The monthly regular meeting.

    The royal meetings in Lunarian Army, while called "meetings," were more like a small gathering of four people, including myself, to decide "what should we do this month?" The meeting would often be over in less than an hour because Luna, the ruler, trusted my judgment almost completely.

    But Brans'' Army was different.

    Every month, commanders of various ranks—from basic officers in Arnel Castle to the lords who handled the administrative tasks of nearby castles—gathered to propose commands to Lyn and receive orders. The number of people involved easily exceeded dozens. It felt like this was my first time truly participating in a "monthly meeting."

    "First, let’s start with last month''s reports. Lords, come up one by one and share your updates. The order is the same as last time."

    "Yes, my lord!"

    First, a middle-aged man with blonde hair stepped forward from the far left of the row.

    "I am Rashion, the lord of Kelstein Castle. I’ll report on this month''s goals: ''Training'' and ''Military Expansion.'' The number of soldiers has increased by 3,300, bringing the total to 39,000 stationed troops."

    It was good to see a familiar face.

    Rashion. He was just an A-class commander, nothing special, but always reliable and did his job well. He wasn’t the type to hold strong loyalties, and if he were captured, he would surrender without much resistance. However, because of this, he was a commander I saw frequently in the game. I had used him quite a lot myself.

    His portrait in pixel art was just a generic extra character, but in reality, he had quite an imposing presence.

    "Any special updates?"

    "Two new recruits have been added to the army. Also, a small fortress being built under Lord Carlints'' leadership near the castle should be completed next month."

    "Got it. As for the defense of the fortress, you can leave it to Carlints. Pass that along."

    "Understood!"

    After a polite salute, Rashion stepped back, and the man next to him walked up to speak.

    "I am Daltrick, the lord of Chogge Castle. I will first report the achievements of this month."

    This continued, with each lord presenting their updates. Brans'' territory was vast, and with nine castles, both large and small, the reports took a while to go through. Once they were finished, Lyn surveyed the room and spoke.

    "Alright, today I’ll be appointing the new lord of Zeilant Castle, which has just joined Brans'' territory. I''ve also prepared a list of people to work there, so those who’ve been assigned to Zeilant should head there. If anyone isn’t here, their lord will pass the message along. Let’s begin."

    The atmosphere was both unfamiliar and yet strangely familiar. It felt like waiting for the assignment in military training.

    "I’m appointing Aneka Rem as the lord of Zeilant Castle. Banyan, Mirika, Yuz, Diaka, Brann—these five will be working at Zeilant Castle."

    "Understood!"

    Several people responded, and then Lyn stood up from her throne.

    "Now, let’s decide on the action plan for this month. Anyone have any good ideas? Feel free to speak up."

    The action plan was essentially the same as what we did in Lunarian Army’s meetings—just offering suggestions. As a newcomer, I decided to listen carefully and kept my mouth shut. A few people raised their hands to offer their thoughts.

    "I think the most important thing right now is to stabilize internal affairs. We should focus on policies related to commerce and agriculture."

    "Given that we’re surrounded on all sides by enemy forces, I propose focusing on military expansion."

    "Chalam Castle in the south, in Roland’s territory, has a weak defense. We should prepare to attack. We need to enlist and train new soldiers for Saintica Castle, which borders the southern frontier."

    One by one, people raised their hands and shared their suggestions. I could instinctively tell who the strong, capable figures were. These were the ones offering suggestions freely because they had earned the right to do so. The fact that they could speak freely to the lord meant they had contributed significantly to the army.

    Then, suddenly:

    "My lord, may I offer my suggestion?"

    It was Parfalle, who had been standing beside Lyn. Lyn nodded.

    "Go ahead."

    "From what I’ve gathered, it seems that the western frontier has been the main focus last month, but I’ve recently received intelligence that Aishus’ army in the east has mobilized to punish the Aleffel army in the west."

    "Is that so? If it’s true, that could be a great opportunity, right?"

    Parfalle nodded firmly at Lyn’s response.

    "Exactly. It’s the perfect time to invade Aishus'' Valharat Castle with an army of 56,000 troops. We should prepare to attack as soon as the ceasefire agreement ends."

    "Really? Do you have any solid intel on this?"

    Instead of answering, Parfalle smiled lightly. Lyn nodded thoughtfully and then spoke to the rest of us.

    "Hmm... Anyone else have any other ideas?"

    Just then, a voice broke the silence.

    "My lord."

    It was a voice I was becoming somewhat familiar with. It was Airen.

    "Speak up."

    "I believe Serpina’s army has been unusually quiet for quite some time. Rather than focusing on other areas, I think we should send more troops to strengthen the defenses at Kelstein Castle in the north."

    "Really? The north?"

    What did that mean? Instead of [No], it said [Almost correct]?

    ‘What’s going on in the north?’

    Honestly, I had planned to agree with Airen’s suggestion, but as Lyn had said, there was already a fortress being built there, and it had the most troops stationed. It didn’t seem necessary, so why was this suggestion deemed the most efficient?

    "No one else?"

    I hurriedly raised my hand at Lyn’s words.

    At my action, all the eyes of the generals in the room turned toward me. Their gazes were varied, but they could all be summarized as:

    ‘Why is he siding with her?’

    Airen seemed a little surprised, not expecting me to raise my hand.

    Airen, please raise your head proudly. Surprisingly, your opinion is the most efficient among them.

    Then, Lyn, who seemed to enjoy the situation, slightly curled her lips.

    "Hoh."

    She pointed at me and spoke.

    "Swen, you raised your hand for Airen’s suggestion?"

    At her words, all the gazes previously directed at me were now fixed firmly on my face. It would have been easy to shrink under that pressure, but compared to when Lyn had once pointed a knife at my throat, this felt like nothing.

    "Yes."

    "Hoh? Why?"

    "Because I agree with her."

    "Is that so? You think we should send more troops to the north? Even though a fortress is already being built and it has the most troops stationed?"

    "Yes. That’s correct."

    "Heh."

    She smiled as if she found it amusing and then looked toward Parfalle.

    "Well, what do you think, Parfalle?"

    Parfalle looked at me, and I had an inkling of what Lyn was thinking.

    ‘No way...’

    "Parfalle, how about having a little debate? Don’t you want to hear the thoughts of a newcomer?"

    "..."

    Debate.

    In the game, this was more commonly called a verbal duel—a 1:1 debate where high-intelligence generals argued, akin to a battle of wits. Based on this world’s system, it seemed that such debates existed in a more formal way as well.

    Parfalle nodded slowly, as if she had realized something.

    "I see. Understood."

    Lyn seemed satisfied with her answer and then looked at me.

    "So, Swen? If you''re scared, it''s fine, you don''t have to do it."

    It seemed like Lyn wanted to test me.

    Why? Was it because I had supported Airen, someone she disliked? Or was it because she recognized my abilities and was eager to see me persuade her?

    Either way, there was no backing down now.

    I spoke, thinking only of the increase in Airen’s favorability.

    "If you insist, then I’ll try my best to persuade you, my lord and Parfalle, and all of Brans Army here."

    "Hahaha. This is interesting!"

    Lyn laughed heartily, clearly pleased with my boldness. Then, Parfalle slowly stepped forward to face me. I also took a few steps forward, facing her.

    "Is it alright, Parfalle? I’d like to ask for your help."

    I spoke in a polite tone, bowing my head respectfully.

    Parfalle nodded slowly and responded.

    "I’d be honored. I’m always open to it. If you can convince me, then I’ll follow Airen’s suggestion."

    "Then."

    I stepped forward, and she moved from beside the throne to stand before me.

    We faced each other.

    And so, the first 1:1 debate began.