“Well, I’ve found a woman in the Duchy of Rofeille who seems likely to be the bearer of the Eye of Warfare. She’s only sixteen, but she’s absurdly capable in combat. They say she’s carved her way through a hundred battles undefeated, and they’re calling her the Goddess of the Battlefield. Not to mention that she’s supposedly quite the beauty as well.”
“How can you be sure you haven’t just found a talented warrior?”
“I can’t. That’s very possible. But, while I don’t know the details of what the Eye of Warfare does, it should allow her to see something that gives her an edge in battle, right? When a sixteen-year-old wins that many battles in a row, it’s not hard to think she may have some special power backing her up.”
“I see… Well, if she does have the Eye of Warfare, then we have both it and the Eye of Appraisal’s holders identified. Maybe the Eye of Foresight’s holder is out there somewhere as well,” Zetsu said as she lifted her cup to her lips and took a sip of liquor. “I have a feeling that the day will soon come when all the infighting the Summerforth Empire’s been plagued with comes to an end.”
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Couran had gathered up his retainers for a council of war in Castle Arcantez. He sat at a round table, with his followers arranged around its circumference. Their eyes were all fixed upon their new king, their expressions almost fearful. Couran was now the absolute and unquestionable ruler of Missian, and one wrong word on his retainers’ part could cost them their standing in an instant. Their fears were far from groundless.
One of those retainers, however, remained undaunted by Couran’s new royal status. His name was Remus, and he was one of the kingdom’s most skilled generals. Although he had sided with Couran’s brother Vasmarque in the civil war, he had been spared execution and allowed to serve Couran following its conclusion. That was as clear of a sign as there could be of how much Couran valued his abilities.
“The topic at hand today…is how we will go about dealing with Seitz in the near future,” Couran announced. “The duchy’s acts of aggression toward our kingdom have been flagrant, and demand an immediate response.”
Couran had heard all about how Seitz’s armies had moved to invade Canarre, only to pull back at the last minute. He had also learned that there was an overwhelmingly high chance that the duchy had orchestrated the attempt upon Ars’s life.
“‘Acts of aggression’ hardly does their villainy justice. Their behavior has been outrageous, and cannot be overlooked! We should send our armies across the border and teach them a lesson they won’t soon forget!” one of Couran’s more hot-headed retainers proposed.
“I think not. There’s no conclusive evidence that Seitz was behind the plot to take Count Louvent’s life, and when all was said and done their move to invade amounted to nothing more than mere posturing,” another retainer countered. A debate began to unfold.
“What say you, Lord Remus?” one of the retainers eventually asked.
A few seconds passed by in silence. The assembled retainers waited with bated breath for Remus to speak. Finally, he opened his mouth.
“Seitz’s aggression is clear, but the wounds they suffered during their previous invasion of Canarre still pain them deeply. It will be no easy task for them to invade now, and I believe that they will be of no concern to us if left unprovoked,” said Remus. “But, then again…I would hazard that His Majesty the King had chosen a course of action long before deciding to call this conference. Is that not so?”
“Well reasoned,” said Couran. “Seitz is indeed in a weakened state. There is no telling whether or not they will try to invade…but their attempt to take Ars’s life was an act that cannot be overlooked. No man who would allow his foes to murder his vassals with impunity has the right to call himself king,” he continued, his words simmering with a deep-seated rage. “Seitz’s actions are egregious, and demand swift and just retribution! I order all of you to prepare for war!”
Perhaps encouraged by Couran’s willingness to act in the interests of one of his followers, the gathered retainers’ spirits were raised in an instant. And so, Missian began preparations for open warfare with Seitz.
The council came to a close, and Couran’s retainers departed from the round table. In the end, only Remus and Couran himself remained.
“You’ve always had a talent for firing up your men’s fighting spirit,” commented Remus.
“But not yours, it would seem,” noted Couran.
“These old bones haven’t much fire left in them. None to spare on matters of war, at the very least.”
“And yet you jumped at the chance to provide Vasmarque with your council, did you not?”
“Not by my own initiative. I did nothing more than answer the questions that were posed to me,” Remus replied dismissively.
A hint of sternness came across Couran’s expression. “I see,” he said. “Shall I take that to mean that you would not hesitate to offer me tactical council, should I ask for it?”
“But of course. I am now Your Highness’s humble servant,” Remus said with a nod.
“It seems you are opposed to the war I seek to start.”
“As I said, I’m old, and haven’t the energy to wish for bloodshed.”
“Is that truly all there is to it? A matter of motivation?”
For a moment, Remus hesitated. “There is one other thing,” he eventually added. “The question of whether or not we can win. Should we lose this battle, the whole endeavor would gain us nothing.”
“Seitz’s failure in the last war has instilled a fear of Missian in them. Moreover, they have given us all the justification we could need to march into war with our morale high. I do not believe we stand at a great risk of loss.”
“I would not disagree. And yet, it has not been long at all since you took the momentous step of declaring Missian’s independence. To invade Seitz now would be to prompt the suspicion and ire of all the other duchies, and in the worst case, to cause them to rally together and crush you.”
“I will not deny that I had intended to delay this war until after our diplomatic ties with the duchies had had time to strengthen. Seitz’s use of assassins, however, poses a clear and present danger to Missian. They have grown arrogant, and it is necessary for us to remind them of their place,” Couran said with a wrathful scowl. When he said that Ars’s assassination was an offense that could not be overlooked, he had meant every word of it.
“Did you not tell Count Louvent that you declared independence for the sake of peace?” asked Remus.
“I did, and I spoke the truth. I seek peace, in the long term, but peace can never be won without a fight. That’s all there is to it.”
“And yet…there is no guarantee that peace will await at the end of every fight. I, for one, have been fighting all my long life, and have yet to witness an age of peace at the end of it all,” Remus replied, a look of resignation coming across his face.
“In any case, what’s done is done,” said Couran. “I’ve laid our course, and it cannot be altered. I will be relying on your talents when the fighting begins.”
“But of course. What council I have to offer is yours.”
Couran and Remus’s conversation came to a close, and the two men left the council chamber behind them.