Viktor stepped half a pace forward, and the shadow beneath his hood seemed to shift. "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager sees clearly. What Karl is doing may indeed, as you said, have an element of 'addiction' to it—his vigilance and hostility toward the Sauron run bone-deep. But what he truly has in mind may be far more complicated than an 'addiction'... and far more deadly."
He paused, lowering his voice further, his tone carrying the calm analysis of one who saw through men's hearts. "In this servant's view, Karl is killing two birds with one stone. First, he absolutely cannot stand by and watch Harald recover through this raid. If the Sauron regain their strength, they will once again become a tremendous threat to his northern border, leaving him caught in a north-south pincer. Second—and more crucially—"
"He wants to use this proactive strike to cleanly repel, or even severely cripple, the Sauron raiding force within the kingdom, resolving—or at least greatly easing—the pressure from the northern frontier in one stroke. Then he can free his hands and turn all his energy and troops southward, single-mindedly... to deal with us."
"He does not wish to, nor does he have the strength to, wage a prolonged war on two fronts. So he has chosen to concentrate his forces first and beat Harald to death."
The Empress Dowager drew a sharp breath, realization flashing through her eyes alongside a deeper chill. "So that's it... He means to settle the north before turning south. He wants to trade a swift victory for the strategic initiative and time to deal with us."
"Precisely." Viktor nodded.
"What should we do, then?" The Empress Dowager's gaze sharpened, a flicker of ruthlessness passing through it. "Are we supposed to simply watch him go and 'win glory'? Or...