Chapter32

expected, then we lose nothing except caution. If it proves stronger, then four Shards may be the difference between retreat and slaughter."
The Swordmaster let out a low breath through his nose and leaned forward a little.
"If we treat every unknown Gate like the mouth of the abyss, then we may as well stop training anyone below that threshold at all," he said. "You do not build fighters by making them watch older men do everything worth remembering."
"And you do not build a kingdom by feeding promising young people into a Gate just to harden them faster," the Magic Master replied, finally looking at him. "If you want to gamble with lives, do it with your own students, not the capital's."
"I do."
That made a few people around the table shift in their seats.
"Enough," the king said, and both men went quiet.
An older minister cleared his throat into the silence that followed.
"Your Majesty, with respect, this should not be a debate about philosophy. A Gate has appeared only a few miles from the capital. We send in the strongest available team, crush it quickly, then return before panic has time to spread."
"And if the strongest available team is half the city's shield?" the Knight Captain asked, turning toward him. "If something breaches the walls while they are still inside, what exactly do you plan to tell the people then?"
The minister had no answer ready for that, but someone else did, and then another after him, until the room slid right back into the same problem from a different angle.
Some wanted speed because the Gate was too close to the capital, some wanted restraint because unknown Gates killed the overconfident first, and the rest kept trying to split the difference while saying the same thing in slightly different words.
Princess Didi sat beside the king and listened until she got tired of hearing grown men circle around the decision like it might solve itself if they spoke long enough.
"I want to go," she said and the room went still so fast it almost felt rehearsed.