Opinion Proposal Meeting (1)

And so the Opinion Proposal Meeting began.

Under Serpina's direction, a light discussion got underway.

"Amin. Let us hear your opinion."

"Yes, my lord."

The general called Amin bowed his head deeply and spoke in a bold, ringing voice.

"We must immediately muster every soldier we can put into the field."

"A full muster of our forces."

Serpina stroked her chin with one pale hand and asked,

"And your reason for thinking so?"

"To prepare for the conquest of the central continent."

"As you well know, We have only just returned to Aingart Castle. And still you would have Us prepare for another campaign?"

"Yes, my lord. First, please examine the materials I have prepared."

Amin drew a map from his robes and spread it before Serpina.

"We must seize Anel Castle from the Brans Army as swiftly as possible and drive them back into the west-central region. Once they lose their capital, Anel Castle, the Brans Army will collapse like a house of cards before they can even reorganize!"

…Hmm?

For all the vigor of his presentation… he seemed to be raising a matter that had already been settled on the ground.

The reason we were leaving the Brans Army alone was that we had confirmed they were pulling the forces stationed on their front lines back to Anel Castle.

Abandoning half their territory meant they were concentrating everything on the defense of the capital — a declaration that they would hold at least that much — and at the same time, it meant there was no remaining well from which they could draw more soldiers for the time being.

So rather than striking them, the more effective course was to leave their territory intact and disrupt the Brans Army's own strategy of selection and concentration.

Of course, if the Brans Army truly wished to conscript, they could. Gather every male — boy soldiers, old men, the lightly disabled — and they could fill their ranks. But the inevitable result would be the complete destruction of public sentiment among their subjects, leaving them in a position from which they could never rise again. And soldiers scraped together that way would never fight effectively in any case.

In other words: leave them alone, let them keep their lands, and induce the Brans Army into making a fatal mistake.

That was the decision already made in the field — and Amin, it seemed, knew nothing of it. He was speaking with bright, shining eyes and absolute conviction.

"Hmm. Very well. Then We have a question for the rest of you."

Without further comment, Serpina looked around our side of the room and spoke.

"What do you make of Amin's opinion? Speak freely, all of you."

A question had come my way, so I might as well run an input.

I entered Amin's proposal — that is, "seize Anel Castle as quickly as possible" — and asked whether it was the most efficient course for us.

As expected.

The absolute conclusion settled in: this was not the time for battle.

"My lord."

A female general raised her hand.

"Speak, Sika."

"Lord Amin's opinion has its reasonable points, but this is not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the time to prepare for battle."

What followed was roughly the same conclusion that had already been reached in the field. Roughly — there was still a certain amount of padding to her argument, a sense that it had not been fully refined. Listening to her felt like hearing an amateur's answer.

Thinking that far, I noticed something else: Amin, who had just spoken, and Sika before me, and every other civil officer present — all of them were remarkably young.

At that moment, I grasped the true purpose of this Opinion Proposal Meeting.

Separating the wheat from the chaff… is that it?

In other words, she gathered newly arrived junior officers and continually tested them — how well they could speak, and whether they possessed the insight to make that eloquence worth anything.

That would also explain the look of honor on the faces of the officers who had been invited. If my guess was right, most of the people here had been summoned for the first time.

Across twenty-eight sessions, the membership kept changing, and each person was given at least one chance to leave an impression on Serpina…

That explained it. I had found it a little strange that she would take an opinion that was not particularly good — Amin's — and instead of answering it herself, open the floor for the other officers to respond. When Irian had offered an opinion at Hisphil Castle, she had dismantled his logic personally.

If you serve in Serpina's Army, even without a name or reputation, you will be given at least one opportunity… is that it.

Considering how Lin Brans — who had once governed a territory of comparable scale — treated her unremarkable officers, Serpina's method was remarkably progressive. For a sovereign ruling a domain this vast to personally assess the capabilities of every officer under her command was not the thinking of an ordinary person.

And yet, by having Jena sit in as an observer, she also made clear that she would not decide everything on her own judgment alone.

Serpina von Aingart.

The more I learned about her, the more terrifying a woman she proved to be.

I should probably regard Serpina as Lunarien's true rival…

"…That is all I have to say."

"Understood, Sika. Then, Amin. We ask you once more. Has your thinking changed? Or if you have a rebuttal, speak it freely."

"…No, my lord. I… withdraw my opinion."

Amin answered in a voice that trembled with suppressed frustration. Depending on the circumstances, such a thing could have been a grave breach of etiquette — but Serpina paid it no mind and immediately turned her gaze to Sika.

"This time, We would hear your opinion, Sika."

"Yes, my lord."

Sika nodded and spoke in a careful tone.

