"- Sure." They can go do that.

She'll go talk to Ilderia, then.

Ilderia is happy to talk to her. "Century has been passing on to me what you have been telling him. How much would letting us do without sleep cost you?"

"Favor from Aroden. But - I think eight hours would be very valuable to us, right now. There's a lot I don't understand and a lot of planning to do."

"I do not think we can afford to spend eight hours talking, or that we would spend the eight hours sleeping if we did not."

"Then that suggests whatever else you'd spend it on is more important, which still seems like reason to do it."

"When we're finished talking, I mean to go straight back to the fight. Every hour we wait is more ground we lose."

" - all right. Then I will try to be very quick. It is important to you - very important to you - to win this war. It would be helpful to you to have the Good person's aid even if she'd only destroy the constructs. I don't - know what a democratic government is, but I am surprised to learn it is more important to you."

"I will never swear an oath to bind my future actions to someone else's judgement, which I would need to do to remain a citizen of a democratic state, and honest with myself. Without my judgement, what am I? A sword? I will not be wielded by a man I did not choose."

"But I could walk away. I could overthrow the Tyrant, take power, and declare that I intend to let the people choose a ruler, and then leave, and then whoever takes power will name himself dictator and ruin my home and be overthrown by the first supervillain to want to be a king, and the cycle will begin again."

"But these reasons aside, the case is moot. Luminosa is not a truth-teller, she is a tinker* who empowered herself, and she will not trust me if I swear to restore democracy, even if I speak honestly."

(*: The connotations are actually quite similar to "crafting-focused wizard," here, especially with the assumption that they have poor social skills and little common sense and spend lots of time in towers experimenting.)

"I have truth spells. If the barrier to an alliance is the credibility of peoples' promises I can fix that, it is what I am for. Your worry is that if people got to choose their ruler, they wouldn't choose you, and would choose someone who was swiftly overthrown? Why would they do that?"

"Because - and I swear that this is true - it's what usually happens when people try to establish democracy if the person chosen doesn't immediately make themselves a dictator with the support of the army. If people choose their own ruler, they vote for someone very good at making promises instead of someone they trust to protect them, and nine times out of ten either that person fails to live up to the promises they have made or refuses to give up power until overthrown."

"And she has no reason to believe you're a truthteller, and there are none on the island who can vouch for you."

"My spell will be in your book, I'd expect. Why do people who want democratic governments want them if that's what happens?"

Ilderia is not really sure how to reply 'but they have no reason to believe anything you say, including that you cast spells from this book.'

"Hm. Two answers. First, they look at America, the richest country in the world, which is a democracy maintained by two of the world's most powerful superheroes, and they imagine they can have that and forget that the President rules because the Survivor and Minerva and their clients wish it to be so. And second, because there is something deep in every human heart that makes every man wish to forge his own fate and control his own destiny and be subject to no arbitrary law, and 'the will of the majority decides' is an appealing substitute for freedom if you can't have the true thing."

"Are there promises you would be willing to make about freedoms people would have in a state you ruled, that might be as good a substitute for the real thing as getting to decide the ruler?"

"I have promised justice, peace, freedom of travel, just taxes and that the lives and property of the innocent will be respected, that all may speak truth freely and that all those who trample on others, whatever their station, will be punished for it. If Luminosa will not accept this, it is not because I have not promised it."

"It is strange to me that she would describe that as  - no good outcome being attainable by your victory. That is better than any place I've ever heard of."

"Our world may be better than yours."

"Depends entirely on your afterlife situation, I think. All right, I understand why even if it wins the war it does not seem worth it to you to pledge to let a new tyrant arise, though it does seem like that one would be...easier to beat, as we'll have had a lot more time."

"Not if I swear to respect the law," she says drily. "Need to talk to Luminosa again?"

"You could swear to respect the law as long as the law respects those things you just mentioned! I think I'd like to, yes."

"Good luck."

They are on a time limit, Ilderia does not say for the purpose of placating her very powerful ally who has very understandable concerns.

Iomedae away?

(And then Ilderia can soak her head in cold water go back to the very important work of organizing her forces.)