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An Angry Report
“The suppression force ate a counter-attack from those savages!? The hell is Wimp doing!!” screamed General Bull[1] Hound. His cheek slackened and flapped about as he raged on, but the soldiers could only shrug and pull their chins in.
He was the dauntless general that represented The Amrzs Kingdom and had several acts of valor under his belt. Many in the army idolized him, as he started out as a mere adjutant and worked his way up to lead his own forces.
Recently, however, he’s had a track record of killing all enemy citizens, including the women and children. He casually uses his subordinates like they’re disposable, and now his utterly cruel personality is the only thing that stands out. Nowadays, he inspires not trust, but fear into his subordinates.
“Wimp-dono is currently engaged in battle with the savages amidst the top of the mountain……apparently,” said Bull’s adjutant, Zap, after a slight hesitation.
“Apparently? Why aren’t you sure!?”
“Well…… The information is based on what little we could get from the transport squad……” Zap replied as he trailed off.
Bull looked on in anger. “Give me an actual answer!!”
“Yes sir! The officer of the transport squad has received a message from Wimp-dono’s subordinate, Kai.”
The moment they heard the name Kai, the generals began a commotion. Kai was an exceptionally talented officer of commoner origins, often known as Wimp’s brains. There’d be no way it was a meaningless message, at the very least. There must have been some grave accident on the battlefield.
“So is the message a secret letter or what? If you’ve had something like that on hand then hurry and read it!” said General Bull, repeatedly tapping on the table in irritation.
“Yes sir!” One of his adjutants hurriedly stood beside him and opened the scroll.
“‘Currently, we are engaged in battle with the savages. While our forces are superior, the enemy has several Materials in their possession and have begun their own offensive. We have suppressed a part of the enemy’s stronghold and acquired several Materials which we have sent back with the supply squad. Please conduct further analysis within the fort.
Additionally, the savages’ fierce counterattack has set eighty percent of our food reserves into flames and all forces have lost their supply lines. Tracking down the savages is expected to take some time so I’ve sent about half of the supply squad back to bring food and water as quickly as possible.’ is what it says.”
“……”
Silence dominated the room for a while before it broke out into a tumultuous whirlpool.
“Is it even possible for mere savages to have several Materials? That sounds too convenient. Is it not a trap?” said an older general as he wiped the sweat off his brow.
Materials were relics of the past and was the generic name given to the weapons left behind by non-humans. It was said that digging up a single one would shake the power balance of the world. They could only take the report of the enemy having several of these as a joke.
“No, just look at Camelot. There’s a bit of truth there, don’t you think?” asked a young general. Commotion once again ran through the room.
“Several Materials……If that’s true, we need to get our hands on them no matter the sacrifices.”
Only hostility lived between the empire and the Radols. There’s no way the empire had handed the Radols several of these dangerous weapons—the empire is most likely in the dark. If these materials were to fall into empire hands, The Amrzs Kingdom would soon face a huge crisis.
“So? Are these Materials the real deal?” asked General Bull.
Everyone pitched forward in anticipation. This was the most important part. With how precious Materials are, there’s no way it’d be used haphazardly. If it were real, then there’s very little chance it’s a trap.
“According to the reports of the soldiers of the second gate, its range is dozens of times farther than a bow and it has enough power to blast through even armor. It’s certainly past the realm of something we can make with our current technology,” reported Bull’s adjutant.
“How long will it take to inspect them?”
“All the soldiers of the second gate are currently out, so we’re short on hands. It’ll take at least half a day at best. In addition……” The adjutant paused. The room fell into yet another silence, the adjutant’s worries having been transmitted to everyone. The inspection would take time; that in and of itself wasn’t a problem. The problem lay with the soldiers of the second gate.
These soldiers were a collection of men sent from provinces that The Amrzs Kingdom had recently occupied and begun ruling. In short, there was a huge problem of trust.
Having the soldiers of the first gate inspect it instead would cause needless friction. Most importantly, he didn’t want these Materials to come into public view, as they could become a source of rebellion.
This was an impossibly difficult decision to make.
Bull gazed up at the sky for a while before slapping the table.
“We will conduct the inspection ourselves. Let the supply squad into the first gate ASAP. If our investigations prove the Materials are the real deal then I’d be happy to send food and water their way,” he proclaimed, his face distorting with greed.
[1] Once we get the last name the proper spelling of his first becomes obvious… Was Blu before.