After John's words, the meeting began. First, John talked about the enemies we would face in general – their number, strength, endurance, and their commander. Listening to his words, I could easily see that this would be a difficult battle. Since the commander will usually be at the front of his army, it is unlikely that the gas will spread to that part. So, John will face the enemy commander if need be.
Another point to mention is that the enemy commander seems to be quite famous, even though I have never heard of him. As soon as his name was pronounced at the meeting, everyone's tension rose instantly. After this, a soldier brought a map at John's request and placed it on the table. John began to circle important points in red, such as where we were, where the enemy would be, and the extent of his army, among other things. After this, John looked at me and asked.
"Where do you think would be a good place to fire those... what are they called again?"
John asked, putting his hand to his chin, trying to remember.
"They are called gas grenades, sir"
Glen said as he sighed.
"That's right, that was the name. So, which places should we prioritize spreading this gas?"
John asked with a serious expression. I was really surprised they were taking a child's words seriously, but probably because we are in a war, they are deliberately ignoring my age.
"Looking at the map, the best places are here"
I said, marking a total of 16 locations.
"That will allow the gas to spread a lot and join with the others... but probably the gas won't make it to the front"
I said thoughtfully. No matter how I looked at it, the way I positioned the grenades was the best possible. As I was thinking about this, John suddenly asked me something I wasn't expecting.
"Kid, have you ever killed anyone?"
John asked with a serious expression. Even though I didn't understand the real reason for his question, I decided to answer anyway.
"Never, sir"
I said, confused. Hearing my words, John seemed to get thoughtful for a few seconds.
"Okay, in that case, stay behind me when we are in battle. I promise you won't have to get your hands dirty if you stay with me. It's the adults' job to protect the children"
Said John with a confident smile on his face. Hearing his words, the tension mysteriously lowered. By this, I had realized what kind of man John was. With a smile on my face, I looked at John.
"You don't have to worry about me, sir. I came here prepared for this. After all, this is a war. If I don't have that mentality, we will never win"
I said with a smile on my face. I didn't think I could kill someone so easily, but I know that in a world where death is everywhere, this is something that will have to happen sooner or later. The best thing would be to gain experience while I still can. Hearing my words, John looked at my face for a few seconds before a smile opened on his face.
"I like your determination. I remember I was exactly like that when I tried to confess to my wife"
Said John, smiling as he looked up as if remembering the old days.
"Since when did this become a conversation about relationships, Captain? Hahaha"
Said one of the men who was sitting at the table, smiling.
"Besides, everyone here knows that you almost begged her to marry you"
Said another man with a smile on his face. In a few seconds, the somber atmosphere had turned into a cheerful and lively one.
"What, I'm still the commander of you guys, okay?"
Said John, sounding irritated, although a small smile could be seen on his lips.
"Well kid, as you may have already realized, you don't need to be that tense. Here we are all like one big family"
John said, smiling. After this, the meeting was over, the plan was clear, and everyone already knew their positions. Now we just need to wait a few more hours until everything begins, the enemy army should appear on the horizon in about an hour. As this place is surrounded by a few high points, it will be easy to shoot arrows from long distances if the shooters are proficient.
(The fact that they are ignoring this will be the reason for their defeat... it has to be)
I thought as I walked around the camp. After spending a few minutes walking, I finally find the person I was looking for.
"Eric"
I said, catching the attention of the orange-haired young man. As soon as he turned around, a big smile appeared on his face.
"Ren"
Eric said, running towards me.
"It's good to see you here"
Said Eric. For some reason, he seemed a little tense. Well, I guess that's normal, seeing that we are about to enter a war.
"I say the same... but what are you doing here?"
I asked, confused. Although I knew Eric had a dream of being a knight, I didn't expect him to get stuck in the first war that occurred.
"When I heard rumors about the war, I tried anyway to enlist. I thought if I helped in something, no matter how small, you, Flora, Princess Emi, and my parents would be a little safer. I can't get that feeling out of my chest, that something bad is going to happen"
Eric said with a strange expression on his face that made me a little surprised. The two of us haven't even known each other that long, and even then, it was a surprise to know that I was among the people he wanted to protect.
"But what are you doing here anyway? I saw that they took you to the commander's tent"
Eric asked, confused.
"Well, you don't have to worry so much anymore"
I said, causing Eric to raise a confused eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?"
Eric asked.
"Even though I am still not guaranteed, we now have a way to win this war by having a minimum number of casualties"
I said with a serious look on my face.