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Hey, Caspar. What's with the mountain of books?
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Wait, please don't tell me you're planning to use them in your training somehow.
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What kind of guy do you think I am? They're books. I'm gonna read 'em.
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Read? A book? You? Did you eat something weird?
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Come on, don't sell me short like that. I've torn through books before, sometimes even two or three whole chappers a day!
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Come on, you sound just like Linhardt. I've torn through books before, sometimes even two or three whole chappers a day!
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Please don't use the word "torn" when it comes to books—you're going to make my heart stop.
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And books are divided into chapters, not... "chappers." Oh, Caspar, promise me you won't hurt those books!
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You don't have to worry, Dorothea. I realized something the other day.
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A person who's responsible for troops can't rely on physical strength alone.
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You probably wouldn't guess it from how my father looks, but he's pretty good about that stuff.
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Can't say I'm shocked that the Empire's Minister of Military Affairs has read the occasional book...
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Speaking of, you may have heard this story before, but I'm going to tell it anyway...
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Back during the War of the Eagle and Lion, there was an Imperial general named Francis who was quite proud of his strength.
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But while he was indeed strong, he was unlearned, and so everyone looked down on him.
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Why do I feel like this story is gonna make me feel like an idiot?
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Just listen. The emperor at the time gave Francis an order to study, and said that if he didn't, he wouldn't be allowed to lead anyone in battle.
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Francis did as his emperor ordered and studied as though his life depended on it, growing especially talented in the area of tactics and strategy.
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As a result, his deeds on the battlefield were great, and he eventually rose to the rank of Minister of Military Affairs.
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So I should take a page out of Francis's book, right?
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So long as you don't mean literally, yes. Incidentally, the words the emperor used to praise Francis were memorable enough to have survived even to this day.
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"With the passing of five sunrises and five sunsets, even the meanest soldier may burgeon into a peerless commander."
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It means if you study hard for five days, even a common soldier can become a great general who commands an entire army.
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Five days? That's nowhere near enough time! It'd take me five days just to read one book!
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You gotta at least give me until the end of the war...
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But by that point, won't your chances to distinguish yourself in battle have already passed?
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Aw, you're right. What am I gonna do, Dorothea?!
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Well, I suppose I have no choice but to to help you. Who knows? I might even learn something!
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Aw, you're the best! Thank you!