Chapter 347: The Choice Is Barbara
Chapter 347: The Choice Is Barbara
In this world called the Hall Plain, what factors determine the outcome of a war?
While countless elements and variables are at play, I believe the number of mages has the most profound impact.
In the Hall Plain, you only have one life. As such, mages, who can unleash powerful firepower from a distance, are the most sought-after class in any war.
How much firepower could one bring to bear in a large-scale battle? And how effectively could one defend against the torrent of incoming magic? Gaining the upper hand in those two areas meant the war was already more than seventy percent won.
And the ones capable of overturning that balance were, of course, the Secret and Rare Classes.
Even looking back on my personal experiences, the patterns of war have almost always been the same.
Melee classes protect the mages, and the mages rain down offensive magic on the enemy’s formation.
So, when do the melee classes, aside from their protective duties, get to step forward?
It is only when victory is more or less certain, or when a swift pursuit is needed, that the melee classes directly join the fray….
*
After the team-building event incident, the baby unicorn had been acting out for a while.
But now, nestled in Baek Hangyul’s arms, the baby unicorn looked unusually anxious, in stark contrast to its recent behavior. Perhaps influenced by the heavy atmosphere hanging over the clan members, its eyes darted around nervously.
“Kkyu!”
The moment we arrived at the main gate, the baby unicorn, which had been held quietly by Baek Hangyul, struggled out of his arms and rushed toward me.
I paused and slowly knelt on one knee. I’d heard it had refused to eat when I disappeared without a word last time, so I felt the need to be clear before leaving this time.
“Little one. It seems we’ll have to be apart for a little longer this time.”
“Kkyu…”
“I’m truly sorry for leaving you behind before. It wasn’t on purpose; I just forgot. Really.”
“Kkyu kkyu… Kkyuu… Kkyuung…”
As I gently stroked its head, the baby unicorn shook its head back and forth before slowly looking up at me. Its eyes were already welling with tears, looking as if it was about to burst into sobs at any moment.
I need to leave quickly.
With that thought, I gave the baby unicorn’s head a few more pats and stood up briskly.
“In any case, I might be a little late, but I will definitely come back. Until then, you have to eat well and be good. Understand?”
“Kkyu? Kkyu kkyu?!”
Chomp.
Just as I was about to turn away, the baby unicorn suddenly bit down on my ankle. It was as if it were saying, “I’ll be good from now on. Please don’t go.” But I could neither say I was no longer leaving nor take it with me.
“When I return, I’ll give you a name.”
With those final words, I calmly stepped away and turned my back. A faint whimper finally reached my ears from behind me.
With a slightly heavy heart, I walked over to the clan members and slowly looked over their faces.
Some, like Ko Yeonju, wore relatively relaxed expressions, but most of the clan members’ faces were etched with a heavy tension.
What should I say to them?
For a moment, countless thoughts crossed my mind, but I decided not to drag it out. I had no intention of using empty, flowery words just to force their morale up. It suddenly felt right to just speak from the heart.
“No one knows how long this war will last. It might be over very quickly, but it could also drag on for longer than we think.”
“…”
There was no response. The clan members were simply listening to my words in silence.
“But whether it takes a few months or longer, there is only one thing I want right now. When the war is over and we gather in this place again, I want to see every single one of you back here, safe and sound.”
As I spoke, my eyes landed on Shin Sangyong’s calm face. He suddenly turned his head to look at the building, then stared ahead again with a slightly dazed expression.
What was he just thinking?
“I won’t drag this on any longer. I just want to say one last thing: I am grateful to all of you for following my decision without any objections.”
I couldn’t guess what effect my words had on them. But one thing was certain—I had conveyed the sincerity in my heart. Separate from their participation in this war, I truly wanted every clan member to return in one piece.
“Alright, let’s move out.”
The farewells were over, and I had said everything I wanted to say. Thinking there was no need to linger, I turned without delay and walked through the main gate.
Thud, thud, thud.
Behind me, the sound of ten pairs of footsteps began to powerfully echo across the ground.
*
After leaving the Clan House, we used a Warp Gate to travel to Prinsica.
Prinsica and Monica had a generally similar atmosphere. Here, too, the scent of war hung heavy in the air. However, the aura emanating from the Users on the streets was distinctly different from that of the Users in Monica. In fact, the positive energy was so strong that it felt like a kind of baseless confidence, as if they were all thinking, ‘We’re definitely going to win this war.’
Cutting through that atmosphere, I led the clan members straight to the Haemil Clan. I had contacted my brother in advance, so he greeted me warmly. With him were the Haemil Clan members, all decked out in fine-looking gear. It seemed he had recalled all the members he’d sent to other cities on business, as there were far more people than when I had last visited.
“Soohyun. Have you eaten?”
“I’ve eaten. Forget the meal, just tell me about the troop formation.”
“Heh. Knew you’d say that. Wait here a moment.”
At my firm tone, my brother gave a bitter smile and instructed an employee to guide the Mercenary Clan members. I promised my clan I would join them as soon as our discussion was over, then followed my brother up the stairs.
