The Continent of Destiny: I Became the Villain NPC

"We're making some adjustments to the battle plan."

Alistair's opening words, delivered from his seat at the head of the table, left his knights baffled. His next sentence left them utterly stupefied.

"We will divide our forces into two groups. One contingent will move on the iron mine to draw the attention of the enemy's main army. The other, taking advantage of Ravenwood's depleted defenses, will raid the city and sack Baldric Keep!"

The knights exchanged looks of disbelief, staring at the young man who was their lord. In their minds, while Lord Alistair was young, he was mature and steady beyond his years. They couldn't fathom why he would propose such a ridiculously childish strategy.

"But…"

"Young Master Alistair…" Thorne hesitated before stepping forward and pointing to the large map spread across the table. "Attacking Ravenwood will be exceptionally difficult. We have no siege engines, and it's too late to construct them now."

"Even if we had them, we couldn't transport them to the city undetected. The only viable option would be to build them on-site, near Ravenwood."

"But that would take three to four days at minimum, and that's assuming we have a large number of skilled artisans. More importantly, when the Ravenwood family was at its peak, they installed Mana-Cannons on the city walls. A direct hit from one of those would cripple even an Earth Knight."

"I simply cannot see how we could keep their main army occupied for several days while secretly building siege equipment right under their noses."

Thorne laid out a litany of reasons, but they all amounted to one thing: they didn't have the troops or the tools. Seizing the iron mine was feasible. Attacking the city of Ravenwood was not. Doing both at the same time was pure fantasy.

"I will handle the siege engines," Alistair stated calmly.

"You, Young Master?" Thorne's eyes widened, thinking he had misheard.

"That's right," Alistair replied, his tone as sharp and unyielding as steel. "I have a way to get two siege engines into position without anyone being the wiser. My question for you is this: assuming we can pin down Ravenwood's main army, and we have two siege engines, how many men would it take to breach the city quickly?"

Thorne considered this, running through various scenarios in his mind. He finally shook his head with regret. "Even with siege engines and their main force engaged, taking Ravenwood would be nearly impossible. It is a large town. After committing enough troops to pin their army, we simply don't have the excess manpower to occupy an entire city."

"We don't need to occupy the city. I'm not insane. We only need to control the walls and sweep through Baldric Keep."

Thorne considered this new information. After a moment, he nodded. "If that is the objective, then five hundred militia and ten Great Knights would be sufficient. The Ravenwood family will surely commit the bulk of their forces to defending the mine, leaving the city's garrison severely weakened. The ten Great Knights would serve as the primary assault force, while the five hundred militia would use the siege engines to seize the walls, take control of the Mana-Cannons, and provide cover while securing the loot."

He paused, a flicker of doubt still in his eyes. "But, Young Master Alistair, are you truly certain you can get fully assembled siege engines into Ravenwood?" The idea was so incredible that he felt compelled to confirm it one last time.

"Even you don't trust me now?" Alistair grinned, his eyes radiating absolute confidence.

Seeing that look, Thorne suppressed his misgivings. He would trust the Young Master. The other knights in the hall still looked worried, but seeing that Thorne had acquiesced, they held their tongues. The matter was settled.

"Since there are no further questions, I will now announce the operational plan." Alistair's expression grew serious.

"Thorne, you and Brakar Ironhorn will lead the main army. You will depart at noon tomorrow. Make no effort to conceal your movements. Let the Ravenwood family know we are coming. Your estimated time of arrival is dusk. Once there, you will confront their forces but do not initiate an attack. I predict that to counter our two Earth Knights, they will call for two or three allied Earth Knights as reinforcements. Your job is to hold them there and wait for my return."

Having assigned the main force, Alistair turned his gaze to the warriors of the Ironhorn clan.

"The Ironhorn clan will come with me. We will take five hundred militia and begin a forced march toward Ravenwood tomorrow afternoon. We should arrive at night. Upon arrival, we will begin the assault immediately. We must take the walls within ten minutes, empty Baldric Keep within the hour, and then immediately march to reinforce the main army."

He surveyed the room. "Are there any other questions?"

If there were none, the plan would be final.

"My lord, I have a question!"

