Chapter 269: Victory is a Side Reward (6)

The second strategy meeting was held the day after Hissop returned. The vassals were offering ideas and exchanging opinions with more enthusiasm than the day before.

Surprisingly, Keter and Daat didn’t jump into the discussion; they simply listened.

“Not a bad plan.”

“Yes, solid. Nothing particularly flawed. Quite standard.”

Sefira had certainly relied on Keter in many ways, one being taking initiative, but that didn’t mean they were incompetent in all other respects.

Despite being thrown into war so suddenly, they calmly laid out various strategies and debated them. It was clear this wasn’t something prepared in just a day or two, but something they had been planning for a long time.

Even to Keter, who had grown accustomed to warfare, and to Daat, who had never experienced war firsthand but had mastered its theory, the strategies the vassals were forming were quite respectable.

“It’s the best strategy they can make with archers, but... It’s very different from the Liqueur method.”

“No, Dork. It’s not even close to the best they can do as archers.”

The vassals were too immersed in their debate to hear them, and Keter and Daat continued talking without minding them.

“You can explain the archery parts, Big Brother, and I’ll handle the strategic side. So, how should we fight: Liqueur-style or Sefira-style?”

“Mix the two. Half and half.”

“Haha, knew you’d say that.”

Snap!

Keter snapped his fingers. Since the sound carried mana, the bustling vassals stopped talking and turned toward him.

“Big Brother Hissop, could Dork and I have a few words with you?”

Hissop nodded, as he had been expecting exactly that. Actually, he had been wondering why Keter had stayed quiet for so long.

“Go ahead.”

“The strength of archers lies in range, especially Sefira’s archers. Even our soldiers can casually hit a target at one hundred meters, and knights can hit targets three hundred meters away. But as I was listening to your plan, I realized that you are limiting engagement distance to about half of that. Why?”

For an archer trained in bowmanship, hitting a target thirty meters away qualified one as a marksman. The average person would struggle to hit even a ten-meter target. However, Sefira’s archers, each trained to a level worthy of being called elite, were all deeply skilled in archery. For them, one hundred meters was an effortless shot.

Hissop showed no hesitation in answering Keter’s question.

“As you said, our archers can shoot farther than others. But that doesn’t mean they can always hit. And unlike you, we can’t maintain aura over long distances. That’s why we set our engagement distances at fifty meters and two hundred meters—half the maximum range for our soldiers and knights. At that distance, we maintain over eighty percent accuracy, and the aura retains enough strength to matter.”

Hissop had no real war experience, but these numbers were the distilled result of hundreds and thousands of experiments. He knew that Keter would have a hard time arguing against them.

However, Keter simply wagged his finger from side to side.

“That assumes we’re fighting on flat ground, doesn’t it?”

At that, Hissop glanced toward the knight commanders. They nodded, confirming that the tests and records assumed flat terrain.

“Keter, I see where you’re going. You mean we should fight from higher ground, but the enemy knows that. They simply won’t fight us where we have the advantage.”

“All of what you said is wrong.”

“Hm?”

“If we seize the high ground, we will win. And even if the enemy refuses to engage, then we make it so they have to.”

“...?!”

Neither Hissop nor the knight commanders with decades of archery experience understood what he meant.

Keter turned to Panir, the only one here who had experienced actual war.

“Elder Panir, you’ve shot arrows from fortress walls before, haven’t you?”

“I have enough experience; I’ve shot thousands of arrows.”

“How did it feel? Did the arrows fly farther?”

“Haha, no lunatic notices those things during war. However, I realized after the war ended that my arrows flew farther and hit harder than usual.”

“Exactly. If a wall is about twenty meters tall, an arrow’s speed and range nearly double compared to being fired from flat ground. And with favorable wind, the range can increase up to fivefold. For an archer, taking the high ground isn’t just advantageous—it’s decisive.”

