The atmosphere in the meeting room fell into a brief silence after Eryx took his seat. It was as if everyone was waiting—waiting to see how the newly appointed lead would begin, and whether she might make some kind of "misstep" that could be dissected, interpreted, or used as leverage.
Livia slowly rose, her gaze sweeping across the room. She didn't raise her voice, but the confidence and composure in her tone naturally commanded attention, drawing every pair of eyes toward her.
"First, thank you all for taking the time to attend tonight," she began, her voice gentle yet poised, carrying the refined grace of her noble upbringing alongside an unshakable firmness.
She glanced toward the man in uniform beside her, offering a slight smile. "And a special welcome to General Eryx. Your presence here is undoubtedly critical to the success of the upcoming expansion."
Eryx showed no change in expression—only a faint nod in return.
Livia continued, "As for the expansion plan, I will be following the course previously outlined by Marcellus. Before his temporary leave, he had already revised the project's overall direction. It is, in my view, efficient and sound—there is no need for any major changes. I believe stability and continuity are what matter most, and we should not allow personnel shifts to disrupt that."
A quiet wave of relief swept through the room. Several faces visibly relaxed; even a few furrowed brows began to ease.
She was right. She hadn't rushed in with unilateral changes or tried to start from scratch. Instead, she maintained the original structure—a reassuring signal to the cautious middle-ranking officials present. The greatest fear with new leadership was rash reform or disruptive declarations. Clearly, Livia had avoided that trap.
But just as everyone began to settle—
Livia's tone subtly shifted.
"However," she said, lifting her eyes to meet theirs, "General Eryx's arrival tonight is, in fact, most timely."
She paused—not changing her pace, but the air seemed to tighten imperceptibly.
"Last night, I discussed several operational details with Marcellus and Advisor Elias. Based on the current deployment of the Second Legion and taking into account overall troop efficiency, we've drafted a new oversight arrangement—"
Her gaze landed on Eryx, open and unflinching, with a sharp edge that could not be ignored. "The Second Legion will now primarily oversee the eastern and northern expansion zones. The southern and western sectors will be temporarily supervised by General Allen, with support from a detachment of the Seventh Legion."
The quiet murmurs around the table stopped abruptly.
Some eyes widened, clearly still processing what they had just heard. Others straightened in their seats, glancing between Eryx and Livia. A few subtly exchanged looks with their neighbors—and the meaning behind those looks was unmistakable.
This was a curtailing of power.
Though framed as an efficiency-driven redistribution of military resources, the subtext was clear: the Second Legion's sphere of control had just been halved.
And who was Allen? Word had already leaked from the Governor's manor—Livia's bid to serve as interim lead of the expansion plan had reportedly received Allen's full support. General Allen was known to be firmly in Livia's camp.
Adrian, seated near the head of the table, couldn't help the flicker of reaction on his face. He didn't know all the behind-the-scenes maneuvering, but he was certain of one thing—there was far more going on between Eryx and Livia than met the eye. Instinctively, his gaze darted toward Eryx.
Eryx's expression remained unreadable, though a faint, almost amused curve touched his lips.
But anyone could see it—beneath that smile was a blade of cold iron.
Livia, however, remained perfectly composed, as if the shift she had just caused were of no great consequence. Inwardly, she recalled the private conversation from the previous night—
Marcellus, Elias, and herself, gathered under the dim light of a hospital room, speaking in hushed tones. They knew that removing Eryx too abruptly—before he made a misstep—would only raise his guard and might even hasten his countermeasures. The safest approach, they'd concluded, was to gradually divide authority under the pretense of military optimization—not provoking, yet quietly rearranging the board. When the investigation yielded conclusive evidence, then and only then would they act further.
"This is a temporary allocation," Livia added calmly. "We'll continue to adjust responsibilities based on the progress of each region to ensure maximum efficiency."
As her words landed, many in the room saw the truth clearly.
This new lead was not just Marcellus's proxy.
She was a tactician in her own right—a pragmatic executor of plans, yes, but also a player who understood people, who moved with patience, calculation, and intent.