Chapter 248 – Five Phases That Turn the Impossible into the Possible

Chapter 248

Five Phases That Turn the Impossible into the Possible

Date : Day 16 of Firstthaw 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Every pair of eyes in the war room was fixed on Hyoren.

The Baron's calm brown eyes. Captain Yugold's measuring gaze. Sherine's gentle curiosity. Adelheide's arched, skeptical brow. Oria peeking out from behind a Templar Knight. And Fiona, leaning against the edge of the table with her arms crossed, a faint smirk on her lips.

They were all waiting for him to speak.

Hyoren swallowed hard.

Calm down… It's just like explaining a strategy to the party before a Guardian fight… 

Only… with a few more people... Important people…

Beside him, Ina's hand brushed lightly against his arm. Just for a moment. Then it was gone.

He took a breath.

"First of all… I'd like to point something out. The goblin army this time is far stronger than it was eight years ago."

He glanced at the map.

"But Akela has changed too. Akela Dungeon has made the city's adventurers stronger. And this time, we have something we didn't have back then."

He paused.

"Several people capable of wide-area attacks."

Fiona's smirk widened slightly. Sherine tilted her head. Baron Guts said nothing, but his eyes sharpened.

"In the last attack, only Baron Guts could turn the tide on his own. Now…"

He raised his hand and began counting on his fingers.

"Denis Folkrite, the Fire Magician who joined Jigor's Unbreakable Will a few years ago. The elf mage of Shining Force, a Wind and Water caster from the capital."

He raised a third finger.

"And of course… Baron Guts's daughter, and the mage of my party. Arianna."

A faint murmur passed through the room. Fiona's arms tightened across her chest, but there was unmistakable pride in the set of her jaw. Baron Guts's expression softened for the briefest moment.

Hyoren stepped closer to the map table and gripped its edge with both hands.

"We should make full use of everyone capable of tactical-scale magic."

Then he lifted his gaze and looked straight at the Knight Captain.

"And… we shouldn't bunker down."

Captain Yugold's brows drew together.

"Why not?"

His voice remained measured, but there was a firmness beneath it. A veteran defending a strategy that had kept the city alive for generations.

"Fortifying the walls has always been our most reliable method. The walls are our greatest advantage."

Hyoren gave a small, respectful nod.

"In the past, yes. And I'm not saying the walls are useless. But the situation has changed. We have more weapons in our arsenal now. And against these numbers, a siege simply isn't sustainable."

He looked around and spotted a thin wooden pointer leaning against the wall. He picked it up and turned back to the map.

"With fifteen thousand goblins, they won't just throw themselves at the eastern gate."

He traced the pointer slowly around the city's outline. South. West. North.

"Eventually, they'll spread out and circle the city. The northern cliffs and crevices will slow them down. Our mages and archers will kill many of them. But there will be too many to stop."

He tapped the northern edge of the map.

"Their numbers alone will overwhelm the terrain."

Silence settled over the table.

Baron Guts lifted a hand and tapped his chin thoughtfully, his eyes fixed on the carved gate at the eastern wall.

"I can see it."

His voice was quiet. Heavy with memory.

"If five thousand goblins could breach the eastern gate eight years ago, fifteen thousand would breach it easily. And even if they couldn't…"

His finger slid along the map, from the eastern gate toward the north and west.

"Part of them would simply circle around and strike the less defended gates. The north. Perhaps even the west."

Hyoren nodded.

"Exactly, Baron Guts."

Captain Yugold stared at the map in silence. His jaw tightened. He didn't argue. But he didn't agree yet either.

Hyoren glanced around the room. In the corner, he spotted a blackboard on a wooden stand, its surface still faintly smudged with old chalk marks. A piece of chalk rested on its ledge.

He walked over and picked it up.

The room watched him in silence. Adelheide's fingers paused over her magic tool. Oria leaned slightly out from behind the Templar Knight to get a better look.

"I propose we divide this defense into several phases."

The chalk scraped across the board.

Phase One: Interception

He underlined it twice.

