BXBX NOVEL Chapter 227 Guided By The Shadow (2)
The liberation of Achtreal March brought a ruckus among the Noble. No matter how small it was compared to the other Marches, it was still a March; it was a territory owned by a Marquess, the second highest Rank of Nobility. It was liberated in a day and was enough to haunt the Nobles whose territories lacked military power.
They are extremely self-conscious about how they rule their territories. They can already smell the scent of dissatisfaction from the people in the air. They know their people have thoughts of rebelling. They also know, however, none of their people dares to rebel because the people are powerless under their rule.
Shadow is an existence that proclaims himself to be the avid hater of hypocrites--the Nobles. His existence gives people hope and, for that, he is feared by the Nobles.
Fear is the greatest tool to control people. The Nobles have been manipulating the people to believe they are powerless. They use fear to herd and silence the people--to kill their hope. When shadow appears, their people see the light for the first time. No, they are made aware that the light still exists.
When an individual sees someone falls, he will help that person; however, when a group of individuals sees someone falls, they will only watch that person get up by himself while thinking somebody will help him. Such a mentality hinders a group to move on.
Of course, there is a way to break it: someone has to take the initiative. I, Shadow, took the initiative, and now everyone is courageous. They dare to openly show their dissatisfaction and stand against their rulers. They see--they believe in hope. Out there, there is someone who will aid them. Until that person comes, they will fight and, eventually, they will triumph themselves.
The Nobles are aware of how things are developing, so they suppress anything about me while also hunting me. This is the reason why I need "agents" to propagate my vision; I want to let more people know about me, so their dying spirits will light up once again.
"Corrupting people is easier than fixing them," I mutter.
"Are you not eating?" Millonia asks.
"I will eat later. I wouldn\'t have ordered if I didn\'t want to, no?"
"Then, what are you doing?"
"Planning out the routes."
Millonia hums to herself in, what to me is, an unamused manner. She stands up, brings her plate with her, walks up to me, pulls my chair, and then sits on my lap. Spooning the chicken porridge on her plate, she shoves it into my mouth. It is flavorful but I am more impressed by the fact that Millonia doesn\'t hesitate whether to open my mask or not before doing it.
As expected of her, she already knows the awesome feature of my mask.
My gaze is still focused on the map in my hands but I can feel the girls\' gaze on me. Like usual, of course, neither Millonia nor I am bothered by it. We keep doing what we are doing; me, planning out the routes and her, spoon-feeding me while also eating the food she is feeding me.
When the girls are already used to the scene, they glance at us instead of directly looking at us. A few more minutes passed like that and they finished their meal at the same time I finished concocting the plan.
"All right, it is time to eat my...where is my meal?"
"I have fed it to you," Millonia answers in slight irritation. "See, you didn\'t even pay any attention when you are busy. You are getting dull, Layland."
"I feel safe around you--there was no need for me to be on guard."
"Smooth talker, eh?"
Turning my gaze from Millonia to the straight-faced girls, I lay out the map that I have marked on the table. they immediately turn to the map, full of questions but don\'t say anything.
"Are you sure to openly discuss it here? This is a public place, just so you know," warns Abigail.
"Have you ever fought a Demon before?" I ask instead.
"No..."
"Well, we are incredibly good at Magic. We are so good that your High-Grade Spells are considered basic Spells for us." Abigail tilts her head in puzzlement, prompting me to say, "I have an illusion cast around us. No one can detect it and no one will be able to tell what we are doing."
"If I get naked--"
"Stop, Millonia. We\'ll do kinky shit later."
"I am in!" Gabriela exclaims.
Blinking my eyes, I turn to her. "We were joking around by the way."
"Yeah, I know--you don\'t need to tell me."
"Well...just in case." Turning my attention away from her, I clear my throat. "Kuhum! Anyway, this is where we are going to start--Dichotera City in Allusia County. It is a quite formidable County, so we can\'t take it down; therefore, we are going to destroy the city."
Abigail raises her hand. "Does that mean...?"
"Yes, we are going to part ways." Nodding my head, I point to another marked location, northeast of Allusia County. "Abby and Gabby will go to Avares Barony. It is one among the Baronies with the harshest living conditions, so I need you to--"
"Rile the people up," Gabriela finishes. "We are good at causing chaos."
This is going to be Abigail and Gabriela\'s debut; they are going to be known as Shadow\'s right hand, foregoing their previous moniker, Full-Armored Duo. They have to introduce themselves well and make a good impression on the people, so, whenever they show up, people will not hesitate to immediately follow their lead.
The timing, of course, also has to be perfect. They should not start the rebellion while I am still away from the territory. It is not a matter of publicity but the success of the act. My presence will make the plan foolproof even if things suddenly go south.
It may sound narcissistic but if Paladins, Heroes, or Warlords are somehow involved; no one but me can defeat them. I am not going even to let the two have their shot--I will tell them to immediately run away when it happens.
That, of course, won\'t look good on our reputation, which is why the timing of the rebellion should be adjusted. They have to start it a day after their arrival, which will let me and the rest of the girls participate in the action in the middle.
"You need to organize them before the girls and I arrive there. It is okay for you to be late but never do it too early. I don\'t mind you wasting people\'s lives but I can\'t let you endanger your lives."
"Awh...that is so sweet of you," Gabriela remarks, prompting Abigail to nod lightly. "It might be obvious, but are you using this tactic to lure one of the Heroes to come to Axheria?"
"No. This tactic is nothing but me reaping profit." This answer makes Gabriela tilt her head. "I am going to leak your whereabouts later in Axheria, so one of the Heroes will come for you. Both of you are going to be the bait." This explanation earns me an unamused gaze hidden under her helmet.
"The sweet Layland has died," she wails humorously.
"A-Am I no longer needed?" Lunea\'s question makes Gabriela stop her act.
All of us turn to her and find her pointing her finger at herself nervously like someone who denies that she is the one going to be sacrificed. She looks at me with trembling eyes, prompting Millonia to look at me with a quirked eyebrow.
"You still have roles in the future, Lunea," I assure her. "This time, you will only have to improve your skills in Magic."
"Oh...okay."
The answer makes her feel relief. I should have told her that she will be released once everything ends; she must think that she will die after she has fulfilled her use.... Now that I think about it, it is more interesting this way, so I will refrain from telling her immediately about it.
The discussion is over, so we get up and exit the inn. I am the one who pays for the bills and none of the girls thinks they should pay me back. They have the conscience to say thank you, though, so I don\'t mind. We are out of the dukedom and immediately head to the forest nearby.
Upon arriving at the forest, Genelos assumes his true form, meanwhile, Abigail takes out her Magic-powered carriage. When everyone is ready, we head to our destination: me and the girls to Dichotera City; Abigail and Gabriela to Avares Barony.
We part ways after three hours\' worth of traveling "together." Abigail and Gabriela head northeast, whereas we head north.
Sixteen hours passed after we parted ways and I find myself in a familiar scenario. Starting from the closest to my chest, Millonia, Lunea, and then Winerva--all of them are sleeping in my embrace, comfortably, if I may add.
Shaking their bodies softly one by one, I say, "The city is already ahead. Wake up."
"Uh...fine."
Millonia is the only one who responds to me but all of the girls straighten up at the same time. They need a few more seconds to completely regain themselves; by the time we land in the forest near the County, all of them are battle-ready.