Many wizards stared in disbelief at Leonard, who stood ramrod straight and advocated resistance. Only then did they realize that this stubborn conservative loved his wizarding nation more than anyone else.
Ian pressed his lips tight and curled his fingers around the wand in his hand. He understood now that whether his uncle Leonard had previously hoped for the United Kingdom and the Harrises to move toward friendlier relations, or whether he now called for resolute resistance, the essence of it had always been the same: he wanted the United States to become better. He had never intended to surrender.
"War changes in an instant. Anything can happen. What we must be clear about is that even if we do everything in our power, many countries may abandon an alliance out of fear of the Harrises, or because they are swayed by conditions offered by the United Kingdom, such as raising a Floating City," Leonard said solemnly. "In addition, I believe everyone has long anticipated the various difficulties in their hearts. We need to face these difficulties head-on as we resist. Those are what we must fight for. That is the resolve of Madam Chairwoman, the resolve of every one of us. This is the will of the Congress and the nation."
The wizards whose hopes had just been kindled grew grave again—if they did not want to surrender outright without a shred of backbone and give up resisting, then after soberly realizing the difficulties they might face in resisting the United Kingdom's invasion, they had only become more determined. They had to resist.
"As for this resistance operation, I have been studying the United Kingdom's tactics against Germany and Bulgaria during this period, and because of that I have developed some ideas... Under ordinary circumstances, I would not speak