She Belongs To The Devil

The meeting that Adeline had called started from midday. All eight of the Generals, Bennett, Edwin, Raphael, and two of the councilmen who looked after the foreign affairs and treasury were present in the meeting.

Unlike what Adeline had thought, the meeting wasn't over within an hour or two. It went on for hours and it still wasn't over.

If Adeline just had to relay the information about the war, then probably the meeting would have been a short one. But she had to make everyone believe that creatures called vampires existed and that the King of Mihir was also a vampire.

And considering how none of them, except Adeline, had ever encountered a Vampire in real life, it took some time to convince them of the threat that was looming over them like an eclipse.

After hours of convincing, they were finally discussing the ways they could tailor the training of the soldiers so that they would at least have a small chance of killing those bloodsuckers.

"Yes, exactly!" Adeline agreed with what General Osmond had proposed, "If they train to fight while being blindfolded, then their sense of hearing will improve a lot. And in this case, that is exactly what we need."

"A question, just how fast can they run?" General Herwin asked while scratching his head in frustration.

"From what I've heard, the vampires can run at a great speed. The turned vampires can at least be kept track of with our eyes but the pure-blooded ones will just look like a blur to us," Adeline sighed and began tapping the tip of her brush on the paper.

The more she explained about the vampires, the more she felt that they were going to have an unwinnable war.

Her only hope was her brother Nigel. She wished that the werewolves would come to their aid.

The room went quiet for some time. All of those who were present in the meeting were brainstorming other possible things that could be advantageous to them.

After a while, Raphael asked Adeline, "Ade, you said that the vampires' weakness is their heart, right?"

"Yes, they can be killed if a wooden stake is driven to their heart," Adeline gave a defeated look to Raphael. She had no idea how they were going to do that when the human eyes wouldn't even be able to keep track of vampires' movement.

Raphael then suggested an idea. "Why don't we upgrade our weapons accordingly? I had come across an artisan who had designed an interesting weapon called a crossbow. It is an automated bow which can shoot up to six arrows at once."

"Six arrows at once?" Adeline's interest peaked when she heard that.

"Yes," Raphael nodded and then continued to explain, "So, why don't we mass-produce that weapon? And instead of the metal arrowhead, we can make the wood's tip really pointy. That crossbow throws the bows at a greater speed than our normal bows. So, those wooden bows might just do the trick."

He shrugged and added, "I mean our archers are pretty good at aiming. So, even when they shoot at a rapidly moving target, at least one arrow out of those six could hit right on the chest."

"That actually sounds really good." Adeline smiled and noted it down in the paper. And she looked at everyone present in the room and asked, "Are there any other suggestions?"

---

In the forest behind the outer village, all the witches of the Mystic Coven were standing outside while surrounding a round black object. This was the fourteenth time that they were doing this in a matter of two days.

"Okay, everyone cover your ears!" Tabitha ordered her fellow sisters as she walked close to that object and then lit up a thread that was hanging from that object like a tail.

Tabitha also backed away from the vicinity of that object and joined the others while covering both of her ears.

That object flew high up in the air and made a loud exploding sound. The moment it exploded, its color changed from black to glowing yellow.

The witches who were watching that object from down below began to cheer and clap. Their test was a success.

"We did it!" Tabitha whispered as she proudly looked at that object.

That object almost looked like a tiny sun and it worked the same way as the sun. It gave brightness to a considerably large area. The light from that object had entered through the tall trees and a part of the forest looked like it was under bright daylight.

And it didn't just give the brightness. It also gave the warmth like the sun. Meaning, it would affect the vampires just like the sun.

Agnes tied her hair into a bun because she was feeling a little too hot. She fanned herself with her palm and asked the High Priestess, "Will these flares be able to kill the vampires?"

Tabitha wiped the sweat beads off of her forehead and answered, "If they have not taken their potion that protects them from the effects of the sun, then yes, they'll burn to their death."

They kept on watching the flare and after about two minutes, the light dimmed down and slowly it died altogether. The remains of that flare turned into ashes and disappeared.

---

Councilmen Gilbert, who was folding his arms and staying quiet until now finally spoke, "Your Highness, since we already know where they are planning to ambush us, why don't we secretly put traps? As the fight will happen in the plain ground, we can dig holes and put huge wooden stakes in that holes."

Adeline thought for a while and said, "The idea is nice. But what if our own soldiers fall inside those holes?"

General Osmond then came up with a solution, "Why don't we ask the witches to do some kind of spells on those holes? They can make the holes to activate only when stepped by the vampires. Can't they make it happen?"

Adeline pressed her lips into a thin line and noted it down in her paper. "I will ask them if that is possible or not."

Then suddenly, another General looked at Edwin and asked, "Prince Edwin, can't you ask for help from Frostford? I'm quite sure that the witches and wizards will be an equal match to those vampires. I have seen a witch throw away an elephant just with a flip of her hand. So, I'm pretty sure that sending a couple of vampires flying away won't be much of a big deal to them."

Everyone in the room gazed at Edwin and looked for a positive reply.

Prince Edwin sighed and explained, "My mother has already riled the King of Frostford up against Wyverndale. If I tell my uncle that I need them to fight from the side of Wyverndale, then he will know that I'm playing a double role with King of Mihir."

He sighed again and added, "But let's see. I will try talking with my uncle. I might end up gaining their support."

A tinge of relief appeared on everyone's face, including Adeline's. She had already asked a lot from Edwin and she couldn't bring herself to ask for more. But she was thankful that someone else did the job for her.

She gave a grateful look to Edwin and said, "I will trust you to it then, brother."

Then she looked at everyone and concluded the meeting. "I think all of us have already exhausted our ideas for now. But if you come up with some new ideas, then feel free to share them with me, no matter how ridiculous they sound. I know that conventional ways won't work in this war."

"And… everyone…" She added while getting up and collecting all of her papers, "Please don't forget that you are not to disclose what we discussed here today to anyone else until I say so, not even to the King."

She glanced at everyone in the room and said in a serious tone, "I will first sit down in the meeting with the vampire King. And after hearing what he says, I will slowly break the news to the King if things really go down to war."

Before they dispersed, Raphael cleared his throat and stopped his sister, "Adeline, I had yet to say something."

Everyone thought that it was something they shouldn't miss so all of them paid attention to Raphael.

Raphael gave a warm smile and tried to cheer his tired sister up by saying, "Congratulations! I got the invitation letter from His Majesty. I'm really happy for you."

And everyone else also followed the suit and said simultaneously, "Congratulations, Your Highness."

Adeline's mood elevated in an instant.. She gave a cheerful smile and thanked everyone.