Ten minutes later, a high-level military conference of the Imperial Army was once again formally convened online.
The struggle inside the fortress was still ongoing, but the Battle of Saide—and indeed the Empire's half-year-long tug-of-war over the Far Shore—had reached its final stage. So, if only for the sake of ceremony, it was time for everyone to wrap things up.
Still, compared with the high spirits they'd shown before the great battle, everyone seemed to be in a somewhat peculiar state this time. They weren't exactly downcast, nor were they listless, but they were far from the elated excitement of victors. In fact, nearly everyone in the conference room, from the marshal down to the squadron commanders, wore traces of fatigue and a palpable sense of relief.
The Galactic Empire had originally thought that dealing with the Blue Star Commonwealth's government would be like an elegant hunt, a ritual of taking life.
But in the end, the elegant Dragon King had been dragged into the mud. Even after managing to gain the upper hand, he'd still had mud smeared all over his face, and could no longer command the same awe and dignity.
Now, this ugly battle that had left the Empire's traditional military leaders so uneasy had finally come to an end. Everyone could catch their breath and pick up the beads of their necklaces, scattered all over the mud.
Of course, there were always exceptions.
The youngest person present, King Sorein, aboard the Sky Dragon, slowly clenched the fist he'd hidden beneath the table. In the recent assault on the fortress, he'd earned the greatest distinction: the main cannon of his Sky Dragon had scored a direct hit on the Saide Fortress, ripping through its armor and greatly facilitating their landing operation.
He'd even received a joint commendation