It was Goodwin, shouting from the back of the hall.

"What is it, Goodwin?" Alistair asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Well," Goodwin began, looking nervous as all eyes turned to him, "i-if… if we're confident we can beat the Ravenwood army in a straight fight, why don't we just crush them first and then attack the city?"

Alistair looked at Goodwin, speechless. The surrounding knights struggled to suppress their laughter, and Thorne's face went dark with frustration.

"Are you an idiot?" Thorne snapped, his voice dripping with disappointment. "In a frontal assault, can you guarantee that you'll wipe out their entire force? The Young Master is providing us with siege engines; this is our best and only chance for a decisive blow.

If we attack them head-on and they retreat back to Baldric Keep, what do we do then? Throw ourselves at their walls while they pick us off with a dozen Mana-Cannons? Do we pay for that city with our lives?"

Thoroughly chastised, Goodwin shrank back into the crowd with an embarrassed smile.

Alistair chuckled at the sight of Goodwin sweating under Thorne's glare, then waved a hand. "Very well. If there are no other objections, we proceed as planned tomorrow. Go and prepare!"

After everyone had left, Alistair walked alone to a high garret in Snowmantle Citadel. From this vantage point, the entirety of Frostcrest spread out before him: neat houses, wide streets, and the bustling flow of people and carts. It was midsummer, and further beyond lay endless fields of wheat and sprawling pastures.

The evening breeze ruffled his hair. Alistair took a deep breath, looking out at his domain as a wave of fierce ambition surged through him. The continent was vast, but in that moment, standing above his own small piece of it, he felt he had cast the first stone into the sea of destiny.

...

Alistair slowly made his way back to his room, feeling weary and ready for sleep. Just as he was about to drift off, a familiar knock came from the door.

"Master, are you there~?"

Alistair relaxed back onto the bed and pulled the covers up. "Come in," he called out softly. "You don't need to knock in the future. Just come straight in."

Hearing his reply, Abby gently pushed the door open, a tender smile on her face. She glided to his bedside on a pair of snow-white, slender legs, emphasizing with a prim little air, "That simply won't do. One must knock before entering and receive permission from Master. It is proper maid etiquette, you know," she said in a sing-song voice.

Alistair saw that the little maid was wearing the sexy lingerie from the system shop, with an ill-fitting robe draped half-open over it. Her face was flushed, her eyes dewy and shimmering. She was clearly prepared to continue her 'practice.'

He couldn't help but give a weary smile. "Abby," he coaxed gently, "I have a battle to fight tomorrow… I need to be at full strength. Can we perhaps discuss this later?"

Abby was not persuaded by this excuse. She had already clarified with Mrs. Agnes that this sort of activity did not tire a master out; on the contrary, it helped him feel pleased and relaxed.

She lifted a corner of the blanket and slipped into the bed, pressing herself tightly against him. She nuzzled his chest and said shyly, "Abby understands. Abby will be very gentle with her practicing. It helps with sleep. If you get tired, Master, you can just drift off~"

With that, she wriggled down and disappeared under the blankets.

For a long time, her head did not re-emerge.

An hour passed quickly…

Abby's head came to rest on Alistair's chest once more. Her beautiful face was flushed a deep crimson, and her forehead was beaded with sweat. She rubbed her cheek against his chest for a moment before looking up.

Her innocent eyes were shimmering with a watery mist as she gazed at him adoringly. "M-Master," she asked, her voice a mix of shyness and anxiety, "how was Abby's service?"

Alistair gently pinched her cheek and brushed a stray lock of hair from her temple. "Why would you force yourself to do these things?" he said, his voice sincere. "You don't have to do any of this. It's not as if I would stop liking you otherwise."

He knew exactly what was going on. Abby's frantic efforts to please him, to learn all these skills, stemmed from a deep-seated insecurity about her beastkin identity. She was terrified that one day, he would simply decide he no longer wanted her.

In response to his question, Abby simply lowered her head, burying her face in the chest she so adored. She didn't speak for a long time. Behind her, her tail swayed back and forth, gently brushing against Alistair's leg.

