Three Old Men

Goldoh’s plan went like this:

First, we’d split the troops into a Diversionary Unit and a Stealth Unit. The Diversionary Unit would use the cover of night to launch a preemptive strike on Count Ragitta’s Castle and sow chaos. Meanwhile, the Stealth Unit would slip into the heart of the enemy's base, take down the Count, and force a surrender.

The Stealth Unit was a small group of about ten elites, including Quinton and Goldoh.

The Diversionary Unit consisted of the remaining ninety or so recruits. I was one of them. My job was to fan the flames of the chaos and buy time. Apparently, as long as I bought enough time, the Stealth Unit would secure the victory... or so I was told.

Goldoh gave all sorts of reasons why it would be a cakewalk: the enemy had let their guard down, we had a map of the interior, their numbers were only around a hundred so we could win a fair fight anyway—that sort of thing. So, yeah, it was totally going to be fine. Definitely.

And supposedly, once we won this battle, we’d all become heroes.

Word was that when Count Ragitta betrayed the Royalist Faction, he stole some kind of Secret Weapon. If that weapon ever reached the Doem Faction, the Royalists would be screwed. The Stealth Unit’s mission doubled as a recovery operation for that weapon.

Once the mission was a success and the weapon was back in the right hands, this unit would be hailed as heroes of the Royalist Faction—at least, that’s how Goldoh and the others put it when they gave the squad a name.

"Oath of the Black Rose."

That became our official title. Black for the night raid, and the rose as the symbol of the Oriana Kingdom. Tonight, the legend of the heroes who rose up for their country would begin... supposedly.

I didn't really get the logic, but I had to admit, the name was pretty cool.

With that, the fatigue seemed to vanish from the recruits, replaced by a surge of motivation.

With determination in our eyes, we in the Diversionary Unit split off from the Stealth Unit and approached the castle. Only the sound of boots crunching through the snow echoed in the quiet night.

Even the three old men in my squad looked dead serious. When they noticed me watching them, they shot me fearless smirks.

The unit’s morale was through the roof. Based on the atmosphere alone, you’d think we were destined for success. The only problem was that our actual combat proficiency was zero.

As we drew closer to Count Ragitta’s Castle, I secretly pulsed out my Magic Power to scout the enemy's presence. The results?

Breaking news: there are over five hundred enemy soldiers.

Wait, didn't Goldoh say there were only a hundred?

This is one of those "we're screwed" situations, isn't it? We have officially entered a "guaranteed to lose" plot point.

What’s a mob supposed to do in a situation like this?

I stole a glance at the three old men and then turned to glare at the castle with a gaze full of resolve, matching theirs.

No, wait, that’s not right.

Well, as a reaction for a mob, it was fine, but I needed to think about what The Eminence in Shadow would do here.

When I break down the roles from an Eminence in Shadow perspective, the "power players" are the story's actual characters, while the mobs are basically the audience. In other words, by committing to the mob role and seeing the world through their eyes, the true nature of the Eminence in Shadow reveals itself. At least, that’s my working hypothesis.

I don’t actually know if it’s correct or not.

Regardless, I’ll start by tackling this battle as a mere mob. The answer lies within the struggle.

We crept through the darkness for a while until we finally reached the castle walls. It was a small castle, all things considered. Even if our side only had a hundred men, if the surprise attack was a total success, if everything went perfectly, and if we had a massive stroke of luck, there might be a slim chance of winning.

In this battle, what will the mob think, and what will The Eminence in Shadow accomplish...?

An inside mole opened the gates, and our battle as mobs began.

You could say the surprise attack by the "Oath of the Black Rose" was an initial success.

We swarmed inside all at once, overwhelming the enemy soldiers who had been caught completely off guard. After securing the gatehouse, we pushed straight toward the center of the castle.

"E-E-Enemy attack—!!"

We trampled the few soldiers who appeared with sheer numbers.

"Hah-hah! Quitting my job was the best decision ever! I’m freaking strooooong!"

"Outta the way, outta the way!! My body’s moving better than when I’m tilling the fields!"

"Hunh! Hunh! Hunh! Power is surging through me! My wife is waiting at the pawn shop!"

Thanks to those three power-type old men, I’d somehow been swept into the very front of the pack.

When it comes to group combat, once things become one-sided, they usually stay that way. It’s hard for individual strength to stand against numbers and momentum—unless you’re talking about high-level Spellswords.

Between their high morale and the success of the ambush, the "Oath of the Black Rose" had gathered a terrifying amount of steam. For a group of amateurs, their momentum was incredible.

As we tore through the castle, I actually wondered for a split second if we might just pull this off.

Only for a second, though.

I felt a massive cluster of enemy presences gathering up ahead.

"Uh, maybe we should start holding back a bit—"

"Hah-hah!"

"Move it, move it!"

"Hunh! Hunh! Hunh!"

Naturally, nobody was listening.

We surged into the central plaza and were immediately surrounded by a large contingent of enemies who had already moved into formation.

"That’s far enough, you brigands!"

I could tell at a single glance. In both numbers and training, the other side was vastly superior.

No matter how much momentum my squad had, they should have hesitated. They should have stopped dead in their tracks. Or so I thought.

"Hah-hah! We are the 'Oath of the Black Rose'!"

"Outta the way! Heroes coming through! Clear the path!"

"Hunh! Hunh! Hunh! Chaaarge!!"

Wait, are they for real?

But the three old men threw themselves into the fray, the rest of the unit followed their lead, and the real battle began.