[Volume 2.5 | Chapter 93: A Return to the Capital (V)]

The room's atmosphere noticeably shifted. Even Bianca's smile dimmed slightly as she straightened in her chair. Military reassignments were never casual matters, especially in wartime.

"For the past eighteen months, you three have distinguished yourselves in what has become the bloodiest front of this conflict. The Northern Theater was supposed to be a defensive action by us. Just a temporary measure to prevent Sugoroku forces from completely overrunning Wallachian territory in the Canadian Colonies."

The blond rose from the desk, moving to a large tactical map mounted on the wall. Purple markers indicated Sugoroku positions, red represented Tachyon forces, and blue showed the remaining Wallachian strongholds.

Using the visualization... it was easy to see that Wallachia had lost nearly sixty percent of its colonial holdings.

"It first began as just a petty border dispute, but now... it's become an existential threat to the balance of power established after World War II," Hazard continued, tracing his finger along the northern borders. "When Sugoroku fabricated their 'ancestral claims' to Wallachian territories, we expected our brother empire to easily repel them. Instead..."

"Zey were utterly annihilated," Siegfried finished. "An embarrassment to imperial dignity."

Hazard looked at Siegfried remorsefully, as he knew that Siegfried was a Wallachian himself, and it must have hurt to see his motherland lose so pathetically. To have to watch the entire Canadian mainland be reduced to a playground for the other world powers.

However, if the Eisenberg scion were to be honest, he would have said that it didn't hurt as much. Not when Wallachia itself was the very same nation that couldn't even defend their nobles from assassinations.

The weak and utterly pitiful nature of the Empire was what cost him his entire bloodline at the hands of an unknown assassin.

Or, a simple "poisoning" as he saw on a newspaper in Canada many months back.

The Wall of the West continued.

"The Wallachian military was decimated within the first three months. Their unwillingness to modernize their thaumaturgical applications left them vulnerable to Sugoroku's innovative techniques. Without our intervention, they would have lost everything by now."

"Which us, Tachyon, so euphemistically refers to as 'aiding our civilized brethren against eastern barbarians' in official communications." Pandora sighed heavily. "With all due respect, General, I still question the strategic value of defending Wallachia. We're hemorrhaging resources to prop up a stagnant hegemony that is, frankly, beyond saving. And for what? To satisfy some archaic sense of obligation?"

She glanced at Siegfried, but he didn't take the bait.

Hazard frowned.

"Your dissent is noted, Lieutenant. But our alliance with Wallachia is rooted in a long history of shared blood, nobility, support, and the founders both knowing each other personally. Besides... many Tachyon Houses originate from Wallachia. For example, House Vessalius."

Pandora instantly deflated, a rare look of genuine guilt crossing her features.

"...Forgive me, General Vessalius. That was... insensitive of me. I was not thinking."

He waved a hand dismissively.

"No harm done, Lieutenant. Believe it or not, I agree with much of what you said."

"Ah… you do?"

"Of course. I may be bound by duty and honor, but I'm not blind to politics. Point is, we need Wallachia to have control over Canada. If it falls entirely, Sugoroku establishes a direct border with Tachyon territories. There's no doubt in my mind that they'll continue their expansion southward within five years, give or take."

He tapped a section of the map where the borders of three empires converged.

"The High General—my elder sister—recognized this threat immediately. That's why she personally oversaw operations in the Northern Theater for the first six months of our involvement."

Siegfried's face darkened at the mention of Helen Vessalius. Unlike Hazard's approachable demeanor, the High General was renowned for her clinical brutality. It was under her orders that he had been "recruited" after being captured in the Canadian Colonies. A former Wallachian noble reduced to petty thievery, forced into military service as an alternative to execution.

"Your division has received direct orders from me for the past four months," Hazard continued, "which, as I'm sure Lieutenant Kircheisen has informed you, is quite the honor given your ages."

Bianca beamed pridefully, while Pandora simply closed her eyes in resignation. Siegfried remained impassive.

"Eisenberg's mastery of Earth Thaumaturgy as well as his progression in ⸢Ironhide⸥... Kircheisen's exceptional command of Water Thaumaturgy enhanced by ⸢Aquamarine⸥... and Idrina's ⸢Anima Pura⸥—perhaps the most powerful healing Birthright we've documented in a non-Lazarus bloodline for generations… a Spontaneous one, no less"

He couldn't help but smile, genuinely smile, without any reservation.

"You three have done more to turn the tide of this war than an entire regiment of Legionnaires. Your contributions are nothing short of remarkable."

"You're making us blush, Haz-Bear~" Bianca giggled behind her hand, though her eyes sparkled as if praise were a drug for her.

But Siegfried Eisenberg wasn't convinced.

"Then why are we being reassigned?"

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Hazard's smile faded. He returned to the desk, extracting a different map from the scattered papers—this one showing the Pacific coastline.

"Despite committing significant resources, we've reached a stalemate in the Northern Theater. Sugoroku can't advance further without unsustainable casualties, but neither can we push them back effectively."

Hazard's finger traced a line across the Pacific.

"However, we've received recent intelligence suggesting that an opportunity has emerged that could seriously alter the strategic landscape."

He paused, unsure of how to proceed.

Then he finally said it.

"The Sword Saint is missing."

It hung in the air like thunderclap without sound.

Pandora and Bianca exchanged bewildered glances.

"T-That's impossible! Sakayanagi Saito... God's East Seat?! He's basically a living superweapon! How could someone like that just disappear?!" Bianca nearly screamed.

"That's exactly why it's such a monumental development, Private. This changes course of the entire war."

