Lord System: Reborn As The Genius Heir To A Noble Family-Chapter 57: The Plan

Reaching the war room, the members of the household were summoned to be in attendance, along with the Mayor of Newfard and a select few adventurers.

"Where’s Charlemagne? Odd for him to be late," Phoenix asked, looking around the room.

Leon stood by the table that had the entire region of Vagrant mapped out, addressing the question with a bated breath, "...That’s why I called this meeting. Charlemagne received an emergency summon to the capital."

There was an immediate downfall of the mood within the room as he relayed the situation. It went without saying, but the presence of the legendary Paladin was a source of morale in itself.

A huff came from one of the adventurers present in the room, a man with short, gray hair, dressed in light-leather armor and a halberd on his back, "We barely survived the initial wave with him there. We might as well dig our graves now."

["Hans Garn"] [CLASS: Warrior] [Level: 19]

Across the room with a cup of mead in his hand, the tall, bald-headed adventurer finished his chugging of the liquid before responding to the other, "What kind of attitude is that?! You’re an adventurer, aren’t ya? Charlemagne or not, I’m not dyin’ to some goblins!"

["Boar"] [CLASS: Warrior] [Level: 17]

"Be realistic," Hans sighed, folding his arms over his chest as he looked back at the boisterous figure. "Sir Charlemagne’s presence alone drew away a majority of the monsters from the rest of us. It’s a miracle we made it through as is."

"Speak for yourself!" Boar responded.

Leon interjected, "It’s true, I won’t deny that. Charlemagne’s strength was invaluable during the initial battle. If he wasn’t there...the losses would’ve been more."

The truthful words he gave didn’t incite much hope in those present, as even the servants of the household hardly seemed satisfied with them.

He drew in a breath before continuing, firmly planting his hands on the table, gripping the wooden edge, "—It’s different now, though. We’re stronger, we’re prepared, and now, the golems will aid us in battle."

"That doesn’t change the fact that our numbers are lesser," Hans added harshly.

While some sharp glares were shown by the servants, particularly Ruby, who seemed ready to swing her axe, he didn’t dismiss the point made.

Leon looked across the table at the seasoned adventurer, "That’s true. I don’t think in terms of strength, what we’ve gained makes up for the loss of Charlemagne on the battlefield."

"Then—" Hans attempted to interrupt.

Leon spoke firmly, not allowing himself to be spoken over, "Even so, we’ll repel the attack. If that barrier comes down, I’ll be the first to meet the enemy forces."

"Are you sure that’s wise, Lord Schoeller?" Salvatore spoke up with hesitance about the proclamation.

"Charlemagne led us last time. As it stands, I’m the most capable on the battlefield with him gone." Leon claimed without any desire to boast.

"If that’s the case, I suggest we allocate more of our numbers to the north," Beatrice advised, puffing out aromatic smoke from the wooden pipe she held.

"I second that," Phoenix added, raising his hand. "With the mountains behind the estate, the bulk of the enemy forces came from the north."

There were no opposing voices to the idea, seeing as the northern area suffered the greatest losses in the initial defense. It wasn’t anything that those on the frontlines needed to be reminded of, taking no rejection from those that fought in the vanguard.

The tall, blonde warrior gave her approval, "I’m fine staying on the frontlines, but we’ll need more with us."

["Nela"] [CLASS: Breaker] [Level: 20]

In the corner, the man in dented, unwashed armor painted with the dried blood of monsters raised his hand, "All I’ll say is that it can’t be any rookies. They’ll just get in the way."

["Killer"] [CLASS: Broken Knight] [Level: 23]

The topic brought one of the estate guards to raise her hand to interject, "If it’s alright with you, Karl and myself will join you on the frontlines." Aurora suggested.

Karl gasped, clearly not on the same page as his comrade as the bearded man looked at her, "—Frontlines?! When did—"

A sharp elbow to Karl’s side from Aurora silenced his opposition.

"Right, I mean...Sounds like a good idea, that won’t totally result in me dying!" Karl laughed it off, rubbing his side.

