When I returned to the Agartha camp, I found Rufana and Knogen arguing about something. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that Rufana was the one who was angry, while Knogen seemed to be trying to quiet her down.
"We should withdraw our troops now!"
"That's not going to happen."
"This is the height of rudeness. It is unacceptable to have anything to do with such a country!
"Well, well, well, don't say that. ......"
I slowly approach them as they are having this conversation. When they noticed my presence, they stopped talking and bowed to me.
"What's the matter, you two? They say that dogs won't eat quarrels between husband and wife.
"No, ...... that's not what I meant. ......"
"What the hell is wrong with you? It's rare to see two people fighting.
No, we were not quarreling. We were on the Warlov side ......."
As if to interrupt Knogen, Rufana grabbed his arm. He slowly shook his head from side to side.
"No, well, it's nothing important..."
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"No, sir. I don't need to hear this. Please forget about it.
"What? What's wrong? It bothers you, doesn't it?"
Knogen and Rufana look at each other. Rufana is shaking her head in small increments, but Knogen slowly shakes his head. She sees this and turns her head down with a disappointed expression on her face.
"Actually, I was called to Warlov's camp earlier, when you two were not here."
"Oh."
"I thought it was a military meeting. ....... I was going to refuse, since neither Linos nor Matkal were there, but since it was an emergency, I went with my wife. But then they gave us all something like this."
Knogen pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket. On it was written the following words.
I am Sheeva, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Warlovian Imperial Army.
Thank you for your hard work at the recent war council. I regret that I was a bit emotional at times and that I myself was not very popular.
However, I think it would be better to tell you why I felt that way, so I hope you will read the following long article.
We are trying to plan the best possible strategy for this battle in the limited time available.
It is only natural to say so, since we are a party to the war, but even though it could be done more quickly and smoothly if we were to do it alone, in order to make it a better operation, we are trying to make it an "open military discussion" so that we can think of this war as "our business" and to spread its contents among the countries gathered here. We decided to make it in the form The reason for this is that the lives of many soldiers are at stake in this operation.
Currently, there are nearly 100,000 soldiers in the Warlov Empire. Depending on the strategy, these soldiers may be wiped out. For this reason, it is necessary to plan more effective operations and to operate them efficiently. For this purpose, an "open military council" is indispensable.
However, I am honestly bothered by the fact that some countries do not give any recognition or effort to such matters, but only point out one-sided issues, and seem to be involved in discussions and exchanges of opinions in a tedious manner.
The opinions expressed by some of the countries this time do not seem to be conscious of the feelings of the countries that have taken the trouble to gather here, but seem to be expressed as if they are one-sidedly conveying what their own side wants to say, as in the expression, "Is there any meaning in this?
I have tried to be very conscious of each and every word I say so that it can be easily understood by everyone involved in this battle, using as few difficult words as possible, and using general expressions. There are many areas where I still have a lot to do. .......
The other day, in the military meeting, I had to respond to the situation because such feelings were piling up. I apologize for my small size.
This battle is a cooperative project in which our empire and many other countries are discussing and planning our strategy in the same forum. There are many people who find it interesting to discuss and create a better strategy among those who are participating in this battle. Such a process is the most meaningful part of this battle, don't you think?
For better "cooperation", it is necessary to respect each other and to discuss and create on an equal footing.
It is true that we, the Warlov Empire and the rest of the world, must change in order to work together, but we must also change the way we speak and use our language. I believe that to create better cooperation, it should be a two-way conversation, not a one-way conversation. I hope you understand the importance of two-way dialogue even in the military council.
If you have read this and found that it is not what you really meant, I apologize.
In that case, please let me know. However, it is also true that I have taken it that way, and I hope you will accept it as a fact.
Thank you for your continued support.
Matkal peeks out from right beside me. I hesitate for a moment and hand the letter to her.
"......"
Matkal stared at it, then let out a deep breath and shook his head from side to side.
"What in the ...... hell is this country trying to do? What do they want from us? What is the point of criticizing me personally in this way?"
"No, Mr. Matkal. We do not need to deal with such people."
Knogen is quieting him, but Matkal keeps his eyes closed, looking up at the heavens.
"That's why I told you. I told him he shouldn't show it to you.
Rufana opens her mouth with a look of dismay.
"Master Linos, with all due respect, we must withdraw from this place. We will suffer too much if we engage with such a country.
Rufana, will you?
"Well, wait a minute, Knogen. Well, wait a minute, Knogen. I don't know what you eat that makes you think like this. ....... I don't like her.
I sigh and pull out the letter Matkal was holding.
"It says something plausible. ....... I hope you will accept that as a fact, since it is also true that I take it that way. >>I think it all boils down to the sentence "I am not a fan of this. I can feel that you don't like it because it's not working the way I want it to."
I fold the letter and look at Knogen.
"So, how was the war council? Did he say anything about us?"
"No. We were not mentioned publicly. There were no particular opinions about the war council, and in the end we had to wait for orders from Warlov's side. This is my guess: ....... It seems that they are going to ask for numbers and launch a general attack.
"General strike or ......"
With all due respect, Mr. Linos.
Yes, Rufana?
"No amount of troops will be enough to launch an all-out assault on such a strong fortress city. It is obvious from the outset that there will be heavy damage. So let's retreat.
"Yes, I agree. I agree. But it's hard to retreat like this.
"Mr. Linos!"
"Well, when the order comes for a general attack, we'll have to figure out a way to lose."
"We'll ...... successfully ...... lose ......."
"I must say, Master Linos is a god of war. We should leave everything to him.
"Hey, Knogen, that's a bit much, isn't it?"
No, it's not true.
And we laugh at each other. But Rufana is looking at us with an indescribable expression on her face, and Matkal is lying down with his eyes closed. I look at them and mutter in a small voice.
"Well.... Two of the strongest defenses in the world ....... Not only that, but also the lion's share of insects. ....... A needle in a haystack, indeed? What is the right thing to do? ......"