The American In Another World
Chapter 63: The Seed of Doubt

10 February

Washington DC

White House

Prince Cabal heaved a sigh of relief as he stepped through the door of the White House, greeted by President Lee.

Lee noticed this and smiled, "Yes, it's the same as I feel with the press, Your Majesty."

Cabal chuckles, “It looks like they're the same everywhere. Should we host them again?”

Lee replied as he guided the Cabal to the Oval Office. “No, fortunately. We finally have privacy now, so we will be able to discuss the relationship between our two countries.

The cabal tilted his head in confusion. “Hm? I had the impression that Mr. Gesta and Mr. Heiden had already done that.”

Lee opened the door to his office. "That's right, Your Majesty, but in the end, the final decision falls on a leader like us." Lee sighed as he sat down, pointing with his hands towards the sofa opposite him.

The cabal took a signal and sat down.

"Drink?" Lee poured out a few glasses of bourbon made from Qua-Toynian corn, which was aged through acceleration magic. “

"Yes, I want one, Mr. President."

Lee poured in a few more shots and gave them to the Cabal. “Returned,” he said as he raised his glass, “For our new friendship.”

After a loud thump, the two men leaned back, sipping their alcohol. Cabal reacted a little surprised as he tasted it. "Well, this is probably the best alcohol I've ever tasted!"

“I myself reacted the same way,” Lee said with a smile, reminiscing. “For some reason, every food product that comes out of Qua Toyne is perfect. Locals say the land was blessed by a goddess.”

“Hm, I understand. If I had heard about it a year ago, I would have ignored it. I was quite surprised to know that magic is real in this world.”

Lee nodded, tasting the bourbon again before leaning forward. His expression went from pleasant hospitality to serious professionalism. "I'm going straight into business: I'm concerned about the recent aggression shown by your country's military."

The Cabal wondered what Lee meant. “What are you talking about? Our war with Leifor ended a few months ago!”

Lee shook his head. “I'm talking about Conshal Island Chain. Earlier this week, the Gra Valkan naval task force attacked and defeated a local alliance in an act of conquest.”

Cabal denied it, raising his hand to assert his innocence. “I have not told myself about the military operation; I think we have entered an era of peace.”

"Ah. Unfortunately, it seems like someone is tired of this peace when you fly to the United States. Your people ignored the surrender of the Conshal Alliance and continued to bombard civilian population centers indiscriminately. I have not received the number, but the death toll is estimated to reach tens of thousands — men, women, children.”

Cabal's eyes widened in horror. "I— That's impossible!"

“I also heard rumors about Gra Valkan soldiers stealing from Conshals and raping their women. Needless to say, the United States does not approve of this barbaric act. You understand how we might not want to hang out with the Valkan Gra Kingdom after that.”.

The Cabal was defensive, quickly pointing out that the other Elysian countries had no qualms with such actions, and even considered the conqueror to fully dominate the conquered was commonplace. “The whole world is engaged in such an action. How can we be blamed for something not considered criminal by Elysian standards?”

Lee was disappointed. “We saw the Elysian standard when we were against Louria and Parpaldia. We can do whatever we want for people and their resources. However, we choose virtue. Those who joined us at a later date — Topa, Riem, Fenn — they all abandoned their anachronistic ways, instead choosing to adopt more civilized behaviors. Now, I'm not saying that the Valkan Gra is uncivilized because it treats the Elysian natives the same way they treat each other, but you have a choice.

“I'm not holding Gra Valkas Empire accountable for war crimes. Damn, this world doesn't even have rules of war or an international body for surveillance. You cannot be guilty of a crime for which there is now a law, but I would like to inform you that Secretary Heiden, at present, is working to get the Director of the Gesta to agree with the proposed set of rules. If that doesn't work, I'm asking you to use your influence to make it happen. Mutual trust goes a long way, especially in terms of trade and technology.”

Cabal understood Lee's implications and replied accordingly, "I'll see what strings I can pull, but I can't guarantee any results."

"It's nice to hear that, Your Majesty," Lee said. "By the way, are your men probably looking for a lost fleet near the Branchl continent?"

The excited Cabal, intrigued by Lee's mysterious insights into the matter. "Why yes. What do you know about it?”

“It turns out they were intercepted by sea monsters and Annonrial troops.” Lee grabs the tablet beside him and fiddles with it, showing the Cabal the fleet satellite feed. “We are investigating the Branchl continent when this happened.”

Video of small figures in the ocean playing. The small reconnaissance force of the Valkan Gra was immediately split into a submarine war formation, dropping a depth charge. A large column of water gushed out, followed by a camera that zoomed in as much as possible. Its quality is low compared to American standards, but it is clear enough to indicate an ongoing sea battle. Tentacles surrounded the destroyer, with many others following. Small weapon shots were able to fend them off, with the depth charge easily tearing apart the insides of sensitive monsters. The battle with the sea monsters ended within a few minutes.

