To tell the truth, the same thing had happened the day before yesterday.
Shera had expanded the map inside the room of the hotel where they would talk about the strategy.
In front of her, Leonard and Alan were looking at her as she traced the map.
“We will go through the forest highway, and perform night attack…”
“W-Wait… Isn"t that bad?!” Alan immediately stopped her.
“What"s the problem?”
“There has been a legend in this forest since ancient times. At night, hairy giants would loiter around inside the forest. It is a scary creature where they would bite off humans head they catch…”
Alan said those words while trembled as if he had seen the monster himself.
Even when Leonard told him it was a myth, he still shakes his head violently…
“I heard that from my nursing mother. My grandfather seems to have performed a nasty experiment… He placed a hooked collar"s key on a tree branch and ordered a servant to go to get it inside the forest after the sunset. The man who needs money to buy medicine for his ill daughter could not help but follow the grandfather order who promised that his daughter would see a doctor. What do you think the result is?”
“How sad… He didn"t come back, right?”
Shera replied with a disgusted face.
“That"s right! By the next morning, the people search for him, and they could only found his dead body. What left was only the collar he wore attached on his bones!”
Alan explained in fear.
“He was just being attacked by a group of wolves, you know?” Shera concluded.
“Since you have never seen it, you could say that—”
“But Alan-sama also never seen it too right?”
“Khuu… T-That"s true…”
“I also think the cause of that is wolves, you know?”
“d.a.m.n you guys, are you trying to gang up on me?! Aren"t I your close friend?!”
Due to the same thing being said by Leonard and Shera, Alan turned sour.
It didn"t have anything to do with ‘siding with the girls", they had been taught by Rozalia since an early age that in this world –probably– there were no G.o.ds, monsters, or demons…
“I don"t think monsters existed, you know?” Rozalia"s beloved disciple, Shera, shares her thought… “However, the story where you would be attacked by demons or monsters if you entered the forest at night– Such story were scattered across the continent…”
“Hou… Across the continent, huh?”
Leonard was curious about it, Alan, who faced the other side, was also raised his ears, listening…
“It is definitely not because of monsters but, it is also true that the forest in the night is very dangerous…”
Humans are not very good at night since their sense of vision and direction had become dull… Thus if they step carelessly, they might easily get lost and cannot get out of the forest. And because of the darkness, sometimes they might fall into the waters and drowned. But the scariest of all was the wolves. If a person were being targeted, the person wouldn"t be able to escape.
“That is why people had repeatedly told the others not to enter the forest at night, but not many would be convinced with just that. Some people won"t even take it seriously…”
“That was why they frightened the others by telling the story of monsters…”
“Yes. The fiction ended up being pa.s.sed down generation after generation, long after, the reason and background story ended up being forgotten, what left is only ‘A monster would appear…"”
“Superst.i.tion…”
“That is also an aspect of legendary folklore… An unknown force that manages to move people without being visible to the naked eyes…”
“I see…” Leonard groaned… He could understand the story…
“The forest at night is indeed dangerous, but if we know how to deal with it, there"s no problem. In fact, some merchants caravan nd traveling troupe go through the forest at night without a problem… Taxes are required when they pa.s.s through the government checking point, thus if they leave at night and sneak through the forest, they won"t have to pay for it…”
Shera joked, but Leonard and Alan didn"t laugh.
Alan then speaks his objection… “I understand the story in my head, But, do you think you could convince everyone? Worse, the morale of the night would fall, you know?”
“Indeed, morale is a problem here…”
Leonard knows how important that was, since the time they had fought Admov.
Alexis soldiers who were known as brave men become weak soldiers as soon as they ran out of foods.
“What do you think?” Leonard directed his gaze at Shera.
When Shera had expanded the map and started explaining her plan, Leonard had a clue and thought ‘Is she going to propose a night attack?". He had thought that if that was the case, the distance alone was a problem…
And the biggest problem was this.
What kind of a plan did she have to expel the childhood horror story from the knights" heart?
Shera responded to his gaze with a mischievous smile…
“An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. Legendary folklore for legendary folklore—…”
That answer would take personification now…
More than 500 knights gathered inside the mayor"s mansion.
All of them pressed Leonard to change his mind.
“If you want us to perform night attack, we should take a detour via the west side of the forest, your highness!”
“No. The travel distance in which already far, would become longer…”
Even if they had spare horses, he was anxious that the fatigue would acc.u.mulate due to the long distance. The horse legs stamina was equivalent to a lifeline for the cavalry knights…
“But then, please don"t go via the forest!”
“No, can"t do… Except going through the forest, my brother would be on alert…”
It was obvious that the spy would be sent to the provincial capital. Before the enemy spy manages to report to Chart army about the night attack, they should rush and cut the distance. If they didn"t go through via the forest, they would meet many problems… Bauman and the others should understand that if they remained calm.
Therefore, no matter how many people asked for reconsideration—
“No…”
Leonard stubbornly refuses them all.
