Chapter 65

I decided to take only Kou, so I prepared for it. I wrote down detailed signals and instructions for the slaves on a piece of paper.

Rain and Kou would hide their faces with hooded cloaks and wear masks over their faces. Since Rain and Kou have blonde hair, I would change mine to brown and Kou's to silver.

"Silver really suits you, Kou."

"Thank you. You look good too, Master Rain."

"Really?"

"Yes."

I took it as a compliment.

The masks had no particular designs, but wearing such an outfit always boosted my middle schooler heart and raised my spirits. I also brought several magical tools.

When the preparations were almost complete, Rondo contacted me again.

"Shall we go?"

He said, and I got into a carriage that was made so that no one could see inside, with Kou.

Looking back with my Divine Eye, I saw that Sukuna and the others were bowing deeply.

Then, the carriage moved, and we entered the royal castle. There was no body check at the gate, as we had permission, and we passed through without any issues.

When we got out of the carriage, it wasn't soldiers but members of the Mage Corps who were there.

"We have been waiting for you. This way, please."

They led us to a meeting room on the first floor instead of upstairs.

When we opened the door, Rondo, the Knight Commander, the Mage Corps Commander, over ten members of the Mage Corps, and the admiral of the recent naval battle were there.

"Excuse me."

I said and entered the room.

"We've been waiting for you! Ah, you can trust everyone here," Rondo said, and Pretaria added,

"Yes! The members of the Mage Corps here are from our family lineage. They would never betray us."

"Then..."

I and Kou took off our hoods.

"It's been a while, Knight Commander and Mage Corps Commander. I am Rain Duk de Orion. Nice to meet you, members of the Mage Corps. Please remember me."

I bowed, and one of the Mage Corps members stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you! My name is Libert Sorcery de Corido. It's an honor to meet someone like you."

He was very respectful.

(Such respect...)

In this family, age doesn't matter because magical talent is not related to age. They respect talent and ability, so it's natural for them to show respect to Rain, whose talent they partially know.

"Um, Rain, why did you bring Kou?"

"Ah, yes. In case of an emergency, we need to receive instructions."

I was going to explain it later, but I was asked first. They probably wanted to clear up any doubts.

"What do you mean? A signal flare?"

"No, we won't use something that can be easily detected. Kou and Mei can exchange statuses, so we thought we could use that as a signal."

"I don't understand."

"If the enemy's forces move, we'll transfer STR to indicate retreat, VIT for further retreat, and AGI for executing the plan. You can give us instructions that way. For other instructions and information, please ask Mei."

Thinking about the inconvenience of not having a communication method, I came up with this idea. The distance is unlimited, there's no risk of interception, and I would immediately notice any status changes. As expected, everyone was stunned.

"Wh-what... That could fundamentally change the way wars are fought!"

The ability to instantly understand and act on a plan is revolutionary, and no one here failed to understand its significance. They were probably amazed that a mere six-year-old could come up with such an idea.

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant! As expected of someone with a hero-level skill! My family, pay attention! This is what a hero is!"

"Yes!" they all responded in unison.

Rain, however, looked exhausted.

This is just the result of knowledge from my previous life. Anyone who knows the importance of communication from their previous life would eventually think of this. He was even wondering why he hadn't thought of it before.

"No, it's not that significant."

(Really, it's not that significant.)

Rondo calmed down the excited Pretaria.

"Alright, Pretaria, calm down. Time is precious. Rain, well done. It's a groundbreaking idea.

Now, let's get to the strategy meeting! Rain and Kou don't know this, but a patrol ship just returned. They reported that a fleet of about 500 ships, likely from the Empire, is heading this way from the north. It's fewer than expected, but it confirms Rain's prediction. Therefore, we will proceed with the plan.

I, Rondo, will command 15,000 sailors and 15,000 regular soldiers on 300 large ships to defend.

The ground reinforcements will be led by Rie德拉, with Rain and Kou, 18 members of the Mage Corps, and 12,000 naval soldiers on 270 medium-sized ships. They will travel north by a roundabout route to avoid being detected. Rain, hiding the ships is your responsibility, as per the plan."

"I'll take care of it."

It's a last-minute plan, but it should work. I've already told Mei the signal for emergencies. If anything happens, I can inform Mei through Kou.

"The chains are being prepared urgently. Pretaria, how much longer will it take?"

"Don't worry. We're already 80% done. We've mobilized all the earth mages we can trust, so the strength and durability are not a problem. We'll have them ready by tonight."

We needed more chains, so we had them made with earth magic. A considerable number of people must have been gathered.

"Good!

The Knight Commander will command the land forces. If it comes to a fight, we have to retreat, so the land battle is up to you!"

"Don't worry. Our land forces are not weak! Focus on the front!"

He stated firmly.

(He seemed unreliable the last time I saw him...

It depends on the situation, I guess.)

In my previous life, I've seen people who are usually laid-back but become incredibly serious when it matters, so I accepted it easily.

"Yes! I'm counting on you!

The other detailed explanations will be given individually! We'll adjourn until tonight!"

The meeting ended.

Only Rain and Rondo remained in the meeting room.

"Father, you've worked hard."

"You too."

There was a moment of silence.

"Still..."

Rain spoke.

"Why did the Empire suddenly start a war?"

He voiced his long-standing question.

"Ah, the previous emperor was incompetent, and a prolonged famine created an opportunity for other countries to attack. During the war, the emperor changed, and things were a mess. The current emperor, who has level 8 magical talent and can be called a near-hero, sent them to the front lines and managed to push back the enemy. However, that didn't improve the domestic situation."

I knew this much. What came next was new.

"Most likely, they set their sights on the Elven country in the north. The Elves have powerful magic and valuable trees that grow only along the coast. The Elven country is known to have many other valuable items that are not found elsewhere. They probably want those."

The Elves do not have diplomatic relations. They neither export nor import, maintaining a complete isolationist policy. They are considered the strongest race in the forest, making invasion difficult.

"They probably want to attack from the adjacent land rather than the sea. No matter how much time they spend preparing for war, they won't notice. If they are the strongest in the forest, they will surely prepare to prevent it. I feel sorry for Luminon for such a reason."

That is indeed pitiful. But there's something I don't understand.

"Is it okay to break the alliance for such a reason?"

"No, the alliance is just in name. It's actually just a non-aggression pact with one-sided conditions. There are plenty of reasons to break it."

I see...

"But didn't they lose last time? Do they still have the strength to fight?"

"I don't know! They should have lost 80,000 in that war. How could they be ready to fight again in ten years? I don't understand the great powers."

"If you don't understand, that's a problem."

"I know. I'm telling you because you're family. I wouldn't say I don't understand to a third party. But they are sending troops, and that's the most important thing right now. We can investigate thoroughly after we defeat them. Make sure you get enough rest until tonight! This plan depends on you."

"Understood. I'll take my leave then."

Saying that, Rain also left the room.