Eryndor shares the northern border with Aderg.
The shore of SOS(Sea of Separation) is in the west of the two countries.
There are two paths that connect Eryndor and Aderg with the coast—one through the forest and the second the trading route, which is generally used by local travelers.
To enter Aderg directly from the shore, the demonic army would have to cross the Great Forest where Austin found the Elixir of Life.
And that forest is the playground for Austin where he has been playing for the past fourteen years.
He knows those routes better than his own house. That's why, he made a plan with the two rulers beside him.
"Keeping the soldiers ready to face the army at the northern border would be a foolish approach. I know that's how we always fight a war, but the enemy in question is an inhumane creature, so we need to change our way of doing things, as well." Austin spoke in the presence of Drenovar's rulers, the King of Eryndor, and a few ministers whom Cedric trusted.
Pointing at the forest which connects Eryndor with Aderg, he said, "We can station soldiers here, to lay traps and distractions for the demons to mislead and destroy them."
The Commander of the Imperial Legion frowned, "The forest is too dense and confusing for those who haven't been there multiple tis. So we need to send 'our' soldiers there." What he implied here was that to trap the demons, they cannot rely on the foreign soldiers coming from Drenovar.
"You are right, Sir Thomas." Austin assented.
(A/N:- I couldn't rember or find Rudolph's father's na ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ)
"What if they took the direct path? Or the aerial route?" Idris suggested. He couldn't forget about the huge dragons and wyvern that the Demon General brought along to destroy Drenovar.
Arthur suggested, "We have stone canons and ballsitas which would surely take them down."
"Mm-hmm. It won't be enough," Austin shook his head—soone who faced those wyverns, he knew they needed to bring sothing more from their side.
A brief mont of silence passed before Austin asked, "Sir Hayden and Sir Thomas," The two Commanders belonging to different nations turned towards the blond Prince before they heard him ask, "How many soldiers are there in the army who have long-ranged Shards?"
Thomas heaved a sigh of disappointnt, "Only seven."
"Thirteen on our side." The other one added.
People who can detach their Shard—part of their soul from their body—and use it as a weapon to attack the enemy are by far very less and rare. Because when you launch your Shard, you have to say goodbye to that fragnt of Soul as well. Too risky and possibly life-threatening.
That's why, people barely use their Shard if their soul is shaped as a bow and arrows.
"I also have soone in mind who could be helpful." Rhea, to be precise, has the perfect Shard for this situation. Her crossbow could take a wyvern down with one shot, and she has an imnse amount of Soul Energy.
"We need to assign them a spot from where they would be able to keep an eye on the fort and the forest as well." Cedric voiced, now convinced that the archers would be keeping the flying monsters away.
No one questioned their decision.
"I will arrange sothing, Your Majesty," Thomas assured him.
Austin nodded, before he said, "We have ten days. In these few days, we need to lay the traps and prepare the defense line. There is no ti to prepare different squads, so I would request the two Commanders to pick your best soldiers and position them accordingly."
The two tall n nodded.
They discussed a few more things and the eting continued until two in the morning.
.....
Once done, Austin got out and prepared to leave.
He had no ti to rest, and without training, he wasn't getting much tired as well.
'Talking about training...what's my stats?'
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
[Combat: 95/100]
{Next reward at 100}
[Romance: 79/100]
{Next reward at 80}
[Durability: 95/100]
{Next reward at 100}
[Trickery: 40/50]
{Next reward at 50}
[Overall Progression: 89/100]
[Next Reward at 100]
....
Austin took a mont to admire his stats.
From zero to the threshold of breaking the first stage of the system
He has co a long way.
He doesn't know how Trickery works, it was just increasing on its own.
Austin wasn't very focused on it as well.
Because Combat and Endurance require a lot of effort, the Overall Progression has been increasing generously ever since he reached the 90s.
'I still have no clue what kind of change the system would go through once I ascend-'
[The host can ask !]
The system responded, out of the blue
Ever since their exchange, she has been using her true voice and conversing with him regularly.
'Okay then, tell . What will I get?'
[The system would be modified into—Quest and Reward mode. The host would be regularly assigned quests and useful rewards based on the situation.]
Austin was surprised, 'No more stats? But you said I will get separate stats for strength, speed, and all...' Austin hasn't forgotten about that.
[Ding!]
[By then, it won't be necessary for the Host to track his progress.]
Austin humd in response.
The ti he breaks into A-rank, he will receive the third fragnt of his Soul, which would naturally make him stronger.
'I might not rely on the system regularly-'
[｡•́︿•̀｡]
Austin...stopped, and then said, "But surely I will continue to use the Dungeons. And how can I forget about the rewards? If not for your rewards, I didn't have won my first battle."
He hurriedly assured her
She is like an adorable little sister who wants to be just useful to Austin. And seeing her getting sad makes his heart heavy.
[...really, host?]
"Yeah, why would I lie?" Austin grinned.
"Who are you talking to?" Suddenly, a familiar voice broke his focus before he turned toward the black-haired guy.
"You seem well prepared." He said upon seeing that huge bag on Rudolph's back and that armor he was wearing.
"Well, this would be the biggest battle of my life so I need to be prepared."
Austin chuckled, before saying, "Okay then, let's go. Sebastian is waiting for us-"
"A-Austin."
A familiar but unexpected voice called out from behind.
Rudolph's brows elevated upon seeing the person before he looked at Austin and said, "I will wait for you."
Austin didn't say anything and just exhaled a sigh.
The person slowly approached him from behind, and softly spoke, "You don't need to respond to ...but please listen to what I have to say."
Austin stood there wordlessly and allowed the Queen to speak further.
Reaching behind her son, she added, "I know many things have happened recently...you are angry with ...hate ...but please rember there are two more people in the family who would be extrely devastated if sothing happened to you."
Sophie raised her hand but then stopped inches away from his back.
Austin looked over his shoulder before asking, "What about you? Will you cry or rejoice?"
Sophie lowered her gaze, her heart trembled at those words.
Austin didn't like to needlessly torture his elders, so he decided to walk away when, "Ah, please keep this with you!"
Sophie suddenly rushed towards him and extended a pendant that was shaped like a crescent moon.
"It is a good luck charm...my mother gave it to ," Lowering her gaze she added, "I know it might seem suspicious that's why-"
"I am leaving." Austin took the pendant and walked away.
Sophie's eyes widened slightly as she turned to look at her son.
Soon, her hands clasped as she did a small prayer,
'Whichever God is listening to ...please protect my son.'
°°°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Do I really put the 'Sophie warning' in these kind of chapters?
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