"According to Captain Yugold, the army will reach our walls at dawn on Day 18. That means we have the entire day of Day 17."

He turned back toward them.

"A whole day we could spend doing something… rather than waiting behind the walls."

Interest flickered across several faces. Sherine's eyes brightened. Fiona's smirk returned. Even Adelheide looked up from her magic tool.

Hyoren returned to the map table. He picked up a small carved marker, one shaped like a boat, and placed it on the Akela River, right beside the city.

"I propose that a small group of elites use the river to intercept the goblin army while it's still marching."

He tapped the line of the river leading south and east.

"The goblins will march along this river, correct?"

Captain Yugold touched his chin, studying the route.

"Yes. Following the river is the shortest path from the Forest of No Return to Akela. They have always come this way."

He looked down at the map. Then up at the blackboard. Then back at the map.

"So you propose using the river to attack them. How?"

Hyoren slid the boat marker slowly upstream along the river.

"By ship. A small group of elites. For now, I can only vouch for my own party. We take a ship upstream. When we find the marching army, Arianna unleashes one of her devastating Earth branch spells. Then we pull back downstream so she can recover her Aethell. And we repeat."

Ina leaned forward slightly, her ears perking up.

"The Guild has a fast ship. The Sailer. Holley can pilot it. It's quicker than anything else on the river, and it can go upstream without any trouble."

Hyoren glanced at her with a grateful smile.

"That's exactly what I was hoping for."

He turned back to the table and tightened his grip on its edge, recalling every spell in Arianna's arsenal.

"Her Earth Fissure has the largest area of effect of all her spells. Against tightly packed goblins marching along the riverbank, I estimate a single cast could kill one thousand to fifteen hundred of them."

Several people inhaled sharply. One of the Templar Knights shifted his weight.

"She can cast it twice in a day before the backlash from Aethell depletion hits her."

In the corner, Oria straightened slightly and spoke up for the first time without being called on.

"I'll prepare my best Magic Potions for her. It won't let her cast a third time… but it'll help her recover faster between casts."

Hyoren gave her a grateful nod.

"Thank you, Oria."

He tapped the map.

"After two successful casts, we retreat immediately to rest and prepare for the main battle the next day. The goal of this phase isn't to win. Only to thin their numbers."

He looked around the table.

"In the best case, Arianna could wipe out three thousand goblins. In the worst case, around two thousand. Either way, it will make a difference when the army finally knocks on our door."

Captain Yugold stared at the boat marker for a long moment. Slowly, the furrow in his brow eased.

"Two to three thousand… before the battle has even begun."

Adelheide tapped a few quick notes into her magic tool, her lips moving silently.

Fiona let out a low whistle.

"And all it costs is one ship and a bunch of potions. I like it."

Hyoren returned to the blackboard.

Phase Two: The Ambush

The chalk clicked as he finished the last letter. He wrote a few short lines beneath it, then walked back to the map and placed several new markers on the open plain near the small hill southeast of the city.

"On the night of Day 17, the goblins will reach this area just before the hill. They'll rest here, won't they?"

Captain Yugold nodded without hesitation.

"They will. They always use that wide grassland to rest before an assault. I doubt that will change, even with their numbers tripled."

Hyoren nodded.

"Good."

He moved several more markers into place around the plain.

"Then the second phase is a night ambush."

As he spoke, his mind drifted back to the Old Quarry. To the cliff ledge where he and Elise had sat drinking tea, watching torches flicker below. To the night raids. The phantom attacks from four directions. Goblins too terrified to sleep.

Back then, we used night raids to thin their numbers and break their morale…

But that won't work here. The Chieftain's Leadership Aura will keep them from breaking, no matter how many we kill.

But their bodies… are another story.

His focus returned to the present.

"The purpose isn't to lower their morale. Under a Chieftain, that's impossible."

He lifted his gaze to the Captain.

"The purpose is to strike them periodically throughout the night. So they can never settle into a proper camp. So they can never rest."

Captain Yugold's eyes widened.

For a moment, the veteran knight said nothing. Then he slowly let out a breath.

