People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Hearing Kelsey's confident answer, Ernst couldn't help but smile:

"Actually, it's not some very secret history. It's not too far removed from today, less than two hundred years ago."

Kal'tsit nodded knowingly.

Less than two hundred years? That gives her even more confidence.

If Ernst had asked something more distant, involving ancient secrets or creations of a pre-civilization, she might have hesitated and considered whether and how to reveal it. But since it was only about two hundred years ago, there was no problem; she could definitely answer clearly.

A confident smile graced Kal'tsit's face, and her eyes were filled with unwavering determination.

Ernst then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Kazdel of the Sarkaz seems to have been attacked and destroyed two hundred years ago by a coalition of forces from Victoria, Gaul, and Letania. Do you have any clue about this?"

Kal'tsit's expression froze slightly; the confident smile on her face suddenly vanished, and her resolute gaze turned panicked. She opened her mouth and uttered stammering words:

"Ah... this... well... this matter..."

"Kal'tsit?" Ernst called out, somewhat puzzled.

Kal'tsit stopped speaking abruptly, like a kitten being choked. Her expression twisted as she looked at Ernst, a word seemingly brewing in her throat, yet she couldn't utter it.

After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth:

"I'm sorry, I was unaware of this matter..."

"You didn't know?" Ernst's voice rose a few decibels in surprise, drawing the attention of another staff member in the medical department office.

The Sarkaz doctor known as "Warfarin," with a sickly pale complexion, pulled out a blood pack from somewhere and began to suck it up while watching Ernst's direction with great interest.

Ernst, oblivious to "Mr. Blood" (Warfarin's nickname) who had entered a new mode of gossiping, stared at Kal'tsit's awkward expression with some disbelief:

"You don't know? That shouldn't be the case. This matter is also recorded in the 'History of the Sarkaz War.' How could you not know?"

Kal'tsit had a "mmp" in her mouth, but she didn't know whether she should say it or not.

Yes, this is also recorded in "The History of the Sarkaz Wars," so why don't you ask the author of that book! He Dalei... cough cough, isn't Hedley in Shelag?

No, Hadley knows me, asking him would probably give me away...

Kal'tsit had never felt so tormented. Compared to Ernst's previous "fatal" mental attacks, this "questioning" felt like being slowly cut with a dull knife—a process that was, in a way, "enjoyable"!

Kal'tsit had always referred to herself as "Sarkazon," and she even knew about the Balrog. There was no reason why she shouldn't know about something that happened less than two hundred years ago.

Ernst found it strange. Of course, he could also see the change in Kal'tsit's expression and sense that something might be amiss, so he took a step back and gave Kal'tsit a way out:

"Do you not know, or are you unable to say?"

"Is there some hidden secret in this matter?"

“I…I!”

Kal'tsit's aura fluctuated slightly; the word "ho" was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite bring herself to say it.

She looked at Ernst, somewhat unsure whether he knew something that made him ask this question on purpose to bully her, or whether he truly knew nothing about it and was seeking her answer.

But after staring at each other for a long time, Ernst was completely open and honest, and Kal'tsit could only give in.

Damn it, it's no big deal, just say it.

Taking a deep breath, gritting her teeth, Kal'tsit shook her head and said:

"No, this matter... is actually... not a secret at all."

"The Sarkaz were consumed by a vengeful frenzy, and their rise had become a threat to the peace of the land."

"For the sake of the stability of the surrounding countries, for the peace of Terra for the next two hundred years... someone organized a coalition army and launched an expedition to Kazdel. Just as you said, it included Victoria, Letania, and Gaul, which is not yet destroyed."

Ernst nodded. Although he didn't quite understand why Kal'tsit had been so hesitant earlier but was now willing to speak, he didn't bother to investigate further since she was willing to share.

Everyone has secrets.

Ernst, focusing on this period of history, asked curiously:

"Who is that 'someone'?"

"What was his reason for organizing this coalition? Was it because he had found evidence that Sarkaz wanted revenge?"

"Evidence...of course there is. The fanaticism of punitive doctrine—a kind of Sarkaz vengeance—is obvious to all. The royal courts are reorganizing their armies, and the extreme radicals led by the Blood Lord are frequently appearing in Kazdel. At that time, the Demon King Eresh had almost stopped interfering in politics and left everything to the royal courts to handle...It is foreseeable that under these circumstances, it was almost inevitable that the Sarkaz would embark on the path of war."

"So, the allied forces of various nations launched their expedition to Kazdel ahead of everyone else?"

Ernst raised an eyebrow and said,

"In order to contain this threat in advance?"

Kal'tsit nodded: "At least, that's what the organizers of the coalition judged at the time."

Ernst pursed his lips.

To be honest, this reasoning is quite abstract. But if we had to evaluate it, it's not entirely wrong.

If a safety hazard is discovered in advance, it is certainly not advisable to wait until the hazard manifests before taking action; this is a very simple principle.

We learned in high school history textbooks about the appeasement policy of the bloc led by Britain and France against fascism before World War II, and what the final outcome was. Did Britain and France not consider Hitler a threat? Not necessarily; they simply hoped to divert this threat eastward to their enemy, the then-emerging Soviet Union.

History has no "what ifs," but from today's perspective, many people have raised, or even put into practice, the question of whether appeasement could curb those ambitions. This has given rise to a famous gaming school of thought—the early-war faction.

But can you say that the actions of the Allied forces that invaded Kazdel and her organizers were absolutely correct?

That's not entirely true.

Looking at World War II from a modern perspective, we can naturally conclude that stopping Hitler in advance was the right decision.

