The Villainess's Reputation [Kingdom Building]

Once Aurora and her retinue had departed, the heavy doors of the strategy hall creaked shut behind them, muffling the sound of retreating footsteps. A silence lingered for a breath before Ravenna turned, her voice slipping into a sharper, more commanding register.

"Now that they're gone," she said coolly, "we can discuss the real plan in greater detail."

Sarah, Alice, and Nille stood near the long, candlelit table, eyes fixed on the sprawling map of the coastline. They each nodded in unison, tension rising like the tide.

"We haven't received a formal declaration of territorial war yet," Ravenna began, tracing her finger along the edge of the bay on the parchment. "Which means one thing—it cannot legally be issued less than twenty-four hours before hostilities commence."

"That gives us a window," Hughes said, arms folded across his chest. His voice was low, steady. "If they haven't sent it yet, they're either still far out at sea… or they intend to announce it when they're practically at our doorstep."

"If it's the latter," he continued, "they'll appear just offshore, drop anchor, and wait the required day—barely meters from our coastline."

"That would be a foolish move," John countered, shaking his head. "Exposing their full numbers that close to shore? It would give us time to assess and respond."

"Not necessarily," Ravenna said, her eyes narrowing with calculated thought. "They don't believe we're prepared. In their minds, even with a day's notice, we'd be scrambling like frightened rats. A psychological tactic."

She paced slowly along the edge of the map, each step measured. "Even so, we shouldn't assume they'll wait in plain sight. I agree with Hughes, most likely they'll split their forces mid-ocean. A portion will remain hidden farther out while a visible fleet declares war. It will give us the illusion of knowing their strength while hiding the real threat."

"Exactly," Hughes replied, nodding. "We'll end up preparing for the ships we can see, not the ones waiting just beyond our vision."

Ravenna leaned forward, tapping the map thoughtfully. "Sometimes, giving the enemy half the truth is more effective than hiding everything. It draws out confident decisions based on flawed information."

"That would be textbook imperial navy doctrine," Alice added, her arms crossed. "They always employ layered deception, even when they hold overwhelming advantage. It's standard to withhold details, mislead scouts, and feint weaknesses. A real battle of information."

"We need to work with what we have," Hughes said, shifting his stance. "We're anticipating a battalion's worth of soldiers at minimum, and possibly mercenary ships if Edward Jola has the coin to spare."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

He stepped forward and pointed to marked notches along the coastline. "Our ballistas are our greatest asset. They're powerful enough to punch through standard hulls—crafted from dense steel, and built for rapid reloading. Against traditional ships, they can tear through masts and decks with ease."

"We'll also deploy the unmanned vessels," he continued. "Small craft with steam engines loaded with explosives or spikes. They'll crash against the magic ships trying to do as much damage as possible, clogging the way."

"And the hot air balloons," Ravenna added. "We'll use them to bombard from above—dropping heavy stones and flaming oil barrels directly onto the decks."

"But it still won't be enough," John muttered grimly, his voice laced with frustration. "Magic ships move faster and are reinforced with superior materials. Most of our attacks will miss—or bounce right off. Their mages will shield the more vulnerable vessels, using wind barriers to deflect our bolts."

For a moment, no one spoke. The flickering candlelight painted shadows across the stone walls, mirroring the uncertainty that lingered in the room.

Then, softly, a voice broke the silence.

"Fog," Sarah said, clutching a stack of books to her chest. All heads turned toward her. She hesitated, fidgeting slightly under the sudden scrutiny, but pressed on.

"I'm no craftsman like Mister Nille," she said shyly, offering him a glance, "but doesn't… doesn't quicklime produce a dense, white fog when it reacts with water? Couldn't we create artificial fog across the coastline?"

Nille blinked, caught off guard, then slowly nodded. "That… that's true. We've got tons of quicklime lying around from the old limestone mines. It reacts violently with water, especially saltwater. Produces a heavy haze that clings low and spreads quickly."

Ravenna's eyes sharpened as the idea took shape. "If we place it along all three potential landing zones—and feed the reaction in intervals—we could generate thick clouds of fog across every beach."

Understanding dawned in Hughes's face. "They won't be able to see where our ballistas are firing from," he said, his voice gaining energy. "We'll have visual cover to strike from all directions."

"The unmanned ships could slip right up to them," John added, excitement building in his tone. "They won't know what hit them until it's too late."

"But—" Alice stepped forward, frowning, "they have mages. Wind magic can clear skies and mist in seconds. If they realize what we're doing, they'll disperse the fog."

"That's true" Ravenna said "but we can counter it with just increasing the fog density again"

She walked to the map and placed a small carved piece on the southern shore. "If we layer our defenses and rotate fog releases from multiple zones, it will keep them constantly reacting. The moment they clear the field of vision, another layer of fog will rise behind it."

"We'll need mechanisms to deploy the quicklime at timed intervals," Nille said, already mentally sketching. "I can modify the grain chute mechanisms from the silos. Load them with quicklime and trigger releases remotely—maybe even by fuse."

"Do it," Ravenna ordered. Her voice, quiet and unwavering, held the weight of command. "Use whatever materials you need."

A fierce silence settled over the chamber. In the distance, a gust of desert wind whispered against the windows, as though the world itself were listening.

Then, Ravenna straightened, her expression unreadable as she stared at the map.

"Set up false weapon emplacements in the open. Let them see what we want them to see—and hide what will kill them in the fog. We will also give them false intel, as soon as a bit of fog clears they will attack the fake weapons from long range"

"Let the enemy bring their war," she murmured. "We'll drown them in fog—and burn them in fire."