After a moment, Alistair heard her muffled voice. "Abby heard… Abby heard many people say that Snowmantle Citadel might hire a lot of maids in the future. There will be more and more pretty maids, and… and Mrs. Agnes said that if Abby isn't proactive, Master will be stolen away by other women."

"And," Abby's voice grew sadder, as if she had already lost him, "and one day Master will marry a noble lady. What if she hates Abby? What should Abby do then? Will Master drive me away…?"

Her voice broke into a sob. "Master, Abby will be a good girl, I promise. Please don't send me away, okay…?"

Alistair's heart ached. He gently took her face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes. "Mrs. Agnes was just scaring you," he comforted her. "Your Master isn't like other nobles. I'm not going to hire a legion of maids. I'm a noble who lives by his strength and military achievements. Do you know what that means?"

Seeing her utterly clueless but adorable expression, he couldn't resist tapping her nose with his finger. "It means I'm often away at war. I don't live in the castle full-time. So why would I hire a bunch of maids? Wouldn't that be a waste of money?"

He continued, "Besides, I have no interest in those noble ladies. None of them are half as good as my Abby. Don't you agree?"

"M-Master, you're lying. Abby is just a beastkin…"

"Shhh." Alistair gently placed a finger on her lips, silencing her before she could continue. "I will not abandon you, and I will not leave you. You just need to remember that. As for your status… that is the fault of this era, not your fault. I will find a way to fix it, slowly. Do you trust me?"

"Abby… of course Abby trusts Master, but…" She looked up at him, her large, misty eyes brimming with fresh tears. "But does Master not want to truly make love to Abby? Maybe… maybe you should find another mistress…"

Her words said one thing, but her heart clearly meant another. She was deeply in love with her master and, of course, she was a little possessive. No girl wanted to share the man she loved. In her heart, she wanted to be the only one to serve him. As she spoke, tears of self-pity began to flow again.

Alistair quickly sat up and pulled her into his arms, patting her back soothingly. "There, don't cry. Look at me. When would I even have time to find a mistress? I promise you, you will be my only personal maid. No one will ever replace you. Okay?"

Nestled in his embrace, Abby nodded earnestly. Then she asked, "Th-then, Master, did you like my service just now? Am I a qualified personal maid?"

Alistair wiped her tears away and kissed her forehead lovingly. "Of course you are. But you don't have to do these things to please me in the future. I won't stop liking you, and I will never leave you. You need to have more confidence in yourself, understand?"

"I-I understand. But Master, did you like it? I studied specifically for this. Is my technique much better than before?"

"…"

Seeing Alistair's silence, Abby began to wheedle him. "M… Master, just tell Abby, please~"

Alistair remained silent.

"Master, just say it~"

"Well…"

"Master, hurry up and say it~"

"Alright," he finally conceded. "I liked it very much. Abby is amazing."

"Hehe, I knew it! Abby could already tell~" she beamed, her tears forgotten as happiness bloomed on her face. "Anyway… Abby will continue to do her best!"

*****

The next day, in Baldric Keep.

The last rays of the setting sun cast a warm, dry glow into Viscount Ravenwood's chambers. Dusk was settling, and the first stars were beginning to appear.

Scouts had already reported that Frostcrest's army had mobilized and was on the march. Their speed was unnerving, their eagerness almost… strange. It felt as if they couldn't wait to throw themselves into battle.

The Ravenwood family's own militia and knights had begun to assemble, but so far they numbered only a little over three thousand. More were still marching from the farther reaches of his domain.

The Viscount, a man as adept at governing his people as he was at leading them in battle, was no fool. He knew what an efficiently mobilized militia signified. An army with a greater will to fight, even if it was made of cannon fodder, could play a decisive role on the battlefield.

A sense of foreboding gnawed at him. His opponent's haste felt wrong. Even if their militia had high morale, such eagerness was unusual. Was it overconfidence? Had the once-brilliant youth grown arrogant with power?

But the arrow was already nocked; it had to be fired. Unless he was willing to abandon this chance for his family to ascend to the upper nobility, this war was inevitable. And with the three allied Earth Knights, plus the hidden trump card of his own son, he refused to believe anything could go wrong.

Viscount Ravenwood walked to the window, gazing at the crescent moon in the twilight sky as he calmed the storm in his heart.