Earth, Paris.
As a senior Mithril official, Tessa attended an Earth Force meeting in full formal attire. She was deeply dissatisfied with it, yet had no choice but to patiently remain. Beside her sat two people: Richard, the First Officer of Danner's Son, and Jerome Boda, another senior Mithril official and Tessa's elder. Two years later, Jerome was effectively Mithril's true leader.
Of the three, Tessa and Richard remained silent throughout, while Jerome Boda pressed both hands against the table before him and argued sternly.
"I have no personal objections to the Earth Force's overall arrangements. As soldiers, obeying orders is our foremost duty. But from Mithril's perspective, I refuse. We are merely the Earth Force, an army formed by everyone joining together to fight the Dimensional Beasts. In fact, even now, nearly two years after the Dimensional Beasts first appeared, the nations represented by everyone here have not truly united. We are nothing more than a group of pioneers gathered to fight the Dimensional Beasts. First and foremost, we belong to our own nations and organizations. Only after that are we the Earth Force."
"Internally, the Earth Force high command's role is merely coordination and support, not command. Although a small number of units have begun mixed formations, most forces still maintain entirely independent structures and chains of command. Everyone knows why. Naturally, Mithril is included in that."
"That ship, the new Danner's Son, is Mithril's creation. I do not believe any of you here have the right to demand that we hand it over, just as Mithril has never demanded that you hand over the most advanced weapons of your respective nations. There is no such precedent, nor is there any possibility of it. It is our highest secret. Are you willing to place your own highest secrets