The Survival of an Inferior

"1000 Dragonics and a Blizzard Dragon are heading for Chael as ambush from Hanzing. There are rumours that The Demon Lord's preparation is complete; they might start an all-out war with Elvis soon." I read the contents of the message.

The atmosphere grows tense and solemn as everyone stares at the table in front of them. 

"W-We need to run. We need to begin evacuation!" Heth frantically blurts.

"But..." Veronica tries to speak but her voice was consumed by Heth's rapid shuffling and mumbling.

Other than Heth and June, the two other people here is the head of logistic, Caine, and the commander of Chael's military, Ruise. Both men stare silently at Heth. Caine is the man with long black hair and eyes and a rather large physique. Ruise is slender in contrast and has white short hair. 

"I object," Rena says. Her voice level overshadowed Heth's panic. "To the north of Chael is a fortress guarding supplies and to the east is the central road connecting the capital to major cities. If they occupy either, the consequences...are detrimental." 

Ruise looks up to Rena. "I agree with Heth, we should evacuate and join forces with the military garrison north. At the same time, sending information to the higher-ups and request for backup."

"That is only delaying the inevitable. Elvis' troops are greatly scattered across the kingdom to mitigate the effects of the recent beast waves. Backup near Chael amounts to nothing." I rebut. 

Rena raises her brow, surprised by my knowledge.

I pretty much guessed it when Chael faced a "man-made" beast wave. The enemies are probably planning to divide our force by rapidly threatening the surrounding cities in Elvis.

"Then you propose we fight?! How is that possible?!" Heth screams.

"It is." Both Rena and I say in unison.

!

...

I extend my hand out awkwardly and allow Rena to talk first.

"First of all, a Blizzard Dragon is followed by Blizzards. Dragonics are humanoid dragons with smaller wings, they won't be able to fly too high in the blizzard. Thus, there is only one enemy in the sky to be wary of, the actual dragon itself."

"We only have 200 military manpower, 3 functioning Ballista, and one broken wall!" says Heth. 

Rena stops and thinks.

...

Wait...broken wall...?

!!!

The circuit closed, the lightbulb lit.

"Do we have battering rams?" I ask.

"Battering rams?... We do have 5...but...why? Battering rams are used for a siege." Ruise says.

My smile lights up. "That's more than enough. Listen carefully, the enemies do have numbers and strength advantage. But we have a weapon called Environmental High Ground." I say.

I explain my strategies to everyone, adding backup plans, evacuation plans, and what to do in the event we fail. 

Even Rena was left speechless. 

Everyone voted in agreement with my plans including Heth. 

After the meeting, Veronica gave me a key and asks a servant to guide me to my room in her mansion. I rejected the servant to find my way around the mansion.

...

It's quiet and peaceful...

As I walk around the corridors, I see Radz leaning against the wall beside a door.

He glances up when he hears my footsteps.

"Young master..."

"Hi, how is Lena?" I ask.

"She's fine. The elf's healing was superb." He says, looking away.

...

I lean beside Radz. "If you have something to say, say it."

"I do not blame you, you did the most reasonable thing." Says Radz. He is talking about Lena's sacrifice in the dungeon. "However, a good leader does not consider lives as a sacrifice." 

...

"I will take it to heart," I say and move on. "Rest, we will get busy tomorrow." 

"Young master, I heard that an army of monsters is approaching. It seems that we are going to fight them, do you have some sort of plan?" Radz asks.

I stop in my tracks and glance back. "Yes, you will have to wait and see."

It's late. 

The guest room I've been assigned is a luxurious one, no less than my room in my mansion. A comfortable and clean bed with golden soft silk accompanied by two glorious nightstands and lustrous lamps. A small couch sits opposite the bed with a chandelier above. 

Lying on the bed, I stare at the roof in melancholy. 

...

I can't sleep despite being extremely exhausted. It's been a long day.

I get up and draw the curtains back to see the starry sky.

The sound of death still lingers in my head. Screams of agony.

Reality once again hits me. 

This is not a game. People in this world are not simply "NPCs".

"Hah..." I sigh.

The fireplace is burning but...

It's cold.

================================== 

I visit Kasfo the next day. 

News of the invasion spreads like wildfire and many have temporary start to evacuate the city. 

However, Kasfo refuses to leave the workshop.

*knock knock* 

...

"Come in," says Kasfo.

I push the wooden door open and a puff of green smoke rushes out.

!!

"MPGH!! ACK ACK!!"

One sniff of that smoke sends me coughing instantly. 

"Fuck! What the hell is that?!" I exclaim.

"Heh...look who is here?" says Kasfo behind a table wearing a mask and a pair of goggles. On the table are several liquids and the flask in Kasfo's hand is charred. 

"If you are here for potions, I'm not selling. My condition was to save Chael," he says.

"What? Look, without your potions, it's almost impossible to save Chael!" I say as I storm into the workshop.

"Hm? Sounds like your problem?" says Kasfo as he digs his ears. 

My face contorted with rage as I clenches my fist. 

This fucking bastard, should I just kill him? 

...

Kasfo smiles when he sees my rage. "I'm joking."

...

"You've done some irritating things to me in the past, don't tell me you've forgotten. With this, we are even," says Kasfo. 

That's...

That did not calm me down at all, rather it intensified my anger thinking about all the Arsto's shit I have to clean. 

I take a deep breath and calm myself. "Alright, let's...set our grudge aside. I have a long list of potions I want to buy." I say.

"Sure, but my prices are 10% below the market price. I can't go any lower," says Kasfo.

I shake my head. "I will buy them at 10% above the market price." 

I'm loaded thanks to the game system anyways...