Chapter 912 Chapter 911: Review
I pursed my lips as I stared at Belian, the Demon looking back at me with a neutral gaze as we stood away from the main group, who were all currently busy butchering the two large tortoises for any and all meat, bones, organs and of course, as much of their shells as they could manage to successfully harvest.
Satanya and I were here to get our review, and Belian decided to start with me, which was why I was currently standing there with a hint of nervousness as memories of my days in school way back when resurfaced, the all too familiar feeling of being 'judged' for my work resting on my shoulders once more.
"So... how do you think you performed, Kat? Let's start with that... self reflection is an equally important way to learn, after all. It ensures you can locate your flaws yourself and find ways to correct them, or locate what you do well and find ways to keep doing things well. So go ahead; give yourself a review."
The utter neutrality of which he spoke and the blank expression he wore just made it harder to not feel like I was being judged completely, but I had lived long enough to understand that this wasn't cruel, malice fueled judgement, but instead a critique for me to learn from, so I took a breath to calm myself and gathered my thoughts.
"It wasn't the greatest. On one hand, I was trying to work with a group and do things with more than just Anput, Leone and Jahi, but on the other hand I wasn't able to truly separate my group from Satanya's. My initial plan for the tortoise was to have Anput spike the tortoise with metal rods before having Ammit use her Lightning Magic to bypass the epidermis of water that the tortoise was using to heal itself, but obviously... I didn't have Ammit in my group.
So... I sort of... not panicked, but certainly faltered. Reverted back to the comfortable mentality of only working with my three lovers and not with the group, which meant they remained only as an afterthought in this battle. They were utilized as a shield wall and that was it. Especially after the initial idea of trying to engage it up close in melee combat - which was both a very unlikely hope but also a way to scout some of its defenses and abilities. They were turned into a glorified wall after that happened... and then I had Anput and Leone do most of the work."
"Then would you say you 'passed' this test, or failed it? With what you accomplished and how you accomplished it."
"I..."
Frowning, I took another breath and looked over towards the dead tortoise, deciding to take the realistic option for that question.
"I passed. Not with flying colors, and certainly with a large amount of room for improvement, but I think the lack of casualties, the end result, and how relatively 'easy' it was to get that result mean I have passed. Again, not a perfect grade, and barely a passing one, but a passing grade none the less."
"You would be correct. The results speak for themselves, and the method used wasn't the worst, but certainly not the ideal. You felled your foe, correct, but the moral of your troops, their opinions on how the monster was felled, the way they were so quickly forgotten and given a menial task without second thought... With most soldiers, this would be acceptable for a certain amount of time, and most of the Empire's troops are result driven - a Legion succeeds as a Legion or fails as a Legion, meaning if the Legion failed, you failed, and vice versa.
Just because they are result driven does not mean they have foregone viewing themselves as a singular entity. Their group might be satisfied with a victory, but the individuals will feel neglected and useless. Remember that. Especially with higher level, stronger soldiers; ego is important, and hurting it can cause more damage to your collective then any enemy could hope to deal.
Now, that all is to say this; there were worse ways to go about it, but also better ways. For example, the tortoise's underbellies are soft, and they instinctively protect them. Using your magic, you could create an opening and allow your troops to close the distance, pinning its limbs themselves and earning this victory for one another. Some battles that are medium scale need to be treated as... moral victories, and not entirely focused on the results. But again, the result is an ideal one, and no one will fault you for being efficient, especially if you are keeping them safe. Just... don't coddle them. Soldiers in the Empire want to fight, so let them."
I nodded, a new facet of what I might need to comprehend for managing a larger group of people being brought to light - one that seemed small and insignificant, but was an integral part of everything that was needed to keep a squad, a battalion, a Legion in good spirits and working together like a well oiled machine.
Moral, accomplishments, and ensuring their more emotional needs were met...
And it was something that applied to any group activity, be it for a squad of soldiers or a family; if the end result was to make dinner as a group, but I did all the cooking, all the plating and didn't let Anput set the table, have Leone help prepare some of the ingredients and let Jahi meander around 'taste testing' things, would dinner feel the same?
Would they all feel fulfilled even with a wonderful meal in front of them?
Surely not, especially when I took their flirting into account, as well as the random things we talked about; that made dinner all the more special and made them want to remain with me in the kitchen, even though they themselves were contributing little to the food being prepared.
It was something that they equated dinner to now, and it made them feel like they were included and needed - which they were, obviously - but it gave them that sense of belonging and joy... which was what was taken from the Demons after they were told to just block the magic attacks.
They weren't able to participate and 'earn' that win; they watched as Leone blasted the tortoise from the top, watched as Anput stabbed its legs and held it in place, watched as I attacked it from below, and then had to watch as Jahi killed it.
All while they stood in the back, not doing much besides blocking attacks that only came a handful of times...
I frowned, before noticing that Belian was wearing a small smile now as he nodded at me, the man noticing the gears in my head turning from his critique, before that smile fell away as he turned to Satanya and said "Your turn. Do you think you passed, and why?"
Unlike me, the Demoness nodded instantly and said "I did, yes. End result: a dead tortoise. The method: half of the troops barraging the tortoise with magic whilst the other half used their blades to hack away at its legs. No casualties, no difficulties. Therefore, I passed, and I believe that would be a better grade than 'just passing'."
The smugness in her tone as she smirked at me made me roll my eyes, though her smirk faded somewhat as Belian said "Now, don't be getting too cocky. Yes, you managed to utilize everyone equally, but ask yourself; was there no casualties because of your method, or because of the quality of your troops? Was that strategy risky at all? The answer is yes. If these weren't Demons, but instead the troops of the Empire, would you have been able to accomplish the same thing with the same strategy? No, probably not.
The barrage of magic worked because Ammit had an elemental advantage - and it's Ammit. Additionally, the Core of a Demon is usually only weaker than that of an Elf and a spattering of other magically attuned races, so the guarantee of distracting the monster is lost. Then, there is the physical attack. Enchanted weapons, powerful arms... those made it easy. Add on the fact that its skull was currently in the midst of being chipped away and melted, and that made it a breeze to get it down and attack its head.
The point is, Satanya, that there is always a certain amount of risk that makes strategies worth it or reckless, and yours was teetering on reckless... if you had anyone but Demons, of course. Additionally, putting your troops at risk just to feel like you have to make use of them to meet the requirements for something can make them feel like objects and not soldiers. That's another fine line that you have to walk."
The Demoness just stared at Belian for a moment before snorting as she asked "Why are we being graded on whether or not we 'could' have been leading a group of fighters that weren't Demons? We DO have a host of Demons to lead, so why should I think up a strategy that ANYONE could do, and not do what I know Demons can do?"
Even I had to nod at that, something that made Belian sigh as he looked up at the ceiling for a moment, something that made us both roll our eyes as he said "Practice for when you do have to lead a group of others, perhaps? Do you think that could be a possibility?"
"But then you would tell me to make use of what I have at disposal and make the most of my troops potential. This just sounds like we were going to 'fail' parts of your test no matter what! Damned if we do, damned if we don't."
"She's right, Lord Belian... All of those things are important to know, yes, but if we have a tool that others don't, why shouldn't we use it? We have it, after all... so why shouldn't we use a sword to cut butter, hm? Instead of hammering the sword down into a butterknife just because everyone else is using it..."
"I... oh whatever... just trying to teach some important lessons for you both, and yet here you are, complaining... Gods above..."
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