“Sigh……”
Under the autumn sky, Wendy stood alone atop the towering walls of Sunset Fortress, gazing toward the northern canyon, and let out his seventeenth sigh.
Below the city walls, countless figures bustled about.
The soldiers were sharpening swords and carrying rolling stones and battering rams; the civilians, under the organization of General Sera, carefully transported basket after basket of black powder to their designated locations.
Everyone knew that a battle of life and death was about to begin, and all had steeled themselves for what was to come.
Yet he, the one who had proposed this strategy, was the only one whose heart was in turmoil.
This was nothing like sitting in front of a computer, commanding a bunch of pixelated characters to fight to the death.
When a soldier died in the Game, it was just a string of data disappearing; but these before his eyes were living, breathing people—sisters of flesh and blood.
If something went wrong at any step and led to their untimely deaths, Wendy feared he’d be haunted by nightmares of guilt every single night.
“I hope… nothing goes wrong.”
To keep The Game Plot on track, he had long advised Astreia and Sera to send out plenty of Scouts to scour Sunset Canyon and the alternate route through the Corrupted Marsh no less than ten times, afraid that those Orc ladies would break the script.
Just as he was lost in worry, a slender hand clad in a metal gauntlet suddenly slapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey! Wen-Wendy, what are you looking at up here on the wall all by yourself?”
Astreia’s spirited, handsome face suddenly appeared beside him.
Perhaps thinking her action had been a bit too familiar, her gaze darted away, and she asked a bit awkwardly.
From her tone, Wendy could tell that Her Highness the Princess’s tomboyishness was acting up again.
Fortunately, his heart was as seasoned as rhodium-cesium-beryllium; if it had been any other proud nobleman of this world, getting slapped on the shoulder by the Princess Royal would have been a serious affront.
“It’s nothing,” Prince Wendy steadied himself, turned his head, and put on just the right touch of melancholy.
“I just keep feeling uneasy, looking out at this canyon.”
“Uneasy?”
Astreia was taken aback, then quickly understood.
“Are you worried the strategy will fail? Don’t worry, General Sera has checked everything again and again. The amount of Gunpowder we’ve buried is enough to blow that mountain apart twice over!”
“I’m not worried about the plan itself.”
Wendy shook his head, his gaze returning to the distance, voice low and forlorn.
“I’m just thinking, in war… people always die. I’m afraid my plan will cause unnecessary casualties among the soldiers of Sunset Fortress.”
His heartfelt (or so it seemed) words made Astreia’s heart suddenly tremble.
Her Highness the Princess gazed in a daze at that breathtaking profile, caressed by the autumn breeze.
Sunlight danced in his dark blue hair, and those peach blossom eyes shone with a compassion that seemed to encompass the world.
He clearly possessed the wisdom to turn the tide of war, yet still worried for the lives of soldiers he’d never even met.
How noble!
How kind!
‘Wendy… he’s not only willing to share hardship with the soldiers, he’s even pained by the thought of their deaths…’
‘And I… I actually thought he was only worried about whether the plan would succeed or fail… I’m so… shallow!’
Guilt and tenderness, like a flood bursting through a dam, instantly drowned the heart of the Princess Royal.
She could no longer hold back.
Suddenly, she reached out with both hands, grabbed Wendy by the shoulders, and turned him to face her.
“Wendy!”
Astreia’s expression was solemn and earnest, her emerald eyes burning with the fire of “protection.”
“Though I love peace, war is sometimes unavoidable. Your plan is already nearly perfect and will keep casualties to a minimum! As for any unexpected events… let me bear them!”
“All the risks, all the uncertainties—I’ll clear them away for you!”
“All you need to do is stay safely behind me.”
Wendy stared blankly at the girl, at his own reflection in those clear eyes.
He said nothing, simply letting those strong hands grip his shoulders tightly.
Only when Her Highness, flustered by his gaze, began to look away and her cheeks flushed with a suspicious blush, did Wendy finally smile slightly, his voice so gentle it could melt water: “Astreia, you’re… unexpectedly reliable.”
