Act Seven: The Plan

"So, where exactly are we?"

Seamlessly taking control of the conversation, Sophie began to probe for the information he wanted. He truly felt like he had changed; in the past, he could only talk like this in games, easily controlling the rhythm of the conversation.

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

His experiences in the game were enough to make him feel like he was facing children when he was with these young people, naturally exuding a confident aura.

This confidence unconsciously influenced the others. Whether it was Freya or anyone else, they gradually felt something different. The focus of the conversation, intentionally or unintentionally, shifted to Sophie.

A few young people not far away also looked up at them—

"This is Red Pine Forest. Don't move," the ponytail girl said, taking a breath and trying to calm herself.

Sophie looked up in surprise. As expected of the future Valkyrie, she learned to regulate her emotions so quickly. However, in his opinion, she was still a bit too immature.

"Red Pine Forest?"

"Wait, how did you guys get here?" Sophie was surprised again. He remembered this place. In the game, it was called 'Dwarf Valley,' a habitat for level fourteen brown bears. But this was south of Bucci, and there was no reason for Bucci's militia to be in this direction.

"We came to find you."

"We're looking for Miss Romanee. She's Big Sister's friend."

"And Romane is a member of the Third Squad," came the chorus of voices.

"Did you drive back Madara's vanguard?" Sophie looked at Freya. This was the question that concerned him most.

"How is that possible!" The girl looked at him, puzzled, her expression as if to say, How could you ask such a stupid question? "The adults from the guard unit covered the villagers' retreat from the north. We got separated from everyone else. And there were more and more monsters on the main road, so we had to go south. Besides, I was worried about Romane..."

"So you ended up here?" Sophie felt his heart sinking.

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

Freya immediately felt something strange. This young man isn't Captain Maden. Why do I always feel like I'm a head shorter in front of him?

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

No, perhaps it should be said they were kind-hearted.

But the battlefield didn't need unnecessary kindness; it would only harm oneself.

Sophie fell silent, though his heart couldn't help but want to vomit blood. He had burned his grandfather's mansion to warn the village, but he hadn't expected history to proceed along its original course—no, to repeat itself.

There were even these reckless guys. Lady Martha, what kind of joke are you playing?

He sighed inwardly. There was so little he could change; the inertia of history couldn't be stopped by a little bit of strength. Indeed, he had to become stronger, but before that, he had to survive.

"Captain Maden, oh Captain Maden, it seems I can't save you either."

Why would Bromanto's Black Rose Madara attack the border before the May Eternal Mourning Festival? Such an obvious premeditation, wasn't it a case of "if it's not human, it must be a demon"?

Sophie's hopes had all fallen through, leaving him feeling a bit empty. He had fought desperately, only to find that he hadn't changed history at all. Such a blow was truly depressing.

But after all, it was just the strength of an ordinary person. He had done his best.

"Brando!"

He was feeling annoyed when a joyous voice rang in his ears, as cheerful as a lark. Sophie turned his head and saw the merchant lady appearing at the edge of the forest, her face filled with disbelief and joy. Another girl in gray-white leather armor was with her—she must have been the one who went to deliver the message.

Romane rushed to his side like the wind, observing him cautiously, as if afraid he would suddenly disappear.

"I knew it, Brando, you'll definitely be fine," she said, relieved and happy.

"Oh, right, Brando. Freya wouldn't let me go back to Bucci, I..." The merchant lady then began to explain anxiously, as if afraid he would be angry.

Only then did Sophie notice the two sparkling tear streaks still on her face, and his heart couldn't help but soften.

"It's okay, I'm fine now," he replied gently.

"Really?"

"Really," Sophie nodded.

"Romane, don't touch him. Mr. Brando is very badly injured," Freya couldn't help but frown. Did these two even know how serious his injuries were? He almost died, didn't he?

"It's okay." Despite saying that, Romane still stuck out her tongue and stepped back.

Sophie smiled; the merchant lady was indeed a bit temperamental. The young man looked at the two beautiful girls standing side-by-side, finding the sight pleasing to his eyes for a moment.

He suddenly realized that not everything had changed, hadn't it? The change was from another perspective. Since he arrived in this world, the world had already changed.

If he hadn't transmigrated, perhaps the merchant lady and Brando would have already met their unfortunate end. Madara's bandits had no mercy for beautiful women.

He looked at the others again, including these young people with Freya. How many of them would have survived that war?

Sophie remembered clearly that in that war, the militia and guard units on the front lines of the border were decimated, with less than one in ten surviving.

But now that he was here, perhaps history was bound to deviate. He didn't know more, but at least the people around him should be preserved. These young people were the future seeds of this kingdom...

Sophie absolutely would not allow history to repeat itself.

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

He looked at the others. Freya and these young militiamen were stunned.

Only Romane blinked playfully.

"Huh?" the ponytail girl asked, confused.

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

Silence fell around them—

"H-how did you know?" Freya was slightly startled and looked at him in surprise.

Of course I know. Not only do I know, but I've experienced it myself, Sophie thought in reply. Still, the surprised gazes around him gave him a little sense of pride.

