Demon City, Cabinet Building, Military Minister's Office.
The demon fla lamps cast shadows on the walls, and the obsidian desk stood steadily in the center of the room, exuding an unspoken majesty.
Atlant Hephis, the Fla Demon councilor in formal attire, walked in slowly, the ruby on his collar glinting with a faint firelight. The sound of his soft leather shoes was light yet steady on the floor. His angular face was covered with fla-like patterns, and his pupils shimred with a lava-like brilliance. In the dim light of the room, his figure resembled a silent volcano.
Behind the desk, Prince Caesar Colin, dressed in a black military uniform, sat quietly in the chair. His gaze, naturally commanding respect, glanced at the visitor before returning to the docunt in his hand.
His movents were unhurried and his expression calm. Despite having a human face, his presence completely overshadowed the Fla Demon councilor before him, like an unending mountain range.
As a demigod level power, one of the worldly deputies of Bayele Your Majesty, and one of the six cabinet ministers, he stood at the pinnacle of power in Hell in terms of both strength and influence.
Yet, when facing the weaker Hephis councilor, he did not display the condescending deanor typical of ninety percent of Fine Steel level demons toward ordinary demons. Instead, he was quite approachable.
"Please sit, Councilor Hephis." Colin said in an even tone, lightly tapping his fingers on the table.
Atlant nodded slightly and took a seat in the chair opposite.
He forewent any pleasantries and got straight to the point: "The hearing just concluded, and I've co to report the progress to you."
"Oh?" Colin put down the docunt in his hand, a flicker of interest in his eyes, "How is the situation?"
Atlant organized his thoughts slightly and said in a deep voice: "The Demon King of the Thunder County Maze was more resolute at the hearing than expected. Not only did he promise to resolve the magic crystal cannon's mobility issue within three months, but he also demanded at the end of the hearing that the Truth Departnt investigate General Sebes's negligence during the Seldo Port battle. His reason was, um… to seek justice for the 80,000 soldiers who perished."
As he finished speaking, Atlant hesitated for a mont, for this was indeed quite unusual.
Colin raised his eyebrows lightly, his expression still as steady as a mountain. He picked up the silver smoking pipe on the table, lit it nonchalantly, took a deep inhale, and slowly exhaled a wisp of white smoke.
"Oh? He dares to bring up this matter…" He chuckled softly, a hint of playfulness in his tone, "It seems we've underestimated him."
Atlant watched Colin's expression and continued, "Indeed, his approach was much more decisive than I anticipated, showing no sign of letting the officials of the Logistics Departnt lead him by the nose. Several tis, he turned the table on Vice Minister Harvik, catching him off guard. Moreover, his proposed renovation plan, 'make the magic crystal cannon move, giving it the mobility of an Abyssal war beast,' successfully attracted the attention of many military generals, including myself… At least for now, the advantage is on his side."
Of course, that's assuming he can fulfill the promises he made at the hearing.
If that guy is just bluffing, then he's undoubtedly done sothing foolish.
Colin did not respond imdiately but gently tapped the smoking pipe, letting the ash fall into the silver tray.
His gaze remained on the report before him, seemingly not fully engaged in the conversation, but Atlant knew that Colin was always like this—he did not need many words, nor did he have to express his stance directly; his silence was itself an attitude.
Atlant paused slightly, his gaze intense as he spoke: "However, regarding the Seldo Port battle… I have to say, there are indeed so peculiarities in this defeat."
Colin finally put down the smoking pipe, intertwining his fingers and leaning back in his chair, speaking in a calm tone: "Explain."
Atlant leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice: "The battlefield indeed experienced a windless weather, and using artillery smoke as cover by the Imperial Navy is feasible. But what's strange is that if the smoke screen was truly thick enough to completely obscure the view from the high ground, the Griffin Knights should have been similarly blind, making it impossible to launch a precision raid on the artillery positions through the thick fog. And even stranger, not a single goblin artilleryman survived the battle... It's hard not to suspect that they might have encountered sothing before their demise."
Both had been on the battlefield, and this was the biggest difference from those bureaucrats. They were able to stand in the positions of both offense and defense, seeing things invisible in the battle reports.
Atlant's words carried two layers of aning.
The most straightforward was that the Griffin Knights' combat mages had cast illusion magic on the goblin artilleryn and pierced through the defensive barrier of the artillery positions over an extrely long distance.
The second aning was—
The artilleryn might have been interfered with from behind, and at a crucial mont, the barrier protecting them from abnormal states was lifted.
Colin was silent for a mont, his fingertips lightly tapping on the table, as if in thought, or perhaps testing the other's patience. The air in the room seed to grow heavier, as if hiding a slumbering beast, ready to awaken at any mont.
Finally, he spoke slowly, his voice indifferent and unhurried.
"I know."
Atlant's pupils narrowed slightly; he wasn't surprised that Colin was aware of the internal matters, but the other's attitude—was too calm.
"So," he tentatively asked, "how do you plan to handle it?"
Colin pondered for a mont, then shook his head.
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