After recovering, the small group sailed on, only to be intercepted by a flotilla of angled warships, its design similar to that of the Mirishial. Three of these ships brandished large cannons that easily placed them under the 'warfare' classification, while a dozen other escorts consisted of smaller cruisers and destroyers. Both sides stopped moving, perhaps to communicate. After a few minutes, the Annonrial battleship opened fire abruptly.

Prince Cabal was shocked when his country's fleet was completely destroyed by a series of cannon fire and several anti-ship missiles, aimed at the Gra Valkan warship. “Itu— Is that the Annonrial fleet? It was an act of war!” The cabal stood up, pointing to the screen. "Those barbarians!"

Lee looked at Cabal with a pensive look, sympathetic to his anger. “This information is yours to use. I can have the cassette taped to a disk or vhs cartridge, so you can show it to your people at home, ”Lee offers.

The cabal calmed down, his furrowed brows returning to his original expression and lines of anger fading from his expression. "Yes" he said lightly. "I'll appreciate that." He sighed, the feeling from the unexpected bad news still lingered within him. “Mr President, thank you for conveying this to me.” He was pacing the room, clearly frustrated by the possibility of war with the country that had just annihilated the Valkan Gra task force with a little contest. “I... Is there anything else you know about this Annonrial?”

Lee shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, not much. We are currently conducting some long-distance surveillance of their lands and asking the Elysian natives about the Annonrial. Whether through ignorance or incompetence, they know as much as we know. I theorize that it was because every ship that approached their land was destroyed by sea monsters or their advanced warships.”

"Sophisticated warships ..."

Lee nodded. “Mhm. Are you familiar with the story of the Ravernal Kingdom? Or the Ancient Sorcerous Kingdom, as some natives call it?

Digging into his memories, Cabal recalled an example where he read about magic in Elysia. The material ranks species in terms of magical affinity, with humans and animal hybrids at the bottom and elves near the top. The top, however, is the position occupied by the light winged species. He did not remember what their species name really was, but remembered seeing the terms 'Ravernal' and 'Sorcerous' often associated with this particular species. “Ya, vague. Are they light winged creatures?”

"They. They were the population of the Ravernal Empire, which conquered the planet as a whole, or so according to legend. The old fairy tale depicts them as having ships that can reach the sky, artificial planes that fly faster than sound, and even weapons of mass destruction. We classify it as a miracle nuclear; the Mirishial people say it is something known as 'magic core'."

“Dan... do you think these stories are true?”

Lee chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, not completely. However, we have found a surprising amount of evidence to suggest that they do exist. That, in addition to the attitude of the native Elysians and the ruins that existed in the entire Central Continent. The idea that an entire nation just disappeared just like that was quite absurd, but once again, Lee stretched his hand out, We are here.

Lee's words are undeniable, leading Gra Cabal to believe that Ravernals do exist, and that they are a potential threat that must be taken seriously. If anything, they represent the epitome of the magical fear of the Valkan Gra; they represent the reason why the Valkan Gra was originally peaceful and afraid to interact with the Elysians. “It... unsettling,” says Cabal. "However, what does this have to do with Annonrial?"

"It is quite possible that the Annonrial is descended from the Ravernals" Lee replied bluntly. “Over time, it is possible that the light-winged species evolved into the winged species we see on the continent today. Pairing with Ravernal's operational armament footage in the area.” Lee fell silent, the implications of his words were clear.

“Once,” Cabal said, keep quiet while thinking afterwards.

As a sign of good faith, Lee decided to give some advice to the Cabal. “I do not recommend to immediately show your people. This is definitely an inexcusable offense, but even we don't know the extent of their technology. Waging a war against a civilization more advanced than yours, well, I guess you can see your war with Leifor as an example. Lee sipped again from his glass.

Cabal looked at his own glass, and downed the rest of its contents with a single gulp. “Once... I will consider this. Still, this aggression cannot be left alone. The Valkan Gra Empire will act. I just don't know how, or when.” The revelation he had just experienced was astounding, and more than enough to instill the seeds of doubt towards the superiority of the Gra Valkas Empire. There are usually bigger fish in the sea, the dugout, but at some point there will be bigger ones. Who represents the greatest? Cabal pondered his question as he looked at the technological achievement that was on the table before him: a small tablet. His line of thought stopped as soon as Lee resumed the conversation.

Lee refilled his glass as he spoke, “Heiden Department is planning a diplomatic visit to their 'gate island' Bushpaka Latan soon. We look forward to telling them who we are, and hopefully - although I stress that this is a pretty long opportunity - forge a good relationship with them. Despite their superior technology, they have not acted against other countries, so I have the impression that they are just aggressive isolationists. We can keep in touch,” Lee offers, “and if so, my people will tell you and you can act accordingly.”

“It was a good plan,” Cabal replied, the fear of the unknown continues to pervade his darkest thoughts.