After leaving the camp of the Bull Mercenary Group, Aske teleported back to Fire Island and called out the girls.

"...In short, that's about it."

He calmly relayed the situation to everyone.

The girls: ..........

Although the Squad Leader making unilateral decisions wasn't new, it felt off for him to silently wrap everything up and then casually "inform" us. Why couldn't he notify us before making such decisions?

Despite their internal complaints, everyone quickly came to terms with the fact that they "had already joined the Bull Mercenary Group" and began planning their next steps.

"Departing from Valencia City, heading to Badajoz Jungle, there are roughly three travel route options." Eleanor, experienced in planning, swiftly drew a map on the ground with her Longsword and explained to the group, "The first route is the northern road."

"From here, head northwest, trek through the winding mountain roads between the Kun Ka Mountain Range and the Iberian Mountains, then turn west to travel along the northern foothills of the Central Mountains, and finally enter the Badajoz Jungle from the north."

"The advantage of this route is that it perfectly avoids the southern plateau occupied by the Undead Army. Passing through the borders of Aragon and Castilla, the risk factor is almost negligible."

"But the problem is, it will take a lot longer, right?" Thira sharply noticed the issue with the length of the route, "To bypass the southern La Mancha Plateau, we have to take a big detour along the edge of the plateau's mountains, which will total a walking distance of over 800 kilometers."

"And considering that it's all mountainous, it might be even more troublesome." Medea added.

"Yes." Eleanor calmly agreed, "So this can only be considered a 'worst strategy'."

"Worst strategy?" Both Medea and Thira were taken aback, as it was the first time they had heard the term, "Does that mean there is a so-called 'best strategy'?"

"Yes, let me talk about the second option," said Eleanor, "Starting from the southern foothills of the Penibetic Mountains, enter the flat Andalusia Region along the coastline, pass through the lands of Sevilla, and then enter the Badajoz Jungle from the south."

"That's also a detour, just a little shorter distance." Thira remarked.

"Even though we avoid the main force of the Undead in the southern La Mancha Plateau, after entering the Andalusia plains, the chances of encountering undead patrol squads are also very high," Medea pondered, "And Sevilla is a populous city; the Undead Army surely has a strong presence there, maybe even a Demigod."

"We don't necessarily have to pass near Sevilla City," said Eleanor, "We can cross the area southwest of the city, near the estuary at the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir River. The locals call it 'Doniana,' a huge swamp densely woven with waterways, perfect for hiding our traces."

"You said this is the second option," Thira noted with keen attention, "Is there also a third one?"

"Yes, this route is considered a 'moderate strategy'," confirmed Eleanor with a nod, her Longsword making a decisive mark in the center of the map, "My 'best strategy' is to go straight through the La Mancha Plateau, which is under the main control of the Undead, secretly march through the Morena Mountains, and then directly enter the Badajoz Jungle from the east!"

"This, this seems too risky," Thira hesitated. Although this so-called best strategy was a straight line on the map, the shortest route, passing through the highland occupied by the Undead Army seemed like a foolhardy idea, almost like a mission to go deep behind enemy lines to certain death.

"If you think about it carefully, it's not impossible to pull off," Medea, who had a particular fondness for such risks, argued, "In fact, we could hide in Fire Island, and then only one person needs to stay outside, moving down along with the flow of the Guadalquivir River. This way, we won't leave any traces and the probability of being discovered is very low."

"The Guadalquivir River is the largest river in the Andalusia Region," Thira immediately objected, "The Undead Army couldn't possibly have left it unguarded, and they might even be using the river to transport troops right now!"

"So you support taking the safest northern route?" Medea folded her arms and asked, "The north route is four times longer than this one!"

"At least there will be fewer variables," Thira shrugged, "And don't forget, we are operating in the Iberian Peninsula, completely unfamiliar with the terrain! Compared to the longer time spent traveling, the unstable factors of the battlefield are our greatest enemy."

As these two girls clamored and debated, the rest were completely lost in the discussion, with strange place names like "Kun Ka," "La Mancha," "Guadal," and "Quivir" leaving them bewildered and clueless about what was where.

"Aske, what do you think?" Eleanor suddenly interrupted their discussion, "Which route seems more suitable?"

"The best plan is too aggressive, the worst is too conservative," Aske stated simply. "I suggest choosing the middle path, taking the southern coastal route and then heading north through the swamp."

"A compromise? It really is in the Squad Leader's style..." Thira and Medea pondered for a moment but did not raise any objections. Since the other girls did not understand at all, they were even less likely to object.

"Understood." Eleanor nodded, then took out another document. "Here is the plan for taking the southern route, take a look."

Aske: ???

"So you knew I would choose the southern route?" Aske asked in surprise. "No, I haven't told you I accepted this mission, have I?"

"Because Miel's Demigod acquaintance is there, we would have ended up going to the Badajoz Jungle sooner or later anyway," Eleanor admitted candidly. "As for the route, I thought you would choose the southern one, given your personality, but actually, I prepared a plan for all three."

"How much do you love making plans, anyway..." Aske complained, taking the document.

The other girls marveled and came over to take a look as well.

Thira and Medea exchanged glances, each reading a hint of surprise in the other's expression. Eleanor...when did this girl start using her head? Was she not always impulsive and quick to anger?

Thira was only surprised and amazed, whereas Medea felt instinctively wary of Eleanor's change.

Because if she set aside the factor of "being in the same team," her personality actually clashed with Eleanor's, to a degree perhaps even more than the differences between her and Nora.

At least Nora's gentle and soft nature meant she was unlikely to provoke conflict with Medea proactively, but Eleanor...suddenly, Medea had a strange premonition, sensing that the Knight Girl might become her greatest enemy in the future.

Of course, she did not have Miel's Ability to peek into the future, so she did not overly trust this Intuition, but it did not prevent her from adjusting her subsequent strategy ahead of time.

After a subtle glance at Eleanor, Medea also moved behind Aske and joined everyone in studying the plan.

Meanwhile, in a secret chamber at the Bull Mercenary Group's base, a Gypsy Witch was just removing her hand from a Crystal Ball.

She rolled up her sleeves and stood up, then bowed slightly to a shadow behind a curtain, saying tiredly:

"Your Highness, the people from The Azure Longsword are planning to take the southern route, enter the Andalusia Region via the coastline, then go through the Doniana Swamp before heading north to the Badajoz Jungle."

"Their outcome?" a deep male voice came from behind the curtains,

"I saw Half-elves swarming out, led by a Demigod, coordinating with The Azure Longsword to begin attacking the Undead," the Witch hesitated for a while, then said with a somewhat hoarse voice. "I...I also saw your defeat, the pieces you placed in the jungle, removed effortlessly by The Azure Longsword."

"Oh." The voice behind the curtain showed no sign of joy or anger and was silent for a while before saying, "When will your ability to prophesy be available to use again?"

"In a week," the Witch bowed her head. "After the moon rises and sets seven times."

"Fine, you may leave," the man behind the curtain spoke.

The Witch bowed shakily, picked up her Crystal Ball from the carpet, and then swiftly left the secret chamber.

She was a Transcendent specializing in the Law of Prophecy, able to glimpse into fragments of the future and push the transformation and realization of prophecies through strange Spells and rituals.

In fact, her Ability to peek into the future did not have a week-long cooldown; she could see whenever she wished with the only cost being the consumption of Spirituality—In front of the prominent figure behind the curtain, she cunningly chose to lie, thus avoiding being asked to make a second prophecy.

Because, just as she peeked into the future, she felt inexplicably as though someone was peering back at her.

Just like a Hunter focused on their prey, suddenly realizing they have become the hunted.

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