Published: July 4, 2025
The suppression army was advancing north.
Within it, a mounted meeting was being held while in motion.
"Even though we should have finished organizing everything and set out, we always seem to be in meetings," Ryo remarked.
"Well, that's how it is. The situation brought by the scouts changes daily. We need to adjust various aspects of the army accordingly. There's the possibility of being ambushed before reaching the battlefield, the chance of entering combat as soon as we arrive, or the enemy attacking nearby villages... There’s quite a bit to sort out while moving," Abel replied, addressing Ryo's simple question with the perspective of someone experienced.
Indeed, Abel was his majesty the king, and he had experience leading the army into deployment.
Words from someone who has actually experienced it carry significant weight.
Ryo watched Abel, who was moving alongside him on Feiwan.
"What is it?" Abel asked.
"No, I was just thinking, perhaps Abel wants to take command in place of Prince Lyun," Ryo replied.
"No, I don't want to do that," Abel answered immediately.
"Immediate response..." Ryo noted.
"It's something you never get used to, ordering soldiers to die," Abel said, grimacing.
He spoke bluntly, extracting only the bare facts.
The pain that commanders have carried since ancient times.
It is something that remains unchanged throughout the ages.
"Because people die, war is evil... That claim may be correct," Abel mused.
"That's true. No one wants to see people die. Or rather, perhaps they don't want to see the sadness of those left behind," Ryo added.
War has always been a part of human history.
In fact, some researchers argue that human history is primarily about continuing wars, with intervals of peace interspersed...
"Eventually, the part of the war might be handled by golems," Ryo said.
"Is that so? While golems will fight, in the end, people will still be thrown onto the battlefield, won't they?" Abel questioned.
"Compared to golems, the power of humans is small. Once golems appear, humans will retreat entirely. Huh? That means people will still end up in the battlefield. Let's create an international agreement that humans shouldn't go to war," Ryo suggested.
"Do you think such an agreement would be honored?" Abel was skeptical about Ryo's proposal.
"A ruler in danger will likely break it," he continued.
"That's right?"
"If that happens, I will eliminate that ruler," Abel stated.
"…Huh?"
"I will not allow rule-breakers."
"You’re suggesting creating a situation where only golems head to the battlefield?" Ryo asked.
"That way, people won't die," Abel concluded.
Ryo seemed to think it was a good idea, nodding repeatedly.
However, Abel's gaze towards him was cold.
"What’s with that look, Abel?"
"When the time comes for golems to go to the battlefield, ordinary physical labor will likely be done by golems too," Abel stated.
"Well, that's probably true. There's no need for people to do such work," Ryo affirmed.
"If that happens, some water attribute mage somewhere will probably continue living a life sprawled on some sofa, reading alchemy books," Abel remarked.
"How rude! Even if golems don’t become prevalent, I will read alchemy books sprawled on the sofa!" Ryo retorted.
"Yeah, I don’t see what's rude about that at all," Abel responded.
In the evening, the suppression army arrived at their campsite.
This would be their last night camp.
Tomorrow morning, they were scheduled to reach the Green Villa Plain, where monsters were reported to be stationed, and the battle was set to commence.
They might spend the night in the Green Villa Plain and proceed to combat the next early morning... Such a battle might occur.
The choice between the two would be made by the commander and his staff, considering much information.
"This time, we won't be entering a day early, will we?" Ryo asked.
"At night, if monsters attack and it turns into a night battle, humans would be at a disadvantage. If it were a war between humans, such advantages and disadvantages might not matter as much," Abel explained.