Silence fell over the stronghold again, eventually broken by Tim. “They’ve taken prisoners...? I assumed all the missing soldiers were just killed in action...” He sighed heavily. “What will you do, Sage? According to Yugrian regulations, we should always prioritize the safe return of our citizens rather than continuing battle...”
Godolphen glared at him. “Perhaps I need to beat some tenacity into you, Tim. Our Yugrian military regulations mean nothing at this moment. Those captured were soldiers, not civilians, and more importantly, we are not Yugrians. We are invaders. Furthermore, a retreat here does not mean that the war would end. Those soldiers, if released, would simply return in the future to slaughter hundreds of innocent civilians. I do not believe for a second that our surrender would lead to their safety. Even leaving them alive is a foolish choice on the students’ part.”
Tim grimaced. Never in a thousand years had he anticipated his observation of the Royal Academy’s camp would lead to him receiving a public dressing-down from Sage Godolphen himself. “Why do you think they are keeping them alive, then?”
Godolphen narrowed his eyes. “Can’t you hear the commotion outside? Their envoy shouted that little message for me in front of everyone, I’d wager. If I now issue the order to retreat, they will all know what I am sacrificing in doing so. Our morale will shatter, and the war—if it did actually exist—would be lost. I’ve been challenged for all to hear: ‘Come take back your soldiers, or die trying.’ And they’ve left me with little choice in the matter.”
Tim felt dizzy. Even the most brutally realistic military exercises he’d participated in with the Order hadn’t gone this far. Fighting over prisoners of war... It felt taboo, in a way. It felt wrong. It felt like...
Like actual war...
Tim was still struggling to make sense of his thoughts when the elderly man in front of him threw another wrench into the mix. “I shall go,” Godolphen declared. “Jipro, assemble a company. We’ll rise to their challenge, and take back our soldiers from their clutches.”
“Sage, you... Don’t you think that’s going a bit too far?” Tim said, flustered. “Prodigies or not, they’re just children. They don’t stand a chance against you. It’ll make the exercise—no, the scenario—completely unbalanced. Surely you can see that, Sage.”
“I can, Tim. Age has yet to rob me of my intelligence, thankfully,” Godolphen replied fiercely. “From this point onward, regardless of how many times they lose control of their strongholds, there will be no supplementary training. Of course, the additional difficulty posed by my participation will also be reflected in their final score. Considering the results they’ve achieved so far, I imagine they’ll receive the highest score in the Academy’s history, though I imagine my fellow faculty won’t be pleased to learn of it. However...” Godolphen’s voice trembled just slightly. “As their teacher, it is my solemn duty to push them to their limits—to draw out every last shred of their potential. In war, we must adapt to the unexpected or die trying, Tim... A lesson known all too well by the likes of you and I, and soon enough, by those youngsters too. I’m leaving you in charge here.”
“What?!” Tim spluttered. “I’m here to observe, Sage! Not participate! Don’t you think—”
Another of Godolphen’s steely glares stopped Tim mid-protest. “We still have no idea as to the whereabouts of Allen Rovene and Daniel Sardos. This little challenge is not their final stand, Tim. Of that, I am certain. That being the case, it would be a foolish mistake on my part to not utilize you, given your capabilities. Your concerns regarding fairness or whatever such nonsense you were attempting to spout are unwarranted. They’ve undoubtedly already factored your participation into their calculations. We fell into Allen Rovene’s trap the moment I agreed to his proposal,” he said firmly, storming from the room without giving Tim a chance to respond.
His trap?!
Clearly, Allen Rovene must have had a reason for requesting that Godolphen muster every last soldier he could to fight against them. Tim still couldn’t begin to guess at what that reason could have been, however.
Despite his ever-growing confusion, Tim—a remarkably capable strategist in his own right—began issuing orders to the remaining commandants.