“I agree with you, but as the deputy patriarch said, even if we defend from our walls, it’s pointless if the enemy refuses to approach.”

“As I said, we can make it impossible for them not to approach.”

“I don’t think we’ll be able to create that kind of situation unless we take hostages.”

Sefira did have walls, but they only surrounded the main estate and nearby residences, and even then, they were barely ten meters tall, which was only half the height needed for an ideal high-ground advantage.

Moreover, the basics of a siege required waiting for the enemy’s supplies to run out or for their stamina to break, and with the overwhelming support Bydent received, such a situation was practically impossible.

The other elders also tried to imagine any scenario where a siege would benefit them, but none could find one.

However, Keter grinned and continued. “Think outside of the box. Why do you all assume that we would defend in Sefira?”

“...What?”

“Huh?!”

Tap.

Keter pointed at a spot on the map on the table. It was the main mansion in Bydent territory.

“We’ll be defending from Bydent. It’s densely packed with buildings over twenty meters tall,” Keter announced.

“...?!”

“W-what kind of strategy is that?!”

“That’s impossible, Lord Keter!” shouted the commander of the Holy Knights.

He was the loudest and most against the idea. Keter turned to him.

“Why do you think it’s impossible?”

“B-because our archers haven’t been trained in infiltration, but also because a bow and arrows in quivers make a lot of noise. Even if we somehow seize the rooftops of these buildings, each archer can only carry thirty arrows. Once they’re gone, our forces will be surrounded in the heart of enemy territory!”

Though the commander was flustered, he still stated his argument clearly, and it was solid enough that all the vassals acknowledged it. Even Keter nodded in satisfaction.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

“But Bydent will think exactly the same thing, right? They would never imagine Sefira’s archers sneaking in, occupying their rooftops, and raining arrows from above.”

“War requires anticipating every possibility, but no one is going to plan for meteors falling from the sky.”

Keter’s idea was as absurd as a meteor strike.

And at that moment...

Bang!

The conference hall doors burst open as Volkanus and his blacksmiths entered, pushing covered carts.

“Blacksmith Volkanus?!”

“What are those carts?”

Volkanus, who had skipped the meeting, arrived with wagons covered in cloth. Keter exchanged glances with him.

Is it ready, Grandpa Midget?

Volkanus pointed at his dark circles.

Do my eye bags answer your question, Bumpkin?

* * *

In his previous life, Keter had experienced war alone, and through that, he gained an immense amount of knowledge. What he felt most keenly was that even engineering had a transcendental realm.

Everyone knew that the material of a weapon or armor mattered—wood was inferior to steel, steel to amantir, and amantir to orichalcum. But if someone claimed that how the weapon was made could decide the outcome of battles and wars, most would never believe it.

The people who shattered that notion were the Baen Kingdom, known as the nation of engineering. They were the ones who created Titan, which was armor that was mountable. It was considered the pinnacle of arcane engineering.

Keter had fought this in his previous life, and he was horrified. The rider inside the Titan was only a three-star knight, yet fighting it felt like fighting a Grandmaster.

The power of engineering didn’t stop there. Portable gear would pop out at unpredictable moments and catch Keter off guard. In battle, the smallest differences decided victory or defeat—even more so during war. Therefore, Keter believed that developing new weapons was crucial, and he pushed Volkanus into complete obsession with engineering, going so far as to promise him unlimited support.

And the result was the equipment now brought into the conference hall.

“What in the world are these?”

“I can’t even guess their purpose!”

When Volkanus unveiled the carts, all people saw were short and long sticks. It was completely unidentifiable by appearance alone.

But Keter had already seen them before, so he grabbed one and began a demonstration immediately.

“This is a bow.”

When he pressed the button, barely noticeable except by touch, curved limbs sprang out from each end of the rod, forming a bow. Just by holding it, Keter could immediately grasp its quality.

“It may not look impressive, but it has all the strength and flexibility of a proper bow. And on top of that, its length is fully adjustable.”

