Touch of Fate

Chapter 218: Strategic Thinking

"We cannot simply wait until the enemy is ready. We must strike now and crush them while they are still recovering from their loss. Only by breaking the siege can we ensure our survival!" Baron Kalt finished and sat back down, looking satisfied at the amount of support his statement had accrued.

From what Mike could remember, he was some kind of representative for the lower noble houses of Almirn, or at least those who had chosen to remain behind when the Tenundians attacked. He had been suggesting that they launch a counter attack ever since the meeting started, and in the process, he seemed to be slowly convincing the other members of the council.

Not that it really mattered what they thought. According to Emmanuel, the Call to Arms gave the Marshall virtually unlimited power when it came to matters of the city's defense. Only a ruling monarch or regent can overturn his decisions, and since the Prime Minister rarely left the royal palace these days, it seemed unlikely for that to occur.

Nevertheless, it is always unpleasant to have one's ability's called into question by detractors, and so Mike's teacher rose to the challenge.

"I understand your concern, Baron, but you are greatly overestimating the strength of our combat forces if you think we can manage a counterattack at this point. Honestly, its something of a miracle that we manged to resist the first assault at all." Emmanuel commented drily from his seat at the head of the long conference table. It looked like he'd developed a few more gray hairs since the last time Mike had seen him. Evidently, his responsibilities were weighing on him heavily.

Adopting a smug grin, the noble shook his head condescendingly. "I don't believe that for a second. Sure we suffered some casualties, but our forces are still strong. They should have no problem throwing back the rabble at our gates. Besides, we have the Dragonknight on our side. After his display yesterday, I don't see any reason we shouldn't simply march out there and crush them."

All eyes in the room turned towards Mike, who was still sitting disinterestedly with his head propped up on one hand. He shot a look over at the baron, then glanced over at the Marshal. They had discussed this possibility before meeting, as well as possible countermeasures. Depending on how things played out, it would be up to his teacher to decide how they should proceed. All Mike had to do was follow Emmanuel's lead.

"Baron, I ask that you do not take our Dragonknight ally's contributions for granted. He is assisting us in this conflict, even though it contradicts some of the basic tenets of his order. Of course, this means that he would have every right to rescind his help and simply fly away, leaving this city to its fate." Emmanuel shot Mike an apologetic look, "Not that I am saying you would do such a thing."

"Be that as it may, Marshal, I still believe we have the resources necessary to launch a counterattack, even if the Dragonknight didn't participate. After all, we were able to successfully defeat the elite Tenundian assault force, utterly crushing the best of their troops. The blow to their morale must have been severe. By now they should be one good defeat away from turning tail and running back where they came from. Our soldiers, on the other hand. are riding high on the thrill of victory. Give them the opportunity and I am sure they'll drive the Tenundian dogs from the field in short order."

Princess Andrea, the royal family's representative broke in at this point. "Baron, I understand your feelings, but I am afraid I must disagree. Quite frankly, our forces are in tatters. We lost an entire divisional command in the fight yesterday, and it will take days, if not weeks to rebuild it. Our mages were forced to burn through the majority of their consumable items just to keep the fight on the walls going, and many of them are still recovering from the effects of mana exhaustion. Although our casualties are better than expected, thanks to the Dragonknight's intercession in the infirmary, we still paid a heavy price for our city's defense."

She paused her speech to reference a report she'd been looking over since the beginning of the meeting. Something she read there caused her face to twist in sorrow. The rest of the council waited respectfully for her to continue. "Roughly 18% of our established fighting forces lost their lives yesterday, with those units serving on the walls suffering the worst of it. The majority of those are now operating at half strength or less, and in some cases, entire units were wiped out and will have to be reconstituted from trainees."

[I knew it was rough, but I didn't think it would be quite that bad.]

He briefly saw the mental image of the abyssal pool from his meditation session, while a familiar voice echoed up from its depths. 'You could have stopped this. If you had been fighting seriously from the start, those people wouldn't have died. How much longer must they suffer because you are too much of a coward to take the necessary steps?'

Mike quickly flushed his system with Healing Magic, which succeeded in banishing the figment. He was reward with a mental hiss of pain from the creature as his mana impacted something and drove it back into the pool.

[Talk all you want, but you won't bother me with that trite bullshit.]

"What do you think about it, Sir Dragonknight?" Baron Kalt asked with a slightly disgusted look on his face. The conversation had evidently moved on while he was distracted with internal matters, and now the entire room was looking at him, awaiting his response.

[What were they talking about? Why are they asking me for my opinion?]

