Chapter 268

Chapter 269. Victory is Just a Side Dish (6)

The day after Hisop returned. The second strategy meeting was held. The vassals were more actively proposing ideas and exchanging opinions than the day before.

Keter and Daat, surprisingly, did not intervene in the conversation and just listened quietly.

“Not a bad strategy.”

“Yes. It’s a decent strategy with no obvious flaws.”

It was true that Sephira relied on Keter in terms of proactiveness and various other aspects, but that didn’t mean Sephira was incompetent in all areas.

Even though they were suddenly thrust into war, the fact that they calmly brought out various strategies for discussion showed that they had prepared long ago, not just in a day or two.

Even to Keter, who was seasoned in war, and Daat, who was theoretically sharp despite lacking practical experience, the strategies being developed by the vassals were not bad.

“These are the best strategies an archer can come up with… but they’re too different from the Ruquer style.”

“No, Maknun. These aren’t even the best an archer can do.”

The vassals were too focused on the discussion to hear their words, and Keter and Maknun didn’t mind, continuing their conversation.

“Brother, you explain the archery part. I’ll handle the strategic side. So, should we go with the Ruquer style or the Sephira style?”

“Let’s mix them half and half.”

“I knew you’d say that. Haha.”

Snap!

Keter flicked his finger. The sound, infused with mana, made the distracted vassals stop and look at him.

“Brother, the Branch House Lord. May Maknun and I say a few words?”

Hisop, who had been wondering why Keter was so quiet, nodded with a look that said, “I knew it.”

“Go ahead.”

“The strength of archers lies in their long attack range. Especially our Sephira archers can easily hit a 100-meter target, even if they’re just soldiers. Knights can manage 300 meters. But I heard you’re limiting the engagement distance to half that. Why?”

For someone trained in archery, hitting a target 30 meters away is considered skilled. Ordinary people struggle to hit a 10-meter target.

But Sephira’s archers, who receive training worthy of elite soldiers, are all deeply skilled in archery. A 100-meter shot was nothing to them.

Hisop answered Keter’s question immediately.

“As you said, our Sephira archers can shoot farther than others. But there’s no guarantee they’ll hit. Moreover, unlike you, we can’t maintain aura over such long distances. An 80% hit rate. And the distance where aura’s power can be maximized. That’s why we set the engagement distance at half: 50 meters and 200 meters.”

Even without war experience, these numbers were the essence of hundreds, thousands of experiments. Even Keter couldn’t refute them.

But Keter wiggled his finger side to side.

“That’s assuming we’re fighting on flat ground, right?”

At Keter’s remark, Hisop looked at the knight commanders. His eyes asked if that was true.

The knight commanders nodded. As Keter said, all experiments and records were based on flat ground.

“Keter. I know what you’re trying to say. You’re suggesting that fighting from a higher position would be advantageous. But the enemy knows that too. They won’t fight us on terrain favorable to us.”

“You’re both wrong.”

“Huh?”

“If we take the high ground, we’ll win. And if the enemy refuses to fight, we’ll make them fight.”

“……?!”

Hisop, as well as the knight commanders who were knowledgeable in archery, couldn’t understand what Keter was getting at.

Keter looked at Panir. Among them, he was the only vassal who had experienced actual war.

“Elder Panir. You’ve shot arrows from the city walls before, right?”

“Of course. I’ve shot thousands.”

“How did those arrows feel? Did they go farther?”

“Haha, no one notices that in the heat of battle. I only realized after the war ended. My arrows flew farther and stronger than usual.”

“Exactly. Assuming the walls are about 20 meters high, arrows shot from there go twice as far and fast as those shot from the ground. With the wind’s help, they can go five times farther. For archers, taking the high ground isn’t just ‘good’—it’s essential.”

“I agree. But as the Branch House Lord said, even if we fortify the walls, it’s useless if the enemy doesn’t come.”

“As I mentioned earlier, we’ll make them come. They’ll have no choice.”

“I don’t see how we can create such a situation. Unless we take hostages.”

Sephira does have walls, but they only surround the main building and mansions, and they’re only 10 meters high. Half the ideal height for high ground.

Moreover, the basic requirement for a siege is waiting for the enemy’s supplies to run out or for them to tire, but with the Baydant family receiving endless support, that possibility was virtually nonexistent.

The other vassals also pondered whether there was any situation where a siege would be advantageous, but it seemed impossible.

But Keter smiled and said:

“Break your fixed notions. Why do you think we’re sieging in Sephira?”

“Huh?”

“What?!”

Thud!

Keter pointed at a specific part of the map. The Baydant family’s territory, specifically their main building.

“We’ll be sieging the Baydant family. A place densely packed with buildings over 20 meters high.”

“……?!”

“W-what kind of strategy is that!”

“That’s impossible, Prince Keter!”

The Holy Knight Commander objected more vehemently than anyone, raising his voice. Keter turned to him.

“Why do you think it’s impossible?”

“W-well, our Sephira archers haven’t been trained in infiltration, and bows and arrows are cumbersome and noisy. Even if we somehow take the rooftops, we’d only have 30 arrows at most. Once those run out, the knights would be surrounded in the heart of enemy territory.”

Though flustered, the Holy Knight Commander laid out his argument clearly, and it was solid enough for all the vassals to agree. Even Keter nodded in satisfaction.

“But the Baydant family would think the same, right? They’d never imagine Sephira secretly infiltrating and taking the rooftops to shoot arrows from above.”

“In war, you must predict and prepare for all situations, but even so, no one considers the possibility of meteors falling from the sky.”

Keter’s strategy was as absurd as meteors falling.

At that moment, the conference hall doors burst open, and Vulkanus and blacksmiths rushed in.

