Sun City.
William sat at his desk as the morning sunlight streamed into the plain room. He could not help squinting, seemingly unaccustomed to such brilliant sunshine.
His eyes ached after staying up all night.
He sighed softly and glanced at the news in the battle report:
"Another city captured."
Reports of victories like this had become increasingly common lately. The Church of Light and the Earth Mother Goddess Church, which had once seemed to him to shine with eternal radiance, now resembled building blocks battered by a flood, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Everything was going almost unbelievably smoothly.
According to news coming from within the Church of Light and the Earth Mother Goddess Church, blessings from their deities were growing scarcer. Some low-ranking clerics could no longer even cast divine arts reliably.
"It looks like the war should be over soon."
The thought filled William with heartfelt joy.
For the past six years, he had spent every waking moment thinking about how to coordinate an ever-growing army and its various factions. It was no easy task.
Honestly, even after receiving divine revelations and blessings, he could not compare to the Goddess of Wisdom's and the God of War's archbishops on an actual battlefield. Any mage from Starry Town or apprentice from Reef Island could trounce him at magic, and his combat skills were downright embarrassing.
Yet even so, his position remained secure. Everyone obeyed his commands and supported him-he knew perfectly well that this was partly due to his formidable logistical capabilities, and partly due to the lord of Reef Island.
He knew very well that he had been pushed into this position, but so what? Far too many people had been crushed in the raging tide of war, reduced to less than dust.
Becoming the leader