"Right… We've never done that, because harassing a goblin army led by a Chieftain was always considered pointless. Its Leadership Aura makes them fearless."

He looked down at the markers around the plain.

"But to deny them sleep… to wear down their stamina before they ever reach our walls…"

A rare, faint smile touched the corner of his mouth.

"That is a legitimate reason."

Sherine folded her hands, her sapphire eyes thoughtful.

"Even monsters grow weary. Exhausted bodies are slower. Clumsier. Easier to kill. And easier for our wounded to escape."

Hyoren nodded.

Baron Guts leaned forward over the table, resting his weight on his palms.

"Then what do you suggest, Hyoren?"

Hyoren placed a few final markers along the edges of the grassland.

"The main goal isn't to kill goblins. If an attack happens to kill some, that's good. But the real purpose is to make sure they never get enough time to rest."

He tapped the markers.

"I suggest we use cavalry. Riders who can strike quickly and pull back before the goblins can organize. Ideally, people who can see well in the dark."

Baron Guts nodded slowly.

"Some of our knights could do that. Perhaps with the help of a few adventurers."

He turned to his wife.

"Are there any adventurer parties that fit the criteria, Fiona?"

Fiona uncrossed her arms and tapped a finger against her lips. Her sharp blue eyes drifted upward as she ran through names in her head.

"I think I know a few. Parties with good ranged members. Ones that are used to operating at night."

Ina was already flipping through her documents, her pen tapping against the pages.

"I'll pull their records, Guildmas."

Baron Guts looked down at the map.

At the boat marker on the river. At the markers scattered around the plain. At the chalk letters on the blackboard behind Hyoren.

And for the first time since Hyoren had stepped into the war room, a genuine smile spread across the Baron's face.

The darkness hanging over the table hadn't disappeared. Fifteen thousand goblins were still coming. The Chieftain still led them. The odds were still terrible.

But now, somewhere in that darkness, there was light. Still small. Still fragile. But it was there—hope.

***

Hyoren returned to the blackboard.

The chalk scraped across its surface once more.

Phase Three: The Defensive Battle

He underlined it and turned back to the room.

"The main battle will begin at dawn on Day 18. By then, the goblins will have marched for days. And on the final night, thanks to the second phase, they won't have rested at all."

He set the chalk down on the ledge.

"Their morale will still be high. The Chieftain's Leadership Aura guarantees that. But their bodies won't be."

Captain Yugold folded his arms, his gaze moving from the blackboard to Hyoren.

"You said we won't use the old strategy. Then what do you plan for the siege itself? Other than relying on our walls."

Hyoren nodded and returned to the map table.

"For this phase, the city wall is still necessary. But we'll also build a second wall."

Baron Guts tilted his head slightly.

"A second wall?"

Across the table, Adelheide's fingers paused over her magic tool. Her painted lips pressed together as she ran a quick calculation.

"Building another stone wall in a single day would be impossible. Even if we emptied every warehouse in the city of stone and timber…"

Hyoren shook his head with a small smile.

"Not stone, Madam Yargard."

He picked up a handful of shield-shaped markers and set them down on the eastern plain, in a long line some distance in front of the Gate of Guts.

"People."

The room went quiet.

"We can't let the goblins get too close to the city wall. If they do, they'll start spreading out and circling it. We need to keep them on the eastern field for as long as possible."

He straightened the line of markers with his fingertips.

"So we form a second wall out of our own defenders."

He looked up at the Baron.

"We have nearly four hundred combatants. More than half of them are frontliners. If we hide behind the walls, most of them will never even touch a goblin. Only a handful can fight around the gate at any one time. The rest would just be standing in line, waiting their turn."

He tapped the carved gate.

"The gate becomes a bottleneck. For them… and for us."

A wry thought crossed his mind.

In almost every strategy game I've played, turtling gets punished in the end... 

The games reward the side that takes control of the field... 

This battle is the same... Behind the walls, half our army is useless... Out on the plain, every single one of them can fight…

He grinned.

"Sometimes, offense is the best defense."

Fiona let out a short laugh.

"Now that's the kind of thinking I like."