Being a prophet does have its advantages.

However, that small bit of pride couldn't hide the worry in his heart: Madara's offensive in April was swift and thorough. He had to devise an even more thorough plan to ensure his own safety.

And these young people too.

Bucci was currently facing the flank of Madara's army. The commander of that army was the future 'Black Baron' Instaron, who would later become famous. Although that guy was currently just a young pup in his early twenties, it was from this war that the future star general would gradually begin to show his brilliance.

And what did he have? In this moment of history, he was nothing but an unknown nobody.

But Sophie understood that his only advantage at the moment was foresight. Indeed, such an advantage could save his life in the ensuing encounters—but he had to seize the opportunity.

He only had two chances.

One was to pass through the relatively safe Sharpstone River Valley. He remembered clearly that it wouldn't be until the seventeenth that Instaron's subordinate, 'One-Eyed' Tagus, would control that area.

However, it was too far, and he worried he wouldn't make it in time to break through there before the encirclement was completed. Unless he had horses, but where could he find horses for ten people now?

Therefore, there was only one path left: to break through the Dagger Riverbank area before the two squadrons led by 'Ghoul' Vesa and 'White Knight' Eberton could close in.

Until late April, that area was only garrisoned by a skeleton squad led by a Wight.

He couldn't help but touch the cold ring on his index finger. As long as he had the Wind Queen Ring, wouldn't breaking through a defense line composed of eleven skeleton soldiers and one Wight be a simple matter?

But before that, he had to make everyone in this militia squad obey his orders. This was also why he had acted so assertively from the beginning.

Sophie glanced at everyone again.

"That's a logical deduction. Anyone with even a little military common sense would reach that conclusion. Blockading the main road is to cut off communication and clear the way for their own army. The next step is to clear out the remaining forces of Eluin in this area, centering on Bucci," he said, trying to make it sound as dire as possible based on his experience. Then he paused, emphasizing his point, "That's us."

Silence, with only the sound of others gently inhaling filling the surroundings.

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

Everyone exchanged glances.

The main road to Bucci was guarded by over a dozen skeleton soldiers. They couldn't just fight their way out, could they? Although there was a certain youthful confidence that such enemies were nothing, they still felt a bit uneasy when it came to a life-or-death struggle.

Freya looked worried. She hadn't thought that far ahead when making decisions. They were called militia, but in the end, they were just a group of inexperienced young people.

The girl with the ponytail didn't speak, but her bewilderment was written all over her face.

The gazes of the others had already fallen on Sophie. Sophie's experience made him appear more composed than anyone else there. This impression was often subtle, making him seem more reliable in moments of crisis.

"Brando?" Miss Romanee also asked.

Sophie turned his head and gave her a slight smile, signaling her to relax.

"We have to prepare for the worst." Then he turned back to look at these people, intending to dispel their remaining naive mindset.

This wasn't the first time he had done this. In the guild, newcomers who were going into battle for the first time always had an optimistic outlook, and once they were hit, they would fall into a state of bewilderment, causing them to collapse quickly when facing experienced teams.

In reality, the gap between players was often not as large as imagined; the key was mindset.

And they, the veteran players, were responsible for preemptively inoculating these newcomers.

"Prepare for the worst?"

Just as Sophie was about to speak, a rustling sound suddenly came from the jungle. Everyone looked in that direction in unison. Only Freya frowned slightly and questioned the cluster of heather over there, "Josen?"

"It's me, Captain Freya."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But Sophie quietly gestured to the girl with the ponytail, signaling her to be vigilant. Freya was slightly taken aback by his gesture but quickly reacted—the Eluin militia training did not allow for arbitrarily leaving one's post.

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

The battlefield allowed for no carelessness—

"Is something wrong, Josen?" Freya asked, placing her hand on her sword hilt.

"I-I'm sorry, Big Sis, I-I got caught..."

The heather parted with a rustle, and two people emerged from behind it. The first was a pale, crestfallen young man with his hands held high.

A Wight followed closely behind, pointing its fingertips at the back of the young man's head while its green fireballs flickering in its eye sockets surveyed the others present.

"Heh heh, caught a bunch of little mice."

Everyone froze.

"Josen!"

"How could you—"

Then came a chorus of disbelief.

Unyielding's first awakened talent is called Bloodline Talent. Not every character possesses it—or rather, the protagonist wasn't aware of this.

Unyielding has two main abilities:

The first is "Hardened," which grants immunity to all physical attacks for its duration, unless the target is beheaded or their heart is damaged. It also raises willpower to 10 energy levels, allowing a creature to remain conscious for five minutes even after suffering a fatal wound or stopping breathing.

The second is "Self-Healing," which enhances the body's regenerative capabilities. However, this ability only takes effect after the injury has stabilized.

Bloodline Talents gradually strengthen as the character grows, revealing more characteristics.

(PS. Looks like the wish for a third update is going to be dashed again. Also, I've noticed many brothers aren't checking notifications. Since midday updates haven't been very effective, all normal updates will now be one chapter at midnight and one chapter at 6 PM.)