Published: July 4, 2025
"Abel, foolish actions can be laughed off if it's just once, but doing it a second time makes you a fool."
"Ryo, we are both fools."
This was a teahouse facing the square.
Ryo and Abel, now a pair of full-bellied companions, were resting again, just like yesterday.
Indeed, they had overindulged once more.
"I tried to stop, but Abel insisted on ordering forcefully..."
"I told you. Consult your stomach before placing an order..."
It seemed that both Ryo and Abel were indeed fools.
Sitting at the same table as yesterday, they sipped green tea while waiting for their food to digest, gazing absentmindedly outside.
While looking at the square, Ryo spoke up.
"It feels like there are a lot of people who look like soldiers."
"I understand what you mean. Their clothes are similar to what citizens wear, but it's their posture and gaze."
In the square that the two were observing, there were evidently individuals who stood out from ordinary citizens.
If this were the Naitorei Kingdom, they might be adventurers, but...
"If they were adventurers, they'd be wearing much more ragged clothes."
"Yeah, Ryo, that's a considerable bias you have."
"Are they people from a neighboring country, perhaps...?"
"That seems likely. They came in a fleet... However, not everyone would have disembarked. According to what I heard at the 'Joyful Dining Hall', it was two hundred ships, right? That would amount to tens of thousands of people, but it seems unlikely that they all disembarked."
"The two hundred ships filled the horizon. Queen Iliriaja's entrance had four hundred ships, right? That's double! It must have been an overwhelming sight. I would have loved to see the Rain Shooter racing at the forefront of that spectacle from the harbor."
Ryo nodded repeatedly, imagining that scene.
"Presentations or displays can be extremely effective when used properly. This one must have dealt a heavy blow to the hearts of the people of this Free City..."
"I see. The principle of military strategy states that to preserve the enemy's country while achieving victory is the best strategy, and defeating the enemy country is a second-best strategy."
"You were wrong yesterday, but this is indeed 'the art of war', right?"
"As expected of you, Abel. Correct. It is 'the art of war'."
Ryo praised Abel for his correct answer.
Abel looked pleased to have gotten it right.
"The best strategy is to intimidate and force the enemy to acknowledge defeat, thereby capturing all their soldiers and resources. That's the ideal."
"While that would be the best outcome, it is also..."
"Right, it's difficult. Though General Sun Wu, who wrote 'the art of war', said as much... in reality, there are overwhelmingly more instances of winning through direct combat. Therefore, I think it's best to recognize it as a goal to strive for."
Ideals and reality rarely align.
While seeking ideals, one cannot ignore reality.
People who accomplish things are adept at balancing these aspects...
At the adjacent table, three men were having a serious discussion.
Ronfan, an aide to the vice minister of ports and harbors.
Zoe, an aide to the minister of ports.
Juze, an aide to the minister of foreign affairs.
The three were colleagues who joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the same time and were relatively close.
Ronfan and Zoe were dispatched to the Port and Harbor Department.
This was common, especially since it did not mean they were demoted from a promising path.
Rather, these three were among the more successful of their cohort.
"Zoe, what is the minister of ports thinking? It's one thing to permit the entry of two hundred vessels, but why is he avoiding our vice minister?"
"Ah, Ronfan, I understand what you're saying. I also mentioned to the minister that Vice Minister Mishta has been trying to meet him multiple times."
"And then?"
"He said he has a terrible headache. Now, it's true he's been suffering from severe headaches for about ten days... but still, he's definitely avoiding it on purpose."
Ronfan and Zoe lamented that their vice minister and minister were not communicating effectively.