"I agree that we should prioritize internal administration, but I also agree that we should raise troops."

"You agree?"

"Yes. However, rather than a general muster, I believe we should conduct new conscription in those territories currently capable of it. And the forces so raised should not be used for invasion, but stationed as border garrisons along the front."

From there, Sika developed her reasoning based on her own thinking. In short: "This is not the time for invasion, but because one never knows what may happen, it is vital to secure as many troops as possible along the border."

A textbook answer, certainly. With Serpina's borders having expanded so dramatically, sending additional forces to defend them was not a bad idea.

Serpina listened carefully, then slowly nodded and looked back at the rest of us.

"What do you make of Sika's opinion? Speak freely again."

I set aside the urge to say how grateful I was that she asked a question every single time, and lightly entered Sika's proposal into my mind.

Oh.

It had been a while since I'd seen a "Close" result.

But if it was close rather than the most efficient answer… did that mean reinforcing the borders with additional troops was not the precise solution?

Just then—

"My lord. May I offer an opinion?"

"Speak, Miles."

The man named Miles answered in a firm tone.

"I agree with Lady Sika as far as raising additional troops. But those troops should be stationed here, at Aingart Castle."

"Your reason?"

"The foundation of a nation is its capital. No matter how secure its location, the northern continent is still full of fools swayed by the vile rumors surrounding my lord. Defending the capital firmly is more important than anything else — and yet, for the sake of the continental campaign, the capital's garrison has been reduced to a third of its former strength. I believe it would be wise to replenish that force."

In other words: rebellions could still break out even in the inland regions of the north, so the capital needed a sufficient garrison.

"That is his view. What do the rest of you think?"

This time I entered Miles's opinion.

This one is close as well?

Then was raising troops the correct answer? But not stationing them on the border, and not at the capital either?

While Sika and Miles went back and forth over his counterargument, I sank into my own thoughts.

If the critical point of efficiency is not merely raising troops, but where those troops are then deployed…

I was still missing pieces of the puzzle. I wanted a conclusion, but the information available so far was not enough to reach one.

After that, the remaining members each put forward their own opinions. Some argued that conscription itself was the problem; others proposed invading the Aesius Army. Both returned a result of [That is not the case.], so neither was worth taking seriously.

There was also a suggestion to station troops at places like Kelstein Castle — and that, like the previous two, only returned [Close.]

And then, at last, my turn arrived.

"Swen."

"Yes."

"We would hear your opinion at last. You have been listening rather quietly, have you not?"

Apparently, simply sitting still because I had found no opening to interject had caught her eye. But I didn't particularly have anything to say…

Conscription seems to be the correct answer, but I don't have enough information on what to do from there…

Wait.

Hold on.

Hadn't Sika just said this?

"However, rather than a general muster, I believe we should conduct new conscription in those territories ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠currently capable of it."

"Territories currently capable of conscription" — doesn't that mean every other territory is in no condition to conscript?

If conscription itself was the correct answer, then perhaps the efficient method was simply to leave those conscripts where they were.

I would have liked more time to think it through, but this was the moment to commit.

"I agree that we should raise troops."

"'That we should raise them,' you say. That sentence seems to have a tail attached to it."

"It does."

Until now, whenever someone offered an opinion, Serpina had asked the rest of us what we thought of it. So this time, too, I would simply verify it with my Intelligence of 100.

"However, the conscripted forces should be stationed in the very territories where they were raised. That would be the most efficient method."

"Oh? Is that what you believe?"

Serpina's eyes lit up as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she asked. At the same moment, I entered the opinion I had just spoken into my mind.

So this really is the answer?

Apparently, simply conscripting and leaving the troops in place was the right call. Moving them anywhere at all had been the problem.

"Yes."

"Is that so? A most intriguing opinion."

And yet—

The expression on Serpina's face as she heard me was somehow ambiguous. Not only hers — Sika and the other members were all looking at me with puzzled expressions as well.

…Come to think of it, which territories currently had the capacity to conscript?

"…Um, Lord Swen."

Sika directed a question at me.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Are you claiming that conscripting troops and then stationing them in place is the most efficient decision?"

"I am."

There was no room for doubt now. My mind had confirmed it.

"…Forgive me for saying so, but there is currently only one territory with the capacity to conscript."

"And which is that?"

"Mair ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Castle."

Mair Castle.

I knew the place well enough. A territory of little strategic importance, sitting at the far eastern edge of the northern continent.

…Hmm?

Stationing troops in a backwater like that was the correct answer?

"You are saying that stationing troops in such a remote place is the efficient method?"

…

For a moment, words failed me. But in the end, one had to follow where the compass pointed, did one not?

"I am."

I said it, and then I smiled — as if I had known everything from the very beginning.