As Billy and his group made their way back, on a remote island thousands of miles away from Glavale, inside a massive medieval-style castle, a group of representatives from seven or eight different countries sat in a meeting room.
These individuals were all ranked in the top ten of their respective countries' military forces and were there as representatives of their nations' defense departments. On the projector screen in front of them, several sets of images were displayed, depicting gruesome scenes of war, with severed limbs and rivers of blood. If Billy were here, he would recognize these images as scenes from the battles he had led over the past two to three years, involving countries like Tyren, Oriana, Nanrania, and others.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you must have seen these sets of images several times by now, haven't you?" a fair-skinned man with curly hair ignited a cigar and continued, "You should all be aware that these five or six wars were all led by Glavale's Army of Bloodshadow."
"Lord George, you didn't call us here just to show us a few sets of pictures, did you?" a white woman in her fifties picked up her tea cup and took a sip.
"Well, of course not," George exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Lord George, if you don't mind, we're running out of time."
"Lord Handt, are you in such a hurry?" George smiled lightly. "Don't forget, a century ago, in that battle, your country was the one that severed one of Glavale's lifelines to prosperity."
"Aren't you worried that one day, Glavale's million-strong Army of Bloodshadow might set foot on your homeland?"
"Lord George, what are you suggesting? Are you threatening me?" Hant furrowed his brows.
"A hundred years ago, your country, Northfortia, played a significant role, and if Glavale seeks revenge, you won't be spared either." George retorted.
"Is that so? In that case, do you think that, given Northfortia's current position and strength, Glavale would start with us or your country?" George sneered.
"Enough, gentlemen, let's not argue." a dark-skinned man on the right intervened. Then he turned to George and asked, "Lord George, can you please get to the point? Our time is limited."
"All of you here are representatives of the countries that participated in the war against Glavale a hundred years ago," George lit another cigarette and continued, "I believe none of you want to see Glavale's resurgence and its return to the days of glory when nations paid tribute."
"Of course not," the woman said. "If Glavale becomes powerful again, they will undoubtedly seek retribution against our nations for the past."
"But do you all know that if we allow Glavale to continue developing in this way, that day might come sooner than you think?" George's voice grew serious.
"Surely that's not likely," the dark-skinned man took a drag from his cigarette. "A hundred years ago, we severed all of Glavale's vital arteries, and even with a century of recovery, they should not be much of a threat."
"Lord Leo, do you know anything about Glavale's recent activities?" George sneered again.
"With Glavale's current strength, there's no need to worry. I have no interest in them." Leo said with a dismissive expression.
"Is that so? Do you understand the context behind the images we showed earlier?" George pointed to the projection screen and continued, "In these six wars, apart from Oriana, the other five countries suffered casualties exceeding two hundred thousand, with one instance close to a million."
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