"Prince Eric, as an heir to the Empire, I don't think you should be saying such things!"
"Do you know how many soldiers' lives that would mean abandoning? At least two hundred thousand. They all have wives and children waiting for them to return."
"As noble knights, our creed is courage, compassion, and fearlessness before powerful foes. Yet now, to save our own lives, we would abandon the lives of over two hundred thousand soldiers without a second thought. That completely betrays the spirit of knighthood."
Duke Miller frowned deeply after hearing Eric's words.
What Eric said sounded perfectly reasonable—break out in order to preserve their elite fighting strength.
But in the end, it was still cowardice that had given rise to the thought of retreat.
These older-generation nobles had also survived the sea of blood that was war against the Dark Creatures.
Thus, they truly could not accept a method no different from fleeing in the face of battle.
Crown Prince Eric's face nearly turned green with rage after Miller rebuked him so bluntly and without reservation.
He no longer intended to argue with Duke Miller. Instead, he looked at the other nobles. "Everyone, we have been trapped within this ducal city and have already fallen into a desperate situation."
"Not only are food supplies running short, but our soldiers are continually being depleted. Meanwhile, the enemy's numbers have not decreased in the slightest—they are only growing."
"So I want to ask you all: do you intend to remain here and continue this futile resistance, or take advantage of the opportunity while we still have one and break out?"
Following Eric's question, the meeting room immediately fell silent.
The nobles wore varying expressions as they gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.
Clearly, quite a few nobles were