After the meeting ended, Sobaek sat in his chair with a grim expression. He watched the holographic image before him begin to blur, feeling the complicated gazes of the various officers around him fixed upon him. He felt Lieutenant General Neyali nod gratefully in his direction again, and saw Duke Bairien make an expectant blessing gesture toward him.
He remained where he was until everything in his vision faded away.
Then, what came into view was once again the familiar conference room of his battlecruiser, the Imperial Hare. He knew the ceiling and walls of this room well, and that gave him a strong sense of security.
Of course, he was also very familiar with the Viscountess Seluz, who had risen from the other side of the table. That filled him with a sense of warmth.
For an ordinary man like him, working in a familiar and secure workplace was a happy thing. Working together with a "friend" he felt close to naturally made it even happier. With these two happy things overlapping, this should have been a dreamlike period—but why did it always turn out like this?
Sobaek looked at the Viscountess and had just begun to smile when he saw her sigh troubledly. "Actually, Duke Bairien's subordinates should have challenged Lieutenant General Luowenture. But since she's already down, refusing to let it go would have been undignified. Still, they could at least have used the matter as an excuse to suppress Neyali and make him follow their lead."
Sobaek belatedly nodded in realization. He truly had not expected there to be such a complication.
"What you did put you into direct conflict with the faction represented by Duke Bairien! Although you now stand in Her Highness Suliyuka's camp, even she hasn't openly fallen out with them. Why did