With a “whoosh,” Astreia’s pretty face turned bright red, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
She protested, half-shy and half-annoyed, “W-What do you mean ‘unexpectedly reliable’?! I—I’ve always been strong!”
“Yes, yes, you’re the strongest.”
Wendy nodded with a smile, though he couldn’t help muttering inwardly.
How could you not be strong?
In the Game, after your dark transformation, you single-handedly founded the Witch Empire and became the first Big Boss to throw the entire continent into chaos!
If not for the players’ fearless charge and endless sacrifice, this world would have been conquered by you long ago, and there wouldn’t have been any Bloodline Uprising or Void Invasion after that…
But with me here, you can just relax and be my muscle-bound bodyguard. Becoming a Witch is out of the question.
“Huh? By the way, I haven’t seen Kelly around.”
After the brief romantic moment, Astreia’s mind finally came back online, and she asked curiously, “Isn’t she your bodyguard? Why are you up here on the wall alone?”
“Oh, you mean Kelly.”
Wendy snapped back to himself, a look of approval on his face.
“Astreia, you really have an eye for people. Captain Kelly truly is a diligent and responsible person.”
“She said she’s used to wielding a Pike, but up here on the narrow wall, it’s hard for her to protect me properly, so she went to the Armory to switch to a Sword and Shield.”
“But really, I’m not leaving the fortress, so I don’t need anyone by my side. For a warrior as careful and valiant as Kelly, it’d be a shame not to have her on the front lines.”
Hearing her subordinate praised so highly, Astreia was immediately filled with pride, though she scratched her head in embarrassment and grinned foolishly.
***
Dusk.
The setting sun bled across the sky.
Within Sunset Canyon, a massive force was marching forward in utter silence.
Dire Wolves, each carrying two Orc infantrywomen armed with weapons, formed a bizarre formation that defied common sense.
Yet this unit, which should have been charging like a storm, was moving at a painfully slow pace.
“Piggelu! At this rate, when will we ever reach Sunset Fortress?!”
An irritated roar shattered the silence of the canyon.
A lithe Wolf Rider commander, riding a Dire Wolf, charged from the rear to the front and angrily confronted the pig-headed commander who was looking around.
Piggelu, as she was called, merely scratched her head sheepishly, all the while scanning the towering canyon walls with wary eyes, and patiently replied, “Sharpclaw, don’t be in such a hurry. Sometimes, slow is good.”
For some reason, ever since entering this canyon, Piggelu had felt her heart pounding, as if human arrows could rain down from those cliffs at any moment.
“Good my foot!”
Sharpclaw the Wolf Rider grew even more agitated, baring her white fangs in a snarl.
“If we drag our feet until the humans are fully prepared, what’s the point of a surprise attack? Won’t that waste Lady Sara’s Strategy? Hurry up and pick up the pace!”
Just as the two were about to start arguing, a small Kobold commander hurriedly squeezed between them to smooth things over.
“Come on, there’s good in going slow and good in going fast. But since Lady Sara specifically put Piggelu in charge of the Vanguard, Sharpclaw, just follow her lead. Save your energy for the killing.”
“What? You’re just a Kobold, and you dare—”
Before Sharpclaw could explode, an Orc Scout suddenly rushed up from the front, loudly reporting that she had found a strange signal arrow on the road, and respectfully handed it to Piggelu.
Piggelu’s beady eyes narrowed.
She snatched the arrow, tore off the parchment tied to it, and quickly unfolded it to read.
After just a glance, her honest pig face became deadly serious.
Before the Wolf Rider and Kobold could ask, Piggelu immediately looked up and barked out an order in a voice that brooked no argument: “Sharpclaw! Lead your Wolf Rider Squad and advance at full speed! Seize the mouth of the canyon, secure the advantageous ground, set up defenses! Report back to me the moment you’re done!”
“Got it!”
Sharpclaw, finally allowed to let loose, grinned excitedly, called her squad, and dashed toward the canyon entrance.
Seeing this, the Kobold commander sensed something was off, sidled up to Piggelu, and asked doubtfully, “What did it say? These squiggly letters—I can’t read a single one!”
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