Preparation against War (3)

"A-are you sure this will work?"

"Of course, unless you stupid shits made simple mistakes"

"B-but this is an empire army we are fighting you know..."

Yunnie muttered, his hands twitching at his sides. No matter how often Seon reassured him, his nerves only tightened.

How could he not? Although the villagers are used to hunting wild animals like bears and lions;

This is completely different! The people they are fighting right now are not just normal bandits, but an empire that is capable of wiping off a country!

And even knowing they had a prophet in their side, Yunnie still couldn't help but to feel nervous.

Seon sighed, a sly grin tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Yunnie Winnie the Pooh."

"Uh... what?"

"Tsk tsk tsk," she clicked her tongue, shaking her head in mock disappointment as she gazed at him with exasperation. "Relax. This is the Prophet you're talking to. When have I ever been wrong? Why don't you try trusting me for once?"

"D-did you already foresee that this would work?"

"Of course not." Seon answered flatly, not even a hint of hesitation in her voice. "If I was that omniscient, I'd have already saved my ass multiple times."

"...Then...?"

"Let me ask you something, Aside from the Church of Sea, who else knew I descended right now?"

"..."

Yunnie paused, deep in thought as he began assessing things in his head.

The existence of the Prophet.

Surely, if the existence of the prophet was already revealed worldwide, it was just a matter of minutes to have every enemy pin their location.

However, Yunnie knows that it wouldn't be simple to convince the public of the prophet's appearance; after all, such a noble being is almost like a fairy tale. 

Even if it was revealed on the enemy side regardless, then they wouldn't dare to recklessly invade this village.

Or so that's what Yunnie believed.

"No one?" He frowned slightly, as if unsure. "But if we're talking about who knows about the rituals we performed, then... it's just the church of sea, I suppose."

"Exactly." Seon's response was immediate. "And it's nearly impossible for them to reveal my existence."

"Why is that?"

"You can't figure it out? They've been trying so hard to erase me. And yet, here I am." Her smile turned wicked.

"Which means one thing—my existence is a thorn in their side. A dangerous one."

"I still don't understand…"

"Yunnie winnie the pooh, you are incredibly slow!"

Seon sighed, a hint of impatience in her expression as she elaborated.

"The stories of the prophet guiding the world are meant to calm the public. It was probably their way to control someone into believing the prophet was the savior. And to control the faith in religion" she added. "Or it could also be a real prophecy, however, they didn't expect my existence to be early- at least that's not what in their plans."

"Oh…" Yunnie's face shifted, his mouth forming an 'O' of sudden comprehension. "So that's how it is!" He looked delighted, but a moment later, his face clouded with confusion again.

"But then… why is that a good thing for us?"

"Simple." Seon chimed in. "Our enemy won't take this village seriously. At most, they'll send a few weak soldiers to subdue it while focusing their real efforts on more critical targets."

"...Critical?" 

"Their real goal isn't just this village" Seon continued. "It's the entire Kingdom of Leorei. But this village holds a key position—strategically convenient"

Yunnie remained silent, finally beginning to grasp what Seon was implying.

The Kingdom of Leorei and the Duchy of Theresa shared a border that had always been tense. Recently, the Duchy had grown more aggressive, expanding its territories and becoming a significant threat to Leorei.

The Duchy of Theresa wasn't known for diplomacy.

They wouldn't bother with formal declarations of war. It made sense they would strike before Leorei's military was fully prepared, especially now when half the holy knights and a large portion of the army had been dispatched to deal with threats in the west.

However, despite all of that, the Kingdom of Leorei remains difficult to conquer.

What made the Kingdom difficult to counter was its strategic escape routes, surrounded by twelve small villages, including the one they now stood in. By holding those villages, the Kingdom could avoid surprise attacks and control the region.

In a practical sense, subduing all twelve villages would require a great deal of time and resources, something neither side could afford to waste. The Duchy's best option would be to split their forces, attacking the villages simultaneously to cut off Leorei's defenses and escape routes.

Trying to defend every village could spread their forces too thin, giving the Duchy the advantage.

The best strategy for Leorei would be to retreat, gather their forces, and prepare for a larger battle rather than defend every village.

Spreading themselves thin only gave the Duchy an advantage.

"war..."

Yunnie thought to himself deeply, completely disturbed.

Seon glanced to Yunnie, a subtle smile left on her face as she thought to herself. 'He's learning well, I thought he was just another fool, but surprisingly, he adapts pretty well?'

After a tense pause, Ortos re-appeared through the crowd, holding a torch high.

"Prophet, the empire is coming full speed..."

"Report."

"Around 30 soldiers, heading straight for this village..."

"I see"

Seon's face hardened, her hand falling to the hilt of her sword. It wasn't the sharpest blade—just a recent gift from the villagers—but it was better than the broken staff she had used here.

In her past lives, Seon had experienced countless wars; thus she often had to study how a commander's head works—albeit, she admits, she wasn't gifted in leading.

She only knew about the basics.

'But I can't afford a moment to doubt and falter. Just one moment I showed uncertainty, all their spirits and courage will fade as well'

Seon took a deep breathe, emptying her thoughts, and letting go of her nervousness.

After few seconds, she turned to the gathered villagers, her gaze sweeping over each of them—men, women, even children, all standing in nervous anticipation.

"Listen well," she began. "This is war. When the bloodshed begins, do not scream. Do not hesitate to kill the enemy. If you want to survive, you must be prepared to roll in the mud, to fight tooth and nail."

Her words were met with silent, grave nods.

"Lastly, never forget your role to do," she continued. "Lose sight of it, and we will all die."

The crowd, even the youngest among them, nodded in unison.

"Good." Seon replied.

"Now, to your positions. Get into formation!"

"Let's fucking beat the shit outta them. DESTROY THEM!"

The villagers screamed a battle cry in response.