<h4>Chapter 28: I''m preparing for war?</h4>


    I took a deep breath, willing the redness in my eyes to dissipate as Skarz picked himself up from the ground, a smug look on his face. "That''s all I wanted to see, the monster you truly are," he said, his voice dripping with venom. "I warn you again, associating with a King of Curses will only get you killed. Pledge your undying loyalty to the ruler of the Andarbani territory if you don''t want to meet such a fate."


    I remained silent, still feeling the weight of my anger slowly fading away. I knew Skarz''s warning held some truth.


    War wasing, and it would be a bloody one. But my people''s faith in me remained unshakeable.


    The grygans didn''t even bother to give a response to Skarz, their loyalty lying squarely with me.


    Serena approached me, concern etched on her face. "My lord, are you alright?" she asked softly.


    I nodded, my gaze never leaving Skarz and his entourage as they departed, leaving behind them a palpable sense of menace. "I don''t know what came over me," I admitted to Serena. "I let my anger consume me."


    Fasit approached us, her eyes serious. "War ising," she said, the words heavy with implications.


    I sighed, knowing that what she said was true. "I''m fine," I reassured her, and then turned to face Mojito. "We need to prepare for what''sing. The Andarbani territory won''t hesitate to attack us. We must be ready to defend ourselves."


    Mojito chirped in agreement, as if sensing the seriousness of the situation. I took onest nce at the horizon, steeling myself for the battles toe.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


    Night had already fallen over the vige, the sounds of crickets and other nocturnal creatures filled the air as the Grygansy sleeping. But I couldn''t afford to sleep just yet - there were important matters to discuss.


    As the leader of the vige, I called for a conference to be held. I invited the heads of each team under mymand - Serena, Fasit, Mojito, Mimosa, Sangria, Old man Martini, and even Magenta.


    As I waited for the others to gather, I took a moment to prepare myself mentally. The situation we were facing was serious, and I needed to show them that I was prepared to lead them through it. Once everyone had arrived, I weed them with a nod before beginning our meeting.


    "As you all know," I began, my voice firm andmanding. "We are in a precarious position. Our vige is surrounded by potential threats, and we need to be prepared for anything." I took a sip of my tea before continuing.


    "Fasit, can you give us an update on the current state of our defenses?" I asked, turning to the chieftess of the evolved Grygans. She stood tall and proud, her skin gleaming even in the dim light of my [Fire Magic].


    "Our walls are strong and reinforced, but we could always use more," she replied, her voice steady and calm. "We have also set up various traps and snares around the vige perimeter."


    Mojito, the head of our security team, spoke up next. "We''ve increased patrols around the vige and have stationed guards at key points," he said with a nod.


    Sangria, the head of our hunter''s team, chimed in next. "We''ve been training the Grygans to fight," she said.


    Everyone was taking the situation seriously, but I knew there was more to be discussed. "What about our resources?" I asked, turning to Mimosa. "Are we prepared for a possible siege?"


    The head of our herbology team nodded thoughtfully. "We''ve been preparing as many medicines as we can, and have also been preserving them for the future," she said. "But we''re stillcking in some key areas, such as medical supplies."


    Old man Martini, the head of our construction team, nodded in agreement. "We will focus on reinforcing the walls and buildings, but we should consider any other necessary constructions that could benefit us in the long run," he suggested.


    Serena, my fiancée, spoke up next. "We must also consider the mental and emotional well-being of our people," she said, her voice gentle and wise. "We should hold regr gatherings and meetings to keep each other informed and to provide support."


    I listened carefully to each of them, taking notes and considering their suggestions. "Thank you, everyone," I said finally. "These are all excellent ideas, and I''m proud of how hard each of you is working to protect the vige."


    "But there''s still more we need to do," I continued. "We must continue to train and prepare, to gather as many resources as we can. But most importantly, we must remain vignt. We cannot becent or overconfident. We are strong together, and that is what will keep us safe."


    Everyone nodded in agreement, and I knew that we were all on the same page.


    Old man Martini spoke up next. "We need to get to work as soon as possible," he said, his voice gruff but determined. "I can''t just sit here and wait for those minotaurs toe charging at us. We need to fortify our vige quickly and prepare for the worst."


    I nodded in agreement. "I can help with that," I said, my hands already starting to glow with the aura [Earth Magic]. "We can create strong walls and barricades using timber resources, and fortify our defenses."


    Sangria spoke up next, her voice echoing with confidence. "And I''ll focus on strategic positioning," she said. "By examining the vige''syout, we can determine the best ces for lookout points and strongholds. We need to be able to anticipate their movements and respond ordingly."


    Mojito nodded in agreement. "But we can also use these timber resources to create natural barriers," he suggested. "Trenches and moats can slow them down and make it harder for them to get to us."


    Old man Martini grinned and flexed his muscles. "I like the way you think, Moji," he said. "We''ll shake on it."


    As they did, I couldn''t help but admire the old man''s strength. Despite his age, he was still a formidable force to be reckoned with.


    Mimosa spoke up next, her voiceced with concern. "We also need to stock up on medicines," she said. "Incase anyone gets hurt in the attack."


    Serena turned to Fasit, her voice hopeful. "Are there any neighboring viges or tribes that could help us?" she asked. "We could build alliances and strengthen our defenses."


    I nodded in agreement. "It''s worth a shot," I said, my mind already racing with potential diplomatic strategies.


    Unfortunately, Fasit''s response was not what we had hoped for. "No one will help us," she said, her voice heavy with resignation. "We''ve been cursed for too long. No one wants to risk their lives for us."


    The room fell silent, the weight of his words settling over us like a heavy nket. Despite all our efforts, we were still alone in this fight. It was up to us to save ourselves.


    But I knew that with determination and hard work, we could do it. We could protect our vige and our people.


    Mojito sighed, "If we have no iron ore, we have no weapons. How are we supposed to protect ourselves?"


    Fasit looked discouraged and her voice was heavy with concern, "What are we going to do? How can we defend ourselves without proper weapons?"


    I set my jaw and determinedly said, "We''ll find a way. We have to." My hands glowed with [Earth Magic] as I envisioned earthen weapons and fortifications.


    Sangria nodded, "And I''ll train everyone in defensivebat techniques. We may not have steel des, but we have strength and knowledge."


    Old man Martini agreed, "We may not have the best weapons or defenses, but we have each other. We''ll fight with all our might to protect our vige and our people."


    Then, Magenta spoke up from the entrance with a smile, "And we have Lord Lumiere. He''s been our leader and protector since the beginning. He''ll never let us down."


    I blushed at her words, "I''m just doing what I can to help."


    But then, the conversation turned to a more personal topic, how exactly did I be a Curse King. I exined to them that after I broke the curse on them, I was granted the title. I hadn''t told them before because I didn''t want to bring up any bad memories of their past with a previous King of Curses, Balrog the fire demon.


    Fasit was the first to speak up, "That''s amazing, Lord Lumiere. You truly are a powerful mage."


    Sangria added, "We''ve seen what you''re capable of. We trust you."


    Mojito nodded, "And we''ll do whatever it takes to protect our vige and our leader."


    I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes at the overwhelming support and love from my people. Magenta smiled at me, "You''ll always be our vige head, Lord Lumiere. Curse King or not."


    Serena ced her hand on mine and smiled, "We''re with you."


    I beamed at them, feeling a warmth in my chest. I was blessed to have such loyal and caring people by my side. Together, we could conquer anything.