However, given the historical context at the time, only twenty years had passed since the end of World War I. The victorious nations, having paid a heavy price in casualties and enjoyed the hard-won fruits of victory for less than twenty years, were caught off guard by the Great Depression brought about by the global economic crisis. Social conflicts were constant, and everyone felt insecure. It was only natural that people did not want to fight.

People were the ones who chose the mustache, and people were the ones who believed Chamberlain could bring "peace for a generation" and cheered and applauded for him.

Who could have imagined that in the end, it would prove the prophecy that "this is not peace, but a twenty-year truce" true?

People always harbor wishful thinking. Before Sima Yi farted in Luoshui, political oaths were still quite convincing.

Every issue needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

Ernst didn't know the exact situation in Kazdel at the time, so he couldn't make a definitive judgment as to whether the so-called threat was indeed a threat or whether it had reached the point where it needed to be contained in advance.

However, there is no doubt that the “organizer of the coalition” who proposed “containing the Sarkaz” and had the ability to contact the Duke of Victoria, the Gallic sword-wielding nobles, and the Elector of Letania was definitely a dangerous figure.

Nobody wants to be neighbors with this kind of person. Who knows when you might be seen as a "threat" that must be suppressed in their eyes?

Although it was two hundred years ago, and that person was most likely dead, Ernst still decided to inquire about that person's name, considering that there were many immortal beings in Terra.

"Kal'tsit, do you know if that coalition organizer is still alive?"

Kelsey's heart, which had just relaxed slightly because Ernst was deep in thought, suddenly jumped up again.

A bead of sweat trickled down her temple, and she answered, her gaze somewhat unfocused:

"Regarding the question of whether or not someone is alive, everyone has different opinions. Living is a profound question. If a person's body is alive but their spirit is dead, like a vegetable, can they be considered alive? Conversely, if a person's spirit is alive but their body has perished, can they still be considered alive? Furthermore, if someone possesses all of another person's memories, appearance, personality, and behavior, and is clearly another person from any angle, can they be considered that person?"

Ernst paused for a moment, sorting through Kelsey's inexplicably philosophical remarks, and then spoke:

"You mean, alive?"

"Alive...?"

"died?"

"Dead...right?"

Ernst stared at her, somewhat speechless. Kelsey turned her head away and sighed.

"Alive."

Why didn't you say this earlier?

Ernst rolled his eyes:

"What's his name? Where is he now?"

"Why are you asking this...?" Kal'tsit asked warily.

Ernst waved his hand:

"I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to block this person. This kind of person is a bit too dangerous, don't you think?"

"Are you... alright?"

Ernst glanced at Kal'tsit, somewhat puzzled, and then changed his words:

"At least for what I'm about to do, this kind of person is a bit too dangerous."

Kal'tsit was startled, alarm bells ringing in her mind: "What are you going to do?"

"Alright, Kal'tsit, don't answer questions with questions. Who is he?"

Kal'tsit opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Warfarin, who had already happily shown off her blood reserves and seemed to have enjoyed a good meal, suddenly leaned in and called out:

Kal'tsit, someone is looking for you!

Kal'tsit shuddered, her gaze sharp as lightning as she pierced Warfarin.

But Warfarin pointed outside the door.

Kal'tsit then came to her senses, breathed a sigh of relief, and gave Warfarin a grateful look before quickly apologizing to Ernst.

"Sorry, excuse me."

Then, without saying a word, he rudely ran away.

Watching Kal'tsit's somewhat flustered figure and recalling her reaction just now, Ernst rubbed his chin and looked thoughtfully at Warfarin.

“Miss Warfarin, right?”

"That's right, it's you!"

Warfarin smiled, probably because she had eaten her fill of gossip, and her attitude towards Ernst was exceptionally good, without any of the cold-blooded beauty she had seemed to be when they first met.

Perhaps this is her true nature?

"what happened?"

Warfarin asked.

Ernst opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then changed his tone and shook his head:

"nothing."

"uh-huh?"

Warfarin looked Ernst over with some surprise.

"You're quite an interesting person. You guessed something, right? Why don't you ask?"

“Everyone has secrets,” Ernst said.

Kal'tsit liked to use subtle puns to express her thoughts. This led Ernst to unconsciously make many puns as well.

Kal'tsit's reaction just now was clearly unnatural. Her evasive attitude could be interpreted in many ways, such as which Allied commander was an acquaintance or friend of hers, or that the war had some connection to her.

But if that's all there is to it, she doesn't need to be so flustered and hesitant.

Ernst could see some clues, but it wasn't a big problem. There are no permanent enemies or permanent friends; just keep it in mind.

Warfarin, the Sarkaz queen, and all the Sarkaz he encountered while wandering around Rhodes Island, aren't they all still here?

He smiled and said:

"At least for now, we're in a cooperative relationship, aren't we?"

"Cooperation... cooperation~"

Warfarin grinned.

"Yes, having a partner like you is really great."

"Alright, since you're not going to ask, I won't answer. Although even if you did ask, I probably wouldn't say anything."

"Shelag is a nice place, and you're a nice guy too. I'll go ashore and take a look around this time."

Warfarin said.

Ernst clapped his hands and laughed, offering a business-like thank you: "Thank you for your patronage."

Outside the medical department, Kal'tsit, her ears twitching as she pressed against the door, listened to the sounds coming from inside. The "ho" that had been on the tip of her tongue finally escaped her throat.

Very good. Under Ernst's high-pressure training, her ability to withstand pressure has significantly improved!