Chapter 222: The Warriors of the Village
Every single elf and demi-human standing before Ryan fell into a thick, heavy silence.
No one moved a single muscle. They took a few long, tense seconds to process the situation before responding to the request their leader had just made.
Ryan evaluated them from his current position without saying a word, keeping his cold green eyes fixed steadily upon the gathered crowd.
The freezing wind blew through the entire area, kicking up clouds of dust from the dry earth and rustling the garments worn by the exiled elves.
And it was exactly then when the profound quiet of the training grounds was broken by a thick, deep burst of laughter.
"Ha ha ha. It seems that we will finally stop hiding ourselves." A tall elf said, stepping forward to break away from the front formation.
The man stretched his body out, popping the joints in his neck and shoulders while a savage smile formed across his pale face.
"I volunteer myself, Your Majesty, and I will gladly massacre those demons that have caused us so much trouble."
"He is the captain of the elven guard." Irina added as she watched the man step forward.
Following his firm declaration, the flattened dirt of the training grounds rumbled under a sudden shift in weight.
Hundreds of elves advanced to the front at the exact same time, stomping the ground with a sense of unwavering resolve.
A new, solid attack line formed to separate the active combatants from the ordinary civilians, leaving behind only the older elves, the frightened children, and the women.
"One hundred and seventy-two elves, and forty demi-humans." Alicia called out in a loud voice.
The wolf assistant was jotting down the exact numbers on the pages of a small leather notebook, moving her hand with immense speed.
’More of them stepped up than I thought would have the courage to do this. But I suppose that is normal; for them, this represents the perfect opportunity to pay back all the damage and humiliation they have suffered.’
Ryan thought to himself, watching them line up while a clear smile of satisfaction formed across his face. During the days that Ryan had spent alongside them, they had suffered many attacks from Rigal’s demons, and if not for Ryan and his party, all these people would have already disappeared without leaving a single trace behind.
"Your Majesty, every one of them is an A-rank." Irina said, taking a slow step to place herself by Ryan’s side while looking at her kin with evident pride.
"And the members of my race are also all A-rank, Your Majesty. I assure you that they will be of great help." Alicia added, snapping her notebook shut and raising her eyes.
"It seems they are quite fired up." Mirian added, resting a hand upon her hip while flashing a half-smile.
"Yes, I am counting on that. Besides, I believe there is something I can do to increase the survival chances for every single one of them." Ryan responded, nodding his head toward his gathered forces.
"What sort of thing, Your Majesty?" Alicia asked with evident curiosity, twitching her furry ears forward.
There was a specific plan he had not yet had the chance to develop, but seeing that Mika and Runa had made so much progress with the relic, the possibility existed that they could also implement another one of their leader’s crazy ideas.
"You will find out in a little while, although, it is quite probable that she will die in the process." Ryan said in an ironic manner, letting a somber tone slip into his voice that chilled the girls’ blood for a brief moment.
"By the way, I do not see them around here." Ryan commented, scanning the vast crowd to note the absence of two fundamental pieces of his party.
"Ah, are you referring to Miss Runa and Miss Mika?" The assistant asked.
"That is right, are they still working inside the blacksmith workshop?" He inquired, furrowing his brow.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The demi-human confirmed immediately. "When you told me to gather everyone, it seemed more efficient to let them keep working in the shop. I will take charge of informing them about everything later." Alicia added, justifying her flawless logistics.
"That decision seems the most convenient to me, especially because I do not plan to bring them out to fight." Ryan affirmed, giving his approval to the action. Risking the dwarf and the alchemist out on the bloody snowy frontlines would be a massive waste of tactical resources.
That was even more true when considering that their specific capabilities were not based on physical combat, but rather on their accumulated knowledge.
"It seems you have everything under control around here. I will pass this information along to my Lady Ophelia." Ivis added from behind, crossing her arms over her chest and preparing to open her telepathy network.
"Alright." Ryan responded.
He shifted his stance and turned around to face the enormous group of warriors who waited stoically before him.
He extended his right fist straight forward, showing them the unwavering strength of his personal conviction.
"I am counting on all of you in this battle that is about to come."
Once his words were spoken, every single one of the gathered warriors raised their own right fist toward the sky in a powerful war cry that shook the entire village.
"Yes!"
After the loud echo of the shout faded away into the surrounding forest, Ryan shared the strategic details of the upcoming plans with everyone.
He explained that they would launch their attack by taking advantage of the enemy forces’ massive deployment, striking right as Rigal’s beasts moved to attack Demon King Rohan’s territory.
They would use that impending collision of kings to serve as their perfect mantle of cover.
He noted that he, working alongside Queen Ophelia, would take charge of facing the main opposing forces in a direct clash.
Meanwhile, the rest of the elven and demi-human warriors would take on the task of massacring the demons starting from the Principality rank down to wiping out the lowest infantry legions.
He also explained that Ophelia commanded a much larger number of troops than Ryan currently possessed, and that they would make a direct intervention against the Infernal high command.
However, he clarified that this was only one part of the overarching plan.
Or put another way, it was a method to simplify the strategy for the general masses, because the real and genuinely dark plan would unfold when the exact moment arrived for them to infiltrate the enemy lines.
After making the tactical positions and the impending bloodshed perfectly clear, Ryan brought the meeting to a definitive close.
He bid his farewells to the council elders and the gathered inhabitants of the village.
He exited the training grounds and set off at a brisk pace toward the blacksmith workshop to check on Runa and Mika, accompanied by Mirian, Irina, and Ivis, who walked in silence right by his side.