A welcoming hug was given from Boar to Karl, who squeezed the blonde guard happily, "Glad to have ya! Let’s slay a hundred beasts together!" Boar shouted.

Karl laughed it off, being held against the chest of the much taller, brawny adventurer, "—Err, sure...?"

Seeing the chemistry brewing between the frontline fighters and the guards, as Aurora and Nela exchanged handshakes and introduction, Leon felt some sense of relief.

"It’ll be a big help to have you both. Thanks, Aurora, Karl," Leon extended his gratitude.

"I’ll take a bonus—" Karl began to say with a wink, pinching his fingers together.

A quick jab from Aurora silenced the remark from the man beside her as she spoke elegantly, "It’s our duty to protect this land, so there’s no need to thank us." She said with a proper smile.

Ruby was practically hopping up and down, raising her hand like a child in a classroom that knew an answer, "Master! Master! What about me?! Can I fight on the frontlines, too?!"

"I don’t know...We can’t take too much away from the other positions," Leon considered, caressing his chin in thought.

In support of the offer, Salvatore spoke, "If I may give my input, Master, I believe I’ll be able to handle the position she’s leaving."

"Oh, thank you, Sal!" Ruby hopped in glee.

"You think so?" Leon asked, looking at the butler whose poker face always seemed to be on display.

"If I’m being completely honest...This one didn’t leave me much of a chance to join the battle," Salvatore remarked, looking at the energetic maid.

It was more than believable, recalling the spree that he witnessed the axe-wielding servant go on. There was no denying the kind of value Ruby would bring, though it was her personality he was more hesitant of.

"Please, Master? I promise I won’t let you down!" The scarlet-haired maid pleaded.

["Ruby Harma"] [CLASS: Maid] [Designated Lv: 21]

"I suppose, but you’ll be right there by my side—I’m going to have you on a leash," Leon said with his conditions attached.

While it was supposed to be a stipulation, Ruby excitedly jumped up, accepting it with glee, "We’ll wipe them out together, Master—!"

"Right..." Leon wryly smiled before redirecting his attention to the rest of the room. "I have one more thing to go over. It’s about the barrier itself, and what the plan is when it goes down."

"When is that, exactly?" Hans asked inquisitively.

Killer flicked his hand up in support of the question. "That is information we would all like to know. As it is, we’re constantly on edge."

The youthful lord gave a look to the witch, signaling her to relay the information she held. Beatrice stepped to the table, waving her hand over the portion of the detailed map that the estate occupied.

"As it stands, the barrier I placed is indestructible and impassable," Beatrice explained as a projection of the barrier presented itself on the tabletop geography.

"If it’s so strong, why’re we still discussing this? Sounds like we’re in the clear," Boar questioned, scratching his chin.

The glare that the witch quickly shot over silently reprimanded the muscle-headed man from interrupting before she answered, "The strength in this kind of barrier magic is at the cost of the amount of mana it takes to maintain."

"If you need mana, take mine! Don’t need it," Nela offered, holding her arm out as if it were the same as drawing blood.

"One, your mana wouldn’t be sufficient to sustain it for a single minute. Secondly, it’s not that simple," Beatrice corrected.

"Why not?" Boar questioned.

"While the Room of Gabreon is an impenetrable barrier, it gains that potency by enacting a condition: each time it is struck, mana is drained from the barrier," Beatrice explained. "And outside are countless savages, who have nothing better to do than strike it."

"Ah...makes sense," Hans accepted.

"That leaves us with the next stage," Beatrice said.

The knowledgeable witch moved her hands to turn the projection of the barrier, shifting it into a smaller radius around the land.

"—In twelve hours, by my estimations, the barrier’s mana will run dry. Rather than sitting idly and letting that happen, with the support of Lord Schoeller, I propose an alternative," Beatrice suggested.

The interest of all those present was centered on what the witch was alluding to, as they each leaned over the table to more closely inspect her plan.

Appearing on each side of the cubical fortitude were small gaps, leaving the barrier open.

"Wait, what? You’re suggesting giving the enemy entry into the barrier? Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose?" Hans raised his eyebrow while questioning the idea.