When Daina entered the command tent, she saw Kallen bent over a military map, working with a ruler and pen.
Two elderly men, Lister and Old White, stood beside him, stacks of documents and files floating around them. Wherever Kallen pointed and whatever he asked, they immediately supplied the relevant data.
The sight left Daina momentarily dazed, recalling the times she had played in Uncle Daan's military tent as a child.
Kallen straightened, his brow furrowing.
He already had an operational approach, and the plan had been finalized. All he had just been doing was running through the war-game simulation himself again.
The outcome weighed on him.
Unlike the previous battles, which they had won with minimal casualties, even if the assault force seized the enemy's core area during the window when the Spear of Sin fell silent... the casualties they ultimately suffered in this battle would be far from light.
After all, fundamentally, this was no conventional battle of attack and defense. The enemy garrison's overall strength was actually equal to his own.
"Ah..."
At this level, he really did have to adjust to viewing casualties as mere numbers. That cold-bloodedness was, instead, kindness toward most of the legion.
Seeing that Kallen had finished, Daina said, "Commander, dinner is ready."
Kallen waved a hand. "I won't eat. Send orders to convene a meeting of the regiment commanders."
"Yes, Commander!"
"No, never mind."
Daina stopped, waiting for Kallen's final decision.
"Let's have dinner. I'm hungry."
"Yes, Commander."
Neo came in while Kallen was eating. Rather than interrupting him, he braced both hands on the edges of the map and leaned over to examine the marks from Kallen's simulation.
"You're not planning to hold anything back at all. By the way, have you discussed the core plan with those three legion