THE WARLORD'S SURVIVAL HAREM SYSTEM

Chapter 5: The First war

Ric knew that something was approaching slowly since the system had already notified him, he knew what would surely come to be will be!

He cleared his thoughts and entered his tent!

The Three ladies stood together under the moonlight, they had a complicated look before Lady Yan asked them, especially Morgana, “What do you think?”

Morgana paused slightly as she turned her gaze towards Ric’s tent as her knuckles were clenched tightly then loosened, she slowly replied, “I will just have to stay for a while and watch what makes him think he can command me!” Morgana spoke in defiance!

She is the type of lady that never submits to any man, she was once the daughter of bandits leader, so she knew how the world works, if you are soft then you will be trampled on!

Lady Yan glanced at Morgana for a long time before she nodded her head and said, “We will do as you say!” her eyes turned to Kahleen which the latter weakly nodded her head in acknowledgement.

Everything was settled with mutual understanding!

*****

The following day, when the moon had gone inside, under the cover of darkness, a ruthless group of bandits launched a merciless raid on River Park Village!

The village was in total chaos as the first war horns cut through the dark, the corrupt guards assigned to the perimeter didn’t sound the alarm to protect the people, they sounded it to clear a path for their own escape.

Ric suddenly came out from his tent and slowly glanced at everything that happened, his eyes becoming icy with rage as he saw how the guards and commander fled from the outpost.

The former commander gazed deeply at Ric as his mouth curved with a mocking smile and fled with his remaining guards!

Ric watched from the center of the camp as the former commander and his lackeys shoved past screaming women and children, mounting horses and fleeing into the tree line.

“Cowards!” Lady Yan spoke coldly as she and the other ladies walked towards Ric.

Ric nodded slowly towards them in the form of greetings as he knew they had already made their decision.

“They are leaving everyone to be slaughtered” Kahleen voice trembled as she was not use to seeing death as she has been the one that healed those villagers, she became pained as Morgana gazed directly at Ric for his decision.

Panic was a contagion, and it was spreading fast. Villagers tripped over each other, dropping lanterns, their cries echoing off the stone walls. In a few minutes, the bandit vanguard would breach the main gate, and it would be a massacre.

Ric took a deep breath as he closed his eyes for a fraction of a second. In his mind, a lifetime of military tactics as a General in his previous life, tactical doctrines, and modern formation begin to overlap themselves and the layout of the River Park outpost began to form in his mind.

When he opened his eyes, the passive, unassuming conscript was gone.

"Listen to me!" Ric’s voice cut through the din, ringing with a commanding authority that made the nearest villagers freeze in their tracks. "If you run, you die in the woods. If you stand and fight, you live to see tomorrow! Move!"

Before anyone could question him, Ric began barking orders, drawing on centuries of Earth's urban defense strategies.

"You three, capsize those supply wagons across the main choke point! Fill the gaps with tables and rain barrels! Now!" He pointed toward a group of terrified miners.

"Get every available strong man that can draw a bow on the roof of the granary. It has the only clear line of sight over the northern wall and maintains a crossfire!"

"Who do you think you are to…" a burly man suddenly spoke but Ric grabbed him by the collar that frightened him, his eyes burning with a wide imposing aura.

"We don’t have time. Look for a pitch in the store house and pour it down the eastern alley, and wait for my signal to light it. If they break through, we break them there. Do it!"

Driven by Ric’s imposing aura he emanated, the villagers moved instantly. A makeshift barricade rose in minutes.

The main gate crashed inward with a deafening crash. A horde of ragged, bloodthirsty bandits poured through the gap, howling for blood. But instead of an open, terrified slaughterhouse, they met a wall of overturned wood and iron.

"Loose!" Ric roared.

From the roof of the granary, a volley of arrows rained down, catching the front rank of the raiders completely off guard. Bodies dropped, but the sheer volume of the bandit force pushed them forward, spilling into the narrow alleys.

"Light it!" Ric yelled.

