"What are you going to do?" Felicia looked at Mel.
From a strategic standpoint, Mel should have abandoned Elena and the child outright, but he had not done so.
He had feelings, selfish desires, and confidence in his own strength.
"What do you want me to do? If we're attacking, I can break in by myself right now. Time won't let me wait any longer. If I keep waiting, more problems may arise."
While he was still at the peak of his strength, the best choice was naturally to suppress everything as quickly as possible.
"I'm sorry." Felicia lowered her head. If she had trusted Mel enough last time, perhaps none of this would have happened.
Mel looked toward Gard Imperial City. If he wanted to enter, he could shatter the barrier at any time and then use teleportation magic to instantly reach Elena's side.
The problem was that he did not know what forces the Gard Royalty possessed, so he could not guarantee Elena and the child's safety.
Mel returned with three thousand people. With half of the Gard Empire now in his hands, food production was no longer a problem. Combined with the Commoner Army's existing foundation in northeastern Gard, they could now begin reforming the occupied territories.
Even if the Gard Royalty wanted to counterattack and reclaim the region later, the common people probably would not agree. Once those at the bottom experienced a better life, they would never be willing to return to an age of noble exploitation.
The southern region of Gard had been less affected by the war and still had a considerable population. If those people could be turned into workers, Exar's industrial transformation could be accelerated.
Concentrating resources to let one region advance first was a choice that had to be made.