Chapter 8

### Chapter 7: Plan

"Then, where are we exactly?"

Sophie subtly took control of the conversation and began to probe for the information she wanted. She realized she had changed somewhat; in the past, she could only speak so confidently in games, easily controlling the pace of the conversation.

Perhaps it was because she still saw this place as the world of 'Amber Sword.'

Her experience in the game made her feel as if she were dealing with children, naturally exuding a confident demeanor.

This confidence unconsciously influenced the others. Whether it was Freya or the others, they gradually felt a difference. The focus of the conversation shifted to Sophie, either intentionally or unintentionally.

A few young people nearby also raised their heads to look over—

"This is Red Pine Forest, don't move." The ponytailed girl took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she answered.

Sophie looked up in surprise—truly worthy of being a future Valkyrie, she had quickly learned to regulate her emotions, but to him, she still seemed a bit immature.

"Red Pine Forest?"

"Wait, why are you here?" Sophie was surprised again. He remembered this place; in the game, it was called 'Dwarf Valley,' the habitat of level 14 brown bears. But this was south of Buchan, and there was no reason for the Buchan militia to be here.

"We came to find you."

"To find Miss Roman, she's the leader's friend."

"And Roman is part of the third squad." The group chimed in.

"Did you repel Madara's vanguard?" Sophie looked at Freya, this was the question he was most concerned about.

"How could we!" The girl looked at him in confusion, her expression as if to say, "How could you ask such a stupid question?" "The adults in the guard force escorted the villagers to evacuate from the north, we got separated from everyone. And the monsters on the main road are increasing, we had to go south. Besides, I was worried about Roman..."

"So you came here?" Sophie felt his heart sink.

The girl nodded matter-of-factly, her long ponytail bobbing up and down.

Freya immediately felt something was off—this young man wasn't Captain Marden, so why did she always feel like she was a step below him?

And Sophie couldn't help but slap his forehead. He didn't know whether to call these young people naive or foolish, thinking of saving others when they couldn't even save themselves.

No, perhaps it should be called kindness.

But kindness on the battlefield was unnecessary and could only harm oneself.

Sophie fell silent, feeling a bit frustrated. He had set fire to his grandfather's house to warn the village, but history still seemed to follow its original path—no, it was repeating itself.

Even these young, inexperienced guys, Lady Martha, what kind of joke are you playing?

He sighed in his heart. There was still too little he could change; the inertia of history couldn't be stopped by a little effort. Indeed, he had to become stronger, but first, he had to survive.

"Captain Marden, Captain Marden, it seems I can't save you."

How could the Black Rose of Bromandor, Madara, attack the border before the May Eternal Festival? Such a clear premeditation, if there is a reaction, it must be a trick.

Sophie's hopes were dashed, leaving him feeling empty. He had struggled so hard, only to find that history hadn't changed at all, a truly depressing blow.

But after all, it was just the power of an ordinary person, and he had done his best.

"Brandor!"

He was feeling frustrated when a joyful voice rang in his ear, like a skylark. Sophie turned around and saw the merchant lady, her face full of disbelief and joy, appearing on the side of the forest, with a girl in gray-white leather armor beside her—presumably the one who had gone to alert them.

Roman rushed to his side, staring at him cautiously, as if afraid he would suddenly disappear.

"I knew it, Brandor, you must be fine." She sighed in relief, looking happy.

"Right, Brandor. Freya didn't let me return to Buchan, I..." Then the merchant lady explained urgently, as if afraid he would be angry.

Sophie noticed the two bright tear marks on her face and couldn't help but feel a bit soft-hearted.

"It's okay, I'm fine now." He said gently.

"Really?"

"Really." Sophie nodded.

"Roman, don't touch him, Mr. Brandor is seriously injured." Freya frowned, these two really didn't know how serious his injuries were, he was almost dead, wasn't he?

"It's okay." Roman stuck out her tongue and stepped back.

Sophie smiled, the merchant lady was always like this. The young man looked at the two beautiful girls standing side by side, momentarily enjoying the sight.

He suddenly realized that not everything was unchanged. Change was happening in another way. From the moment he came to this world, it had already changed.

Without his arrival, the merchant lady and Brandor might have already met with disaster, Madara's bandits had no mercy.

He looked at the others, and these young people with Freya. How many of them would survive that war?

Sophie remembered clearly, in that war, the border militia and guard force were almost completely wiped out.

But now he was here, and history should deviate. He didn't know how much more, but at least these people should be saved. These young people were the seeds of the kingdom's future...

Sophie would not allow history to repeat itself.

