He exhaled, it carried a strain beyond his years.
"Because I'm planning offensive that might get thousands of demons killed. Seems relevant to know if they're volunteering for suicide mission or being paid for risk."
"They're being paid adequately by demon standards. And honestly, after your demonstration at assembly, most would follow you without payment. Combination of fear and faith is powerful motivator."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not meant to be. It's reality." Lilith's golden eyes studied him. "You're worrying about economics now? After restructuring political hierarchy and committing to apocalyptic war?"
"I'm realizing that military victory means nothing if economy collapses before we fight. Or if winning costs so much that aftermath is worse than losing." He rubbed his temples. "I thought war was about tactics and killing enemies. Turns out it's equally about supply chains and trade negotiations."
