Doctrine: Initiative

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"YOU ABSOLUTE MADMAN!" Zorah shrieked and pointed an accusing finger at me. "HOW DARE YOU POLLUTE OUR EARS WITH THIS NONSENSE!"

King Tristwin only leaned back and gave a full-belied laugh. "Oh you absolute madlad!" He briefly looked towards Yumina, who shrugged, then back to me still in my Gendo pose. "But I know you like to say things to shock people - I have been far too long in the presence of Jamukha Blau Mismede. You are the same type of people. So out with it, Zah Playa."

I scowled. "You know we planned so well for the Belfast-Mismede alliance and then linking our infrastructure together? And then immediately after talking about it, something happened to make the whole plan defunct? It's like talking about the plan ensures something will interfere like some Unspoken Plan Guarantee."

"... That is just peasant superstition," Zorah had to say.

The King hummed. "You know I cannot just blindly give my permission for anything that will affect the politics of Belfast and Regulus as a whole. It is my concern for my people, not my pride, that prohibits me from just allowing someone else to do what they wish out of sight for my supposed benefit."

I only shrugged. "Well, this whole thing started because the Emperor of Regulus is ill. Jackals are starting to circle. But you know… this could still be some plot of fake illness to clear the way for his succession."

"Ah. That is certainly a possibility. There have been many such instances of letting your enemy have all the rope they need to hang themselves with."

"You did this recently with your poisoning."

"Mmm. If only the risk of war and the maltreatment of beastkin inside Belfast had not been so urgent, it would have been good to let the pretense of their success go on for a bit longer." He waved. "But we are getting sidetracked. Explain."

"Fair enough. Well if he's *actually sick*, who happens to be the best gorram healer this side of the continent?"

Yumina gasped, raising a hand to her face. "That is an excellent point, Sir Zah!"

"Oh, right. [Light] magic as well!" Leene beamed. "Well it has to be me, would it not? In my over six hundred years of existence I have watched so many of you mortals grow infirm and decay and struggle against the peace of death. None other than the elves have as much experience in trying to halt this inevitable degradation as myself. Whatever ails he may have, I will know."

Leene blinked at the silence that greeted her declaration. "Wa-what is with the look you are giving me? Do not give me those looks of pity! What even is this?! Whyyyy?!"

I coughed into my fist. "Ahem. Well if nothing else, there is the option to simply shove enough [Light] magic to choke a Dark God into him and see if that works."

The king gave out an amused 'heh'. "Do you actually intend to kidnap Zephyrus though?"

"Who? Oh, that's his name? Well I'll try to talk him into laying a trap for General Bazoar. But if he's actually too sick to object, then I'll just yoink him into Belfast. That should give his successors and royal guard a reason to go into high alert. Frankly speaking this plan is NO PLAN, let's just see what happens and roll with it."

Zorah picked wood fragments out of her face and then bowed towards the king. "Your Majesty this is a terrible idea and I respectfully suggest that you entertain no part of it."

Then Zorah turned towards me and asked "In the first place, how would you even get to Gallaria in time? You do not even know what the Emperor looks like!"

I shrugged again. "How do you think I was able to get here *from* Mismede in time?"

Yumina titted her head to the side like a yellow parakeet. She certainly knew what the Emperor looked like. There have been diplomatic visits before. Portraits were easy to procure as well. But would she be allowed to tag along as a guide?

"I was in Mismede but a short while ago," King Tristwin said. "Prince Zah Playa is proven to be able to travel - and to enable travel - between vast distances very quickly. This is part of why I trust his ability…." and with a sigh "And tolerate his eccentricities."

Left unspoken was 'I tolerate so much bullshit from my subordinates as long as they prove themselves capable and loyal. So much. Bullshit'.

'Wait, what?' Zorah mouthed out.

I turned to the side. "What do you think, Yumina?"

The princess touched a finger to her chin and pursed her lips. "The OODA loop - observe, orient, decide, act - is a cycle that applies to all decision-making processes. Doctrine: Initiative relies upon disrupting the enemy's ability to make decisions as early and as often as possible. The information delay going from the Belfast border to the heart of the Empire means that if Lord General Bazoar presents himself to court, he has enough demons by the sacrifice to suddenly appear and overcome the palace defenders. It would be a perfect decapitation strike. I presume that letting Marquise Alpas live is so that man would be able to suffer more knowing it was his ineffectuality as a fighting man that allowed this to happen."

Then she shook her head and sighed. "Lord General Bazoar is so unlucky."

"Hm? How so?" her father asked.

"Because this is a perfect example of the disruption doctrine - it is simple, but all the best plans are simple. Put overwhelming force to your enemy's weakest point when they don't expect it. He may act all that smart, but he is more than competent as a general. It would have worked very well. It is just so… unfortunate… that he exists in the same era as Sir Zah, who is simply a better artist of this doctrine. So…" Yumina shrugged. "Nyeeh. "

Leene laughed. "Nyeeh. What a succinct summary of such a situation. I like it!"

I let out a deep breath. "Tristwin, let me be brutally honest here-"

"Heh. When, if ever, are you not?"

"No, that's just me being a rude little shite unconcerned with protocol. This is different." I waved my palm from left to right. "You know this whole thing with the potential continental great war you have? I don't really care about it."

The king sniffed. "That much was already obvious."

