Chapter 142 Militaily Preparation

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The meeting with Isaac proved fruitful as we gained valuable insight into the human judicial system. As Isaac had mentioned, when we scouted the human citadel behind the fort, it remained pristine. However, the surrounding area, particularly the farmer village on the outskirts, was devoid of any living humans.

"This is going to be a problem," Lily said, frowning with her chin resting on her interlaced fingers. I swished my tail up and down, expressing agreement.

"How so? The castle seemed fine," the elven knights remarked. Lily looked at them, tilting her head, and wondered, "Are they really graduates from the academy?"

"They simply didn't care about humans. That's all. If something like this had happened within the elven village or castle, there would have been an uproar. It violates the food security law and undermines the basic life of elves and tailfolk," I replied, hanging my tail while swaying them in sorrow.

"I see."

"Lord Lily, if I may be so bold, we have been away from Fort Soleil for three days now. I'm afraid Lord Alistar and Lord Streiss at the fort might be worried about us," the elves voiced their concern.

"Very well. Let's return," Lily said, turning her horse back towards the city and heading towards the elven country. "All of you, let's return and scout the area for any straggler undead."

"Yes, ma'am."

We encountered a few Vargmuth and skeleton archers on our way back. Dealing with them posed no trouble. Lily tilted her head as she observed the undead archers, noticing that they were notably worse than the first time we encountered them. Was it because we had leveled up? Or had the archers actually become worse in terms of their aim? After all, their arrows could miss now, unlike the previous encounter when one hit Rick as we rode across the plain.

"Is it just me, or do those archers seem worse than the first time we saw them?"

"Yes, these archers are much worse than our first encounter. That's why we've been able to hold out for this long despite the daily attacks. They have become slower and less accurate with their shots," the elven knights and tailfolk mercenaries confirmed our suspicion.

"Why is that?"

"We don't know. Sometimes the monsters seem more degraded than usual. Like the Vargmuth becoming smaller or slower. We assume it's because the undead leader prioritizes quantity over quality. That's why they can launch daily attacks."

"I see."

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"Of course, it's just an assumption."

"I see."

Upon our return to the fort, everyone cried tears of joy. Captain Streiss had already arranged for scouts to search for us the next day and was relieved to be able to cancel that assignment. Getting lost in the undead zone or encountering humans was a near-death experience 90 percent of the time.

"Greetings, Lord Lily. I assume your delayed arrival during scouting indicates you have valuable intel to share with us?" Alistar grimaced as he questioned us. Upon seeing us uninjured, he let out a sigh of relief, and his previously frustrated tone now carried a hint of relief.

"Yes, this is what happened in the human country," Lily began her storytelling. She explained her meeting inside the human fortress and how the fort commander, Isaac, informed her about the fate of the adjacent cities. All the elves grimaced at such cruel decisions, clearly lacking in conscience. Out of frustration, most of them had mocked the nobles who had abandoned their outskirt villages to the undead in order to secure themselves.

Alistar inquired whether the humans' situation was dire enough to warrant such cold, rational decisions. However, Lily remarked that such behavior was normal for humans. Nobles on the human side were often selfish, and it only took a few undead sightings at their doorstep for them to abandon all reason and rush to gather every available troop to defend their homes.

"Hmm... Now, this is the important part. Lord Lily, what will you do with those humans?"

"I plan to send them to Edenthal to work as farmers. They will be under Mattheus' command," Lily answered concisely. Frowns appeared on everyone's faces. They did not like humans, but outright killing them scratched their pride and morale. Lily offering them an easy way out was a godsend. She also emphasized that humans would be treated like slaves. It was easy for her to say so. Slaves in the elven country meant receiving a minimum wage or an iron wage. The humans would not be worked to death, and they could survive, albeit barely scraping by day to day.

"I see. If you are ready to house these refugees, I suppose we wouldn't have any complaints. Am I right, gentlemen?" Alistar looked at the other captains, and they nodded heavily. Deep down, they wanted these humans to suffer but couldn't openly express it.

One captain attempted to complain, but Alistar simply waved him off, saying, "Curb your vengeance. If Lily, who has personally felt oppressed by humans, can forgive them, why can't we?"

"Next on our agenda today will be our tactics during the undead assault. You may already know this, but you need to carry a device to attract the undead to your location," Alistar stated. "You will be accompanied by over a hundred tailfolk cavalry."

"Wait, if I carry the beacon, what about you? Isn't my magic most effective against the undead?" Alarm bells rang in my head. Why had Alistar made this decision?

"Hm... How should I put this? Because you are the best, we believe it would be fitting to give you the most challenging task. Meanwhile, while you carry out your duty, Edelweiss and I, with over five hundred elite elven troops, will launch an assault, leaving this fortress with only a hundred elven troops and the tailfolk army. That is the plan."

"I see, relying on our horseriding abilities, huh?"

"Ah, and Lhorne will accompany you. The beacon is small enough to be shot with an arrow. So once you get far enough into human territory, you can drop the five beacons in several areas and then return here."

"Alright..."

"The beacons will arrive in a week, while the mithail will come in a month. Be prepared, gentlemen. If we lose this fight, we will lose everything."

"Yes, sir."

"The meeting is dismissed. Man, the walls, for we must defend them for a month. We don't know what the undead will bring, but we must endure it," Alistar declared, and the meeting adjourned as we went to our posts.