The next morning, everything was already set up.
Groups of adventurers and knights have arrived in the village and are already setting up. They turned the entire village into a temporary base, where they prepare for an all out war.
Some of the burned down buildings are fixed and were turned into a base of activities, even storage to store weaponries. They are utilizing this place to the maximum.
Lescia also returned here, and she is arriving right now in such an early morning. She stepped down from her carriage, only to find the village she was so fond of got burned to the ground.
She noticed me waiting for her by the side of the road, and immediately ran to me while showing the horrors on her face. But, she can tell that I am just as pained.
"Rize, I-"
"It's okay. No one else could have foreseen this."
Technically, I guessed this would happen. But, I just let it happen.
And now Lury got taken away, and it's all because I left her.
I tried very hard not to look super angry in front of everyone, but Lescia was able to understand immediately the moment she saw my face. She hugged me, knowing how pained I am. I ended up hugging her back.
I need to stop being this crybaby…
The war room tent is now back up, and this time we have three captains with us plus a squadron commander. From the adventurers, all the active White ranked adventurers are present, which are Jonus, Cane, and Fran. Valon the Office Master is also here to lead the play as the brain of the operations. The kingdom has taken this matter very seriously.
"Then, let us begin."
Valon said as an opening right after Lescia arrived. Here, his rank is higher than anyone in the room. Though there is a princess, he is still her uncle and is much older than her, not to mention his experience and capabilities. He is the leader of this operation by default.
"First things first, we have to go with the peaceful route. Because that is how the rules are, and we would like to avoid any option that can lead us to a war with the Veldonians."
He is also a bit of a smartass, and the entire kingdom knows that. That's where most of the respect for him comes from.
But of course, everyone in this room is special. Even the princess.
"I will go in. I can try talking with the king himself face to face."
Lescia quickly said, but most of the people here quickly disagreed. I turned to her slightly surprised, wondering what she was trying to do.
"Nope, bad idea. Though it may be viable, I am not putting you in danger."
The uncle said to his niece, but this niece isn't someone so easily persuaded.
Lescia shook her head and continued the explanation.
"I am engaged with the second prince. Surely the king will listen to me, or at least he will have to."
"What are you saying Lescia?? They only look at you as a tool!!"
"I am still the best option for a peaceful approach. Who else do you think can talk to the king?? A tool is all I am, but I am still the closest thing that we have to a peaceful--"
"No! We can't risk your life. Enough of that."
Lescia turned her face away to hide her pissed expression. She truly wants to do something, because she felt very useless and guilty. And she probably could, considering the betrothal between her and the second prince was not so simple.
But then her gaze fell to me, as well as the adventurers next to me.
"… Then, I won't go in alone."
She said as she grinned at me, and I quickly turned surprised.
Valon on the other side of the table understood what she meant, and he let out a sigh and turned to me. I know what those eyes wanted, so I simply closed my eyes and lifted both of my shoulders .
Well… if we are really doing a peaceful approach, then… I guess I can go with Lescia.
He agreed on her suggestion, on the condition that all the White ranked adventurers are present. He formed the plan immediately.
The team that will enter the kingdom and talk with the king will be the White ranked adventurers, Jonus, Cane, and Fran, along with everyone from my team. I will go as well, of course, and we will go using the carriage.
After forming the plan, the group was dispersed. Everyone had different thoughts about this plan, and one person specifically is more worried than others.
Valon pulled me away from the tent right after I exited, to have a private chat. From his expression, it looked exactly like what a worried uncle is all about.
"Rize. Whatever you do--"
"I will not let anyone harm her. You have my word."
Hearing the conviction in my words, Valon quickly grinned. He chuckled as he turned away from me.
"A long time ago… she shut herself away from the world. She was never this close with other people, ever since then..."
A long time ago, huh?
The moment she got the curse, perhaps?
I chuckled and replied to him with a grin.
"You are not in the right mind if you think I am the same as other people."
"Heh… I know you will be interested in her."
Valon chuckled slightly while patting my shoulder, and we went our separate ways.
The plan took place at noon, when the sun was right above our heads. The adventurers, along with Lescia, entered the carriages. The drivers are the knight captain himself, captain Egile, and one other knight captain for the second carriage.
There are two carriages that will go. Lescia and I are in the same carriage, along with Jonus and Cane. Fran and the others from my team will be on the second carriage.
We started moving right away, and we arrived not too long later on the gates belonged to the Veldonia's capital, Veldon.
"Halt!"
The knights on the gate stopped us before we even reached the gates. There seemed to be more knights than before. No, more like an entire squadron is here.
There's an entire knight's barracks placed right outside the kingdom's gates. It's like they are very clearly ready to battle at all times.
It's as if they are very ready for a war. The very war that they caused themselves.
How fun… it's like we were playing straight to the palms of their hands.
But… it won't continue like that any longer.
This time, we set the rules.
Our carriage stopped right in front of the knights. Those knights purposely stood in our way so that we would stop the carriage as quickly as possible. Once the carriage stopped, Lescia stepped out of the carriage, guarded by Fran and Cane on her sides. She walked closer towards the gate, where the knights were waiting.
Everyone watched anxiously from inside the carriage as the princess approached the knight captain at the gate. From the looks of it, only the knights behind him are armed, while the captain himself doesn't seem to be bearing any weapon in his hands
"Who are you, and what do you want?"
The knight captain said coldly towards Lescia, and the princess bowed slightly as she introduced herself.
"I am the Mazino Princess, Lescia Mazino. I am here to request an urgent meeting with the king."
Hearing that made the knight quite shocked. This visit was a surprise, definitely, but then he turned around and headed towards the barracks.
We waited for slightly more than five minutes until the knight captain returned and told us the news.
"Luckily, the king is gracious… He will let the princess in, but only with one guard with her."
Only one guard?
We had the entire White ranked adventurers with us, and they only let one guard in?
Well…
It's not like we haven't prepared for this already.
Or rather, Valon expected this.
Just like we thought… They are so predictable.
The princess returned to the carriage, and I nodded at Fran and Cane. Jonus can only let out a pissed sound while mumbling 'stupid Veldonians' as he stepped down from our carriage.
In the end, the first carriage is only filled with me and the princess. Everyone else went to the second carriage and turned back to the path we came from.
The knights must have thought they returned to our base, but that is just not the case.
As our carriage is moving inside the capital city, there are two other carriages in front and behind us, filled to the brim with knights and rankers. They really don't want us to do anything in the middle of the road, hence the heavy guarding.
Inside the carriage, I took out the coms crystal from my pocket and talked to it.
"Check-check, everyone on?"
"We heard you, Cap."
"Loud and clear."
After receiving the confirmation from Rath and Cane, I grinned.
This is going… exactly the way we wanted it.
"Okay. Keep the crystals in your pockets at all times. Get geared up, don't waste your energy just yet."
This time… we set the rules.
"On my signal… wreck havoc."