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T/N: Today I’d like to thank my Cookie Donors Rich and Grace! Thank you so much for the sweets~!
“Did you hear about the girl in the old library!?”
“Apparently she’s amazing!”
After classes had been over for a while, all of a sudden the students became boisterous. They were so excited, I could feel the vibrations of their pounding feet as they run through the halls. And their yelling resounds throughout each classroom as they stampede by.
What exactly is going on?
Sitting next to me, I notice Gayle’s face contorting into a frown, openly displaying his annoyance.
“What sort of girl?”
“Apparently a little black-haired girl!!”
Instantly my eyes fly towards Albert.
His eyes have gone slightly wide as he whispers, “No. It couldn’t be….” under his breath.
Hearing the description, Duke had bolted from the room, running along with the rest of the students in the hallway towards the library. And just a beat behind, the rest of us also follow suit and hurry in that direction.
When we get there, there’s no room to walk. The library is filled to capacity, with students even overflowing into the hallway.
“Please move aside,” we request, as we slowly make our way through the crowd.
As each student turns to look and notices us standing there, they all quickly jump out of our way, opening up a path for us to go through. We continue slowly making our way forward in that manner until we reach the interior of the old library.
And there, right in front of us, is a tiny little girl standing on a chair and diligently writing line after line on the blackboard. Without showing any interest in the mob of students milling about behind her, she just focuses on her task with unparalleled concentration.
…….Alicia.
We observe the board. No one lets out a sound, we just stand there in silence and watch.
What is she writing about?
We notice a statement written at the very top of the board. The professors always have some sort of topic placed there for the student body to mull over. And even though it always states that anybody can freely express their thoughts, barely anyone ever writes anything.
This time’s theme…..
Starting from the top, I read what she has written.
"Objective: Take over the Ravaal Kingdom Ravaal Kingdom→ powerful nation, despotic government, feared by the surrounding countries Surrounding countries→ Duran, Calverra, Melvyn, Koyre Subjugated countries under Ravaal→ Calverra, Melvyn, Koyre -- Buy out Duran, provide assistance to remaining countries→ box-in maneuver -- Utilize the countries' hatred of Ravaal→ isolation -- Duelkis Kingdom will offer to provide protection to Ravaal (a ruse) × Without antagonizing the other countries → Ingratiate Duelkis with the other countries and demand reciprocation Example→ Duran is likely to experience an economic meltdown in a few years, pay off their debts -- A drowning man will even clutch at straws→ Ravaal will be forced to accept Duelkis's help -- Send in troops to act as protection and then use the military presence to seize control of Ravaal"
After finishing writing the last step, Alicia lets out a little sigh of contentment. She surveys her work and then finally turns around.
“Huh?” she mumbles dumbly, her eyes growing round and blank.
Could she… really not have realized?
“What remarkable focus,” Gayle remarks while cleaning his glasses.
I give her work on the board another once-over.
….Is that really a plan that a 10-year-old could come up with?
I can’t believe my own eyes. We all move forward, creating an arc around the puny girl.
To summarize her proposal in simple terms, she suggested we use the neighboring countries’ hatred to isolate Ravaal, then we act as their defender, pretending to provide protection and support, and finally we use that favorable position to attain control of the country.
But, why does she think that the Duran Kingdom has the possibility of an impending economic collapse? There’s currently no evidence that their economy is experiencing any signs of a meltdown.
With a slightly apprehensive expression, Alicia glances towards Albert.
Since she sneaked her way into the academy as she pleased, she must be thinking that he’ll be angry. However, instead of anger, he looks more shocked than anything else.
For another long moment, we remain silent and continue to glance from Alicia to the blackboard and back.
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T/N: Kudos to everyone who guessed that Alicia would use Calverra (even though she never actually mentioned any gold, I’m sure that would play a heavy role). Ved’s usage of the words “divide and conquer” seems to be the closest guess. But I’d also like to give an honorable mention to Sora’s vague answer of “War?? Economic?? Political?? Or outright force??” which honestly ticks most of the boxes. War and force from the inside, and politics and economics in preparation. Practically the whole plan!!
Finally, Serenity and Vive get the very subjective but still important creativity award!! I would have been so excited if Alicia’s plan had involved assassination, espionage, and/or political marriages. Alas, we went the sneaky warfare route instead.
Thanks to everyone for playing in this round of, What will Alicia plan next~?
