I could think of at least three reasons why that was a ridiculous plan, but I maintained my calm and kept listening in patience.
"That sounds like an excellent plan."
"Yeah. If we take turns, we won't be exhausted."
"And if they get too close, we can launch an offensive to whittle down their numbers from our strategic positions."
Many praised the plan, but the more experienced Dorm Master gave an expression that seemed grave. It was clear that he knew a flaw or two in their reasoning.
"I don't think that's such a good plan." He finally spoke up.
I smiled, wondering how far he would be able to convince them. My eyes also went to Kuzon, wondering why he wasn't speaking.
'Surely, he must have realized what the issues are…'
The boy was probably waiting for his chance—like me—or he didn't care. Something told me it was the latter.
"What's the problem with the plan, Mister Garliad?" Fabian made the mistake of exposing his ignorance.
"W-well, I really don't think a defensive strategy will work out well…"
The man went further to explain his reasoning.
According to him, very few of the students actually had good defensive abilities that could halt the Demons… and they couldn't maintain it for hours.
Shadow Demons could bypass poorly made barriers—and not many people had the precision to create dense barriers. The few who could achieve that would have their hands full already.
Also, no barrier had infinite durability. It would eventually wear down. The more Shadow Demons gathered, the greater the damage. There was the suggestion of swapping out at intervals to restore strength, but one had to wonder how feasible that would be.
To achieve that, we would need at least two batches of Magic Users—at the barest minimum!
'And that's pushing it…'
A squad needed to cover the whole building would have to consist of about ten Magic Users of skilled caliber. Since the barrier would have to be spread out, and we would need to consider the damage dealt—the math was crazy.
That meant we needed at least twenty highly capable Magic Users. Those in the meeting were thirteen. Counting the other four staff not present, that left a deficit of three more roles to fill.
Of course, some top-tier people could be recommended, but even among those present, I doubted many people could use Magic as delicate and precise as the target for an extended period.
Ultimately, we were short on hands.
The idea of even launching assaults on the enemy while maintaining defense was laughable.
That would mean deactivating a portion of the difficult barrier—which would be a hassle on its own. But, that wasn't the half of it.
Almost anything the students could throw at the Shadow Demons would be ineffective. Pure Mana hurt them, same as how Miasma was harmful to regular folks, but many students—Rankers included—didn't know how to effectively use pure Mana.
At least, not to the point of being potent enough to deal lethal damage to the enemy!
The few who were adept at that, and could actually hurt the Demons would be required to tend to defense.
Sure, there were a few exceptional people here, but they weren't perfect.
Kuzon's defense was made of threads, and couldn't cover too wide a span. Plus, they wouldn't be dense enough for the Demons to keep out if he tried to widen the range.
I could also tell that Ciara was more offense based than the opposite. It would have helped if there were Magic Users who specialized in defense like back in the day, but with no major threats happening in the Empire, people were more interested in trending Magic fields.
Who could blame them, though? They simply chose the best career paths for themselves.
'Ah, I even forgot that some of the people here are Martial Artists… a barrier is out of their field of expertise.' My eyes trailed to the Third Seat of the Rankers—a Martial Artist. He appeared cautious and collected, so even he must have been aware of his uselessness in the proposed plan.
'We need a strategy that actually utilizes all the resources we have.'
I had one in mind, but I wasn't in the position to mention it yet. I simply had to wait for some time.
"I—I see…" Fabian mumbled after the Dorm Master explained his limited prediction concerning the proposed plan.
He had a few holes, but the man was mostly on point. He hadn't stated some crucial elements—reasons why we shouldn't even dream of remaining on the defensive—but he did well in establishing his points.
'We should operate with the assumption that help isn't coming. Wouldn't the enemy have ensured that we wouldn't be helped until they achieve their objective?'
That was common sense, no?
"Any other suggestions?"
Someone—another idiot—recommended the plan of going on the offensive and crushing them with our numbers.
'They outnumber us, though.' I wanted to snap at him, but withdrew my thoughts.
Sure, some of us would fare well, but… we wouldn't be able to ensure the safety of the weak. Those capable in combat would only attract more foes. Ultimately, the weak would be left defenseless and picked off until they perished.
I wasn't averse to sacrifices, but they had to be meaningful. There was no point in making more people die than necessary. That was the very definition of incompetence—of waste!
Ultimately, with this general logic, that plan was scraped too.
It seemed Fabian wasn't smart enough to figure out a solution—or was too shaken to think properly—since he asked for another suggestion.
A dead calm enveloped the room. Until—
>VWOOOSSHHHH<
Several flying mechanisms drew close to the Middle-Class building we were all staying at.
Most of us—except the incompetent Middle-Class Elite—noticed the flying things before they entered the building. Some of us noticed before that, as I saw Kuzon smiling at me.
"W-what is that?!" A majority sprang up and took defensive stances.
'You mean 'those', blockheads.' I grinned, happy that what I was expecting had arrived.
My golden moment was at hand, and I wasn't going to waste it.
After all, the approaching figures were…
