"But if these people enter the village, how will we resist? Staying only in the church won't hold out for long, will it?"
"It's fine. We just need to show weakness to lure them into the village. Then, we'll set fire to the houses and burn them to death inside the village."
"You're really smart, aren't you? If you set fire, what about the people in the church? What happens after the village burns down?"
Misato Shizuku crossed her arms, unable to resist sarcastically ridiculing Niu Zida's idea. Niu Zida explained:
"We have few people here. Even if Aponia has activated her ability now, it's still a question whether the three of you can deal with hundreds of bandits. We've ambushed the bandits twice in a row. If this group of bandits comes again, they'll likely strengthen their defenses. Moreover, before, I was hidden and the enemy was exposed, so I could launch sneak attacks. Now, with the village here, the enemy is hidden and we are exposed. Relying on sneak attacks again won't be so easy. It's even possible that the enemy will ambush us instead."
"Master, so you want to gather all the villagers near the church for defense, to protect the children from sneak attacks?"
"Yes. Next, I'll go back, bring out all my Goblins, and ambush them in the village houses. When night falls, we'll set the houses on fire, and then attack in the chaos to defeat the enemy."
"But Master, if the village is all burned down, how will we get through the winter?"
"I will have the Goblins help the villagers rebuild their homes. If we don't thoroughly defeat this group of bandits, these houses will be plundered sooner or later anyway. If we rely on direct attacks, none of you have proper weapons. Only by burning can we deal with hundreds of people at once."
Hearing Niu Zida's opinion, everyone present fell silent. Even Yor, who was decisive in dealing with enemies, still couldn't agree with the method of burning down the entire village to resist the enemy. However, there was no time to lose. Niu Zida knew that he had to make a quick decision now, as the bandit's lair was only dozens of kilometers away. They could return after running for a day and a night with the children, and if these bandits were prepared, they could counterattack within a day.
"In short, let's start according to my plan. Not making a decision is more terrifying than making a wrong one."
Niu Zida no longer hesitated. Seeing that he couldn't persuade his maids, he simply used his Master's authority. At this, the three women no longer had any objections. After all, under the servitude contract, if the Master insisted on his opinion, the maids could not object.
"Since that's the case, Master, how do you plan to arrange things?"
"I'll ride Yor back immediately and call the Goblins from the farmhouse. Aponia, you're responsible for persuading the villagers here. No matter what method you use, make them accept the fact that Goblins are helping them. With the feat of rescuing the children, I think they'll easily accept your precept ability this time. Misato Shizuku, you're here to help Aponia. If the bandits counterattack before I return, the two of you should try your best to protect the villagers by holding out in the church until I get back."
Niu Zida knew that Yor was very tired after a day and a night of activity, but time was the most precious thing right now, so he could only make Yor work hard one more time. Fortunately, the gentle Yor didn't complain. She also knew that this was about saving the village, so she carried Niu Zida and quickly rushed back to the farmhouse. By this time, it was already getting dark again. Yor had barely rested this entire day and night.
"Yor, you should eat something and rest for a bit."
"I'm fine, Master."
"How can that be? You've been on the go for a day and a night. You'll collapse like this."
He forcibly ordered Yor to eat something. Niu Zida then went into the farmhouse and briefly explained the recent situation to the old woman, leaving her with two Goblins for protection. The old woman shook her head and said:
"Since there's fighting over there, take all the Goblins with you. I'm just an old woman; nothing will happen to me."
"But I'm really worried if no one protects you."
"If I have Goblins with me, I'd be in danger if those bandits came. If I'm just an old woman alone, they'll just steal some things and leave at most."
Niu Zida thought about it, and it made sense. An old woman in the wilderness—if bandits passed by, they probably wouldn't bother with her. They'd even find her too slow to take back to cook for them, wasting food.
Niu Zida used the Goblin Bone Whistle to gather all the Goblins. During this period, the Goblins had all been obediently gathering food and hunting nearby under his command. Looking at this group of small Goblins holding wooden sticks and crude daggers, Niu Zida knew that these weak Goblins couldn't directly confront that group of bandits. This was all he had, but this time he had to go all-in. If he really lost, he would take his three maids and find a cave to endure hardships, playing the long game of ten years of accumulation and ten years of lessons. Anyway, in a few months, he could still lead a group of sons back to seek revenge.
Niu Zida still wanted Yor to rest longer, but Yor refused, insisting on setting off quickly to save the village. Niu Zida felt sorry for Yor, but Yor said:
"Thank you, Master, but the people in the village could be attacked at any time. I just ate something and feel much better. Let's set off quickly."
"How about this, you eat some cheese. Only then will I be at ease about your physical recovery. Otherwise, I can't let you continue to participate in the battle."
"Oh? But...?"
Hearing about eating cheese, Yor blushed a little. After all, that cheese was made from her own milk! But she couldn't defy her Master's command, so with a flushed, charming face, she opened her tender red mouth and ate some of the cheese made from her milk.
"How is it, Yor-brand cheese, is it delicious?"
"Hmm...?"
Questioned by Niu Zida with a lewd smile, Yor's fair face turned as red as a tomato, and she could only lower her head and shyly agree.
"Alright, let's go."
Fortunately, Niu Zida didn't want to continue teasing his maid. Seeing that Yor's stamina had mostly recovered after eating the cheese, he lay on Yor's beautiful back, gripping the stirrups, and quickly returned with the Goblins to support the village.
By the time they returned to the village, it was already dark. Luckily, this round trip was quicker, and the village hadn't been attacked yet. Niu Zida quickly set up Goblin outposts outside the village, instructing them to maintain constant vigilance. If bandits came, they were to report immediately. To get timely intelligence on the enemy, outposts were even set up five kilometers away from the village.
"Have the other people in the village been relocated?"
"Yes, Aponia's Precepts were still effective. Although the villagers didn't agree with the method of burning down the village to resist the bandits, under Aponia's command, everyone still moved into the church with their food and children. The church is quite crowded now."
After asking Misato Shizuku, Niu Zida heard that Aponia had indeed relocated the villagers as he instructed. The pressure on Niu Zida increased. If this battle wasn't fought well, wouldn't it betray everyone's sacrifice? It seemed this time, he could only win, not lose.
💎 Power Stone Bonus: Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter
🌟 5-Star Review Bonus: Every 5 (5-Star) Reviews = +2 Extra Chapters
💬 Comment Speed-Up: If any chapter reaches +10 Comments = The Next Chapter Will Be Released Faster!
🔥 Want to Read Ahead? If you want to read advanced chapters, check out my buymeacoffee(.)com/02netnovel