"I feel that it is a good idea." He ventured hopefully.

Apparently, this was an unexpected response, as almost everyone in the room looked at him like he was crazy.

"Surely you jest." Andrea spoke up. "Your presence is one of the few deterrents we have. I am sure that your absence would be quickly noted by our enemies. If they attack while you are still tied up, it would be disastrous." She shot him a look, that was more worried than angry, "Besides, it would be quite dangerous, even for one a skilled as yourself."

Before Mike had a chance to speak up and announce that he'd changed his mind in response to the Princess's solid argument, Emmanuel broke in. "Actually, it should be relatively easy to cover your departure from the city, especially since the Tenundians are still recovering from their loss yesterday. A simple invisibility spell would do the trick, and by the time it wore off, you should already be well on your way. If we're lucky, you should be there and back in before the enemy even knows you are missing."

"While that is a fair solution, Marshal, it does nothing to alleviate the dangers he will face. Even with a dragon on his side, what you are asking of him is too much." Andrea countered passionately.

[Can someone please explain what I volunteered myself for?]

"Please, Your Highness," A stout looking man that was currently serving as the Marshal's naval attache starting speaking, "The Dragonknight would be facing a mostly stationary armada. They have few, if any weapons that could seriously injure something like a dragon. Besides, the sailors, on the primarily wooden ships I might add, will be much more concerned with saving their own lives once their vessels catch fire."

"But..." She tried to argue again, trailing off once it became clear that she didn't have any supporters in the room.

Emmanuel stood up. "Then, in order to maximize the effect of this enterprise and reduce the possibility of the enemy preparing an ambush, I believe it is prudent to act with haste. If you are alright with it, Sir Erasmus, then we will plan to launch this operation tonight. We are expecting a cloudy night with little to no rain, which should be perfect for our purposes."

Mike made a show of considering the issue, while he was really putting the information together in his head. [So, I guess they want me to launch a surprise attack on the Tenundian Navy, probably with the intent of breaking the blockade. Well, that shouldn't be too hard. I'm not sure why Andrea was so upset about it.]

"That is fine." He answered, eliciting a round of admiring chatter from the rest of the councilors.

"Very well, we'll begin the preparations. I'll speak with you about the specifics once this meeting has been concluded." The Marshal said before directing the conversation to training efforts for the militia forces. This continued for some time, but since it wasn't something that directly impacted him, Mike found his attention wandering.

[Ugh, they make these meetings so painfully long, even though very little of consequence gets decided here.]

Eventually, it wound to a close, and Emmanuel dismissed the council with the promise of holding another meeting soon, duty permitting. Mike rose from his seat and was in the process of following the Marshal out, when Andrea approached.

"Sir Dragonknight, I just want to wish you luck on your endeavor tonight. I also want you to know, that I don't hold it against you that you decided to agree to this course of action. It is a brave and noble thing, and, even though it will likely remove any chance of my twin and I inheriting the throne, I still respect your choice."

She glanced around suspiciously, before leaning in and whispering. "Truth be told, I don't really have any desire to be Queen myself. I merely wished to find some path where we weren't disposed of secretly. So if you indeed manage to rescue my brother from the danger he seems to have fallen into, I won't blame you for it. I only ask that you intercede to secure a few concessions from him prior to him taking the throne."

Mike stared at her from behind his mask for longer than was probably appropriate, mind churning on this new information. [How should I answer this? I don't want to alienate my only ally in the ruling family, but if I explain the situation, she'll think I'm an idiot.]

Finally, he remembered his manners, and gave a respectful bow. "Your understanding is most appreciated, Your Highness, but I personally believe that the one best suited for political power is the one who wants it least. Ambition can be both a virtue and a vice depending on how it is employed, but those without it are often free to make the most effective decisions when in a position to do so. In that regard, I feel you would be a good fit for the throne."

Andrea swallowed, suddenly nervous. Her gaze darted around, looking for potential eavesdroppers, "Your vote of confidence is appreciated Sir Erasmus. However, in the future, I believe it would be best to speak of such things away from the general public."

[But you're the one who brought it up!]

"Very well. If there is nothing else, Your Highness..."

"Ah! Of course. I'm keeping you from your meeting with the Marshal. Please excuse me." She spoke quietly, flushing slightly as if embarrassed.

Mike watched her walk quickly out of the room, before following after. [She's even more confusing than Sera. Are all noblewomen like this?]

He dismissed the thought, before concentrating on the task at hand. Evidently, he'd volunteered himself for something big. Now he just needed to figure out what it was.