Chapter 20: Winterseed -XX-

The day went smoothly, Rowan started by accompanying Roland and Brandon to the southern border, which is the closest to the farms and where the goblins attacked last night.Their assumption was that the goblins would attack again, and they would pass through this side of the village since it is surrounded by vegetation, and beyond it, there is a very big forest that none of the villagers have dared to explore in the past few years.

Rowan suggested that they venture into the forest, cut down trees, and use the timber to construct a strong fence around this area to prevent goblins from attacking again and also to prevent Ratax from stealing their crops.

Brandon was against the idea. According to him, going into the forest at this time would be a very bad decision as they might not survive. Roland agreed, but he wasn't sure about his decision.

In the end, Rowan made another decision to build a tall guardhouse around this area. They would station guards there at night to keep watch and inform them each time they spotted anything strange. Of course, this wouldn't just be on the south border but on every major one.

With this, the problem of the defenseless border was solved, but there were other bigger problems, including food, shelter, and mainly the suppression from Glenwood.

While these problems were significant, Rowan didn't panic at all and decided to solve them gradually. Worrying and rushing to solve the problem would only result in costly mistakes that might require starting over. To prevent this, he decided to take it slow.

Before Rowan left the farmlands, the farmers rushed toward him and complained about the water supply—it had badly affected their crops, with most of them dying due to the inadequate water supply, and some were experiencing slow growth.

"I am already aware of this issue, be patient with me. When we are done defeating Glenwood, we will take back control of the river," Rowan assured them.

The farmers agreed, but they were still concerned about the high rate of low productivity in their crops.

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After leaving the farmlands, Rowan rushed to the village square, where the youth were already waiting for him, and began training them with [Sword Master].

Sadly, he could only teach them the lowest level of the skill because it was impossible to impart such an advanced skill to these soldiers who were still FF-rank in terms of power. Rowan was different from them, he could advance his skill without limit at any stage.

Fortunately, this brought up a new and very important question for Rowan—how would he be able to help his soldiers evolve?

[ Your soldiers would be able to evolve by cultivating special techniques that involve training their inner powers. ]

Luckily, the system was there to answer him this time.

'And how do I obtain this special technique?' he asked.

Three seconds passed, and there was no response from the system. He could only sigh, it seems he would have to figure that out himself.

He turned to observe the soldiers, who were training with a lot of determination on their faces.

Roland and the other five captains stood in front, practicing at a speed and with a determination that outmatched that of the other soldiers.

The comprehension of the technique had improved drastically among the soldiers, especially among the captains.

Two captains had reached 50%, while Roland and two other captains were already at 60%. Two days from now, they would be able to wield the skill and unlock its full potential, then they would take on the role of teaching their soldiers.

Rowan was very proud of their speed, though he knew it was mainly due to his display last night.

The more he observed them training vigorously, the more impressed he was, and the more hopeful he became that they would win the war against Glenwood.

'But I fear that we have a mole in our midst,' he thought to himself.

Those series of hateful messages he got could only mean there is either a spy in their midst or someone who is after his position. He was not entirely sure about the first one, but he could not stake the survival of his village by neglecting that possibility.

If there was a mole in their midst, the best solution would be to root them out. But since he couldn't figure out who that person was, he decided to implement a brilliant plan.

---

It was now afternoon, and the heat of the sun intensified, making it very difficult for the soldiers to train.

Roland and the captains kept training while rivers of sweat poured from their bodies. Despite the harsh weather conditions, their determination to protect the village intensified. They gritted their teeth and continued swinging their training swords, following a swift pattern.

But this wasn't the same for the younger soldiers, they all swung their swords with weary expressions on their faces. Due to the harsh weather, some began to make a series of mistakes in the execution of the technique.

"Time to rest, everyone," Rowan announced.

Following his loud voice were sighs of relief and the sound of many young soldiers collapsing on the ground.

Roland and the other captains simply stopped swinging their swords and took in large breaths.

"Our beautiful women will arrive with lunch soon. While we wait for them, I want you all to gather around, we have to start preparing for the upcoming war," Rowan announced.

The village square is large, at the center, there was a clear field for training, and on one side, there were lots of trees that served as shade from the sun.

The soldiers dragged their worn-out bodies towards that area and found suitable spots to sit.

As they all made their way towards it, Rowan received the usual message.

[ One of your soldiers' hearts skipped a beat at your words. ]

[ One of your soldiers grinned widely and awaits your strategy. ]

Rowan observed as many soldiers as he could with his inspection skill, but none of them had anything that gave them away.

'This person must be a master at cloaking their true emotions,' he concluded after failing to catch the mole. Sёarᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

After all the soldiers had gathered, Rowan opened up and revealed his battle strategy, including the time they would initiate their attack and the different formations they would use.

His battle strategy was impressive, shocking even veterans like Roland.

But their impression wasn't what Rowan was looking for.

[ One of your soldiers' hearts beats fast in joy hearing your strategy. ]

[ The same soldier calls you foolish for revealing your battle strategy to them. ]

Seeing this, Rowan realized that his suspicions were correct. This person is a spy!

But a smile crept onto his face. He had only revealed the strategy for two good reasons: one was to understand the identity of this hater, and the other was to set a trap!

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AUTHOR NOTE: Last chapter for today! Thanks for reading! We are now 20 chapters into the novel and I would appreciate detailed reviews from you guys

This week, let us set a goal for bonus chapters:

50 Power stones - 1 Bonus chapter

100 Power stones - 3 Bonus chapters

These chapters would be released immediately after we reach these thresholds! Peace!!