Chapter 122

And so, the opinion proposal meeting began.

Following Serpina’s lead, a light discussion commenced.

“Amin. Go ahead and share your thoughts.”

“Yes.”

The male commander called Amin bowed deeply and spoke with a spirited tone.

“We must immediately gather all available troops for deployment.”

“Gathering troops, you say.”

Serpina stroked her chin with her snow-white hand and inquired.

“What makes you think that?”

“In preparation for the conquest of the Central Continent.”

“You know very well we just returned to Einhardt Castle not long ago, right? And yet you’re suggesting we prepare for another conquest already?”

“That’s correct. Please take a look at the materials I’ve prepared.”

Amin pulled out a map from his robes and displayed it to Serpina.

“As quickly as possible, we need to seize Anel Castle from the Brance Army and push them westward. If we capture their capital, Anel Castle, the Brance Army will surely collapse without time to regroup!”

…Huh?

For some reason, despite explaining things confidently… this seemed like something that had already been decided on-site.

The reason we’re not touching the Brance Army is because we’ve confirmed they’ve moved troops away from Anel Castle and placed them forward. Abandoning half their territory indicates their focus on defending the capital while also showing there’s no room left to conscript more soldiers.

Thus, maintaining their territory here would actually be more effective by disrupting their strategy of ‘selective concentration.’

Of course, if the Brance Army wanted to conscript more soldiers, they could theoretically do so—gather every able-bodied man, young or old, even those with minor disabilities—but inevitably, this would ruin the morale of the territorial people toward the Brance Army, likely leading to an irreversible downfall.

And besides, hastily gathered soldiers wouldn’t fight effectively anyway.

In short, allowing the Brance Army to make a poor decision by maintaining the status quo…

This was already decided on-site, but Amin seemed completely unaware as he spoke with bright eyes and firm conviction.

“Hmm. I understand. Now, I have a question for the rest of you.”

Without further ado, Serpina turned to us and continued.

“What do you think about Amin’s suggestion? Feel free to answer freely.”

Since she asked, might as well input the data. Regarding Amin’s suggestion to “seize Anel Castle as soon as possible,” when I checked its efficiency…

[It’s incorrect.]

“Indeed, it’s not the best choice.”

At that moment, I realized something absolutely clear.

“Lord.”

A female commander raised her hand.

“Speak, Shika.”

“Amin’s suggestion does have some merit, but now is not the time to prepare for battle.”

Her subsequent explanation matched the conclusion reached on-site fairly closely. Of course, it wasn’t perfect—there were unnecessary details, and it lacked refinement, making it feel amateurish. Observing closely, both Amin and Shika, along with the rest of the civil officials, appeared quite young.

At this point, I grasped the true purpose of this “opinion proposal meeting.”

“Winnowing the wheat from the chaff…?”

So, this gathering of newly hired civil officials was probably to assess their eloquence and insight continuously. Thinking this way explained why the commanders present seemed honored.

If my prediction is correct, most of these individuals weren’t first-timers. They’d likely been summoned multiple times over twenty-eight instances, each offering a chance to leave an impression on Serpina.

Hmm.

Despite Amin’s suggestion being subpar, Serpina didn’t respond directly herself but instead gave other warriors the opportunity to comment, which felt slightly odd. After all, during similar discussions at Hisfil Castle, she handled such logic herself.

“If one joins Serpina’s forces, even without renown or reputation, one can secure an opportunity…”

Recalling how Lin Brance treated mediocre warriors when managing a similarly sized territory made Serpina’s approach seem quite avant-garde. For a ruler overseeing such a vast domain to thoroughly evaluate her subordinates’ capabilities was far beyond what ordinary rulers would consider. Yet, simply inviting Jena as an observer showed her intent not to rely solely on her own judgment.

Serpina von Einhardt.

The more I understood her, the more intimidating she became.

“Perhaps Serpina should be considered Lunaarien’s real rival…”

“…That concludes my opinion.”

“Understood, Shika. Then, Amin, let me ask again: Have you changed your mind? Or do you have any counterarguments? Speak freely.”

“…No. I withdraw my suggestion.”

Amin replied with a trembling voice tinged with frustration. Though it could be considered rude under certain circumstances, Serpina paid it no mind and immediately turned back to Shika.

“I’d like to hear your thoughts now, Shika.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Shika nodded and carefully said,

“While I agree with strengthening our internal affairs, I propose conscription rather than mere mobilization. Newly conscripted troops should be deployed not for invasion but as border guards.”

