes widened involuntarily, showing great surprise, which made Ellis suspicious and prompted him to ask, "What do you know about this?"