"Smoke columns have risen from target number two, we've successfully captured it!"

Margaret entered the operations hall of the outpost with excitement, her gaze immediately fixating on Lance, who was busy processing affairs.

Currently, all dispatches from the outpost had to go through him, and he was arranging subsequent plans.

Hearing Margaret's words, Lance broke away from his tasks, although he didn't display too much surprise.

He simply got up and walked to the conference table at the front, scanning the complex documents, and finally stopped at the unfolded map.

On the map, several small objects could be seen; they were wooden bases the size of chess pieces with number-marked flags erected atop.

From this, it was clear that these chess pieces represented the current situation of Hamlet's Army.

At that moment, he casually picked up a piece from the table, placing it upon target number two, representing it as controlled by his forces, updating the battle situation.

Following that, he picked up another piece with some hesitation, falling into deep thought, truly embodying the phrase 'indecision'.

"Shouldn't you be happy about taking target number two?"

"I'm happy." Lance responded, turning to Margaret with a rhetorical question, "Why? Is there a problem?"

His calm reaction inexplicably poured cold water on Margaret's excitement, leaving her somewhat deflated.

"We're at war now!" Margaret even furrowed her brows slightly, adding confusion to her otherwise heroic and handsome face.

She had been watching from the watchtower for a long time, waiting for this good news, and had rushed over to deliver the news immediately.

The more she thought about it, the less she understood, and she voiced her skepticism, "Why does it feel like you don't care?"

Hearing this, Lance couldn't help but chuckle silently, shaking his head helplessly.

"It's normal for you to feel this way; if you understood this, you wouldn't say such things."

He said, raising his hand to point at the map with marked targets.

Lance's words unmistakably contained an element of sarcasm, pointing out Margaret's lack of understanding of the situation, which made her susceptible to being misled by minor news.

Margaret gazed at the map, falling silent for a moment, furrowing her brow further.

"I'm sorry, perhaps my words were too impulsive. If there's an issue, please enlighten me, Lord."

Others might choose to shrink away, act dumb, or even disregard facts to avoid dealing with the issue.

But she was Margaret, straightforward and never evasive when faced with problems.

After Lance's mockery, she openly admitted her mistake, then humbly sought guidance in return.

Such a genuine attitude was indeed forthright and impeccable.

Even Lance, accustomed to the antics of cunning individuals, felt a slight guilt for his earlier emotional words.

Margaret's introspection led Lance to examine himself for a moment.

Her lack of understanding wasn't her fault, for she didn't have access to the same battlefield information.

Moreover, due to her family background, despite being part of the nobility, she hadn't received relevant military training, so her lack of understanding was expected.

She waited outside for intelligence and joyfully came to report it, only to receive sarcastic remarks due to concern for the situation, and he realized that condescending derision would be unbearable for anyone in her position.

How did he become the annoying type himself?

Lance realized he wasn't as calm as he appeared; the pressure from hosting such a large-scale battle for the first time had indeed affected his emotions.

Ultimately, he was just an ordinary person whose only military experience came from gaming in his previous life...

"Sigh~ I'm sorry." Lance suddenly exhaled deeply, a bitter smile unconsciously appearing on his face as he waved to her, "You're not wrong, just overlooked some details."

Margaret found the Lord's behavior strange, wondering why he suddenly became so inexplicable. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Why was he starting to speak nonsense?

Margaret had only ever felt strong authority represented by her father, and even when she made mistakes, she would never expect an apology.

As such, she found it hard to react for a moment.

However, the battlefield wasn't a place for melodrama. Lance immediately collected his emotions, placing the piece onto target number two, then seriously gave her a brief explanation of the situation.

"You should be clear about what these two pieces represent. Capturing target number two now isn't something to celebrate; it's actually a serious mistake."

Lance's explanation was very clear.

It was important to know that the artillery along with the second squad comprised nearly two hundred people. Not counting medical and logistics, the frontline combat troops alone accounted for almost a quarter of the total force.

Moreover, with ample heavy firepower, capturing target number two wasn't supposed to be an issue at all; failing to capture it would have been the problem.

This was the least risky step in the plan, and since the outcome was already known, there could be no surprises.

On the contrary, the fact that target number two was only captured now gave Lance more concern.

Because it meant that the Ascension Sect had reacted, organizing heretics capable of resisting heavy firepower and elite forces.

Looking at the bigger picture, three outlets had been discovered, and if target number two was like this, then what about the situation with target number three?

"Though we've captured target number two now, with the encirclement tightening, the heretics are naturally gathering together.