Hyoren tapped the table beside the line of markers.

"Our frontline will take the brunt of the attack out here. Meanwhile, our mages and archers will be stationed on the city wall behind them, raining attacks down on the advancing army."

He traced the open ground between the goblins and the line of shields.

"Together, they'll create a kill zone in front of the frontline. Every goblin that wants to reach our second wall has to cross that ground first."

Captain Yugold leaned over the map, his eyes narrowing as he studied the distances.

"The range from the battlements would cover that field…"

He sounded as though he were talking to himself.

Hyoren continued, placing more markers as he spoke.

"The center of the frontline will be made up of our combined Copper and Bronze rank adventurers. The knights and Templar Knights will form the left and right flanks."

He placed a final, slightly larger marker in the very middle of the line.

"And as the bearer of Étendard Sacré du Lys… I'll stand in the center."

Ina's ears twitched. She knew exactly why.

The banner only works for those who can see it. In the center, every part of the line will.

Sherine folded her hands in front of her and inclined her head gracefully.

"My Templar Knights will be honored to hold a flank, Hyoren."

Captain Yugold nodded slowly.

"And the Akela knights will hold the other."

Hyoren gave them both a grateful nod. Then he turned toward Fiona.

"And this is how I think we can use the Wood and Iron ranks."

Fiona raised an eyebrow and uncrossed her arms.

"Oh? Let's hear it. Those kids would get eaten alive out there."

Hyoren smirked.

"Exactly. So they won't fight at all."

He slid a few small markers from the front line back toward the city gate.

"We use them as paramedics. Their role isn't to fight goblins. Their role is to pull the wounded off the frontline as quickly as possible and carry them back to the priests… and to Archbishop Sherine."

He looked at the Archbishop.

"So the wounded can be healed and return to the fight.”

He smiled.

“This way, the Wood and Iron Ranks can contribute in their own way and not feel left out.”

For a moment, Fiona simply stared at the markers.

Then a wide grin spread across her face.

"Huh. That's actually clever as hell. Those Wood and Iron brats won't do shit against a goblin army. But they can definitely carry the wounded."

She tapped the line of shields.

"And every wounded fighter who gets healed is one more body back on the line."

Ina sighed without even looking up.

"Language, Guildmas."

Fiona ignored her completely. Then she paused, her blue eyes narrowing curiously at Hyoren.

"'Paramedics'… That's a new one. Never heard that word before."

Hyoren scratched his cheek.

Right… That's an Earth term… It slipped out…

"It's… something I heard back in my village. It means people who carry and care for the wounded."

Fiona snorted, but she didn't press further.

Sherine's eyes had softened. She placed a hand gently over her chest.

"If the wounded can be brought to us quickly, most of them will live to fight again. Please leave the rear to us, Hyoren."

Hyoren bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you, Archbishop."

He turned back to the table.

"This phase will be the backbone of the entire battle. We hold the line. And we keep culling the goblins, both with the frontline and the rearline on the walls."

Around the table, the expressions had changed. The heavy silence from earlier was gone. Captain Yugold was nodding slowly. Adelheide had set her magic tool down entirely. Even Oria had stepped out from behind the Templar Knight, her sapphire eyes fixed on the map.

Baron Guts straightened, resting his hands on the edge of the table. He drew a breath, as if preparing to bring the discussion to a close.

But Hyoren wasn't finished.

"It's not over yet, Baron Guts."

The Baron blinked.

Hyoren walked back to the blackboard and picked up the chalk once more.

Phase Four: The Assault

He underlined the final word twice.

A ripple of surprise passed through the room. The Templar Knights exchanged glances. Adelheide's brows rose. Even Fiona leaned forward slightly.

An assault…?

The question hung unspoken on every face.

Hyoren walked back to the map table and picked up the larger marker from the center of the line. He placed it slightly forward, at the very front of the formation.

"Phase four begins once the goblin numbers have dropped to a third. Or at least half."

He looked around the table.

"By that point, I predict our side will be exhausted. Holding a line for hours wears anyone down. We need to end the battle before our frontline collapses."