A torch splashed into the eastern alley. A wall of fire roared to life, instantly cutting off the bandits' vanguard from their reinforcements and trapping a dozen raiders in a narrow, blazing corridor.

Yet, the pressure on the main barricade was immense. A massive, scarred bandit wielding a two-handed axe smashed through the center of the defensive line, sending two villagers flying. He raised his axe to cleave a fallen youth in two.

Clang!

The heavy iron blade never landed.

Ric stepped into the gap, parrying the blow with his short dagger. The impact vibrated up his arms, but he didn't yield.

Before the brute could recover, a blur of silver steel flashed from the side.

Morgana moved like a gale wind. Her longsword danced through the air with terrifying, fluid precision. With a swift fluid motion, she severed the brute’s ankle, forcing him to his knees, allowing Ric to finish the strike with slash on his throat!

Ric glanced at her, but wasn't surprised because she was a ruthless lady that never backs down from a fight!

Morgana gave him a fierce, charming smirk, her usual cold demeanor completely shattered by the thrill of combat. "You aren't the only one who knows how to wield a blade, conscript," she breathed.

Ric eyes were glued on her voluptuous chest before he composed himself as he noticed a cold stare directly at him.

"Good. Stay on my left!" Ric commanded.

Together, they became a whirlwind at the breach. Where Ric provided brutal, pragmatic military efficiency and tactical placement, Morgana brought raw, aristocratic martial artistry. They fought back to back, cutting down anyone who dared cross the threshold of the barricade.

Inspired by the sight of a supposedly weak conscript and a noblewoman holding the line, the remaining village men found their courage, thrusting spears over the barricade and driving the raiders back.

Seeing their numbers decimated by fire, arrows, and an unbreakable defensive line, the remaining bandits lost their nerve.

"Retreat! Fall back!" their acting captain screamed, clutching a bleeding shoulder. Within moments, the surviving raiders melted back into the darkness of the forest, leaving behind dozens of their dead.

Everywhere was silent that only the sounds of heavy breathing could be heard!

Ric stood near the shattered gate, wiping a thick layer of bandit blood from his dagger with a torn piece of cloth. His muscles ached, but his posture remained rigid.

The atmosphere in the camp had completely transformed. The surviving villagers didn't look at him as they did before, they looked at him with awe, quiet reverence. The burly blacksmith he had shouted at earlier approached, bowing his head deeply. "We owe you our lives, milord."

Further back, the three ladies stood together, watching Ric closely. The deception was failing. No mere conscript possessed the strategic genius to coordinate a flawless urban defense, let alone the martial prowess to fight alongside Morgana.

Lady Yan watched him with calculating, narrowed eyes, realizing she had drastically underestimated the man that she was married to.

Kahleen cheeks were flushed, her gaze a mix of awe and deep curiosity.

Morgana simply cleaned her own blade, her eyes locked onto Ric with a profound, newfound respect, and an insatiable urge to find out who he truly was.

As Ric finished cleaning the dagger, the world around him seemed to pause. A sharp, melodic chime echoed in his mind, and a series of brilliant, golden text boxes flooded his vision, illuminating the darkness.

[Battle Calculated: 42 Enemies Defeated, 89 Civilians Saved.]

[Household Loyalty Status Updated:]

Lady Yan: +10% (Current: Skeptical but Intrigued)

>Kahleen: +15% (Current: Growing Admiration)

Morgana: +30% (Current: Bound by Martial Respect)

[Special Achievement Unlocked: First Blood.]

Condition Met:Successfully defend a settlement against overwhelming odds using tactical superiority.

Dispensing Reward:Advanced Weapon Schematics (Early industrial Black Powder and Flintlock Mechanisms)

Ric's eyes widened slightly as a massive influx of technical blueprints, chemical formulas for gunpowder, and casting dimensions burned directly into his memory.

The corrupt guards were gone, the village was theirs, and now, he held the blueprints to change the face of warfare in this world forever.