Bermuda

After escorting Leonardo back to the detention facility, Hugo made his way directly to the conference room.

When he pushed open the door and stepped inside, the battalion commanders and unit leaders of the Council's Central Branch were already assembled, along with their adjutants, mid-level managers, administrative officers—and finally, Deputy Commander Shorendo. While a few members were absent due to external missions, the turnout was unusually large for a regular meeting.

As those seated moved to rise and greet him, Hugo raised a hand slightly to signal them to remain seated. Then, settling into the head seat at the table, he spoke.

"Looks like everyone’s here. Apologies for being late."

“I heard you were stuck playing babysitter—was that what held you up?”

The dry comment came from Meterion, slicing through the air and momentarily souring the atmosphere. Hugo simply cast a glance in that direction, offering no reply. Instead, Venum Thesaurus, the 8th Battalion Commander, let out a short laugh and fired back at Meterion.

“Clinder, you wouldn’t be able to handle that babysitting gig anyway.”

As Meterion shot a sharp glare at Venum in response, Loren Opience, arms crossed, slammed her fist onto the table. The loud thud silenced the room, and all eyes turned to her. Casting a cold gaze toward the two, she issued a curt warning.

“Enough with the pointless remarks.”

Venum raised both hands, palms out, feigning innocence as if to claim he wasn’t the one ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) at fault. With the room settling down under Loren’s authority, Hugo gave her a subtle nod.

“Appreciate it, Loren.”

Hugo then slowly swept his gaze across the assembled officers before turning to the matter at hand.

“As usual, we’ll start with the monthly reports. After that, we’ll move on to today’s main agenda: selecting personnel for the expedition to the Elder Millie Peninsula. We’re in the middle of a hectic period, so let’s aim to get through this efficiently. I’ll need everyone’s full cooperation.”

“Understood.”

Their response echoed in unified voices throughout the room.

One by one, adjutants and mid-tier commanders from each battalion stepped forward to deliver reports on current missions and outstanding issues. Though a dedicated scribe was present to transcribe the minutes, Hugo nonetheless picked up a pen and jotted down key points in his own notes.

“We are currently investigating the cause behind a string of indiscriminate assassinations targeting noble households.”

“There have been back-to-back cases of embezzlement among military supply contractors serving the three institutions...”

“In the central-southern region, a series of kidnappings has prompted us to investigate possible links to slave trafficking or illicit human trade...”

“Monster activity in the plains from the central-western region is escalating, with growing civilian casualties...”

“We’re looking into abrupt contract terminations between the Delberg Merchant Group and affiliated trading houses...”

“Some unit members sustained injuries during evidence collection and the suppression of reactionary factions...”

“We should discuss reinforcing the protective barrier now that the northern square of the Imperial Capital has been shut down...”

“A special task force is needed to crack down on venue overcharging and inflated lodging costs near the League’s main tournament site...”

“...As a result, the stadium for the League’s preliminary rounds is now expected to be completed roughly a month behind schedule.”

At that last report, Hugo furrowed his brows and asked pointedly:

“Is there a chance of further delay?”

“We’ve negotiated a fairly generous timeline with the construction company, so no, there shouldn’t be additional setbacks.”

“You said the same thing last time.”

The chill in Hugo’s tone made the reporting manager freeze mid-sentence. He swallowed hard. Hugo marked the note on his paper and continued.

“Seems like we’ll need to enforce performance oversight more strictly. Adjust the timeline, verify it with the administrative office, and resubmit a revised schedule.”

“Understood...”

The manager, already bracing for overtime, gave a subdued reply before returning to his seat with a quiet sigh no one else seemed to notice.

Hugo scanned his scribbled notes with a practiced eye. The pile of tasks made him momentarily question whether this was the right time to launch an expedition to the peninsula. With three battalions already deployed from the Southern Branch, the Central Branch would need to dispatch at least two to match—but staffing was critically short.

After gathering his thoughts briefly, Hugo raised his head again and addressed the room.

“If anyone has anything to add, speak now.”

Loren raised her hand. Hugo gave a subtle nod of his chin, signaling her to go ahead.

“Given that the League is roughly three months away, we should begin serious enforcement measures for area control and crime suppression. Instead of treating the kidnappings in the central-southern region as isolated cases, I believe it would be more efficient to increase patrol personnel across both sectors and expand investigative teams.”

As soon as she finished, the 10th Battalion’s unit commander raised his hand and added,

“With the central region’s weather warming up, monster appearances are rising rapidly. Several platoons from the 10th are already engaged in subjugation missions, but we’re severely understaffed. We should consider issuing rewards to attract subjugators or collaborating with mercenary guilds.”

Shorendo raised his hand to follow up.

“During the last campaign in the Claria Mountains, the planning office neglected to assign personnel for managing mercenaries, which led to chaos in troop coordination. We should plan ahead to prevent that from happening again.”

Hugo nodded, then turned his attention back to the table.

“Anything else?” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Silence settled over the room. No one raised their hand. Hugo gave a slight summary nod.

