Here's A Plan

I said that, but now everyone stares at me, waiting for a solution.

Max, you idiot, I can almost hear Aratsuki's tsundere outburst, but she doesn't even know my name.

"We can't win, there's no way. And this isn't our fight, why would we sacrifice ourselves for a different story?"

The Princess Knight argues, something rather uncharacteristic for her.

"I'm still undecided to believe you or not."

With my arms crossed, I pace around the campfire.

I try to wrap my head around this impossible situation. Let's assume this isn't a dream.

What's real and what isn't?

She knows they're from a manga, but the other characters have no idea.

What if the place I come from is also someone's fantasy? It could be a novel or a cartoon.

Was the Grande Library real?

And the staff, is she Aratsuki from the Princess Knight manga, or is she a lookalike from behind the counter? None of that matters now. I must assume she's right.

"You are thinking with your muscles, Ara— Nestor. We can't beat them in sheer numbers and brute force, but that doesn't mean we lost."

Don't ask where this confidence comes from.

"The book is about the disastrous loss of the Greek armies." She claims, muffling her voice, trying not to cause panic in the camp.

Well, she has a point. But.

"And you said I can change the outcome of the book. I'm the Anchor or what you called me. And this is a Dream Edit. That's what you said? So it's possible." I hold my ground, confused.

Is it Odysseus speaking or me, Max?

Which one is the real me? Is either of them a real person?

This gives me an idea, of how to convince her.

"You are somehow aware that you're a character from a manga. If you read the ending of your story and in that you fail, would you accept your fate and give up, or fight, trying to change it?"

A handful of armored waifus stares at us, their gaze ping-ponging between Aratsuki and me.

She blushes, that's at least something I earned, but she doesn't rush with her answer.

"Okay. So how would you win this fight, Odysseus? You're the Anchor and the strategist here. I see no way to win this fight, and I don't want to sacrifice my comrades to try. But I'm listening."

It worried me she'd say that, but it's too late now.

The strange thing is that I have an idea. Or is it Odysseus? Let's not sweat the details.

I glance at the huge horse statue that came with us.

"What's that thing?" I ask, pointing at the wooden beast, and every head turns to check it out.

"It came from the manga, I saw it on the last page. Why did the villagers build it?"

"I-it was to commemorate my victory against the Equestrian Golem." The Princess Knight explains, confused.

"What does it have to do with anything?"

"Why did they build a big horse statue, when you won against that thing? Why didn't they build a statue of you?" I ask the question I wanted to ask regardless of this dream for a while.

"It was an offering to the great spirits." The Captain explains, taking over from the confused Aratsuki.

"They wanted to light it on fire, as a sacrifice to gain a blessing in exchange."

"Oh, that makes sense."

It would have been weird if they set fire to a statue of their savior, so this is why they built the horse instead of her.

But that gives me an idea.

"We could use it too."

"What?" Aratsuki raises her bushy eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips.

The pose screams 'Are you stupid?' without her mouth opening, but I can explain.

"The Greeks have a bunch of gods too. It wouldn't be strange if they built something like this as an offering for them. Like to gain favorable winds on their way home after their retreat."

I see confused glances, and the rival character in Achilleus' role seems rather upset.

"You wanted us to fight for these people and now you talk about retreat?" She yells loud enough that half our camp can hear it.

These girls are much stronger than smart. I should've known.

"I want both."

This increases their confusion before I explain.

"We're losing, and the logical thing would be to retreat. And it would be also logical to make an offering for the gods."

"But look at how huge that thing is. We could all fit inside, the Greek army's elite."

This finally lights some fires in their eyes.

"We pretend to retreat, and then attack when they least expect it."

"It's a coward's plan." Achilleus still shakes her head, but the others wave her off. Fighting with cunning is still better than fighting a losing battle, or not fighting at all.

"It's a plan that could give us a chance to win, without sacrificing ourselves or retreating." The Captain in Agamemnon's role nods, taking my side. "Go ahead, tell us your plan, Odysseus."

"I saw a temple on that hill. We could tow the statue there and hide inside while the Greek army embarks on their ships and retreats." Is it my plan, or is it Odysseus'? My mind is messy.

"The Trojans would see that our army is gone, and they'd find our offering to the gods. It would be a clear sign that we retreated, and they could treat it as a trophy. Their victory prize."

They start to become excited. I outline the plan, even though it's shaky, and has some weaknesses. What if they set the horse on fire? What if they don't want to tow it in?

What if the Greeks don't want to play along with us, intruders into their story? What if everything works as planned and we still lose? What if I die, and they are stuck here even if we win?

Seeing their newfound enthusiasm, we're about to find out.