"But I am incentivized to help you resolve this quickly. Because I can't stay here. My first priority will always be my wife." I repeated the motion. "What do you think happens when a being of magic is exposed to a magic-eater weapon?"

King Tristwin sat up sharply. "Oh no."

The air in the room grew cold and heavy for a moment. The glass panes fogged up with condensation. An electric ozone scent hung in the air. "For the first time in a long while, Monika has been *physically* hurt. And so I will have my revenge. General Bazoar will *break*."

Then I pointed towards Leene. "But I also have a lead on potential Ancient relics that would help, so… I *refuse* to allow Monika to suffer any longer than necessary. Three days, that is the most I can give to resolve this crisis."

King Tristwin leaned back and rested his chin on his fist. His other hand drummed fingers upon the table. "I cannot forbid you from this. Even if you were my vassal, I would not have the right to push you to the front line, knowing how much of your combat potential is tied to your partnership. Three days is not much, but I suppose we should make the most of it."

"If Bazoar shows his face again, then we fight again. If not, you have my Marker stone so you can recall us in hurry when the war starts."

"I see. Then I will thank you for even this much."

I smiled and nodded back. "Thanks too."

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While this was going on, the girls were chatting in another room. Elze and Linze set beside each other, Yae was for a change not munching on anything while waiting, and Charlotte occupied the opposite side of the square table to Yae. She had a notebook open and was scribbling furiously, then looking up with a puppy-like eagerness for more information.

The Chappa-ai was not the most urgent thing about the instructions to Charlotte. What was important for her to bring was the mini projector. Now Monika was able to again project herself as a 3D image, but lacking solidity.

The smartphone was on a tripod clipped to the back of a chair, allowing her to speak to others from eye level. While the display was broken, there was no damage to her front and back cameras, or her thermal sight or her GPS and proximity and other various sensors.

"Why can't you just reverse the damage to yourself?" asked Elze.

/"I would immediately forget that I am supposed to be casting the magic, and then it would not happen due to the time paradox,"/ replied Monika. /"Remember that my magic, unlike the classical elements, is not Formalized. This is a magic that I can only cast externally with myself as an Observer."/

Elze sat back down, crossing her arms and pouting. "Well that sucks."

"So where do we go from here, Miss Monika?" asked Linze. She glanced towards Charlotte. "Is this… is this really all right?" Unspoken: we are breaking all the secrets of your vulnerability.

Monika wiggled her hand to the side in a so-so gesture. /"Leene already knows about this, and for various reasons I would rather have Charlotte's support more than Leene."/

Charlotte squeaked looked on the verge of crying. Her bosoms heaved with emotion. "Thank you. Thank you very much!"

/"... Yes, those really have to be some mighty powerful reasons indeed,"/ Monika sighed.

Then to answer Linze /"We promised to bring Leene to some Ancient archeological sites, because only mysterious Ancient magic-technology might possibly have the capacity to repair my… container. I could wait, things are very unstable right now, but Playa is being too much of a bonehead about this. He's going to keep hovering around me worrying if I'm in pain so we might as well just let him feel like he's accomplishing something?"/

"Are you? In pain?" Linze asked.

Monika winced. /"Not… not as such, no. It's just… imagine being locked in a cold dark room having only a window to the world. There's nothing - no sound, no warmth, no feeling - when that window is closed. Before, I could customize this… UI… this world, as much as I wanted. There were rolling green hills. There was a sun. Clouds. It was bliss. A river. Trees. I could even…"/ she coughed /"Mine and craft."/

Monika sagged. /"Now, there's just nothing. I can't even sleep."/

"That sounds horrible!" Linze gasped and clutched her hands to her chest.

"It's like you're describing a grave," Elze said with a wince.

/"That's what he said. It's not like I'm… unfamiliar with this sensation. It could be a lot worse. But because he knows I experienced this before is why Player is panicking so much. Hence owing Leene now TWO favors, one for her background on the Ancient Civilization hotspots and another unspecified for a future date."/

"Could I resign my post as Court Magician?!" Charlotte piped up excitedly. "Let me come with you!"

/"You would have to go exploring alongside your old teacher, you realize?"/

Charlotte eeped and covered, covering her head. "I… I withdraw the offer. But please share your research."

/"Don't worry about it. Leene has all the theoretical, you have the practical. That's why it's a marvel that your tower produced the Ring Gates, the first true mass producible teleportation matrix in thousands of years. You have a lot to be proud of and-"/ Monika's voice lowered to a hiss /"You are at least a productive member of society instead of a freeloading old hag."/

"Hah! It's not like you to lose your cool." Elze leered. "What did that fairy do to get under your skin? Did she manage to… do something… with Playa last night?"

/"Pft. No way Josefa."/

"Yes. Sir Zah would not tolerate anything that would have disrespected you." Linze nodded. Then she squinted "Although… given the deep nature of her favor…?"

Monika pompously lifted her chin and raised a fist. /"It is good that she requested assistance with archeology, otherwise aid would have come in form of boxing lessons."/

"Fascinating! May I just ask then - where is this Ancient Civilization archeological site?" Charlotte asked.

Monika turned her head towards Yae. Then, slowly, everyone else followed her gaze.

Yae blinked at all the attention. She tilted her head to the side like a black bird. "Nani yo?"

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