Captain Yugold frowned.

"Battling for hours will exhaust even the strongest knight. That's true. So what do you intend to do?"

Hyoren rested his hand on the forward marker.

"In phase four, I'll lead a charge. In a spearhead formation."

He slid the marker slowly forward, cutting straight into the space where the goblin army would stand.

"I'll use my Unique Skill to break through the goblin horde. My party will help clear the path."

He placed two lines of markers on either side of the forward one, forming a wedge.

"The frontline will push forward on both sides of Freedom Party. To split the goblin army in two. And to keep the assault team from being surrounded."

At his side, Ina's ears flattened against her head. Her fingers tightened around her pen.

She knew exactly what his Unique Skill would cost him afterward. Two days unconscious. Agony that even the Church's healers couldn't touch.

She said nothing. But she didn't take her eyes off him.

Hyoren continued.

"Once I activate my Unique Skill, I won't be able to give orders. So when phase four begins, command of the line returns to you, Guild Master Fiona, and Captain Yugold."

Fiona and the Captain exchanged a brief glance. Then both nodded.

Hyoren tapped the far end of the map, deep behind where the goblin army would gather.

"The target is the Goblin Chieftain. We take it down as quickly as possible."

His gaze lingered on that spot.

It'll definitely be at the back. Heavily guarded. Surrounded by its Archers and its strongest variants.

His eyes drifted to the edges of the map—the blue line of the Akela River to the south, the jagged cliffs to the north.

We can't flank the Chieftain... 

To the south, the Akela River is too wide and too fast to cross…

To the north, there's nothing but cliffs and crevices…

There's no route for cavalry to go around it… So the only way is straight through the front…

He gripped the side of the table.

"Once the goblins are down to around five thousand… or eight thousand at least… it should be possible to split them apart. With me leading."

He drew a slow breath. His voice steadied.

"And I'll take the Goblin Chieftain's head."

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then Baron Guts slowly nodded.

"Without the Chieftain, its Leadership Aura disappears."

His eyes moved across the map, toward the eastern plain.

"The goblins will lose their courage all at once. They'll break. And they'll run."

A grim smile touched his lips.

"And retreating, panicking goblins… are easy to cut down."

Hyoren nodded. But instead of resting, he walked back to the blackboard.

The room watched him in silence as the chalk touched the board one last time.

Phase Five: Clean Up

He set the chalk down and turned to face them.

"This last phase is just as important as the others."

He returned to the map table and swept a finger outward from the eastern plain, past the edges of the carved terrain, toward the farmland and the villages beyond.

"When the goblins break, they won't all run back the way they came. They'll scatter. If even a few hundred escape, they'll spread into the countryside. Farms, villages, the riverside settlements… none of them have walls like Akela."

Sherine's serene expression faded slightly. Her fingers tightened around each other.

"Those people would have no way to defend themselves…"

Hyoren nodded.

"That's why we can't stop at victory. We have to wipe out the goblin army completely."

Baron Guts' gaze hardened. For a moment, he looked less like a lord at a council table and more like the soldier he had once been.

"That is right. This last phase is equally important."

He placed his palm flat on the map, over the eastern plain.

"A broken army that escapes is still an army. We need to make sure it is gone completely. Every last one of them."

Captain Yugold straightened.

"Then the knights' horses won't be wasted, my lord. Once the line breaks, cavalry is best suited to run them down."

The Baron gave a single, firm nod.

Fiona let out a low, satisfied laugh, cracking her knuckles.

"Now that's a battle plan."

Ina's pen hadn't stopped moving the entire time. She finished the last line in her notes, then looked up at the five phases written across the blackboard. Her tail swayed slowly behind her chair.

Captain Yugold stared at the map for a long time. At the boat marker on the river. At the scattered riders around the hill. At the second wall of shields. At the wedge pointing straight into the heart of the enemy. And at the open countryside beyond, where no goblin would be allowed to reach.

When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet.

"Interception. Exhaustion. Attrition. Decapitation. Clean up…"

He shook his head slowly. There was a faint note of disbelief in his voice—and something close to respect.

