Summoning America

Chapter 119: Approval

Runepolis, Holy Mirishial Empire

Sunlight pierced through the windows of Albion Castle, illuminating the lonely dust particles that floated in the air. These particles bounced around, carried along by the passing movements of bustling servants and government officials. With the Gra Valkans now officially at war with the EDI, the Holy Mirishial Empire's governmental facilities had become busier than ever.

Naturally, Emperor Mirishial was caught up with these hectic winds. Representing the core of the Elysian Defense Initiative, repelling the Gra Valkan invaders was a monumental task that fell upon his shoulders. Although the Americans were providing aid in the form of supplies, intelligence, and expertise, it was up to the Holy Mirishial Empire to actually handle the fighting at sea while the Muans defended their borders on land.

Emperor Mirishial rubbed his temple while he walked back to his study, escorted by a group of elite imperial guards. Having just concluded a lengthy meeting regarding the recent victories at sea and their strategy moving forward, he found himself graced with true relief. Conflict with the Gra Valkas Empire was something that even his pride wavered against, and it concerned him that their victories were only possible due to the deployment of Pal Chimerae. If it weren't for these units, they certainly would have been defeated.

Despite their recent victory, there was no shortage of issues to worry about. The Pal Chimerae could only do so much, and they had to be grouped sufficiently, lest they be isolated and destroyed. Today's close call with Walman's unit was a stark reminder that the Pal Chimerae were not invincible; they were vulnerable, just like any other weapon in their arsenal. Now, they were short one Pal Chimera unit, which neither their best sages nor the Americans' best engineers could repair.

Although the Gra Valkans were driven away, the EDI lost their greatest tactical advantage – flexibility. One grounded Pal Chimera meant one less asset to use in proactive search and destroy missions, a setback that would only worsen once the Gra Valkans start spreading their forces more. Logistics in the Artticus Ocean would only become more difficult. Taking advantage of the large EDI defense fleets tied down near the coasts of Mu, the Gra Valkans could likely cut off supply shipments or even threaten the Mirishient continent with their numbers.

As a result of these concerns, he and his highest-ranking officers agreed to opt for a more self-interested defensive strategy – one that removed two fully operational Pal Chimera units from their board. One of them was assigned to guard Otaheit and the other was recalled back to the mainland in anticipation of Gra Valkan raids. This decision left only two for offensive use.

Emperor Mirishial remembered disagreeing with this, but it was Liage's words that had persuaded him to go along with the decision. After all, it was merely a measure to buy time. As the director of foreign affairs, Liage was keen on small details related to nations' governments. "Fighting defensively is a terrible strategy against an enemy like the Gra Valkas Empire. They would eventually break through. However, fighting offensively is also a bad idea. Like Schmill said, we would be stretched too thinly," he said.

It was then that Liage introduced his brilliance to the meeting. Even though the brightest tacticians in the Holy Mirishial Empire were stumped, Liage somehow managed to reignite the flames of hope. "There is only one solution," he said, "Drag the Americans into the war."

As long as the EDI could hold out long enough for reinforcements, they would be able to turn the tide and win the war. Having familiarized himself with local politics within the United States, Liage knew that it was only a matter of time before they declared. Only one question remained: how long would they have to wait for?

Emperor Mirishial learned that the United States' willingness to participate in the war hinged on polls, conducted with as little bias as possible. While he didn't know the exact threshold, it was clear that President Lee and the American Congress were waiting on favorable numbers before they acted on the Elysian crisis. Currently, the approval rating for intervention was at about 70%.