"For those of us who spent our formative years outside of ze astroturfed education system of this Empire," Siegfried said dryly while picking dirt out of his ear, "perhaps a refresher on why a SINGLE missing person merits such concern?"

Bianca opened her mouth to protest, then deflated.

"...Yeah. I ain't really understand the significance either."

"Then why did you... Ugh. Never mind." Pandora sighed.

"Well... all of you guys are still young, so I'll just start with the basics," Hazard swiftly surmised. It seemed like Pandora was the only one who knew about:

"The Sword Saint, Sakayanagi Saito, is God's East Seat of Oratorio. Oratorio is basically an international organization that works across the Four Great Hegemonies to ensure global stability. It was established post-World War II, so about half a century ago. When the Four Great Hegemonies: Tachyon, Wallachia, Hausa, and Sugoroku realized that a full scale conflict between all four of them could accidentally destroy the planet as we know it, it became really important to establish a system above traditional politics. Where four figures of cultural, religious, and moral authority can serve as checks against imperial aggression."

He gestured toward the north of the world map, specifically, at a nation unconquered by the Wallachian Empire in the European mainland.

Italia.

"The Pope of the Roman Catholic Church—God's North Seat—keeps Wallachia in check through religious authority."

Then to the west, just below the Tachyon Empire.

The Atlán Kingdom.

"To the west, the Priestess of Atlán—God's West Seat—controls the flow of Prana Stones, without which our military capabilities and just general infrastructure is heavily compromised, so she keeps Tachyon in check through economic control."

Then, across the Atlantic, past the Red Sea, east of Hausa.

Arabia.

"And to the south, the King of Arabia—God's South Seat. Spiritual leader of the Islamic world, he keeps the Hausa Empire at bay through religious authority, just like the Pope."

Lastly, further east.

A semi-autonomous region in Sugoroku.

Nippon.

"Which leaves God's East Seat—the Sword Saint of Yamato," Hazard completed. "Sakayanagi Saito is the living embodiment of their spiritual and cultural traditions. His word can sway their Emperor, override military decisions, and serve as ultimate arbiter in matters of national importance. It would be wise to think of him as a High Oracle who can actually fight... but even that comparison is an understatement. He is the greatest swordsman in the world, and he is said to be Saint on the same level as Pope Gregorio. He can split seas and level mountains with a single slash of his blade, as the rumors say."

Bianca whistled. "And he's just... gone?"

"He's been missing for three months... at least, that's what our intelligence says. Though Sugoroku has expended considerable resources to conceal this fact." Hazard's expression turned grim. "The Emperor has been publicly 'meditating on heavenly wisdom' for the past two months... likely a cover while they search frantically for their missing impetus."

"So zat's why ze decreased zheir offensive operations... Zey are paralyzed without him."

"Exactly. The Council of Generals are thinking that this makes an unprecedented opportunity for a counterattack."

He moved to another map, this one showing the eastern coast of the Sugoroku Empire.

"While they're distracted with internal matters and maintaining the Northern front, we'll open a second theater in the Pacific. A direct assault on their mainland would force them to split their resources and potentially create leverage for favorable peace terms. Though... we may have to go through the Southeast Asian Maritime Republics to get there considering that borders are tightly guarded on the traditional mainland entrances."

"And you want us to be part of that?" Pandora inquired.

"Right. You three will be transferred to the Pacific Theater," Hazard confirmed before he returned to the global map once again. "The Council of Generals has begun to redistribute forces across multiple fronts. While the Sword Saint's disappearance creates an opportunity with Sugoroku, we also have to ensure that the Atlán Kingdom doesn't use this chaos to adjust their Prana Stone trading policies unfavorably."

His finger moved south.

"Additionally, we're reinforcing our positions in Thalassia and Vespucci. The Hausa Empire may claim neutrality, but the High General believes their restraint is temporary at best."

"She suspects zey are secretly aiding Sugoroku?" Siegfried deduced.

"There's no concrete evidence," Hazard admitted, "but Helen—I mean, the High General—doesn't trust their commitment to neutrality. Hausa has wanted to reclaim territories lost in previous conflicts for decades. Frankly, there's an Irregular's chance that they're not involved in the conflict in some way."

"Eh...? But ain't Oratorio supposed to keep them in line?" Bianca asked, tilting her head.

Hazard's expression turned cynical. It was a rare occurrence that made him momentarily resemble his sister.

"Oratorio is, honestly, useless in this. The Pope can't condemn Wallachia for defending its sovereign territory against Sugoroku aggression. In fact, religious doctrine compels him to support their defensive war. We entered the conflict to support our 'brother empire' and prevent Sugoroku from establishing a direct border with us. A clear defensive strategy. Atlán also has no grounds to impose a Prana Stone embargo when we're acting in our own long-term security interests."

"Which... that should leave the King of Arabia," Pandora noted.

"Who has no leverage while Hausa maintains its neutrality. He can hardly condemn three empires for their conflict when his own refuses to take a position."

It was a fact that would seem scandalous to anyone else outside of the room.

But the truth was evident.

Oratorio, the system designed to prevent another world war, had been rendered impotent by human nature.

International law, oi? What a joke… Siegfried thought wryly as he reclined in his seat.

"So with the Sword Saint missing, there isn't even a complete Oratorio to convene," Pandora added once more as her brow furrowed in vexation.

"Yeah. Their annual meeting isn't until August, and without Sakayanagi Saito, they'll be deadlocked even then. Until August, there're no effective checks on imperial ambitions. Oratorio is paralyzed, and we intend to take full advantage."

He closed the tactical folder with finality.

"You'll be relocated to the Pacific Theater within three weeks to join the invasion force. Until then, consider yourselves on leave in San Corona. Rest, recover, and prepare yourselves for what comes next."

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