Mercurio turned his gaze toward Theoreme, who considered his words for a few seconds before speaking.
"As it stands, our Rebel Army has several possible paths forward. First, we must decide whether to focus our efforts on offense or defense..."
He shot a quick glance at Mercurio, then at Gurgast, and finally at Rei before shaking his head.
"To be honest, I cannot recommend focusing on defense. Even now, the Rebel Army’s forces are significantly outnumbered by the Subjugation Army, and as mentioned earlier, we are vastly inferior in terms of overall stamina. Furthermore, dedicating ourselves to defense would mean handing the initiative to the enemy."
Theoreme paused, but the weight of the look he directed at Gurgast was something everyone present understood—even Gurgast himself.
Considering that Gurgast's Unit was specialized entirely in offense, a defensive posture would be akin to letting a treasure rot. More importantly, there was a high probability that Gurgast would simply lose patience and charge out on his own.
(Even with Rei here, if we take a purely defensive stance, we would likely only be delaying our eventual defeat.)
What occupied Theoreme’s mind was the idea of solidifying their own defenses while leaving the offensive entirely to Rei and his flying griffon, Seto.
With the massive Flame Tornado Rei had displayed during the Spring War, he could inflict one-sided devastation upon the Subjugation Army. Indeed, one had to wonder how many individuals in the enemy ranks even possessed the ability to contend with him.
Nevertheless, as long as the initiative remained with the opponent, they would ultimately be doing nothing more than stalling for time.
Theoreme had also considered using Rei as a scalpel to cut off the enemy supplies, but the conflict was taking place within the borders of the Bestia Empire. He judged that even if some supplies were incinerated, they could be replenished almost indefinitely, so he had quickly discarded the idea.
While attacking the Imperial Capital, towns, or villages might hinder replenishment, doing so would cause Mercurio's reputation to hit rock bottom even if they won the Civil War. Who could feel favorably toward a leader who ordered the burning of their own homes?
If this were a war between nations, such measures would have been acceptable, but since this was Civil Strife occurring within the Bestia Empire, such methods were off-limits. Therefore, the option of a defensive war had already been completely erased from Theoreme’s mind.
"If we go on the offensive, however... we have several choices."
Mercurio nodded, signaling for him to continue.
"First, as Gurgast-dono suggested earlier, we could march straight for the Imperial Capital with everything we have. Honestly, with a force like Rei, I cannot say for certain that such a move would fail, but the cost of failure would be too high. It is too much of a gamble to be a viable option in our current situation."
"Hmph... But if it succeeded, the Civil Strife would end immediately. We would not have to worry about needlessly draining the national power of the Bestia Empire through a long, drawn-out conflict, would we?"
Gurgast grunted. At the core of his argument, however, was likely not a concern for national power, but rather his own simple desire for battle.
Understanding this, Theoreme moved on to the next option.
"Next is the method of sending envoys to the noble territories surrounding Count Obrisin's Territory to expand our influence by winning them over to our side."
Several of the Nobles present instinctively nodded at Theoreme’s words. To those who wished to minimize casualties among their own forces, expanding their influence through diplomacy seemed like an attractive choice.
However, Theoreme shook his head.
"While it may seem like the optimal move at first glance, it would take far too much time. Furthermore, expanding our territory means we would then have to defend it."
"Wait a moment. Since this is Civil Strife, we are fighting our own countrymen... Or at least, that is the premise."
One of the Nobles corrected himself, perhaps noticing that Rei was an Adventurer belonging to the Kingdom of Mireana. The Noble shot Rei a quick look before continuing.
"As we are all people of the same nation, wouldn't leaving a minimum garrison be enough to keep the peace?"
"No, unfortunately, it is quite the opposite. Precisely because we are countrymen, the conflict tends to become more radical. It is entirely possible that the Subjugation Army could lose control, leading to looting or worse in the villages and towns."
"That is... surely that is an exaggeration..."
The Noble tried to argue, but his voice trailed off under the gazes of those around him. It wasn't exactly familial hatred, but the shared national identity often drove people to even greater cruelties against those in opposing factions. Having it explained so bluntly, the man had no choice but to fall silent.
Theoreme gave the man who still believed in human decency a brief glance before speaking again.
"Then there is the method of us advancing toward the Imperial Capital. However, unlike Gurgast-dono’s proposal, we would only advance to a certain point. As I explained, if we seize too much ground, we will be unable to protect it."
"I see," Mercurio said. "So the goal is to lure them into attacking us, then intercept them to thin their numbers?"
Theoreme nodded.
"Exactly. In any case, it is not realistic for us to defeat the combined forces of His Highness Cabajid, His Highness Schuls, and Her Highness Frizziore on our own..."
He paused, glancing toward Rei. He quickly looked away and continued.
"It is not realistic. While the presence of Lady Vihera and Rei makes it technically possible in terms of combat strength... doing so would undoubtedly leave behind seeds of resentment and hatred long after the Civil Strife has ended."
"That is certainly true," Mercurio agreed. "We can hardly go about slaughtering every single person who opposes us."