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. Do you know how serious the situation is?" The young man took a deep breath, trying to appear less distressed. Honestly, what he needed most now was rest, but the current situation didn't allow it.

He looked at the others, and Freya and the young militia members were taken aback.

Only Roman playfully blinked her eyes.

"Eh?" The ponytailed girl asked in confusion.

Sophie coughed weakly and asked, "I mean, what do you plan to do next? If I'm not mistaken, Madara's undead must have taken control of the main road, right?"

Silence fell—

"You, how do you know?" Freya was slightly stunned, looking at him in surprise.

Of course, I know, not only do I know, but I have also experienced it firsthand, Sophie thought. But the surprised looks around him made him feel a bit smug.

Being a prophet has its advantages.

But a little smugness couldn't hide his worries: Madara's offensive in April was swift and thorough. He needed to formulate a more comprehensive plan to protect himself and these young people.

Buchan was now facing the flank of Madara's army, led by the future famous 'Black Baron' Instarong. Although he was now just a young man in his early twenties, it was from this war that the future general began to show his prowess.

And what did he have? In the current history, he was just an unknown.

But Sophie understood that his only advantage was his foresight. This advantage could save his life in the upcoming encounters, but he needed to seize the opportunity.

He had only two chances.

One was to pass through the relatively safe Sharpstone River Valley. He remembered clearly that it wasn't until the 17th that Instarong's deputy, 'One-Eyed' Targus, would control this area.

But the distance was too far, and he was worried he wouldn't be able to break through before the enemy completed the encirclement. Unless they had horses, but where could he find horses for ten people now?

So, the only remaining option was to break through from the Dagger River Beach before the two squads led by 'Corpse Knight' Vesa and 'White Knight' Eberton joined forces.

Until late April, only a squad of skeletons led by a necromancer was stationed there.

He couldn't help but touch the cold ring on his finger. With the Wind After Ring, breaking through the line of eleven skeleton soldiers and a necromancer shouldn't be too difficult.

But before that, he had to make every member of this militia team listen to his orders. This was why he had been so assertive from the beginning.

Sophie looked at everyone again.

"This is a reasonable inference, anyone with basic military knowledge would come to this conclusion. The main road is blocked to cut off communication and pave the way for the main army. The next step is to clear out the remaining forces of Eruin in this area, centered around Buchan," he said based on his experience, emphasizing the severity. Then he paused, emphasizing, "That means us."

Silence, the only sound was the others' light breathing.

"So, what do you plan to do now?" Sophie asked weakly.

Everyone looked at each other.

The main road to Buchan was guarded by over a dozen skeleton soldiers. They couldn't just charge out. Although there was a youthful confidence that these enemies weren't much, the thought of a life-or-death battle still made them uneasy.

Freya looked worried; when making decisions, she hadn't considered so much. They were, after all, just a group of inexperienced young people.

The ponytailed girl didn't speak, but her face showed confusion and helplessness.

The others' gazes had already fallen on Sophie. His experience made him seem more composed than anyone else, and this impression often formed subconsciously, making him seem more reliable in times of crisis.

"Brandor?" Roman also asked.

Sophie turned around and gave her a reassuring smile.

"We need to prepare for the worst." Then he turned to look at them, intending to dispel their naive mindset.

He had done this before. In the guild, new players often went to the battlefield with an optimistic attitude, but once they faced setbacks, they would fall into confusion and helplessness, quickly collapsing in the face of experienced teams.

The gap between players wasn't as large as imagined; the key was the mindset.

And as experienced players, they had to give these new players a heads-up.

"The worst-case scenario?"

Sophie was about to speak when a rustling sound came from the forest. Everyone looked in that direction, but only Freya frowned and called out to a patch of heather, "Joson?"

"It's me, Captain Freya."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But Sophie quietly waved to the ponytailed girl, signaling her to be on alert. Freya saw his gesture and was slightly stunned but quickly understood—Eruin's militia training did not allow for leaving one's post without permission.

And Sophie had absolute faith in the military discipline of Eruin's militia. Although these young people were naive, it didn't mean they could forget the basic rules they had drilled daily.

The battlefield allowed no room for any negligence—

"What happened, Joson?" Freya asked, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"S-Sorry, leader, I-I was caught..."

The heather 'rustled' and two people emerged. The first was a pale-faced young man, his face in a grimace, his hands raised high.

And a necromancer followed closely behind, pointing at the young man's head with its fingertips, its eye sockets glowing with green fire as it surveyed the others.

"Hehe, caught a bunch of little rats."

Everyone was stunned.

"Joson!"

"How could you—"

Then a chorus of disbelieving voices.