Winning Them Over with Love

"Sir, I can't understand this. This should be handled by the Empire's elite. The rookies in the Recruit Company aren't qualified for this mission."

"They haven't even been in the Military Department for a month. Most of the recruits haven't carried out a single mission."

The Recruit Company commander cast a cold glance at the staff officer sitting in the corner of the conference room.

They wanted a group of recruits, most of whom had never participated in any mission, to join a war capable of changing the entire galaxy?

Did he even hear what he was saying?

Serving the Empire, sacrifice was an honor. That much was true.

But he couldn't just lie through his teeth with his eyes open.

Even the Empire's elite could not guarantee their own safety in a massive war, yet they expected a group of recruits to manage it.

By then, the recruits would be dead or wounded, and there would be barely any left alive to return.

Would he even have a Recruit Company left to command? Would he become a commander without soldiers before the next batch of recruits arrived?

The staff officer fell silent for a moment, his eyes never leaving the star map on the Holographic Projection at the center of the conference table.

"This is precisely the best opportunity to temper them."

"The recruits need to be forged through hardship. Though the casualties will be severe, those who survive will be Empire elites at the very least."

The commander frowned deeply. "This is sending them to their deaths!"

It was as absurd as training in combat for a few months and then being sent to fight boxing champion Tyson the next second.

Among the hundred people in the conference room, who didn't know that everyone left standing after a massive war would be an elite?

But the problem was how the recruits were supposed to survive the war. If they couldn't even stay alive, what elite would they become? Elite my ass!

"You need to understand, Captain Commander."

"Every soldier, including you and me, must be prepared to become fuel for war. Even the underage are no exception."

"The Empire's elite can die, so why can't recruits die?"

"Obey my orders! That is the only thing you need to do right now!"

"I don't want to hear another voice of opposition in this conference room."

The staff officer swept a cold gaze across the room. The hundred-plus members present all frowned slightly, but no one dared provoke his anger.

However, the hot-tempered commander did not take him seriously at all. He slammed his palm on the table and glared at him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! Shouting in my face like that!"

"Save your nonsense! When I was fighting for the Empire and conquering planets, you weren't even fucking born yet."

"In terms of seniority and military achievements, at least half the people here are better than you. You're nothing but a parasite who climbed up through luck. Who are you trying to impress?"

"You don't want to hear opposing opinions anymore? Do you even have the grace to listen to dissent?"

The staff officer's face turned livid from the scolding, and his clenched fingers went white.

Ever since becoming a major and staff officer, he had not been cursed at in a long time.

Now even a subordinate dared to curse him. How could he not be furious?

For a moment, everyone present turned their attention to the staff officer, wanting to see how he would handle it.

"Captain, this is an order from above!"

"You are opposing the decision of your superiors. I'll have you court-martialed!"

The commander snorted with laughter and said without a care:

"Go to hell. I've never heard of this order. You're probably just making things up."

Whenever his superiors issued a new order, his major general father would inform him in advance.

He only knew that the Empire had convened a highest-level meeting this morning, but he had never heard of any decision to send recruits into war.

What he did not know was that the decision for the massive war had been made in secret and had not been finalized during the meeting.

"This matter was proposed by Commander Thragg and personally issued by the Emperor as a supreme order."

"Of course you don't know. The news is being passed down bit by bit through Staff Headquarters. The other generals were not involved."

As the staff officer finished speaking, the commander froze.

The other generals had not been involved. Didn't that mean the Emperor had bypassed the meeting of senior ministers and made the decision himself?

How could that be allowed?

Although the Emperor had that authority, without a meeting of senior ministers—

No one could guarantee whether this was an order issued because the Emperor had gone mad, or whether it would bring serious consequences.

That was why it was necessary for the senior ministers to gather and discuss the pros and cons of a decision.

Though he was deeply unwilling, the commander knew that when the Emperor's will descended directly, no one could alter it.

"Understood."

Elsewhere, in a pitch-black room without the slightest illumination, several figures whose features could not be seen gathered around a round table.

In the darkness, the first figure spoke in an aged voice:

"I presume you have all heard some rumors already."

As his voice fell, the others responded one after another:

"I think Algor has lost his mind as he's gotten older."

"Lost his mind? He's perfectly clear-headed! The Viltrumite Empire has gradually grown stronger over the years, and Algor's ambitions have grown with it. He is no longer satisfied with what he has now."

"Ruling the entire universe is the ultimate dream of nearly every race. Algor wants to become the first person to rule the universe."

"What do we do now? Should we step in to stop him?"

"Stop him? With what? Although we have struck the Viltrumite Empire many times over the years, I believe you all understand how difficult it would be to bring them down."

"These past few days, I met a Viltrumite in the Rai Quadrant. His name is Teddus. Perhaps we can start with him."

The one who spoke was the seventh figure, the last person seated around the round table.

His words drew the attention of the other six.

The name Teddus carried far-reaching fame. Everyone present had long heard of him.

According to the intelligence they had gathered, he was not only one of the Viltrumite Empire's upper echelon, but also possessed outstanding military achievements.

His strength was among the very best within the Viltrumite Empire.

The room fell silent for a moment before the third figure spoke first.

"Teddus... that madman from the Viltrumite Empire? Are you sure we can find an opening through him?"

As far as he knew, Teddus was not someone easy to deal with, and his methods were exceedingly cruel.

What opening could someone like that possibly have?

The seventh person chuckled.

"After observing him for many days, I discovered that Teddus has a fatal weakness. His loyalty to Agag is wavering."

The second figure leaned forward slightly, a trace of interest in his voice. "Oh? Is that so?"

"You all know what the Viltrumite Empire's environment is like: oppressive, twisted, and rigidly hierarchical."

"They live like machines. No one loves them, no one cares about them, and even less are willing to listen to what is in their hearts."

"Because of this, every Viltrumite has some degree of psychological illness."

"Think about it. What if someone appeared who was willing to care about him, even someone willing to love him?"

At that point, everyone understood.

Winning over a Viltrumite starved of love with love itself would undoubtedly be like a meteor colliding with Earth.