Trap (8)
On the third day of the summit, the Empire's staff underwent a major reshuffle.
Kalit appointed Count Illui, who had delivered the Emperor's message to Eldern, as head of his staff, and also replaced his assistants with his own men.
Count Illuis was a noble who declared neutrality, but in reality, he could be seen as a member of Kalit's forces.
Because the Emperor's intentions are with Kalit.
Other attendees seemed to sense the change in atmosphere as well.
He had a sneaky inkling that the empire's leadership had shifted from Oslo to Kalit.
Oslo's reaction was more muted than expected. They just sat there with a dry expression, not showing any emotion.
It was from this point that Kalit began to stand out. He, who had been passive during the talks, began to express his opinion.
"We are different now from the us who entered the Great Rift 30 years ago without a guardian. There is no reason to determine the size of the allied forces in proportion to the number of monsters anymore."
Attendees glanced at Oslo, expressing conflicting opinions.
"What does Your Imperial Highness think the size of the Allied Forces should be?"
"I think 150.000 people will be enough."
"Do you have any basis for that judgment?"
"Don't we have the hub for future warfare and counter-monsters? If we have a powerful weapon, we should definitely use it."
Count Gideon raised his hand and spoke.
"I think it's too hasty a judgment. We should keep in mind that the effectiveness of anti-monster herbs has not yet been proven."
The corners of Kalit's mouth rose slightly. He must have been waiting for those words.
I was watching the meeting, so I lowered my eyes and hid my smile.
"A while ago, a small rift opened in Eldern. The number of monsters was around 200. 300 knights participated in the small rift. We introduced an anti-monster herb for that battle."
The attendees were in an uproar.
They had only heard about the effectiveness of herbs against demons.
But since it has already been used in actual combat, it was natural to be curious about its effectiveness.
Prime Minister Hallstail asked on behalf of the people.
"How many people were killed?"
"There wasn't a single one. Is that possible?"
Kalit winked at Count Illuis.
Then, the newly replaced aides moved in unison and distributed documents to the attendees from each country.
"The document you have just received is a report written by Duke Eldern on the battle situation at the time. I inform you that the same content has been reported to His Majesty."
It means that there was no manipulation. For a moment, the sound of paper being turned continued in the great library.
Attendees who read the report could not help but exclaim in admiration.
Not a single death in a fight against nearly 200 monsters.
It was clear that this was an unprecedented event in all of history since the cracks began.
As the attendees exclaimed in admiration, the complexions of Count Gideon and Count Saiga visibly darkened. They glanced at Oslo and sighed repeatedly.
"As you can see, the anti-monster herb completely obscures the vision of lower-level monsters. It will also be effective in large-scale battles."
In the Great Rift, lower-level monsters make up the vast majority.
Of course, there were intermediate-level monsters and above, but compared to the lower-level monsters, their numbers were less than a tenth.
Kalit continued...
"We must survive even after the Great Rift ends. I think it would be wise to minimize sacrifices for the sake of the future and utilize the weapons given to us by the 'First Walker'."
"That is a reasonable judgment. I would like to hear what Your Imperial Highness the First Prince thinks about the military ratio of the three countries."
"The Empire will take responsibility for half of the entire Allied Forces."
If Kalit's words were true, the burden would be halved compared to following Oslo's argument.
It was a proposal that was especially welcomed by Shancresia, which had the weakest military power among the three countries.
The once-quiet library suddenly became noisy.
Kalit raised his hand and called for the attention of the excited and chatting attendees.
"Instead, please have the two countries take care of supply and non-combat personnel."
A frown appeared between the eyebrows of Prime Minister Hallstail.
In war, just as important as the size of the army are its supplies and non-combat personnel.
He somehow felt like he was making a proposal that was too disadvantageous to the Empire...
'I thought he wanted to become a commander-in-chief like the Third Prince, but that wasn't the case.'
In the end, it wouldn't have been too bad for the empire if it had followed Kalit's suggestion.
Prime Minister Halshtail quickly checked Shancrecia's mood.
All the cardinals who had been delighted just a moment ago had distorted faces.
The plan was to somehow get through the Great Rift with minimal support, so how could Kalit's proposal be satisfactory?
But it was too exquisite a solution to be rejected outright.
'How clever.'
Prime Minister Hallstail answered with a smile hidden beneath his stern expression.
"...I'll have to think about that."
"Do so."
On the fourth day of the summit, the knights of Eldern arrived in the capital.
I had to calm Beorn down for a while, saying that I was ashamed and kneeling down.
The Knights of Eldern decided to stay at our house for a few days and then return.
Anton hovered around me.
Perhaps he wanted to apologize for what happened at the restaurant, but he didn't seem to have the courage.
"Your Highness, have you apologized to the 'first walker'?"
"You still haven't done it? Should I make room for you?"
"..."
"Oh, no! No! I will. I will take care of it."
I overheard the entire conversation between Anton and Prime Minister Halstail and pretended not to know.
I didn't really say anything to Anton either. It was Anton who needed to be brave right now.
As a side note, I asked Rahon if he had healed Anton since he seemed to be sweating less, and he said he had just given him digestive medicine.
On the sixth day of the summit, the size of the coalition force was decided to be 150,000.
The size of the population, which was 300,000 in the previous life, has been reduced by half..
Naturally, the Grand Duchy of Romena and the Holy Nation of Shancrecia were responsible for supplies and non-combat personnel.
Oslo did not say a word during the entire meeting.
Count Saiga and Count Gideon also kept their mouths shut like clams.
Whatever Kalit had done, the relationship between the Counts and Oslo was not what it used to be. There was a strange awkwardness between them.
With the major agenda items being dealt with, the summit has already entered its mid-point.
The most important item remaining on the agenda was the election of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces.
The Commander-in-Chief is elected by vote from among the representatives leading the armies of the three countries participating in the war.
Kalit, Oslo, and Prime Minister Hallsteil were the candidates.
So, ahead of the election of the Commander-in-Chief, the only day of rest allowed during the two-week summit was approaching.
Historically, summit holidays have been marked by horse riding and hunting competitions.
Attendees bonded with other attendees while riding horses and catching animals, and relieved accumulated fatigue and tension.
Of course, this was only a superficial meaning, and in essence, it was an extension of the battle of wits towards the election of the Commander-in-Chief.
Attendees will be racking their brains over what they can get in return for voting for Kalit and Oslo, and which side will benefit them.
There was supposed to be a hunting competition on the holiday of this summit. Prime Minister Halstail asked with a worried look on his face.
"I'm not sure if this will be a burden to the Guardian. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to come."
Oslo interrupted before he could finish his sentence. It was the first word he had uttered today.
"Isn't the person who insisted on attending the summit a guardian? On such a topic, you shouldn't be absent from an event you don't want to attend. Guardians must take full responsibility until the end."
There was a faint smile on Oslo's lips.
It was laughable. For me, who can't see, a hunting competition is a useless event.
But I had a reason why I had to attend.
"Millenia, do you know who I recruited for the hunting competition? It's the Prime Minister of Halshtail! He promised to support me!"
Thinking back on my past life, I answered calmly.
"Of course I plan to attend, Your Highness the Third Prince."
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