"This isn't an adventurer's plan. This is a military campaign."

Sherine smiled softly. Adelheide was staring at Hyoren as though seeing him for the first time. In the corner, Oria muttered something.

And Ina, sitting beside him, finally let out the breath she had been holding. A small, proud smile tugged at her lips.

Hyoren himself simply stood beside the map, one hand resting on the table, looking down at the pieces he had placed. At a plan built on everything he had learned. From the Forest of No Return. From the Old Quarry. From Riverville Town. From countless games on Earth that he had never imagined would one day matter.

On the table, the battle for Akela City had finally taken shape.

***

Baron Guts smiled.

It was the first real smile he had worn since the meeting began. He let it linger for a moment, his eyes moving slowly around the table. Captain Yugold. Archbishop Sherine and her two Templar Knights. Adelheide. Oria. Fiona. Ina. And finally, Hyoren.

Then the smile faded. What replaced it was grim determination.

"I know this battle will still be hard."

He rested both hands on the edge of the map table.

"I know we will still have to give everything we have. And I know there will be casualties. That is something we cannot avoid."

The words settled heavily over the room. Captain Yugold's jaw tightened. Sherine closed her eyes and lowered her head slightly. Even Fiona's usual grin was gone. No one argued. Every person in the room knew he was right.

The Baron straightened. His gaze came to rest on Hyoren.

"But thanks to Hyoren and his five phases, I can see the light of victory."

He looked down at the map. At the boat on the river. The riders around the hill. The second wall of shields. The wedge pointing into the heart of the enemy.

"This morning, this battle looked impossible. Now it looks… possible. Not a guaranteed victory. Far from it. But possible."

His voice grew firmer.

"And possible is all I need from you."

He drew himself up to his full height. For a moment, the lord of Akela filled the room.

"The plan is set. Convey it to everyone under your command. Prepare yourselves. We have one day before the enemy arrives."

Captain Yugold snapped to attention. His armored fist struck his chest with a sharp clang.

"Yes, my lord! I will make sure every knight understands this plan and is ready for deployment tomorrow!"

Fiona uncrossed her arms and stepped forward, her posture as composed as a noble lady's in front of her husband.

"Ina and I will organize the adventurers. Who goes in the first phase, who rides in the second, and who holds the line in the third."

Her lips curled slightly.

"And we'll tell the Wood and Iron ranks they can actually contribute this time, instead of hiding behind the walls. Those kids are going to be thrilled."

Beside her, Ina nodded, her pen already moving across a fresh page of notes.

Sherine clasped her hands before her chest. Her serene smile had returned, but there was steel beneath it now.

"My Templar Knights and I will be ready, my lord. Bring us the wounded, and we will send them back to the line."

Adelheide set her tablet-like magic tool down on the table and lifted her chin.

"Do not worry, Baron. Every fighter on that field will be supplied. The Merchants' Guild will see to it."

Only one person remained.

All eyes drifted toward the small figure half-hidden behind a Templar Knight. Oria stepped out slightly. Her small hands fidgeted with the sleeve of her robe, and her voice came out smaller than anyone was used to hearing.

"The potions… will be ready."

The Baron gave a single, firm nod.

"Then this council is concluded."

***

One by one, they left the war room.

Captain Yugold was the first to move. But instead of heading straight for the door, he stopped in front of Hyoren.

For a moment, the knight captain simply studied him. Then he raised his hand in a crisp salute.

"I'll be honest with you, Hyoren. When you first walked up to that blackboard, I thought, what is this young adventurer thinking?"

He lowered his hand.

"Then you laid out a strategy that's normally only taught in military academies. It wasn't entirely new. I remember something similar from the old campaign books. But an adventurer who understands military strategy like that…"

He shook his head slowly.

"That's rare. Very rare."

Hyoren scratched his cheek.

Strategy games, history documentaries, and a few too many war novels back on Earth… I can't exactly tell him that…

He smiled.

"I read a lot of books, Captain."

Captain Yugold let out a short, rough laugh.

"Then keep reading."