At the chilling words from Mercurio's mouth, several people widened their eyes. Given his usual calm demeanor, they hadn't expected him to speak with such cold pragmatism. Yet this severity was another side of the prince. Having been raised in an Imperial Family where siblings were expected to fight over the Right of Succession to the Throne, Mercurio naturally possessed a streak of ruthlessness that could be described as cold-blooded.
Theoreme, well aware of this, nodded without any sign of concern.
"We wish to keep the killing to a minimum. Moreover, even if we employ the tactic Rei suggested previously, it is more convenient to do so while we are in an interceptive position."
At the mention of Rei's tactic, the gazes of everyone in the Magic Tent turned toward him. Rei, for his part, merely gave a slight shrug. In truth, whether the plan would succeed was something of a gamble. However, Theoreme, Mercurio, and Vihera had all judged that as long as Rei and Seto were involved, the gamble was worth taking.
"More importantly, what’s the status of the Nobles we captured in the last fight? I thought the plan was to extract ransoms from them."
"Ah, that is proceeding smoothly," Theoreme replied to Rei’s casual inquiry. "His Highness Schuls likely won't be able to make any reckless moves until that matter is settled."
Most of those present seemed already aware of the ransom negotiations, as few showed surprise at the news.
"So, that means the next one to come after us won't be this Schuls guy, but either Cabajid or... what was her name? Vihera’s sister..."
"Her Highness Frizziore," Mercurio provided.
"Right. Is it going to be Cabajid or that Frizziore? Or is there a chance someone else... like the National Army, might attack?"
The surrounding nobles shot Rei looks of shock for addressing the Imperial Family with such casual disregard for honorifics, but they quickly looked away in resignation. They already knew how he treated Vihera and Mercurio. Since he showed no particular reverence for the leader of the army he was actually supporting, it was only natural that he wouldn't bother with etiquette for his enemies. If anything, showing respect to the enemy while treating Mercurio and Vihera so casually would have caused even more diplomatic friction.
"The National Army moving? No, that shouldn't happen," Theoreme said. "This is a conflict between those involved in the Right of Succession to the Throne. As such, the National Army will generally not intervene. Furthermore, there is a risk that neighboring countries or internal dissidents might take advantage of the Civil Strife to make their own moves. The National Army will likely be occupied with containing those threats."
Despite his words, Theoreme’s expression suggested he wasn't entirely satisfied with his own logic. To be precise, there was still a lingering worry.
(His Highness Schuls has many supporters within the National Army. It wouldn't be surprising if some of them deserted to cooperate with him. If that happens, His Highness Cabajid and Her Highness Frizziore, who rely mostly on the military power of their respective noble factions, will find themselves in a difficult position.)
Theoreme kept these thoughts to himself. Perhaps the reason he didn't count the Rebel Army among those in danger was because of the absolute trump card they held: Rei. Combined with the combat prowess of Vihera and Gurgast, as well as Theoreme's own skill as the Flash, they were a formidable force. They also still had their secret weapon, the Beast Soldiers who had distinguished themselves during the Spring War.
He truly felt that in a direct clash between concentrated forces, the Rebel Army held the advantage. However, he also understood that having Rei on their side didn't mean they were safe.
(Rei proved his power as the Runner-up of the Fighting Tournament. After the Spring War Incident, no one will underestimate him again. But that also means his abilities are public knowledge. The enemy will naturally devise countermeasures now that they know he is with us. Someone like His Highness Cabajid has likely already guessed as much.)
Mercurio seemed to be thinking the same thing, and the two shared a meaningful look.
"Regardless, our next opponent will likely be either His Highness Cabajid or Her Highness Frizziore. As for whether they have shared the information they gained about us in the last battle... well, if they choose to prioritize defeating their common enemy, His Highness Mercurio, we should assume they are coordinating."
Theoreme glanced toward Vihera, Gurgast, and Tilleul—the three who had been most active in the previous engagement. Since information about himself, the one who had dealt the final blow, was also surely known, their next move had to be decisive.
"The next battle will likely be even more of a one-sided victory than the last. With that in mind, it would be ideal if His Highness Cabajid were the one to attack next."
Vihera, Mercurio, and everyone else present—except for Rei—nodded in agreement. Cabajid was an unequivocal enemy. On the other hand, Vihera’s older sister, Frizion, was popular throughout the Bestia Empire for her kindness. Fighting her carelessly could easily turn the public against the Rebel Army. They would fight if they had to, but the presence or absence of public support made a world of difference for their cause.
"At any rate, I want to move the camp forward in a few days. Everyone, begin your preparations."
The assembly nodded. The camp had already grown to the size of a small village, so moving it would undoubtedly be a massive undertaking. Everyone would be occupied with the logistics of the migration for the next few days.
(Doesn't really feel like a Rebel Army camp anymore. We’ve even got Traveling Merchants coming in from the nearby towns. Though I guess that’s because we're in Count Obrisin's Territory.)
As he listened to Theoreme’s various instructions, Rei found the situation slightly surreal and amusing. A faint smile played on his lips as his thoughts turned toward the coming battle, where he knew his turn would soon come.