Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 86  A plan

Henry stood silent, his fingers beating rhythmically on his lips as he tried to think of a way out of this situation. It's been a few hours since he guided his team down the mountain, assuming a position where they could clearly see the way up the mountain and the forest that surrounded the mountains.

A thousand enemies were crouching inside that forest, surrounding him and closing all exit roads. It was impossible to escape from the other side of the mountain, since it was a steep precipice that ended crashing against the raging ocean. Henry could try leading them to the other mountains, but the difficult terrain and the rarefied air would make it a difficult job. Furthermore, they had little to no resources to survive an entire journey towards other peaks, meaning that apart from him, the others would probably die.

"According to Leier's reconnaissance, the enemies have brought enough food to last for a few days, which means that time is not on our side." - Henry thought as his eyes traveled towards his soldiers, assessing their situation.

He had ordered them to travel light, thinking that this would be a fast and simple mission that would take only one day. Because of that, they brought enough food for a tight and brief schedule. Their clothes were also unable to sustain for long periods of time.

"The only safe way out is to get help from the Generals, who are in the major cities. However, it would still take them at least five days to mobilize the army towards this location, even the cavalry would still take two to three days" – Henry muttered as he stopped rhythmically tapping his fingers against his lips as he deeply immersed himself into the problem - "It will be even more difficult to stall those five Fourth Stage Warriors, even more so with my limited Mana reservoir".

Henry could feel the freezing wind blowing against his face, but he didn't mind. His eyes wandered to the ground before being drawn to the peak of the mountain, where snow had accumulated itself for hundreds of years, with even a few millennia not out of the question. A dangerous plan appeared in his mind. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"There is a way."- Henry muttered, his hand dropping from his lips to gently caress the inner pocket of his ragged shirt, where a few Torch Tree Seeds were being kept inside a small pouch – "But…the probability of several soldiers' losing their lives is great, maybe half of them will die."

Henry's eyes shifted towards the soldiers. They were huddled together, recounting every detail of the huge massacre that happened on top of the mountain with a great smile in their lips. The one-sided massacre was a vengeance for Grok. The barbarian was among them, laughing heartily as he used animated gestures to illustrate how he courageously fought against the formidable enemy, stalling him until Henry arrived. A triumphant grin always adorned the barbarian's lips.

Beside him, Zahra was listening from the sidelines, her frustration evident as she muttered curses behind Grok. She sometimes even intervened, calling out his lies. However, as the soldiers listened about everything, their awe for Henry was transforming into an almost fanatical belief in their king. It was a belief that had taken root and being constantly nurtured from his incredible achievements, such as the ending of the civil war and the subjugation of the barbarians.

"There is no other way…" – Henry softly said as he relaxed his posture, finally deciding to go on with the craziest plan, but the one with the most potential to work and deal with this situation – "Leier!"

"Yes, my liege!" – Leier appeared almost magically, her slender figure and icy blue eyes materializing from the shadows, like a chameleon.

"I will need your assistance with an important plan…"- Henry said, shifting his gaze to Grok and Zahra. - "Summon the barbarian and Zahra. We will need their strength."

Henry didn't wish for his soldiers' death, but sometimes he had to get things done, without worrying about the repercussions. The job of a leader was to lead with great confidence, one that wouldn't let his soldiers quiver.

-x-

Somewhere near Luak's newly established makeshift campsite, Zuna engaged in a sparring match against one of her captains while wielding a small, straight-bladed sword with swift. Her movements were swift as she utilized the snow beneath her feet, sliding and closing the distance with her sparring partner. Without losing momentum, she twisted her body and slashed forward, creating a graceful arc and infusing her strike with both strength and speed. There was a greenish hue surrounding her sword.

The captain felt as if Zuna's sword was moving in slow motion, allowing him to easily sidestep and counter it with a swift upward swing that precisely struck the pommel of Zuna's weapon, sending it flying through the air until it pierced a tree. The captain's sword gleamed dangerously until the cold blade came to a stop right at Zuna's neck, leaving her unable to do anything.