He nodded once and strode out of the war room.

Adelheide followed soon after. She tucked her magic tool beneath her fur coat, lifted her chin, and swept past Hyoren without a word. Only her gaze lingered on him for a heartbeat. Then the click of her heels faded down the corridor.

Sherine did not leave right away.

She murmured something to her two Templar Knights, who stepped back toward the door to wait. Then she crossed the room toward Hyoren, her white and gold robes whispering softly against the floor.

She stopped before him and looked up at his face. For a moment she said nothing. Her sapphire eyes simply rested on him with the same warmth a mother might show a son who had grown up while she wasn't looking.

"What a great mind you have, Hyoren."

Her gaze drifted to the map table, to the second wall of shields and the small markers he had pulled back toward the city.

"Not only are you strong… You also thought of the wounded. The Wood and Iron ranks. The villages beyond the plain. You put the many before yourself, even though you will stand at the very front."

Her smile softened.

"But then again… That is only to be expected of Goddess Luminara's Favored.”

Hyoren scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed.

"You're overpraising me, Archbishop. I just didn't want anyone to die needlessly."

The serene smile vanished at once. Sherine puffed out her cheeks.

"Mou… Hyoren. The council is over. You know I don't like hearing that title from you."

She raised one of her fingers.

"Before the Goddess, you stand above me. It is not right for you to address me with a title."

Then she tilted her head, and a mischievous glint appeared in her sapphire eyes.

"Besides… Being called 'Archbishop' by you makes me feel terribly old. Just Sherine. Or I shall keep pouting until you do."

She puffed out her cheeks again, as if to prove the threat.

Hyoren chuckled and raised both hands in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry. Thank you… Sherine."

The pout melted away as quickly as it had come. Sherine let out a soft laugh. Then her expression turned gentle and serious again. 

She reached up and lightly touched Hyoren's arm.

"Please don't push yourself too far on the battlefield. Whatever happens at the front, I will be waiting at the rear."

Her fingers tightened slightly on his sleeve.

"So come back to me alive. Even if they have to carry you."

Hyoren met her eyes and nodded firmly.

"I will."

Sherine released his arm and stepped back. 

She folded her hands before her chest and closed her eyes for a brief moment, as though offering a silent prayer.

"May Goddess Luminara's light lead us all to the path of victory."

She opened her eyes and gave him one last warm smile. Then she raised a hand in a small wave before turning toward the door. Her Templar Knights fell in on either side of her, and her long golden hair swayed behind her as she left.

At the head of the table, Fiona and Baron Guts spoke quietly for a few moments. The Baron gave his wife a brief nod, then left through a side door, already calling for his aides.

The moment the door closed behind him, Fiona rolled her shoulders. The noble composure fell away like a discarded cloak. She walked over to Hyoren, Ina trailing behind her with an armful of notes.

"Alright, brat. Phase one."

She jabbed a thumb toward the river on the map.

"You need anyone else on that boat? Or is it just your party?"

Hyoren tapped his chin.

"Just us, I think. I don't really know the capabilities of Denis or the Shining Force party yet. If they came along, I'd spend more time figuring out how to use them than actually giving orders."

He smiled.

"Arianna alone could wipe out around twenty percent of the enemy. That should be enough for the first phase. The other adventurers should be saved for the second and third."

Fiona snorted, then nodded.

"Fine. That actually makes sense. Damn it, you're getting annoying to argue with."

Ina sighed without looking up from her notes.

"Language, Guildmas."

Before Fiona could reply, a small voice came from nearby.

"Umm… Hyoren."

All three of them turned.

Oria stood a few steps away. She hadn't left. Her small hands were clenched into the fabric of her blue robe, and her eyes were fixed somewhere around Hyoren's chest instead of his face.

"Could you… take me with you too?"

Hyoren's brows drew together.

"Oria? You want to come with us?"

She nodded. It was a small motion, but a firm one.

"Before I became an alchemist… before I stopped going out to fight…"

She drew a slow breath.

“I used to fight with Water branch magic. My Liquid Control Magic is Level 5.”