“Master Vulkanus?!”

“What are those carts?”

Vulkanus, who had been absent from the meeting, pulled in carts covered with cloth. Keter gave him a look.

‘Is it done?’

‘Can’t you tell?’

Vulkanus pointed at his dark-circled eyes with his finger.

* * *

In his past life, Keter had experienced war alone and gained vast knowledge in the process.

What struck him most was that there was a “transcendent realm” even in engineering.

Everyone knows that the material of weapons, or armor, is important. Steel is better than wood, Amantiir is better than steel, and Orichalcon is better than Amantiir.

But if you say that “how” something is made determines the outcome of battles and wars, no one would believe you.

That common sense was shattered by the Baen Kingdom, known as the “Kingdom of Engineering.”

The Titan, a wearable armor. In his past life, Keter fought against the Titan, hailed as the pinnacle of magical mechanical engineering, and was astounded.

The Titan’s pilot was a 3-Star Knight, but Keter felt like he was fighting a Grandmaster.

The power of engineering didn’t end there. Portable artifacts appeared at unexpected moments, leaving Keter bewildered.

In battle, the smallest difference can determine victory or defeat, and in war, it’s even more so. Victory can hinge on the tiniest detail.

That’s why Keter believed developing new weapons was crucial, and he promised Vulkanus unlimited support to immerse himself in engineering.

The result was what arrived in the conference hall.

“What are these?”

“I can’t tell what they’re for!”

When the cart covers were removed, they revealed large and small rods. Just by appearance, it was impossible to tell their purpose.

But Keter had seen them before, so he picked up a rod and immediately began demonstrating.

“This is a bow.”

Pressing a button that could only be felt by touch, curved rods sprang out from both ends, forming a bow.

Just by holding it, Keter could tell.

“It may not look impressive, but it has the strength and elasticity to function as a bow. Plus, it’s adjustable in length.”

The length adjustment was manual. Pulling the bow up and down extended its length.

“Wow! A rod turning into a bow?!”

“Can it return to its original state?”

Keter pressed the button. He expected it to revert, but it didn’t. Vulkanus then added:

“We considered the possibility of accidental presses during battle, so it requires a longer press. Yes, like that.”

Following Vulkanus’s instructions, Keter pressed the button longer, and the bow folded back into itself. It was small enough to fit in a pocket and had a reasonable weight.

The blacksmiths handed out rods to the vassals, urging them to try.

While the vassals marveled at the portable bows, Keter approached Vulkanus.

“I knew you could do it, old man.”

“If you couldn’t, you’d have brought in other dwarves. I wouldn’t allow that.”

“What about mass production? Did it work?”

“Mass production is still out of reach. It’s all handmade for now. But with more manpower, we’ve made about 100 so far.”

“Tsk, do we need to bring in more dwarves…?”

“You brat, even if you brought ancient dwarves, they couldn’t do what I’ve done. It took three epiphanies to make this! One for lightweighting, one for the button mechanism, and one for optimization!”

Seeing Vulkanus’s veins bulge, Keter stroked his chin.

‘We can’t provide more money or manpower, and the only option is to bring in more dwarves… but that would upset Vulkanus.’

Setting aside his relationship with Vulkanus, he was the only expert in bows and arrows in this world. Even if they brought in 100 other dwarves, none would match Vulkanus’s expertise.

‘If I push any further, I’ll lose what I have. I should stop here.’

Until now, Keter had been pushing Vulkanus to bring out his potential. And now, that potential had clearly manifested.

Pushing further would only hurt his feelings. Keter wasn’t foolish enough to do that.

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

“Huh? What’s with this brat?”

Vulkanus, taken aback by Keter’s sincere praise, backed away with a shiver.

“Why are you acting like this? It’s because I like you so much. Ah, I love you. Should I give you a kiss?”

“You lunatic! Give me money!”

“Not working.”

As the two bickered, the vassals carefully examined the portable bows.

The new weapon wasn’t just the bow. Along with miniaturized arrows, a specialized quiver was also introduced.

Traditional archers couldn’t carry more than 30 arrows, but the miniaturized arrows allowed them to carry up to 100.

Moreover, unlike traditional arrows, they didn’t get in the way and were securely fixed, so they wouldn’t fall out even while running. The archers’ chronic issue of “bow and arrow clutter” was solved.

“This is truly an incredible invention. It allows for mobility while moving stealthily. But even so, is it possible to infiltrate the Baydant family secretly? They wouldn’t leave their family unprotected.”

The Holy Knight Commander acknowledged Vulkanus’s invention but pointed out lingering concerns.

“Even if they have countermeasures, it doesn’t matter. I’ll handle it. If Keter appears in the heart of the Baydant family, wouldn’t all their knights rush to me?”

“That’s true, but…”

“While I draw their attention, Sephira’s knights will occupy the Baydant’s key buildings and provide supporting fire. What can Baydant do then?”

The vassals’ eyes widened. Keter’s strategy wasn’t groundbreaking, but—

‘We can’t possibly lose with this, can we?’

‘Baydant won’t see our ambush coming!’

Keter’s strategy was so flawless that the vassals couldn’t find any room to argue.

But this wasn’t the end.

“Don’t be amazed yet. The main point I want to make hasn’t even started.”

“The main point? Isn’t defeating Baydant the core of this family war?”

“Winning the family war is a given. There’s something more important.”

“What could be more important than winning?”

“Sephira must defeat Baydant.”

The vassals looked at him as if he were speaking nonsense. He had just said “we’ll obviously win,” and now he’s repeating that we must win?

Not everyone failed to understand. Leganon was the first, followed by Hisop, who realized and spoke up.

“Keter. You’re saying you can’t be the entirety of Sephira.”