He led me to his office on the third floor. And there, I saw an unexpected person.
“Long time no see~.”
Lee Hyoeul was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, waving her hand breezily.
I frowned slightly and glanced at my brother, who gave me a subtle look in return. It was a signal to put up with it, just for a little while.
“What are you doing here?”
“Huh? Oh.”
Muttering to myself, I sat on the opposite sofa and spoke. Lee Hyoeul’s cheerful expression vanished, and she answered awkwardly.
“What do you mean? I’m still a Haemil Clan member, so of course I’m here. And I’m here to explain the formation to you…”
“…”
“I-If you don’t want me to, should I leave…?”
Just as I was about to reply “Yes” to that welcome suggestion, my brother quickly interjected.
“Soohyun, she had a lot of input on this formation. So she can explain it in more detail than I can. She also has something to tell you about the Mercenary Clan’s placement.”
At his words, I changed my mind. Now that I had committed to the war, it was only natural to follow the basic chain of command. There could be no exceptions, not even for a free mercenary. Moreover, since it concerned our clan’s assignment, I decided to set aside my personal feelings for a moment and listen to what Lee Hyoeul had to say.
“Ahem. Then I’ll get straight to the point. Is that okay?”
Seeing my reaction, Lee Hyoeul’s expression brightened slightly as she began to speak.
I gave a slight nod.
*
Lee Hyoeul’s explanation was quite long-winded, but it could be summarized as this:
The Eastern forces had assembled a total of 16,000 personnel. The plan was to divide them as evenly as possible into four units and launch a simultaneous assault on the east, west, south, and north. If any of the assaults stalled, the southern and northern forces, after securing the Warp Gates in their captured cities, would join forces to attack again.
Of course, there were more detailed strategies, such as feints or leaving one escape route open for a surprise attack, but the overall flow could be seen as a ‘simultaneous assault.’
“Anyway, we’ve laid out several strategies, but we’ll have to see how things go once we engage them directly. We don’t know what situations will arise, so we need to be as flexible as possible.”
Lee Hyoeul moved her jaw from side to side as if her mouth was sore from talking for so long, then sank into her chair and continued.
“That’s the end of the initial explanation. Do you have any questions?”
“A few. You said the forces will be divided into four units based on clans. Who will be commanding each unit?”
“Goryeo, Moonlit Night, Han, and Green Narae. Users without a clan were distributed appropriately to units that were short on numbers.”
“Okay. And you said the total force is 16,000. What’s the breakdown by class?”
“About 8,100 melee, 3,900 archers, 2,800 mages, and 1,200 priests. These aren’t exact figures, of course, just rough estimates.”
As if she had anticipated my questions, Lee Hyoeul answered smoothly without hesitation. Hearing her response, I fell into deep thought.
In the first playthrough, the East had attempted to recapture Barbara with its own forces and suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Western Continent and the Vagabonds. Although the situation now was drastically different from back then, the fact that the East was fighting alone remained unchanged.
Honestly, just hearing the explanation, it didn’t sound like we would lose. But a subtle sense of unease in my heart kept nagging at me.
“Why the long face? You look really worried.”
“It’s just… something feels a little off.”
“Hm? What’s off?”
Lee Hyoeul asked, her voice curious. My reply had been reflexive, and for a moment I wasn’t sure what to say, but I decided it was best to be diplomatic.
“There’s no guarantee a war will go according to plan. And I got a sense of the atmosphere on my way here; some Users are already acting like we’ve won. Aren’t we being too complacent?”
“Ah, the atmosphere? That’s probably because we did a little media play.”
“Media play?”
“Yeah. But we didn’t make anything up. We just reported the current situation factually. For example, besides the famous Users already in the East, a lot of well-known people have recently joined from the Central and Western Continents, right? The Sword Empress, the Doctor, the Nurse, the Tarot Card Magician, the Requiem Assassin, the Curse Caster, and so on. Oh, and you and the Shadow Queen, too. They all said they’re participating.”
Lee Hyoeul pointed at me with her index finger before casually crossing her arms.
“Anyway, setting that aside, you’re right that there’s no guarantee things will go as planned. In other words, you’re worried about unforeseen variables, right?”
“Variables. Something like that. We have famous Users, but there’s no reason to think the enemy doesn’t.”
“Aha. Speaking of which, I need to tell you about that. But before I do… let’s decide one thing. What are we going to do with the Mercenary Clan?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
At my question, Lee Hyoeul’s eyes widened as she spoke again.
“The formations are mostly complete, so the Mercenary Clan will have to be added in. Normally, it would be my decision, but since you’re participating on a commission basis, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give you the choice.”
“A choice…?”
“Yep. A choice. East, west, south, or north. Which unit do you want to be assigned to? For your reference, I’ll have you know that all four of them want you.”
“I’m in the west, Soohyun.”
Suddenly, my brother, who had been listening quietly, chimed in.
I thought for a moment before slowly opening my mouth.
“I’d like to know more about the western unit.”