Fiona's eyebrows shot up. Even Ina stopped writing.

And Hyoren remembered.

Arianna had once called Oria a genius water magician. Ina had said the same, quietly, as though it were something best not spoken too loudly. Both of them had stopped short whenever the conversation drifted toward why she had given it up. Oria herself never spoke of it at all.

Only Elise had ever hinted at the reason. She had said that Oria once lost someone dear to her in battle.

Nothing more.

Oria's fists tightened.

"Eight years ago, during the last goblin attack… I was too afraid to fight. I stayed in my shop and brewed potions while everyone else stood on the wall."

Her voice trembled, then steadied.

"But I know I can't keep hiding forever. Not this time."

She finally raised her head. Her sapphire eyes met his.

"With Liquid Control, I can command a Water Spirit. Near a large body of water, it can be devastating. And you're planning to attack from the river, aren't you?”

A faint smile tugged at her lips, small but genuine.

"I can't wipe out fifteen hundred goblins at once like Arianna. But my Water Spirit can keep up the attack while she recovers her Aethell. So the goblins never get a moment to breathe."

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Fiona let out a low whistle.

"Well, shit. The recluse finally crawled out of her shell."

Ina didn't scold her this time. She was looking at Oria with soft, understanding eyes.

Hyoren stepped forward and bowed his head.

"Thank you, Oria. Truly."

He straightened, and his smile was warm.

"Meet us at the southern harbor tomorrow morning. The Sailer will be waiting."

Oria's pointed ears turned red. She quickly looked away.

"D-Don't thank me. I'm only coming because Cow-tits would get herself killed without someone smarter around."

Then she turned and hurried out of the war room, her blue robe swishing behind her. Her small footsteps echoed down the corridor until they faded away.

Fiona watched the doorway for a moment. Then she shook her head with a crooked grin.

"Kid's got guts after all."

Ina tucked her notes under her arm and turned toward Hyoren. Her ears drooped apologetically.

"Hyoren… I need to stay with Guildmas. There's a mountain of paperwork, and every adventurer in Akela needs to be sorted into a phase by tonight. Nyahaha… I won't be sleeping much."

Hyoren smiled.

"I understand. Please take care of yourself, Ina."

Her tail swished once as she nodded.

“Un.”

Then she followed Fiona out of the war room.

***

Hyoren left the castle alone.

The great doors closed behind him, and the cool evening air of Firstthaw washed over his face. Before him, Akela stretched out beneath the twin suns as they slowly sank toward the horizon. Golden Sol and silver Luna painted the rooftops in warm, fading light.

Below, the city was already moving. Knights hurried through the streets. Merchants loaded crates onto wagons. Somewhere far off, the clang of a blacksmith's hammer rang out, steady and unbroken.

The city was preparing for war.

Hyoren's gaze drifted east.

Past the rooftops. Past the walls and the Gate of Guts. Toward the open plain where, in two days, fifteen thousand goblins would come.

Half a year ago, he had been fighting for his life in the Forest of No Return. Alone. Starving. Running from monsters he couldn't name in a world he didn't understand. Back then, a single goblin had been a desperate fight.

Then came the Old Quarry. Three hundred goblins, and only Elise at his side. Night raids, ambushes, and a war of attrition fought by two people against an army. It had ended with Hifoppe's blade and Elise's blood on his hands.

And now—fifteen thousand goblins.

An army of the Shadowden Collective. The vanguard of the Goblin King himself.

He should have been afraid. Part of him was.

But this time, he wasn't alone. He wasn't running. And he wasn't fighting blind.

He had a party. He had a city behind him. And he had a plan that every leader in Akela had agreed to stake their lives on.

His hand closed into a fist at his side.

Interception. Exhaustion. Attrition. Decapitation. Clean up.

Five phases. Let's see your army survive all of them.

The last light of the twin suns slipped behind the western hills, and the shadows of Akela stretched east, toward the plain.

Now, Hyoren Enjo walked down from the castle with his strategy in mind and grim determination in his heart. Tomorrow, Freedom Party would sail upriver for the first phase of the battle.