She then elaborated on her reasoning, essentially stating: “Now isn’t the time for invasion, but since anything could happen, securing additional troops along the borders is crucial.” Indeed, textbook advice. Deploying more troops to defend Serpina’s expanded borders wasn’t a bad idea.

Listening intently, Serpina slowly nodded before turning to us again.

“What do you think about Shika’s suggestion? Again, speak freely.”

Ignoring the gratitude I felt for her repeated invitations to comment, I lightly processed Shika’s opinion.

[Close.]

“Ah.”

It’s been a while since I’ve seen an option labeled ‘close.’ So, while close doesn’t mean it’s the most efficient, sending reinforcements to the border isn’t the exact answer?

At that moment—

“Lord, may I offer my opinion?”

“Go ahead, Miles.”

The named Miles responded resolutely.

“I agree with Shika regarding conscription, but the troops should be stationed here at Einhardt Castle.”

“Why?”

“The foundation of a nation lies in its capital. Despite its safe location, unfortunately, many foolish individuals across the Northern Continent are swayed by false rumors about you. Firmly defending the capital city is paramount. Currently, due to the continental conquest, the capital defense force has been reduced to one-third. It would be wise to reinforce this area.”

In short, sufficient troops should remain in the capital to prevent rebellion in the inland areas of the north.

“What do you think about this?”

Let’s check this Miles fellow’s suggestion too.

[Close.]

“So this is close too?”

Then reinforcing troops, whether for the border or the capital, isn’t the optimal solution?

At that moment—

“Lord. May I offer my thoughts?”

“Speak, Mailes.”

Mailes firmly answered:

“I concur with Shika on conscription, but the troops should be stationed here at Einhardt Castle.”

“Reason?”

“The backbone of the nation is its capital. No matter how secure its location, there are still many foolish individuals in various parts of the Northern Continent swayed by unfounded rumors about you. Defending the Capital City strongly is vital. The capital’s defensive forces have been reduced to a third for the continental conquest, so it would be wise to replenish them.”

In short, enough troops must remain in the capital to prevent uprisings in the northern interior.

“What do you think about that?”

I proceeded to analyze Mailes’ suggestion.

[Close.]

“So this is close too?”

Then replenishing troops seems to be the right answer, but not necessarily where they’re placed?

While Shika and Mailes debated, I lost myself in thought.

“If the key issue is where to deploy the newly conscripted troops after replenishment…”

Something’s still missing.

I couldn’t conclude based on the current information.

As the meeting continued, others shared their opinions. Some argued against conscription altogether, while others suggested invading the Aishias Army. Both were dismissed as [Incorrect]. Others proposed deploying troops to places like Kelshtain Castle, but these suggestions only yielded [Close].

Finally, it was my turn.

“Swoen.”

“Yes.”

“I’m curious to hear your thoughts. You’ve been unusually quiet.”

Apparently, my silence hadn’t gone unnoticed by her keen eyes. But I had nothing specific to say…

“Conscription itself seems appropriate…”

Wait.

Didn’t Shika say something earlier?

“However, newly conscripted troops should remain in the territories where they were recruited. This appears to be the most efficient method.”

“Ho? Is that what you believe?”

Until now, Serpina always followed up on opinions with questions about them. Thus, I simply relied on Divinity 100 to confirm.

“Correct. After conscription, it’s best to station the troops in the same territories. This seems to be the most efficient approach.”

“Hmm. Interesting perspective.”

Serpina’s eyes lit up as she questioned me. Simultaneously, I fed my statement into my mental processor.

[Correct.]

“Really? This is the right answer?”

Apparently, leaving conscripts where they are after recruitment was the best course of action. Moving them around seemed to be the problem.

“Yes.”

“Hmm. That’s quite an intriguing viewpoint.”

But.

Serpina’s expression seemed off. Not just hers—Shika and the others looked equally puzzled.

Thinking about it, which territories currently have the capacity to conscript?

“Excuse me, Sir Swoen.”

“Yes?”

“Are you arguing that keeping conscripted troops stationed in their original territories is the most efficient decision?”

“Yes.”

There’s no doubt about this. My compass says so.

“Forgive me, but currently, only one territory has the resources to conduct conscription.”

“Which one?”

“Myre Castle.”

Myre Castle.

A place I know well. Located at the northeastern edge of the Northern Continent, it’s not a particularly significant territory.

“Huh?”

Does this mean stationing troops in such a remote location is the correct answer?

“Are you saying it’s efficient to station troops in such a remote place?”

“…”

Though momentarily speechless…

Shouldn’t I follow the compass?

“Yes.”

With that, I smiled faintly, as if I’d known everything from the start.