“The night attack won"t happen unless we cut through the forest…”
He a.s.serted.
Heavy…
His voice was heavy despite being a young 18 years old…
“Remember the battle two years ago. The former Earl of Eidonia helped us without fear against the four dukes… Alan had fought side by side with us… And now, Duke d.i.n.kwood soldiers are trying to burn Eidonia in a fire. Are you going to let all of that to happen? Letting the four dukes do whatever they wanted? Don"t you have the courage to pay Eidonia back?”
“Uuuh…” “That is…”
As if the knights were being struck by the words, they faltered…
And Leonard didn"t miss that opportunity…
“The kid— Let us believe in Leonard…”
— They heard a beautiful woman voice.
The voice comes out from the ceiling could be heard by the knights all at once.
“W-Who?!” “Where are you?” “Show me your appearance!”
All of a sudden, the knights fell into chaos to the extreme while looking around.
“Above! There"s a window there!”
Shera pointed and shouted. Their gaze then turned toward where she looked.
From the aforementioned hole of the second floor…
From the east side. A large wooden window was being opened from the outside.
With the crescent moon as the background, a beautiful woman was peeking from the veranda…
Everyone forgot the hustle and bustle due to the breathtaking beauty…
The black hair that extends to her feet was shinning as if cutting the dark night sky…
Her lips were also colored black. Her sensational dress which shows her bare shoulders and chevage was black. That made her white skin stand out more…
Bathed by the moonlight, she showed a mysterious smile…
She looked like a beautiful G.o.ddess looking down on them…
“Who are you?!”
With Shera question, the beautiful woman answered gracefully…
“I"m the incarnation of the night—”
“Eeeeh?! Then, are you the G.o.ddess Nyx?!” Shera stared at her in astonishment…
It was a true performance.
After all, the beauty on the veranda was actually Dahlia.
When she asked to lend her the best actress, Dahlia had responded by saying ‘the best woman is expensive, you know?" while raising her own hand.
The other day Alan had warned him that ‘Woman could change just by using the white powder you know?", It seems that was the truth. With the help of the moonlight and the darkness, Dahlia seems to look divine like a G.o.ddess. She continued to play according to Shera"s storyline.
“Indeed, I am… And the person over there, Leonard, the bloodsucking prince of Nosferatu. My heaven-sent child…”
Her slight move when she pointed at Leonard was excellent. Adding a powerful mystical appearance that convinces the viewer…
“I give fear and darkness equally to all humans. All the demons wandering around the night was also my favorite…”
“Oh… What a scary G.o.ddess you are!” =-TLN: Holy c.r.a.p, I know they are acting but G.o.d, so embarra.s.sing, I wonder how they felt inside their heart, must be writhing and screaming… XD
Shera actions who shakes her body and trembled was also excellent.
“That child is our brethren… Therefore, that child has the divine protection of darkness that I had given…”
“That, what do you mean by that, G.o.ddess Nyx?!”
“The darkness of the world, our brethren would always side with the bloodsucking prince, Nosferatu.”
“Oh my! Are you sure?!”
“Don"t doubt. The brave knights under the night child, do not be afraid of the darkness…”
“Oh, my G.o.ddess!” Shera speaks as if overcome with emotion.
Waiting for it, Leonard then continues to speak.
“I am the bloodsucking prince, Nosferatu. I am the night child. Believe me, and follow me.”
That was also part of the storyline. His act was not as good as Shera, but everyone eyes then focused on Leonard for a moment, giving Dahlia the time to hide behind the veranda.
“Oh my! I can"t see her anymore!” Shera once again pointed out, “As expected, that is truly G.o.ddess Nyx, huh?!” Her shameless words making her act didn"t look fake at all…
“Indeed.” “That must be true…” “As expected the work of G.o.ddess…” Small mutters appeared here and there…
In the first place, the knight trusted Leonard and Shera.
Following the two people words, added Dahlia performance, making them more persuasive.
In this era, in this continent, making people believe in a superst.i.tious was alright.
It was kind of foolish, but Leonard didn"t feel any regret. It was because he had received Rozalia education in which she said ‘In order to improve morale, one or two crafty performance might be useful…"
And in his mind, if they could win, and if they could reduce the victims, anything goes…
“Let is go to war then!”
Leonard finally said those words…
That was enough.
“””Ou!”””
The knights" response was full of courage.
“All members, get ready within an hour, gather at the north side of the post town! Don"t be late!”
Bauman immediately gives out orders.
507 knights immediately left the mansion to prepare.
Only Shera left inside the mansion hall.
“I have to thank Dahlia a lot later…”
“Let Alan give her a lot of money later…”
Shera laughed happily…
Leonard stared at that smile…
She had arranged all of the settings for him. From here on, it was his domain.
‘I will go. And I will win."
“Of course, I believe in you. Leo-sama.”
She said those words while serving him a drink.