When her sovereign issued an unreasonable order, Chief of Staff Shirel showed his worth as a wise minister for once and earnestly tried to talk her out of it. Everyone was exhausted, he pointed out, and they were desperately short on ammunition and energy.
"Exactly. The enemy thinks so too. That's why we have a chance to win!" Brunhild replied.
"The enemy, you say? Heh. Your Highness, have you finally made up your mind?" Shirel instead looked relieved.
Brunhild thought his smile seemed a little familiar. She smiled back. "What are you talking about, Chief of Staff? I mean the war itself."
"So do I, Your Highness. But a war only begins once you've identified the enemy. I'm very pleased with your attitude. Extremely pleased."
Brunhild gave Shirel a suspicious look, then spoke to Yu Lian telepathically. "This gentleman isn't quite what I imagined!"
"What did you imagine Chancellor Shirel would be like?" Yu Lian asked with interest.
Brunhild thought for a moment. "Like that Sleeping Dragon, the Bright Chancellor, from ancient Earth."
Yu Lian took nearly half a minute to figure out that she meant the old Marquis of Wu. Seriously, who had taught her this Chinese-to-Imperial-and-back-again stuff?
Brunhild continued, "Now that I've seen him, he seems more like the Ostana type."
"Isn't Miss Bal the perfect sort? A brilliant scholar and warrior who can speak truth to power, trade barbs to keep you entertained, and double as your black glove. Honestly, that combination is pretty rare."
"Yes. She's a top-tier black glove, and with a wise ruler, she could certainly become a wise chancellor. But the perfect chancellor in my imagination should be like the Sleeping Dragon, the Bright Chancellor—someone who can make even the monarch a better person. Of course, I know people like that are sages.