"So there is no sign of the other class, and Lord Commander thinks that this might be a trap."
Amelia, who had just returned from the terrace, came to know of the situation from Grace, as they were on a call with Nero.
"Yeah. I feel that they may be trying to get us into a defensive position or even ambush us. What do you guys think our next move should be?"
Nero's report only deepened the confusion in Amelia, as this was the last move she expected the enemy to make.
Common sense dictated that supplies are the most essential component of a war. Yet, there was no sign of the other class.
Unless the other class was brain-dead enough to neglect supplies, this was clearly a trap.
"Lord Commander, I suggest that you create a small unit and have them scout the area before entering the shopping district."
Amelia's suggestion was agreed to by both Grace and Nero.
Nero gathered five individuals and had them scout the area. But even after an hour of searching, they came empty-handed as there was no sign of the other class.
"No way, are they really that stupid? Or did something happen on their side?"
Amelia's confusion only deepened after hearing the scout team's report from Nero.
For a second, she thought that Lucas might have done something, but she clearly remembered him saying that he wouldn't intervene unless something unexpected happened to their class.
"I don't know, but given the situation, I am thinking of occupying the entire shopping district. That would deprive our opponent of supplies. What do you both think about that?"
At Nero's question, Amelia and Grace thought for a second.
Under normal circumstances, Nero's decision would have been right, as being on the defensive is much more advantageous than being the attacker.
However, Amelia still felt that something was not right.
"I think y-"
"I agree with your plan, Lord Commander."
Before Amelia could express her thoughts on the matter, Grace agreed to Nero's plan, essentially sealing the deal with two people approving it.
"I don't think it's a good plan, Lord Commander."
"Why?"
In the end, Amelia still decided to object to the plan. Even if things go south, she felt a sense of ease knowing that Lucas would help them no matter what the other class plans.
"Just in case the other class does something unexpected, I ask Lord Commander to station half of the troops outside the shopping district as a contingency."
Grace immediately rejected her idea.
"That would make it easy for our enemy to wipe out one of the groups before the other group can even get there to help. Not to mention, the ones to be stationed on the walls of the shopping district would be spread far too thin."
"Yes, but if this turns out to be a trap, then there would be no way for us to get out of the district. Then we would be no different than ducks waiting to be slaughtered."
"We can't risk losing our numbers just because of your hunch, Miss Black."
Nero was silent the entire time Amelia and Grace were arguing. He honestly thought both of their plan had their merits and demerits.
However, he was not in a situation where he could wait for them to reach a consensus, so he decided on the path with the least risk.
"Enough, both of you. I have made my decision, we will go with Grace's plan as it is the least risky for us. I will report if anything unexpected happens later."
With Nero's agreement, there was nothing Amelia could do now. All she could do now was to pray that her hunch would not come true.
At Nero's command, all of their troops entered the shopping district. Nero had each of his lieutenant's squads stationed at boundary to construct a few walls.
After that was done, he and the lieutenants explored the district and looked for supplies. But no matter how much they looked, they couldn't even find a trace of it.
They even thought that their assumption about supplies might be wrong, but that was unlikely since there was literally a shopping district in the middle of the virtual world created for the purpose of war.
A dreadful scenario dawned on them as they immediately contacted their main base.
"Grace, Amelia, are the two of you there?"
"Yes, Lord Commander."
Amelia and Grace responded simultaneously, wary of Nero's serious tone.
"The shopping district, there are no supplies present here. This entire place is practically empty."
"What?! But that's impossible!"
Amelia was shocked to see her prediction go wrong. But quickly realized that there was no way a shopping district would be present in the virtual world if there were no supplies.
"Nero! Get out of there! It's a trap!!"
She warned Nero in panic, even dropping the formalities.
However, it was too late as a student immediately sprinted toward Nero and others with a panicked face.
"Lord Commander, the enemy has surrounded us."
At his words, all of their faces darkened.
They immediately split up and went in all directions. And sure enough, the enemy had them surrounded while attacking from all sides.
Their class tried to repel their attacks but were severely unprepared for the current battle.
Moreover, their opponents were being extra sneaky while attacking. They launched an attack randomly and immediately hid themselves in the woods.
Being in a defensive position, Class 1-A-1 had the terrain advantage allowing to focus solely on attacking. But since they had to attack while shielding themselves, they inevitably had poor aim.
Moreover, there was no telling when they would launch an attack since they seemed intent on dragging out this siege.
What's even worse is that most of their class's troops were more warrior type than mages, resulting in those capable of long-range attacks, including archers, spreading out thin to defend the shopping district.
The situation is bad, really really bad.
Nero couldn't help but grimace after witnessing the situation at the boundary.
*****
"That idiot, I already knew things would come to this, but he just had to go and walk right into the trap."
Lucas clicked his tongue, watching the situation unfold from a distance.
He had long known that such a situation would arise and already advised Nero to be careful. Unfortunately, Nero was too stupid to realize the intent behind Lucas's words.
"It's strange, though. That Albert didn't strike me as someone who would go for such a strategy."
Lucas made a thoughtful gesture as he observed the ongoing stalemate between the two classes.
In his mind, Albert was someone who lacked the patience to go for such a drawn-out battle.
"Well, I guess it's because of her."
It didn't take long for Lucas to figure out what had led to this situation. He merely glanced at the shopping district one last time and turned back as he dashed to somewhere else.
******
Yesterday Night.
"Is something the matter, Lord Commander?"
The strategist of the class 1-C-8 entered the room as he looked at Alberto with confusion.
It's been nearly an hour since their strategy was decided, and they had a lot of matters that needed his attention.
Alberto clearly knew this and yet still called him. It was obvious that something was wrong.
"We are changing our strategy. We will go for a drawn-out battle."
"What happened, Lord Commander?"
The strategist was surprised. The Alberto he knew was prideful and arrogant. So there was no way he would discard the strategy he himself had come up with unless there was a serious reason.
"That Morningstar, he defeated Nero in a single attack."
That single statement made by Alberto made everything clear as to why they changed their strategy.
Nero, their greatest obstacle and their target whom they had been so careful of, had been defeated in an instant.
Alberto was no fool. He knew that Nero was strong and believed that it would take him a considerable amount of time to bring Nero to his knees.
However, if someone capable of defeating Nero in a single strike were to appear, his own chances of defeating the said person were practically non-existent.
"Also, we are moving right now."
So, Alberto had decided to lay a trap and wait for them.