"You lost!" - The captain said, wearing a satisfied smile, feeling good about teaching this woman a hard lesson. She had dared to interrupt his small nap, commanding him to step towards the Forest and to fight spar against her.

"It certainly appears that way"- Zuna replied, her gaze sweeping across the desolate surroundings as she pushed the sword away from her throat. She didn't mind losing against this man, even more so knowing that his main weapons was a sword and hers was a bow.

For a brief moment, a dark idea flooded the captain's mind as he thought about silencing this woman, beheading her, and then reporting it as a wild animal's attack. He wanted to beat this woman, who had daringly conducted him so far away for a spar. He wasn't a teacher, he was a great noble of Luak.

"Let's return"- Zuna said, retrieving her sword, its blade marked with tips from the sturdy grey wood of the tree, and sheathed it. She considered herself fortunate that her sword was crafted from Cold Steel; otherwise, it might have been chipped or even dulled.

The captain watched as the woman walked back toward the camp, his grip on the sword handle tightening before he finally relaxed it. He knew he couldn't kill her without the news reaching the king, who might retaliate against his family or strip him of his noble status. With a sense of frustration, the captain sheathed his sword and followed behind the woman, his desire to harm her burning within. Zuna could sense the hostile intentions of all the captains, but she remained unfazed.

Luak's camp was situated in a clearing that afforded a clear view of the path leading to the mountain. Zuna had instructed her soldiers to dig traps in the earth, planning for contingencies, in case the bandits ran away from the mountain. Zuna and the captain's reappearance didn't seem to catch anyone's eyes. The soldiers were working tirelessly, chopping down trees, honing the logs into sharpened staked and assembling a few wooden tents.

Amidst the controlled chaos, a roaring fire blazed at the center of the camp as a few soldiers lifted a heavy pot and brought it towards the flames, ready to start cooking for everyone. Although the north held a strong patriarchal culture, during times of war, the women were mostly responsible for treating the injured, with the responsibility of cooking handed to the men.

"Commander! Commander!" – A shout echoed through the controlled chaos as a rat-like man ran crazily towards Zuna, the same one that had led them to this place. "There are news! I found them! I found them! I have spotted one of the demons walking on the path leading to the mountain's peak."

This information fell like lightning on Zuna's head as she immediately caught the man's shoulders, pinching them so hard that the man had to force himself not to scream out of pain. He could see a dangerous raging fire emanating from Zuna's eyes.

"Did he see you?" – Zuna asked, her eyes glinting coldly.

"No!" – The man said, gritting his teeth in pain - "I was only scouting through the beginning of the mountain's path, and as soon as I spotted his figure, I hid myself among the pile of snow. There was no way for him to have seen me."

"For them to be scouting this region, it means that Elton has probably died"- Zuna said, letting go of the man as she thought - "It's too dangerous to dive into the mountains. We should wait here until they move out of that mountain. We will set an ambush here and kill all of them in a single strike."

"Captain!" - Zuna called out to the man who had just won the duel and was still walking behind her - "I want you to inform the others that we need to advance with the traps. We're going to place them closer to the mountain's path. We have the time. We won't fall into their trap like Elton did."

The captain clenched his fists and spoke between gritted teeth, "Commander, Elton must have already weakened them considerably. We outnumber them. I believe we should charge into the mountain and hunt them down."- He spoke with conviction in both his power and the strength of his army.

"No," Zuna said, not bothering to explain herself. "Just do as I told you. It's an order!"

"But—" The captain began to protest angrily, but Zuna silenced him with a raised hand and a cold, commanding stare, putting an end to the conversation.

"It's an order, and if you dare to disobey or question me again, you might incur the king's wrath," she said, her eyes fixed threateningly on the man, leaving him with no choice but to comply.

"Yes!" – He said.