The length adjustment was manual; pulling the bow up and down extended it.

“Amazing! A stick turning into a bow?!”

“Can it return to its original form?”

Keter pressed the button again, expecting it to recollapse, but nothing happened.

However, Volkanus jumped in, “I accounted for the possibility of pressing it by accident in battle. You have to press a bit longer. Like that.”

Like he said, holding the button longer made the bow fold inward on its own, shrinking small enough to fit into a pocket—it was lightweight and compact.

The blacksmiths handed out the rods to the vassals, letting them try for themselves.

While they examined the bows in awe, Keter approached Volkanus.

“I knew you could do it, Grandpa.”

“You were practically ready to drag in another dwarf if I couldn’t. I wouldn’t stand for that.”

“How is mass production going? Did it work?”

“Mass production is impossible at this stage. Everything still must be made by hand. But with the manpower we have, we managed to craft about a hundred so far.”

“Hm... should I bring in more dwarves?”

“Hey, bring a hundred ancient dwarves if you want—none will surpass me. I needed three enlightenments just to make this. One for lightening it, one for the button mechanism, and one for optimizing it!”

Seeing Volkanus’ veins bulge, Keter stroked his chin.

I can’t pour in any more money or human manpower than this, so bringing in more dwarves is the only option... but that would really hurt Grandpa Volkanus’ pride.’

Sentiment aside, Volaknus was the only true expert in bows and arrows in the world. Even if Keter brought a hundred other dwarves, none would match his mastery.

If I get greedy right now, I am going to lose all that I have. I’ll leave it for now.

Until now, Keter had been pushing Volkanus only to draw out his potential. And now, that potential had fully awakened. Pushing him any further would accomplish nothing except hurting his feelings, and Keter wasn’t foolish enough to do something like that.

“You worked hard, Grandpa Volkanus. Among the dwarves I know, you’re the best.”

“W-what’s with you suddenly?”

Volkanus stepped back, creeped out. Keter grinned.

“What do you mean? I just like you. Should I give you a kiss?”

“You’re crazy! Pay me instead!”

“Doesn’t work, huh.”

As Keter and Volkanus bickered, the elders inspected the new weapons. Collapsible bows were not the only new weapons Volkanus presented—he also brought miniature arrows and a dedicated quiver.

Traditionally, an archer could carry no more than thirty arrows, but archers could now carry a hundred miniature arrows. On top of that, unlike regular arrows, they didn’t get in the way and stayed securely fixed, so even when running, not a single arrow would fall out. The archers’ long-standing problem of cumbersome bows and arrows was finally solved.

“Truly remarkable. With this, we can stay mobile and stealthy. But... Can we really infiltrate Bydent? They won’t leave their estate undefended.”

The Holy Knight Commander acknowledged Volkanus’ invention but pointed out the remaining concerns.

“Even with precautions, it won’t matter. I’ll be the distraction. If the Keter they’re looking for appears in the heart of Bydent’s territory, every knight there will rush to me.”

“True, but...”

“While they’re chasing me, Sefira’s knights will secure the rooftops and provide support fire. What can Bydent do then?”

The vassals blinked. It wasn’t an extraordinarily complex plan, but it was perfect.

They won’t be able to avoid this.

It’s impossible for Bydent to notice our ambush!

Keter’s strategy was so perfect that the vassals couldn’t find a single point to refute, but this was not the end.

“Don’t be impressed yet. I haven’t even gotten to the point.”

“Isn’t winning against Bydent the core of this Family War?”

“Winning is obvious. That’s not the important part.”

“What could be more important than winning?”

“Sefira must defeat Bydent.”

The vassals looked confused. Keter had just said they were obviously going to win, so they couldn’t understand why Keter was repeating himself.

However, not everyone was confused. Reganon understood first, then Hissop.

“Keter... You mean Sefira must not rely entirely on you.”