If Sona was at all confused by Gilgamesh's line of questioning, she didn't show it. She just stared at the board game for a few seconds before looking at Gilgamesh: "I'm not sure what you're asking me, Gilgamesh.
"Let me rephrase it for you this way," crossing her arms in front of her chest Gilgamesh leaned back in her chair, "What exactly do chess and battle have in common?"
This time she didn't bother to look at the chessboard, but focused all her attention on Gilgamesh as she contemplated the question.
"Normally I would answer something like strategy or tactics" she began, "but I have a feeling that is not the answer you are looking for"
Gilgamesh shook his head at her answer.
A little naive perhaps, but no one has ever accused Sona of being stupid.
"The answer is simple, almost nothing"
"Now, I'm not claiming that chess isn't useful for developing strategic thinking or planning, which it undoubtedly is, just that its use in developing battle skills is greatly overrated in modern demon society." I continued after I was sure I wouldn't be interrupted, "Actually, outside of basic strategy, it has almost nothing in common with real-life warfare.
"And yet, the Devils as a whole seem to love it as the ideal war game simulator. The amount of exaggeration that the Devils seem to pile on chess is so ridiculous that it has begun to negatively affect the fighting potential of the younger generation of Devils."
"For example" Gilgamesh raised a single finger, "there is a military term known as 'information uncertainty'. That's when you're not sure how accurate the information you have about the enemy is, or a situation where you don't even have any information. This is a fundamental aspect of any battlefield and something that simply does not exist in chess" Gilgamesh raised his second finger.
"Then there is the amount of forces each side possesses. In chess, no matter your skill level, your starting pieces are equal in number and strength, which is a completely ridiculous scenario in real life that will never occur."
Gilgamesh quickly added a third, fourth and fifth finger to the others.
"Then there is the advantage of terrain and weather, communication problems, panic and morale among the soldiers. You can't perform flanking maneuvers in chess, you can't put enemies behind your lines, and above all you can't use their fear and terror against them" Gilgamesh closed his hand into a fist.
"And perhaps the most important lesson of all, chess does not teach you when to run away. Victory is always possible in chess, in real life sometimes all you can do is run. Sometimes it is much better to retreat than to stand and fight to a senseless death. This simple lesson, learning when to run, is something that many people never learn until it is too late," Gilgamesh said seriously.
This might sound strange coming from a warrior like Gilgamesh who brought Sirzechs Lucifer to his knees with one look, but even Gilgamesh knew his limitations.
"Chess, Sona," Gilgamesh continued after allowing a few seconds for his words to be absorbed, "is a great starting point for developing your skills as a strategist, but if you hold onto it too long, it will only end up limiting you. And that's something that's already happening to you."
Gilgamesh spread his arms and indicated the entire room with a nod.
"Your choice of Nobility is a perfect example of that."
Anger, a genuine barely contained anger, flooded her face as she almost hissed at Gilgamesh.
"Be careful with your next words, Gilgamesh. Or even our friendship will not be able to save you from my wrath."
Gilgamesh could barely suppress a smile.
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"Now, now, calm down. That's not what I meant. I did not intend for you to consider what I said an insult to your Nobility."
"Then what exactly did you mean, Gilgamesh?" Although Sona had not calmed down, at least she no longer seemed to be making plans to rip Gilgamesh's head off.
"Your nobility, they are a reflection of how you fight."
That at least was able to knock her down enough to take the wind out of her sails.
Before she had a chance to ask, Gilgamesh replied, "They are all like chess pieces. No, to be precise, they're more like surgical knives."
Gilgamesh looked around the room at all seven members of his Nobility.
"Even with just one look, I can tell that almost everyone in this room was chosen not for their raw fighting skills. Instead, you chose them for their abilities to counter your enemies' strength or exploit their weaknesses. Like a craftsman choosing his tool, you chose each piece of your nobility in preparation for exploiting whatever situation you found yourself in.
"Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Quite the contrary, in fact, I can honestly say that many Nobles can benefit from adopting your approach."
"Then what's the problem?" Saji shouted.
Honestly Gilgamesh had had enough of him yelling and considered throwing a sword at his throat.
"The problem is that you have gone too far. Your plans to create a Nobility that can adapt to all scenarios ended up creating several potentially fatal weaknesses. The first and most obvious is that your entire plan of attack requires information about the enemy to work. You can neither exploit their weaknesses nor nullify their strengths if you don't know what they are. Without detailed and accurate data about your enemy, your entire attack strategy falls apart.
"In a war, reliable information is a scarce resource.
"What method have you set up to exploit information on the battlefield? Other than family members, which are easily interrupted, or your family's information network, which is geared only towards demons, you don't have an efficient method for gathering the information you need to win."
"Of course" Gilgamesh waved his hand lightly in the air, "In a Rating game it may be possible to gather information about your enemy, but it is equally possible that you will lose something. I'm sure more than one Demon will have a trump card or two hidden up his sleeve.
"Most importantly" Gilgamesh was looking Sona straight in the eye, "Never forget that ranking games are supposed to be a simulation of a real war. It makes no sense to learn techniques that only work in what is basically nothing more than a popular game, but is ineffective in a real fight where real lives are at stake."
Gilgamesh paused to make sure the last sentence was assimilated. If nothing else, he hoped she would at least take this lesson to heart, it might end up saving her life one day.
"The second key mistake is the lack of brute combat strength in your pair. It is all very well to try to exploit your enemy's weakness, but there is no point in doing so when you are too weak to take advantage of such weakness."
In matters of raw power Sona's Nobility was very weak, Sona focused so much on getting the necessary pieces for each situation that he ended up with a team that was technical but lacked finishing power.
Sona who was looking at Gilgamesh speaks.