Chapter 109: The Wedge Driven In
Lillian’s statement sent a ripple of unease through the conference room.
It wasn’t just the generals and senior officers who were affected. Even Devonia, who had accompanied her, was visibly flustered and shocked.
"L-Lillian... Major General..."
Devonia’s voice wavered, her confusion evident.
"Wasn’t that a bit too sudden?"
She whispered into Lillian’s ear, but Lillian responded coolly, "It’s fine."
"This is just a greeting of sorts. To make everyone here aware of the urgency."
As Lillian had predicted, the attendees were indeed surprised, but they were also trying to grasp the implications of the information she had presented.
The incident fifteen years ago. The planet Schwacken. No one was unaware of it. It was a well-known story.
However, the common belief was that the planet had been destroyed by a planetary-scale disaster. This was the widely accepted narrative, even within the military.
Commander Porta and the other fleet commanders were also somewhat taken aback.
Schwarneitzia, however, was harder to read. His expression shifted slightly, but he didn’t seem particularly flustered.
"Wasn’t Schwacken destroyed by a mantle eruption?"
"Wait, weren’t Fowler and that Yuki guy arrested recently...?"
"The 100-light-year long-distance migration plan..."
"I’ve heard of that. The person in charge at the time was..."
Those who had been in the Imperial military for a long time began to recall fragments of memory, piecing together the facts.
On the other hand, those with shorter tenures were struggling to understand what was going on.
Some of the senior officers hadn’t even been enlisted at the time of the incident or were still rookies.
A few might have known some of the truth, but the revelation was still shocking.
And the fact that it was being delivered by a girl who had only been in the military for a year, and who had already achieved so much, only added to the attention.
Here was this young girl, boldly confronting the Supreme Commander.
"Pinial."
In the tense atmosphere, Alfred spoke in a monotone voice, addressing Pinial.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Pinial responded nervously.
"Your daughter is quite spirited."
"Ah... thank you."
But the comment was oddly out of place.
It didn’t seem like a proper response.
Then, Alfred turned his gaze to Lillian. His eyes were unreadable, carrying an eerie quality.
"Indeed, it’s true. I was dispatched to Schwacken fifteen years ago."
Alfred admitted the fact so casually.
The conference room remained tense, everyone waiting for his next words.
"There was an alien attack. I’ll admit that too."
He spoke matter-of-factly, devoid of emotion.
"And we sacrificed an entire planet, losing many lives."
It was as if he were reading from a script, detached from the events.
"I fought back. And I lost. I barely escaped with my life. But at the same time, the aliens were wiped out at the cost of a planet. That’s the truth. Reporting this historic defeat and the sacrifice of a planet would have caused societal chaos. So, we hid it. Could you have taken responsibility?"
His words continued, flat and emotionless.
"At the same time, the previous Emperor had just passed away. His Majesty’s ascension to the throne was already causing enough upheaval. Revealing this would have only added unnecessary chaos to the Empire’s governance. So, we classified it as a natural disaster."
It was a logical explanation, to some extent.
But if that were the case, the truth should have been revealed after a certain period.
"Moreover, in these fifteen years, the aliens haven’t attacked. In fact, it allowed the Empire to stabilize its internal governance. Yes, we lost the Sixth Fleet, but a replacement has emerged."
Alfred let out a deep sigh and took a sip of tea from the cup in front of him.
"There’s no need to tell you more. We’ll allocate a budget for alien countermeasures. We’ll also consider the spies. But they will stand trial. That’s all."
It was a unilateral end to the discussion.
Many of the attendees were visibly shaken by this turn of events.
On one hand, he admitted fault, but on the other, he brushed it off. It was a strange response.
It wasn’t satisfying.
(What’s with this guy...)
Lillian, too, couldn’t read Alfred’s intentions.
Perhaps it was understandable. The man before her had served as the Empire’s Supreme Commander for fifteen years, and his age wasn’t far off from her own in her previous life. In a way, he was like her.
This man was still hiding something. But he made it clear he had no intention of revealing it.
"Investigate the alien ships. Determine how they differ from ours. Identify the performance gaps and make the necessary modifications to our equipment. Thoroughly examine the alien prisoners. Study their biology, language, and culture."
At the same time, his proposals were surprisingly beneficial to Lillian and her team.
(Thinking about it, this man never seemed motivated in my previous life. He just went along with whatever his subordinates suggested... That’s why he was even called incompetent. But from another perspective, he provided stability.)
Even in the decisive battle of her previous life, he hadn’t taken command. It was his direct subordinates and the captain of the *Shingetsu* who had led the fight.
But it was also true that he had prepared the military forces and secured the budget.
In fact, even when the existence of the aliens became widely known and the Empire was plunged into war, he hadn’t obstructed the war effort.
That’s why he was so hard to understand. He was like a hollow bell, producing no echo no matter how hard you struck it. His actions were always so... neutral.
That impression hadn’t changed. But now, there was also an added sense of mystery.
(But I should probably back off here. Pushing too hard might just earn me resentment.)
This wasn’t to her disadvantage.
There were still things she wanted to know, things she wanted him to reveal. But today, this was enough.
In fact, Lillian decided to make the most of the leverage she had gained from this exchange.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been led in circles, but she chose to believe she had at least grasped the tip of the tail.
(And I think I’ve caught a glimpse of what he’s so desperate to hide...)
The Supreme Commander was appointed by the Emperor, and he had been appointed by the previous Emperor.
This suggested that there had been some secret agreement between the two. Something even the current Emperor might not know.
(Probably something related to the hidden truths of the Empire. Likely connected to the immigrant fleet...)
But Lillian and her team already had that information.
So, it must be something else. Or perhaps... the information itself wasn’t something he cared about leaking.
Or maybe it had nothing to do with the Empire? A personal secret of his?
(Well, whatever it is. As long as he doesn’t get in my way, it’s fine. As long as that future doesn’t come to pass, it doesn’t matter if he’s incompetent, evil, or hiding secrets...)
That’s why Lillian decided to go along with Alfred’s proposal.
"Then, Supreme Commander Alfred, I urge you to expedite the construction of unmanned fleets for the fight against the aliens. It’s impossible to cover the entire Empire with human forces alone. The enemy’s strength is unclear, but they’ve secured a direct route to us. However, that also means we can strike back."
Her suggestion sounded audacious.
A newly promoted Major General, a young girl no less, demanding the rapid construction of warships at great expense.
It was essentially a request for more resources.
So, Lillian added this:
"We will trace the enemy’s route and lead the unmanned fleet to assess the threat. At the same time, we’ll serve as scouts, investigators, and the vanguard."