Summoning America

Chapter 39: Denial

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——

Imperial Palace, Esthirant

"Your Excellency," a timid voice uttered.

Emperor Ludius, not even bothering to turn away from the window, spoke. "Report."

The fearful messenger from the Parpaldian Navy felt his legs turn into jelly as he looked at the report. "The Centris Island Task force met with the American fleet several hours ago and sustained a loss of over half their fleet before surrendering," he said with a shaky voice, focusing all of his willpower to not stutter.

Emperor Ludius exhaled audibly, angered by the news. To the messenger's relief, Emperor Ludius only said a single word. "Leave."

After the messenger left, Ludius reached for his manacomm in order to call for a meeting.

——

The evening moonlight shone upon the stained glass windows of the Imperial Palace, casting vibrant shadows that contrasted against the magical lighting in the meeting room. Officials trickled in, pulled away from their nightly activities. The room's atmosphere drifted toward gloom, dragged down by the somber demeanor of many of the military officials, who already knew what this meeting was about.

Where before there was lively chatter, there was now silence. Prior to the Centris Island battle, the Parpaldian Empire had not yet experienced direct combat with the Americans. They had only seen their mostly indirect involvement in the defense of Le Brias, primarily the use of small arms and the surprise attack on the Imperial Army fleet. Despite the overwhelming naval success of the enemy, many within the room still had hope. After all, the Imperial Army was caught off guard and had already lost most of their wyvern carriers.

For the Battle of Centris Island, however, there was no excuse. The Parpaldian fleet had the upper hand and the element of surprise, even going so far as to implement new types of shrouding techniques to mask their forces. Despite this, the Americans saw through their covers as if they had never existed, peering into the fog and mess of magical energy like it was a clear day. Furthermore, it was now clear that these adversaries cared little about how many valuable light arrows they expend; they only cared about victory and crushing the enemy.

There were still some admirals and generals who criticized the cowardly actions of Commander Mitan, but most knew that surrender was his only option. Although this understanding was shared by many of the people present, none could confirm the opinions of others due to the sheer silence that blanketed the room. The tension and fear created by Emperor Ludius' change in posture was well-reflected in his subjects, who dared not speak before His Excellency spoke.

Staring straight ahead, seemingly into nothingness, Emperor Ludius leaned forward on this throne, resting his chin upon his clasped hands. Due to the positioning of his throne behind the room's primary lighting, it was difficult to see his expression. It didn't take a genius though to figure out that he was fuming. The disappointment radiated from him, afflicting the earliest-arriving officials and making them wish they had arrived later.

Eventually, the last person arrived. Remille walked through the door, taking her seat in silence. Like everyone else, she kept her head slightly angled downward, following the trend of fear. No one wanted to be seen by the enraged emperor, thinking that he might randomly pick someone to blame for the failures that occurred today.

To everyone's surprise, Ludius began with logic. "Chief Matal and Admiral Balus," he said, causing the acknowledged people to stiffen up. "The Centris Island Task Force proved to be a disaster... However, it was a disaster that could not have been averted, regardless of our degree of preparation. The local commander, most of all, could not lift a finger against the Americans, let alone scratch the paint on their vessels." He scoffed, "It is honestly pathetic that even the Lourians were able to accomplish more than us. At least they landed an arrow on one of their ships. Our fleet was not even able to visibly identify an enemy ship until after they surrendered."