"Regarding troop distribution, we’ll hold a follow-up meeting centered around Shorendo once the draft plan is finalized. That concludes the monthly report—let’s move on immediately to the matter of the peninsula. We don’t have time to spare."

"The Elder Millie Peninsula is a hot, humid volcanic zone—a massive island of over two thousand peaks, both large and small, that fused into a peninsula after tectonic uplift and inland magma flow. Although ninety-five percent of the volcanoes are dormant, the remaining five percent—comprising all the high-altitude, large-scale peaks—are active."

"The territory bordering the peninsula is Fidele. Recently, due to a sharp increase in monster activity, all civilians in the border zone have been relocated to the central region of the territory."

Two analysts gave an initial briefing, outlining the Elder Millie Peninsula’s terrain and environmental conditions.

The main purpose of the current meeting was to determine which battalions would be deployed, how long the operation would last, and how many personnel would be committed.

"As you've just heard, the Elder Millie Peninsula is a volcanic region, and its internal environment remains largely unexplored. While the official order is subjugation, the area is rich in rare minerals and natural resources. Therefore, we’ll also need an exploration unit and an escort team to accompany them."

As the briefing concluded, Hugo was the first to speak.

"My assessment is this: even excluding certain companies assigned to critical missions, we’ll still need to mobilize at least two full battalions—including the commanders. Let’s open the floor. Speak freely."

At that, Mare Magnus, the 10th Battalion Commander, responded with skepticism.

"My view differs slightly. Don’t you think two battalions is overkill?"

Hugo gave him a silent nod, encouraging him to elaborate.

"Let’s hear your reasoning."

"This mission has been shelved for ages, and now the higher-ups suddenly want it pushed through. We don’t even know how long it’ll take. Besides, the southern forces are already deployed there. Wouldn’t it be better to send a smaller, faster group instead of tying down a large force?"

At that moment, Deputy Commander Shorendo interjected.

"It’s true that the southern branch is stationed there, but they’ve made little progress. They lack sufficient manpower for expansion and specifically requested reinforcements from the central branch. When I went on inspection, even their buildings were half-empty—many of their troops are already out on assignments."

He swept his gaze across the table and continued.

"The peninsula can be divided into four sectors—east, west, south, and north. The northern sector is closest to Fidele, but the current situation is such that nearly half of the southern forces are tied down defending that one entry point. We haven’t even breached the interior, let alone touched the core area."

"..."

"All the jagged peaks confirmed to be monster nests are located in the southern zone. The north is merely the gateway. Having more troops doesn’t guarantee subjugation success, but I don’t believe this is a situation that can be handled by a small task force."

After Shorendo’s words, Mare hesitated slightly before speaking again, more firmly.

"The 10th Battalion has virtually no deployable personnel at the moment. The monster situation in the central-western plains alone is a full-blown crisis..."

At this, Andreas Frederick, Commander of the 4th Battalion, pushed back.

"Come on, Commander Magnus. By that logic, which of us does have people to spare? Everyone’s stretching thin—setting aside their current duties to join this mission. If the 10th Battalion were selected for deployment, would you still be arguing this way?"

"What are you getting at, Frederick?"

"I’m saying—would you be downplaying the urgency if it were your battalion being deployed to Elder Millie? If the 10th were sent alone from the central branch, wouldn’t that feel rather unbalanced?"

Andreas’s tone seemed to rattle Mare, who frowned and shot back.

"So you’re implying I’m downplaying this just because I assume the 10th won’t be chosen? And what about you, Frederick? You talk easy because you already know the 4th Battalion’s out of consideration—thanks to your injured arm."

"Now why are you twisting it like that? I never said that."

Andreas replied with a strained smile. Before the exchange could escalate, Noel Presentia, Commander of the 11th Battalion, stepped in.

"Mare, that’s uncalled for. Andre didn’t injure his arm on purpose. And Andre, even if you didn’t mean to provoke him, it’s understandable Mare would feel cornered. If we’re not trying to stir conflict, then let’s cool it."

"I get it."

Though Andreas seemed to have more to say, he closed his mouth, conceding to Noel’s mediation. The tension that had nearly boiled over began to ease—until Noel added another comment.

"Still, I also think sending two full battalions is excessive. Wouldn’t it be more practical to divide the force into company-level units and deploy them incrementally? That way we can request reinforcements later if needed."

But before the room could fully settle, Venum Thesaurus, the 8th Battalion Commander, threw another log on the fire.

"And what if there’s no one available for immediate reinforcement when you do need support? You going to beg the Western Branch then? With monsters flooding the central-western plains, they’re probably even more swamped than the 10th. Just say it plainly—none of you want to go."

"When did I say I didn’t want to go?!"

Mare flared up at Venum’s jab. Venum chuckled darkly, then looked around the room before continuing.

"Let’s be real here. Why is everyone acting more prickly than usual? Is it just because the deployment zone is Elder Millie? No... what you’re actually afraid of—is that guy, aren’t you?"